Apps

Twitter is testing a dedicated GIF button

Thursday, TechCrunch reported that some users of Twitter's mobile application for Android had briefly seen a dedicated GIF button inside the app before it disappeared on its own. The new button gave them quick access to trending GIFs and was located between the camera and poll icons inside Twitter's Android app.

According to user Phil Perlman, tapping the button lets you select trending GIFs, or tap through to choose a GIF reaction based on mood categories.

How to measure Mac frame rates and enable HiDPI display modes on older models with Quartz Debug

Have you ever wanted to benchmark the graphics performance of your favorite Mac apps and games, or measure the refresh rates of macOS's user interface?

If so, you'll be delighted to learn that Apple provides a free application, called Quartz Debug, which has a built-in live frame rate monitoring tool that can measure the refresh rate of the graphics subsystem in frames per second (FPS).

Here's how you can download Quartz Debug to your Mac and use it to display the number of screen updates per second, see the FPS and CPU gauges changing as you perform different actions on your Mac, enable HiDPI display modes on non-Retina Macs and adjust other settings related to the computer's GPU.

How to turn any photo scene into a snowy one with Snow Daze

Winter may be coming to an end next month, making room for the Spring season, but that doesn't mean you can't keep enjoying the snow!

Snow Daze is a wonderful app that can be had from the App Store for $1.99. The app can turn any photograph scene into a snowy wonderland. With all of the different filters, configurable snow settings, and color options, you can make even the least suspecting photograph look like it was taken in the middle of a blizzard storm.

In this tutorial, we'll be showing you how the app works.

Rototo: a challenging space survival game, now free in the App Store

Are you looking for a fun new App Store game to install on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to entertain your inner gamer? Look no further than Rototo: Space Survival, which is survival game where you actively defend yourself from incoming threats using a rotating shield.

Rototo is normally $1.99, but it's currently free in the App Store for an unknown period of time, and we'd recommend taking advantage of that awesome deal!

Review: this exquisitely done astronomical clock for iPhone might cure your Apple Watch envy

It's funny how the Apple Watch's debut prompted Apple bloggers to become self-proclaimed horology experts. I never pretended to be one, but as an amateur astronomer think Apple should be credited for going to great lengths in paying homage to the traditional environment in which horology was developed by putting strong emphasis on the device's advanced timekeeping features and features like the cool Astronomy and Solar watch faces.

You don't need to own an Apple Watch if you're eager to discover the fascinating relation between time and the cosmos, all you need is a superb iPhone app by Swiss developer (how appropriate!) Celestial Dynamics, called Cosmic Watch.

New in Google app: 3D Touch for ‘I’m Feeling Curious’

Google today issued a nice little update to its mobile search application for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. In addition to the usual assortment of bug fixes and stability improvements, version 12.0 delivers a novel use case for the 3D Touch feature on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus: if you press the Google app icon on your Home screen, you'll get a shortcuts menu with a new “I’m Feeling Lucky” option.

It's the mobile equivalent of Google's legendary “I’m Feeling Lucky” feature on the web which delivers a fun, interesting fact. But the new app has another surprise up its sleeve, provided your device is running iOS 9.

Revamped NHL app with HD live video, picture-in-picture support and more now available

Today, the National Hockey League (NHL) has rebooted its iOS application with tons of goodies, including full support for iOS 9 features like picture-in-picture mode on compatible iPad models.

The new NHL 7.0 app delivers high-definition live video streaming at a silky smooth sixty frames per second on the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus.

It also provides the ability to subscribe to NHL Premium, a new package that lets you watch the dramatic final minutes of NHL games, including 3-on-3 OT and shootouts, and extended highlight packages, and includes a bunch of other enhancements that hockey fans will very much appreciate.

Mac email client Airmail hits iPhone with snooze, 3D Touch, interactive notifications and more

Airmail, the popular desktop email client for the Mac, is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch. Lightweight and fast, Airmail by Italy-based developer Bloop packs in a number of advanced features such as support for 3D Touch shortcuts on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, interactive notifications, snooze features, customizable actions and appearance, iCloud sync and much more.

The app is available in the App Store for $4.99.

Be more productive in Mail with these 3D Touch shortcuts

Apple's Mail is a great place to start trying out iOS's time-saving 3D Touch interactions on your iPhone. With 3D Touch, not only can you create a new email and jump to your inboxes right from the Home screen but manage your emails more efficiently with in-app Peek and Pop gestures.

In this tutorial, you will learn about all the ways Mail takes advantage of 3D Touch to make you more productive by letting you preview emails, contacts, web links, as well as embedded dates and times, airline codes, package tracking numbers and more.

Facebook expanding Live Video feature to all iPhone users in the US

Facebook on Thursday announced that it would be expanding its live video broadcasting feature to all iPhone users in the United States. The company began testing the feature, aimed directly at Twitter's Periscope, in December, along with its photo collage update.

To share a live video, make sure you have the latest version of the Facebook mobile app and open up the Update Status sheet. You should see the Live Video icon sitting above the keyboard. Type a brief description and choose your audience before tapping it to go live.

This app lets you type notes with a keypad on your Apple Watch

Yesterday, I reviewed a cool little Apple Watch app for creating notes on the fly with dictation which can then be shown as a complication on your watch.

In continuing with the same theme, today I take a look at Note Tapper by Mark Cotterill, which adds an interesting twist to taking notes on the Apple Watch—rather than rely on (at times unreliable) dictation feature, you can type out your thoughts using a rather effective built-in keyboard.

Whimsical jetpack-flying game Piloteer selected as Apple’s Free App of the Week

Apple's editors have cherry-picked the Piloteer game as its new Free App of the Week on the App Store, meaning you can now download this $1.99 title at no charge until next Thursday. Created by Fixpoint Productions and released on the App Store in June of 2015, Piloteer has an average rating of four stars based on more than 155 reviews.

In this physics-based game, a renowned inventor is determined to overcome the stigma associated with flying a jetpack and convince the world that jetpacks should be revered by all. It sounds easier said than done, however.