App Updates

Paper by FiftyThree picks up palm rejection, erase and blend features for Pencil

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

FiftyThree, the fine people who brought you the excellent iPad drawing program aptly named Paper, have been taking pre-orders for their companion high-quality stylus, the Pencil, for more than a month now. As we explained in the announcement post, the Pencil uses power-efficient Bluetooth 4.0 technology to communication with the application running on your iPad.

But it's the marriage of high-quality Pencil hardware and premium Paper software which enables seamless features such as the ability to carve away parts of your drawing using a built-in eraser, without having to switch in-app tools first.

With first Pencil shipments arriving later this week, FiftyThree has refreshed Paper for iPad with hardware-specific support for the advanced blend/erase capabilities and the palm rejection feature which disregards spray input when drawing on the iPad's touch-sensitive screen...

Following complaints from Apple, TextExpander gives up Reminders trickery

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 5, 2018

Over time, I've managed to purchase a lot (too many?) of apps for my iOS devices and Macs. But if you asked me to name one instant purchase I have never, ever regretted, I'd easily pick TextExpander by Smile Software in a heartbeat.

This handy utility doesn't come cheap: the Mac edition will run you $34.99, and then an additional $4.99 for the touch-optimized version for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Despite dropping forty bucks on this particular app, I've recouped my investment many times over in just a few short months, by cutting down on the time spent typing common terms and phrases. TextExpander lets me create handy shortcuts which automatically expand during text entry.

For example, I have the 'iDB' shortcut set up to auto-expand to 'iDownloadBlog'. Same with common URLs, brand names and other oft-used snippets of text. The problem is, the curious little trick the app employs to manage and sync those snippets across third-party iPhone and iPad apps that integrate with TextExpander hasn't sat well with Apple.

The App Store review team has refused to approve a recent update on the grounds that Smile's use of the stock iOS Reminders app for shared snippet storage is no longer acceptable. In response, Smile has introduced a new snippet-sharing method and updated an accompanying SDK for third-party app makers...

Shazam now connects with Rdio

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 2, 2013

Shazam's music fingerprinting app for the iPhone and iPad is continuously getting better and more useful after each new update. Right following the September 18 release of iOS 7, Shazam mobile apps were immediately updated with iOS 7-friendly design and technologies.

And just a month ago, the app was refreshed with the handy artist updates, the ability to see what your friends have tagged and a new newsfeed-like interface for real-time updates and interactions with the Shazam community.

On Monday, Shazam got bumped to version 7.2 which brings a very interesting feature: if you're a Rdio user, you can now listen to your Shazam tracks as an Rdio playlist. A few other goodies are included in this Shazam update, listed after the break...

Boxie goes free: everyone can now prettify their Dropbox

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

As a Dropbox power user on a daily basis, I am very dissatisfied with their mobile app because it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of advanced capabilities, so much so that I've recently become a Boxie convert and never looked back.

This awesome Dropbox client for the iPhone and iPad used to cost two bucks so I imagine the price tag must have put off a lot of would-be users, especially give Dropbox’s own official iPhone and iPad client is free in the App Store and good enough for most of casual Dropbox users.

Those who depend on Dropbox will be happy learning that developer Tapwings has now completely removed barrier to entry because starting today, you can download Boxie free from the App Store (the price cut is permanent).

Dropbox fans would be wise to immediately treat themselves to this awesome app which will soup up your Dropbox experience with the elegant user interface while allowing for some advanced features not supported by Dropbox’s own app.

I'm talking stuff like moving an item in a folder via drag-and-drop, per-folder sorting, ZIP archive extraction, direct Dropbox-to-Dropbox transfer and lots more...

Spotify update brings Browse mode to iPad, lets you follow friends/artists and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

The Swedish streaming music startup Spotify has pushed a new update to its free iPhone and iPad client today. The new Spotify 0.9.1 enables the Browse mode on iPads, while bringing the ability to follow friends and artists, enabling the search/public toggle for playlists on the iPhone and introducing more responsive searching and revamped playlists, along with the usual bug fixes and performance improvements.

