Apps

Instagram announces new ‘Fade’ and ‘Color’ tools

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Instagram on Tuesday announced that it would be adding two new options to the suite of tools in its photo editing app. Those tools are 'Fade' and 'Color,' and they will allow users to further tweak the appearance of their photos before sharing them on the social network.

More specifically, Color will bring about the ability to tint the highlights or shadows within photos with choices of yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue, cyan and green. Fade, on the other hand, will enable users to bring a quiet tone to their photos by softening colors.

1Password for Mac gains 2-factor code generation

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

After releasing a massive update to its freemium iPhone and iPad password-keeping application back in January, developer AgileBits on Tuesday posted a matching update on the Mac App Store, bringing support for two-factor authentication codes and a bunch of other improvements to its 1Password for Mac utility.

In addition to two-step verification, the app has gained the ability to email and start a FaceTime Audio or Skype call by clicking numbers in the Identities section and given some existing features “a big power-up.”

Compass Point: West review – hire a posse with a deck of cards

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

If there is anything that the HBO television show “Deadwood” has taught us, it is that building a life for yourself in the Old West was difficult. Whether you are trying to keep residents entertained with a lively saloon or protect your land from invaders, settling out West was dangerous.

Compass Point: West is a land expansion free-to-play game that puts players in the gold rush days, fighting to survive against bandits, bullies, and an oil tycoon with a bad attitude. We’ve got a game review of Compass Point: West for you today.

Twitter rolling out revamped ‘Quote Tweet’ feature with comments

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 11, 2018

Twitter on Monday announced that it would be rolling out a revamped Retweet feature to all of its platforms. The new feature allows users to easily add comments to Retweets, and properly embeds them instead of inserting them between quotation marks. It also lets you quickly undo a Retweet, should you change your mind.

The new Retweet is being rolled out to iPhone apps and on the web, and will later make its way to Android. For those wanting to check it out on the web, simply hover over the Retweet icon, and a pop-up box (like the one above) will appear, giving you the option to either perform a standard Retweet or add a comment.

Apple reportedly acquired search startup Ottocat in 2013 to improve App Store discovery

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 12, 2018

Apple has quietly acquired Ottocat, reports TechCrunch, a little-known startup with some interesting search tech. The deal went down a few years ago—sometime in 2013—but its impact is still being felt today. The site believes the company's tech is behind the App Store's fairly new 'Explore' section.

There's little evidence of the acquisition, except for a patent granted to Apple that lists Ottocat co-founder Edwin Cooper as an inventor. The patent is titled "System and Method for Divisive Textual Clustering by Label Selection Using Variant-Weighted TFIDF," and clearly incorporates Ottocat's tech.

Apple opens up early Watch access to more developers ahead of launch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple has opened up early Apple Watch access to more developers ahead of its April 24 launch, reports the Financial Times. The company had previously allowed select, high profile developers to visit its Cupertino campus and use working versions of the device, but within the last two weeks it has expanded the offer to ~20 devs per day.

The program is huge for developers, allowing them to test their apps on a working device, rather than the Mac-based simulator Apple released last year. It's also very secretive, as entrants are asked to sign strict non-disclosure agreements, and forced to work in conference rooms draped with curtains and guarded by Apple security.

Rebus review: a puzzle worth 1,000 words

Josh Gallagher ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Whether or not you recognize the term, it's safe to say we've all encountered a rebus before. These popular puzzles are subtlety hidden throughout our daily lives. They sneak onto billboards in the form of company logos. They appear in text messages as strings of emojis. They even infiltrate Instagram without people realizing they are creating them. Now these complex image puzzles have ambushed the App Store in the form of REBUS by Jutiful.

Lettercraft review: a word game crafted with care

Josh Gallagher ∙ April 6, 2015

With Lettercraft, developer Marco Torretta has created a game built to conquer the mobile market. It’s a word game, one of the App Store’s most popular categories. It’s short, with each session taking just about two minutes. It’s even straightforward and easy to learn. The real success of Lettercraft, however, is its surprising depth and creative mechanics.

Hotel reviews from Trip Advisor, Booking.com come to Apple Maps

Jake Smith ∙ April 5, 2015

Next time you're driving through Chicago looking for a nice place to stay - Apple has you covered. Over the last several days, the Cupertino company has added more hotel review data to its Apple Maps app on iOS, as it works to continue bolstering Maps to compete with the king, Google Maps.

The new data for hotel reviews isn't being served up by Apple itself, outsourcing the work courtesy of Trip Advisor and Booking.com, along with reviews from Yelp that have been there for quite sometime.

DuckTales: Remastered, Hooks, DomiNations, and more apps to check out this weekend

Lory Gil ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

When the workweek is over and it is time to settle in for two days of relaxation, nothing sounds sweeter to me than hours of game playing on my iOS device (especially my iPad). Even when I am too busy to game, I can still use my iPhone to help out with practically anything else I might be up to.

If you are in need of some apps and games to keep you moving this weekend, we have a list that might help you find what you are looking for. Check it out and feel free to tell us about new apps you’ve discovered, as well.

Adobe Slate review: make beautiful stories to share with others

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Whether you are creating a Christmas newsletter to send to family or a weekly update on the progress of a project to your boss, you can make your presentation look fantastic with Adobe Slate for iPad.

Adobe’s new creativity app allows users to build their stories from specially designed templates, which are uploaded to a website so they can be shared with anyone. We’ve got an app review of Adobe Slate for you today.

Dreamy sleepwalker adventure Back to Bed named Apple’s new Free App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 2, 2015

Back to Bed by Bedtime Digital Games has been named the App Store's new Free App of the Week in Apple's ongoing weekly promotion. This awesomely done three-dimensional indie puzzler has never gone free since its August 2014 debut on the App Store and normally retails for $3.99 a pop.

Do yourself a favor and grab the game right now before you forget about it and the price goes back up next Thursday. This one's unlike many other freebies on the App Store, in that it does not contain advertising nor In-App Purchases to spoil the fun.