Apps

Algoriddim’s djay hits your wrist with a powerful Apple Watch app

The vast majority of Apple Watch apps that have been appearing on the App Store ahead of the wearable's Friday launch are for the most part relegated to Glances and notifications, and that's just fine.

As someone who loves music but sucks at DJ-ing, Algoriddim's djay apps for the iPhone, iPad and Mac have for years excited and delighted me with a powerful selection of easy-to-use mixing tools that've turned me into the star of parties I threw at my home.

You could imagine I was watching with great intent how Algoriddim, which hails from Germany, would handle their Watch app. Well, djay for Apple Watch is now here and although I haven't had a chance to try it out on the actual device just yet, Algoriddim was kind enough to treat me to a private demo of the app ahead of its official launch.

Suffice to say that I was smitten by what I saw. The app acts as a full-on remote controller for djay running on your iPhone, untangling you from the mixing booth while putting such headline features as Automix with Spotify and EchoNest integration.

With the Watch app, you can easily cue up and mix your favorite songs, all while controlling audio effects and loops for each deck individually, on your wrist.

What more could an aspiring DJ ask for?

Glass Planner makes getting things done easier

Planning out your life can be a serious task. That’s probably why there are so many organization apps available in the App Store. Everyone has a different way of keeping track of projects and goals. Different features are important to people for a variety of reasons.

Glass Planner is a new task manager that combines your calendar with your to-do list so you can keep track of everything you need to do in life, every day. Don’t just make plans. Make planning work for you.

Reiner Knizia’s dice game Pickomino comes to iOS

The tabletop game of Pickomino is played with domino style tiles and dice. It features 16 tiles and eight dice. This light play game is great for family night, or for those evenings when you and your drinking buddies want something fun to play that doesn’t require a whole lot of thinking.

Pickomino is now available on iOS, so you can play the game any time, anywhere and you don’t even need a friend to play with. Thanks to computer-generated opponents, you won’t ever be alone when playing Pickomino.

How to disable WhatsApp Read receipts

You probably already know the two blue check marks you see next to your messages in WhatsApp conversations are Read receipts indicating your contact has indeed read your message. This is a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because it can be very helpful at times, when you want to make sure your friend read your message for example. It can also be a curse, because you can't really pretend you didn't read a message if you actually have.

These problems are now a thing of the past with WhatsApp recent update that lets you disable and enable Read receipts at will. In this post, I'll show you how to disable WhatsApp Read receipts.

Tiltagon review: a game that’s frustrating, but in all the right ways

Games using tilt controls have certainly come a long way since the early days of the iPhone. Advancements in technology and programming have taken what was once difficult and unwieldy and transformed it into a responsive, valid control scheme. Tiltagon seeks to utilize this new-found precision to create a game that is frustrating, but in all the right ways.

You can now control Keynote presentations with Apple Watch

Not to be outdone by rival Microsoft which earlier this morning updated its PowerPoint for iOS presentation software with the ability to start and navigate the slideshow on your iPhone from you wrist, Apple has quickly followed with a similar update of its own which brings the same functionality to Keynote for iOS, its PowerPoint alternative. Eagle-eyed readers would be right to note that controlling Keynote presentations from your wrist was first mentioned during Apple’s October 2014 media event.

EA Sports UFC now available in the App Store

Following a soft-launch earlier this year, EA on Tuesday released EA Sports UFC for both iOS and Android. The game promises to bring the intensity of MMA (mixed martial arts) to your fingertips like nothing you've ever seen before.

UFC offers everything you've come to expect from major EA franchise mobile releases. It has HD-quality visuals, intuitive touch controls for action-packed gameplay, and a laundry list of content and features to keep you playing for hours.

WhatsApp for iPhone rolling out VoIP calling, gains iOS 8 share extension and more

Following months of promises and multiple delays, Facebook-owned WhatsApp, which commands more than 800 million active users worldwide, on Tuesday started rolling a voice calling feature in its iPhone application.

WhatsApp Calling is a staggered release and will be rolling out “slowly over the next several weeks,” the company said, meaning it may not be available for you immediately.

In addition to calling other people for free over Wi-Fi networks, regardless of where they may live, the app has gained other enhancements, too, starting with a much welcomed app extension on iPhones running iOS 8. Sadly enough, this update hasn't brought out support for iOS 8's Interactive Notifications.

Microsoft updates PowerPoint with remote Apple Watch functionality

Microsoft on Tuesday issued a refresh to its PowerPoint presentation software on the App Store, adding remote functionality for Apple Watch users.

The newly added PowerPoint Remote feature allows you to control slides running on your iPhone, such as starting the slideshow and easily navigating to the next and previous slides.

In addition, the Watch app provides you with an at-a-glance overview of the elapsed presentation time while putting the current slide number and total number of slides on your wrist.

NimbleBit releases new word game ‘Letterpad’ with Apple Watch support

Long-time developer NimbleBit, responsible for several hit titles such as Tiny Tower and Pocket Planes, released a new game on Monday called 'Letterpad.' It's a word puzzler, and it's available for free for both the iPhone and iPad, as well as the Apple Watch.

The game tasks players with finding words related to the given topic, hidden within a group of 9 letters. So if the topic is 'Music,' you'll want to uncover words related to that such as radio or jam. Find all the words, and work your way through over 200 puzzles.

Twitter now lets you receive DMs from anyone

Twitter apps for mobiles are getting a small yet significant update Monday, bringing out the ability to receive direct messages (DMs) from anyone. The company originally rolled out this feature as an experiment in October 2013 only to pull it the following month because it was unfinished and not ready for prime time yet. You opt-in to use the new feature by ticking a box next to “Receive Direct Messages from anyone” in the settings.

This lets anyone on Twitter send you a private message, regardless of whether or not they're following you. Previously, direct messaging has only been possible between users who follow each other.

The current implementation doesn't pose a major threat to established messaging services due to an account limit of 1,000 DMs sent per day. Once you hit this limit, you won't be able to send any more DMs for the day. The update is currently rolling out to App Stores around the world so check back in a few hours if it's not live yet.