Spotify, which received its major iOS 7 update on October 22, two months ago brought out the completely revamped Browse tab. Basically a new way to search for music, Browse taps a simplified interface for finding your favorite artists and albums or discovering new ones with just a few taps.

Browse used to be iPhone-only, but today's update brings the feature to iPad devices as well while replacing the old What’s New view...

iTranslate goes universal, adds native iOS 7 iPad UI

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

I generally dig software by German developer Sonico Mobile. As I'm not a native English speaker, you could imagine Sonico's free translator and dictionary program called iTranslate is one of the apps I always keep on my Home screen no matter what. I'm happy to report that the team has now produced a universal binary which perfectly adopts to iOS 7 by functionality and design.

The new iTranslate for iPhone and iPad is now available free in the App Store, bringing with it the native iPad interface featuring revamped appearance for iOS 7 aesthetics. Check out the screenshots and additional tidbits right after the break...

Tweetbot updated with Night theme, quick account switching/re-ordering and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 14, 2018

Tweetbot, my go-to Twitter client for the iPhone, iPad and Mac, has been updated with an awesome new Night mode, easier account switching, account re-ordering and other perks.

Now available in the App Store as a free download for existing users, Tweetbot 3.2 for the iPhone and iPod touch includes a couple usual bug fixes and performance improvements while adding long-hold on the Favorite button to fav from another account.

I've included the full changelog after the break...

Delivery Status touch update adds support for iCloud Keychain and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

We're big fans of Junecloud's package-tracking app Delivery Status touch. It's what most of us here at iDB use to track our new iPhones, iPads and other gear when we order online, and it even made our list of Best iPhone apps.

And today, Delivery Status touch received a significant update, bringing the app to version 5.0.1. The update includes a number of improvements, such as support for iCloud Keychain, French shipping outfit Chronopost and more...

Fantastical 2 gets All Overdue Reminders icon badge and improved geofencing

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Flexibits released the major new Fantastical 2 version a month ago and already the team has followed up with new features such as additional icon badge options and notifications sounds, available to existing users at no cost by way of a free software update. But why stop there? Exactly!

Available now in the App Store as a free update, the new Fantastical version 2.0.2 expands on its feature set by adding a new option for the icon badge while improving the accuracy and reliability of geofence handling, tweaking the invitees section so it appears larger on smaller devices and more. Jump past the fold for additional tidbits...

Procreate 2 brings GPU-accelerated filters, 64-bit support, 4K canvas size

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

Procreate, the Apple Design Award winning illustration app for the iPad, is a seriously addictive and immensely powerful piece of software which turns your iPad into a digital painting canvas, thanks to the incredibly accurate and smooth Silica painting engine.

The team back in August enhanced Procreate by adding support for Wacom’s Intuos Creative Stylus along with the ability to make canvas recordings in full HD (1080p).

In a major iOS 7 focused update today, Procreate version 2.0 introduces full support for iOS 7 and Apple's 64-bit A7 processor, with additional optimizations for the new iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display. More importantly, Procreate 2 now includes new filters and adjustments which take advantage of your tablet's GPU through a hardware-accelerated engine, a first for Procreate...

Yelp updated with new SeatMe feature for making restaurant reservations

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 1, 2017

Folks looking to take advantage of the holidays this week by venturing out to their favorite eating spots may want to check out the latest version of Yelp. The iOS client was updated today with a new feature that allows you to make restaurant reservations from within the app.

The new feature is the direct result of Yelp's summer acquisition of SeatMe, a tech start-up that developed a solution for making online reservations at popular food and drink locations, and reduces the friction between discovering a great place on Yelp and experiencing it...

Amazon app redesigned for iOS 7

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Just in time for the holidays, Amazon has redesigned its iPhone and iPad app for iOS 7. The update comes a week before Black Friday—the beginning of the biggest shopping weekend of the year for most retailers.

The app gives users virtually full access to the ecommerce giant's staggering selection of products, which ranges from electronics to clothes, and everything in between. And now it looks right at home on iOS 7 devices...