Apple

Fantastical gains WhatsApp and 1Password integration, new alert sound and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Fantastical by Flexibits is arguably the most advanced calendar and to-do application on the iPhone - my daily productivity is now dependent on it running on my iOS devices and Macs.

If you're not familiar with the app, it features natural language processing so you can just type in something like 'lunch with Dad in two weeks at Mom's place at 1pm' and it'll automatically create a reminder or an event for you. And yes, it integrates with your iOS Calendar and Reminders database.

Fantastical is even better on the Mac and developers should be praised for keeping their user base loyal by expanding on the feature set with regular refinements and new capabilities. In today's update, now live in the App Store, Fantastical brings out a whole bunch of tweaks and improvements along with a few new features.

Notable highlights include an option to send text messages in WhatsApp, support for opening links in 1Password and the Mercury web browser, a new custom sound they've made for event and reminder notifications and lots more.

The full changelog is right below the fold...

Apple to open small stores in India with a focus on low-end iOS devices

Cody Lee ∙ March 11, 2014

Citing sources familiar with the company's retail plans, The Economic Times is reporting today that Apple is working with local distributors in India to set up small shops in larger cities to push some older-model iPhones and iPads, as well as some lower-end Macs.

The initiative is part of Apple's ongoing efforts to make inroads into the country, where its iPhone only accounts for about 2% of the smartphone market. These new shops, according to the report, will focus on cheaper devices like the iPhone 4 and 4s, and the iPad 2...

Star Trek Online MMO is now available for the Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 28, 2017

Today's a good day to be a Mac gamer. First, Blizzard unleashed Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, its free-to-play fast-paced strategy card game set in the Warcraft universe, and now this. Avid gamers will be quick to point out that PC users have been privileged to enjoy Star Trek Online since its release back in 2010.

Unfortunately, as developers Cryptic and Perfect World originally failed to introduce the Mac edition alongside the PC version, it's taken them three long years to produce the Mac edition of Star Trek Online, with a little help from conversion specialists TransGaming and its Cider technology.

Now available on a free-to-play basis, Star Trek Online is a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game set in the 25th century, in the original Star Trek universe.

It's awesome that all of the familiar themes, sides, races, locations and vessels are in there, including the embattled Federation, the mighty Klingon Empire, the Romulan Empire, the Dominion - even the Borg Collective is included.

Who's ready to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and new civilizations in a vast, expanding universe? Good, I've included more tidbits after the break so read on...

Blizzard releases free-to-play Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft on the Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Following a brief public beta period, the acclaimed games maker Blizzard Entertainment (a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard) on Tuesday released its Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft on the Mac (Windows, too).

Now available on a free-to-play basis from Blizzard's website, Hearthstone is a strategy card game set in the Warcraft universe which pits you against your Battle.net friends and aims to “evoke the spirit of a friendly match played beside a crackling tavern fire”.

Each player starts with a deck of thirty Magic-style cards, with additional cards becoming available once you win battles or buy new cards through the in-app purchasing mechanism (that's why they call it a free-to-play game).

There are hundreds of unique cards to choose from. Each player’s card deck focuses on a hero representing one of nine Warcraft classes - customized with a set of minions, spells and weapons - and features iconic characters like Jaina Proudmoore, Gul’dan, Uther the Lightbringer and Thall...

24 hours later, iOS 7.1 adoption hits 5.9 percent of active devices in North America

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 11, 2014

In its first 24 hours in the wild, Apple's new iOS 7.1 software is now on 5.9 percent of active devices in North America, research firm Chitika reported Tuesday. The figure was derived from "tens of millions" of iOS-based online ad impressions generated within the Chitika Ad Network in the United States and Canada from March 9 through March 11, 2014.

By comparison, the number is comparable to the crucial iOS 7.0.6 update which fixed a nasty SSL security exploit, with iOS 7.0.6 users generating six percent of all iOS 7.0.6 traffic 24 hours post-release (or a nice 13.3 percent adoption in 48 hours)...

Day One journaling app becomes a publishing platform: you can now post diary entries online

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

Two days ago, Day One journaling app for iOS and OS X by Bloom Built has celebrated its third anniversary.

Having been a user since Day One's inception, I couldn't be happier with its clean and elegant design, rich Markdwon support and carefully balanced set of features letting me keep my personal memories, photos and life's best moments neatly organized in one place.

To this date, virtually not a day has gone by without me firing up Day One on my iPhone to capture my thoughts and feelings or simply snap up a memorable moment in time and spice it up with a punchy caption.

I also love Day One's inline photos, how it integrates location data from Foursquare, pulls weather information for entries and keeps my diary synchronized between iOS and Mac devices through iCloud. These are just some of the factors that prompted Apple to name Day One its 2012 Mac App of the Year and 2011 #1 Best App in the Mac App Store.

