Apps

Book accommodations in just two taps with Booking.com’s redesigned, rebranded app

Booking.com, a Priceline-owned hotel reservation service which Planet Earth named its #1 Accommodation Site, has had a pair of nice apps in the App Store for quite some time now.

The first, Booking.com Hotel Reservations Worldwide & Hotel Deals, lets you browse over 550,000 properties and find your ideal accommodation.

The other, Booking.com Tonight, has just been rebranded as Booking Now. Featuring a fresh new coat of paint giving it a modern appearance, the app also introduces new features such as personalized search results, quicker bookings of accommodations within 48 hours and more.

Monument Valley devs reveal $5.8M in revenue and other interesting stats

Mobile game developers Ustwo published a blog post today revealing some interesting figures on their hit game Monument Valley. For those unfamiliar with the title, it's a popular indie puzzler that took home several awards and was Apple's iPad Game of the Year in 2014.

Among the stats provided by the devs is that Monument Valley has been installed on over 10 million unique devices since it debuted in April last year. Due to piracy and promotions, it's only seen around 2.4 million "official sales," but that still translates into $5.8 million.

Apple names ‘Marvel Pinball’ its free App of the Week

Apple has just named ZEN Studios' 'Marvel Pinball' its App of the Week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the popular arcade game for both iPhone and iPad for free—saving you a buck.

Marvel Pinball combines your favorite super heroes with a fast-paced arcade experience. In the game, players are tasked with using they're pinball skills to help the legendary Marvel heroes rid their universe of a horde of notorious super villains.

The best apps for quickly deleting iPhone photos

Photos app on iPhone

Do you have a massive number of photos in your iPhone’s Camera Roll? Do you wish you could quickly delete that series of pictures you took while watching your niece’s ballet recital but want it to be easier than selecting them individually and then throwing them away?

Well, you are in luck. Third-party iOS apps can delete photos from your Camera Roll for you. All you have to do is find the app you like the best to accomplish that. Here's a list of apps that we think are the best for mass deleting photos from your iPhone or iPad.

Parallels Access gains iPhone 6 support and much more, web version debuts

Parallels Access, a native iOS and Android app for remotely accessing your applications and files residing on Windows or Mac PCs, is now available as a web-based software that anyone can use on any computing device with a standard web browser.

In addition, the iOS edition of Parallels Access has received a fairly significant version 2.5 update today that brings out many enhancements such as full support for the native display sizes on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, a full-blown file manager, improved audio control settings and much more.

Microsoft now gives you first month free when you sign up for an Office 365 subscription

Microsoft's Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for the iPhone and iPad allow anyone to edit, create and view Office files on the go at no cost, but advanced features such as a more powerful editing capability, Dropbox integration and more is locked behind a paid for Office 365 subscription.

In the hope of encouraging as many Office for iOS users as possible to move up to the subscription model, the software maker on Thursday said it's now treating you to the first month free if you sign up for an Office 365 subscription.

Google Maps gains better restaurant search, enhanced weather info and more

Google has bumped its Maps for iOS app to version 4.2, bringing out a few new features and improvements that enhance your experience concerning searching for restaurants, retrieving weather information and more.

You can now find restaurants by cuisine type in Google Maps 4.2 for the iPhone and iPad and (at last) access weather information for other cities around the world, not just for your current location.

Turn still photos into moving art with GIFx

I secretly love GIFs. Well, maybe it is not such a secret since my best friend regularly sends me links to funny ones. Snort-level laughter usually follows. You may not always want to create funny micro movies with your camera, though. Sometimes, you may just want to liven up a still shot.

GIFx is a photo-editing app that adds GIF backgrounds to your pictures and videos. Now, you can make moving photographs without having to actually create a GIF first.

Google Classroom app lands on iPhone and iPad

Google today launched mobile apps on iOS and Android for its Classroom initiative. The service, which has seen 30+ million assignments submitted since its debut last summer, aims to help teachers save time, paper, and improve communication with students.

The app adds even more efficiency, allowing teachers to issue and track assignments from their phone or tablet. Students will enjoy it as well, as it lets them view and work on homework, with the ability to import from other apps, and live chat with classmates.

European iOS users may need to re-enable auto-renewing in-app purchases

Following Apple's price increases on the European iTunes App Store last week, auto-renewing subscriptions for in-app content in Europe have been turned off if any of the pricing tiers were changed.

It's a move by Apple to stop charging users more than they agreed to, however Apple has not notified users or developers of the change, which could leave havoc to developers' revenues for a few weeks until users figure it out themselves.

Skype starts pre-release program for iOS, rolls out small 5.9 update

Microsoft-owned Skype announced a new pre-release program for its iOS app on Wednesday, aimed at its most engaged users.

The company said in a blog post that users accepted into the pre-release program will get access to early versions of Skype in exchange for their regular feedback and NDA signature. Skype is limiting access to those 18 or older and who have a valid email address and Skype or Microsoft Account.