Apps

Snowboard Party brings extreme winter sports to iOS

I remember when snowboarding first became popular. It mainly represented alternative or underground culture. I guess that’s because the sport was inspired by surfing and skateboarding, which used to be part of underground culture, as well. Today, snowboarding is more popular than skiing. Video games based on snowboarding are definitely more popular than those based on skiing.

Snowboard Party is a half-pipe style trick game where players rack up points for grinding, nose grabs, and performing tricks in mid-air. Would I be going too far if I called it extreme mobile gameplay?

Waze updated with Notification Center widget and more

The Google-owned Waze updated its iOS app today, bringing the crowdsourced mapping software to version 3.9.2. Don't let that build number fool you, however, as the update brings about some significant changes.

Perhaps the most notable addition is the new Waze Today Widget for iOS 8 devices. The widget allows you to quickly view your ETA for Home or Work, navigate with one tap, and easily send your current drive & ETA.

The best News apps of 2014

It’s hard to believe that a whole year has come and gone since we gave you our best-of lists in 2013. While last year was hard to beat with the advancement in iOS software and updated version of our most favorite apps and games, this year has provided us with a number of fantastic titles to choose from.

Today, we have a list of news apps that the iDownloadBlog writing team has nominated the best releases in 2014. Below is our vote for the best news app of 2014, as well as the runner ups and the app we think is the best all-time news app. 

Facebook will begin auto-enhancing photos for iPhone users

Even with its Instagram product, Facebook is still one of the premier places to share memories with family and friends. That's why Facebook says it will start auto-enhancing your photos for you on iOS. I guess Facebook thinks you're a sucky photographer.

The social network told TechCrunch on Tuesday you’ll still have complete control of your photos, but a slider will now appear on your photos as you post them that will show how enhanced you want the light, shadow, and clarity. You can even revert back to your original shot.

Google Drive for iOS now lets you upload files from other apps and cloud services

Following up on a recent Google Drive update which brought out support for Touch ID fingerprint verification and iPhone 6 resolutions along with a brand new Share extension to access cloud files in almost any iOS 8 app, today the search giant Google announced that it's now possible to send files to your Drive from other iPhone and iPad applications that have advertised their storage extension system-wide.

And in addition to the usual slew of bug fixes and performance improvements, the refreshed Drive client for iOS now makes it possible to view and share custom maps through the company's My Maps feature.

DeviantArt app puts the world’s largest art gallery in your pocket

Even if you don’t visit the website or have your own account, you’ve probably heard of DeviantArt. Practically any pop culture image search will result in at least a few links to the website, which gets about 65 million unique hits per month. Imagine if 65 million people visited the Museum of Modern Art every month?

The DeviantArt app is the website’s official mobile app. Now, you can browse through the hundreds of millions of original works of art right on your iPhone screen using a specially designed interface to enhance your viewing experience.

Opera Coast 4.0 is now live with Discover, Turbo Compression, Coast Cards and Handoff

Opera Coast, a minimalist browser that Opera Software launched for the iPhone back in April (and released on the iPad in September 2013) has received a substantial update on Tuesday bringing out four new features.

For starters, the app now supports Apple's Handoff technology (requires iCloud, iOS 8, Yosemite and Bluetooth 4.0) so you can start browsing on your iPhone or iPad and continue right where you left off in your OS X browser, be it Safari, Opera or whatever app happens to be set as your default Mac browser.

And if you own an iPhone 6 Plus, the elegant Coast app will delight you with its all-new two-pane landscape mode support. Jump past the fold for other enhancements in Coast 4.0.

Google refreshes Photo Sphere Camera with better image quality, new library organization and more

Following its App Store debut four months ago, Google's Photo Sphere Camera has been bumped to version 1.1.

The useful photography software which allows anyone with an iPhone 4s or higher to create panoramic images now features enhanced image quality when creating 360-degree images on an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.

Additionally, the library view now separates private from public panoramas and the built-in map has been upgraded so that you can expand or contract it as needed.

Instagram adds five new filters, Slow-Mo video uploading and more in iPhone app update

Instagram, a Facebook-owned mobile photography service, today issued an update adding five new filters to its iOS and Android app.

In addition, the popular software has gained a couple handy enhancements such as the ability to upload Slo-Mo video content as well as real-time comments, photo perspective adjustments, a customizable filter tray with live previews and more.

Inspired by the photography, art, fashion and design, the five new subtle filters available in Instagram 6.4 are being marketed as the company's best yet and include: Slumber, Crema, Ludwig, Aden and Perpetua.

App Santa is back with big discounts on great apps

Whether you've been naughty or nice this year, App Santa will still bring you great deals on award winning apps by independent developers. Available now through December 26th, App Santa is offering up to 60% on many must-have applications for both iOS and Mac. It's like Christmas before Christmas. Enjoy!

Google Wallet for iPhone adds Touch ID and iPhone 6 support, more

The Internet giant Google has upped the ante in the mobile payment arena with Tuesday's refresh to its Wallet iOS app. The new version brings out support for Touch ID allowing owners of the iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3 and the iPhone 5s and onward to unlock the app with their finger.

And with native display support for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus display resolutions, the app now takes full advantage of the screen real estate available to owners of Apple's latest handsets.