And now, Bloom Built has updated the iOS edition with Publish, a major new capability that turns your private entries into attractive web pages, available to anyone or just the people with whom you've shared the URL of the entry - the choice is yours.

Jump past the fold for the full breakdown...

Upcoming large-screened iPhone described as a cross between iPhone 5c and iPod nano

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 11, 2016

There have been numerous attempts at envisioning what Apple's next iPhone might look like, especially as the likes of Reuters and The Wall Street Journal jumped on the iPhablet bandwagon calling for two new large-screened iPhones, one with a 4.7-inch display and the other rocking a screen that seemingly measures at least five inches diagonally.

A new report by the rather accurate Japanese blog Macotakara now claims that the upcoming iPhones will expand on rather than replace the current four-inch four factor offered by the iPhone 5/5s/5c, with the bigger model classed as a phablet...

Apple lets Vevo live-stream SXSW iTunes Festival

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Apple's iTunes Festival at SXSW in Austin, Texas is kicking off at 8pm Pacific / 11pm Eastern and the music video service Vevo just announced on its blog that it will live stream all of the performances through through its Apple TV channel and its free mobile apps for the iPhone and iPad.

Select performances will be available following each show, Vevo has noted. The five-day event runs from March 11 through March 15 at ACL Live at the Moody Theater.

In addition to Vevo, Apple itself will provide a free live and on-demand stream via the iTunes Store on the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC devices, as well as in high-definition through the newly-refreshed iTunes Festival app, available free of charge for iOS devices and as a channel on the Apple TV media-streaming box...

Instagram for iPhone introduces Lux filter slider

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 11, 2014

Facebook-owned Instagram has introduced the popular Lux filter via a free update back in February 2012. Lux is admittedly a nice new way to enhance your photos, but there's just one slight problem: Instagram's one-touch implementation leaves a lot to be desired.

For starters, the effect has no options to fiddle with. For those unaware of Lux, it reduces overexposure and uses sharpening and fill light tweaks to make your shots warmer and people prettier.

It's quite handy in low-light and low-contrast situations, even more so if you take lots of selfies using the iPhone's sub-par front-facing camera. Realizing folks need more control over Lux, Instagram has updated its free iPhone app with a custom Lux slider...

Poll: does iOS 7.1 crash less on you?

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 11, 2014

If you're a proud iPhone 5s owner, I'm sure you'll agree that the experience of using iOS 7 on a daily basis is less stellar than what we've normally come to expect from our favorite fruity company. If anything, iOS 7.0.x has taught iPhone owners, especially iPhone 5s ones, to get used to random crashes at least a couple times a day.

It's not just that Safari crashed a lot on me, I crashed while listening to music, reading books and taking pictures - I even crashed on the iOS app switcher. It was almost as if my iPhone 5s would restart if I looked at it the wrong way.

I'm pleased to report that iOS 7 crashes far less on my iPhone 5s versus any prior iOS 7.0.x version, including the recently released iOS 7.0.6. Of course, your mileage may vary and with less than a day's worth of running newly-released iOS 7.1 not everyone's had a chance to experience just how stabler and snappier the new version is.

Having said that, I'd like you to vote in this non-scientific poll about iOS 7.1 stability and learn about your experience thus far. Go ahead, cast a vote and join the civil discussion down in the comments....

New in iOS 7.1: Maps navigation prompts through your car’s stereo over Bluetooth

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 11, 2014

Apple has delivered iOS 7.1 yesterday, its first major iOS update since the software's launch nearly six months ago. We've already detailed some of the noteworthy enhancements like Touch ID reliability improvements, new Siri features, CarPlay support, a bunch of bug fixes - some of which have been credited to prominent iOS hackers like the evad3rs team - and more.

According to developer Mike Piontek, Maps in iOS 7.1 includes a poorly labeled new feature called HFP Prompts which allows the app to play navigation prompts over your car’s speakers, via Bluetooth, even when the iPhone is not selected as the audio source. It's a great addition to Apple's in-car initiative because no longer do you have to fiddle with audio settings as HFP Prompts automatically does the right thing for you.

Jump past the fold for the full breakdown...

Report sheds light on public transit directions in iOS 8’s Maps and other new features

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 11, 2014

A new report by the reliable blogger Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac has offered new details concerning Apple's Maps service in iOS 8, the next major iteration of Apple's mobile operating system for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices, which is expected to be released later this year.

Gurman learned from sources briefed on Apple's plans that CEO Tim Cook, SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue, SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi and Maps head Patrice Gautier have been leading teams of Apple engineers since former iOS chief Scot Forstall’s departure in order to polish and enhance the service so it lives up to the “incredibly high standard” of Apple’s customers.

Here's what you should expect from Apple Maps in iOS 8...