Apps

MusiXmatch brings the lyrics of your currently playing songs to Notification Center

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

MusiXmatch isn't a new application by any means, although I must admit I had never heard of it until this past week when I read about it on French blog iGen. The app has been around for quite some time but it was recently updated to bring its lyrics engine to Notification Center, where it displays the lyrics of your currently playing songs so you can sing along or just try to finally understand what the heck this song is all about once for all.

Assuming you have an internet connection, musiXmatch allows you to have direct access to the exact lyrics that are being sung in virtually any song in your library. This works from the musiXmatch app, or from its Notification Center widget.

Night Sky Pro delivers a seriously in-depth stargazing experience

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

I live in a metropolitan area where I’m lucky if I can look up at night and see the stars. It’s just too bright and the air is too congested. Stargazing apps have made it possible for me to actually see deep into the night sky without having to head for the hills.

iCandi Apps, the makers of The Night Sky and The Night Sky 2 have just launched their third in the stargazing series. Night Sky Pro is thick with lots of new features on top of the plethora of features already available on the previous two apps.

Grave Matters review: it’s like Minesweeper for steampunks

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

At this point in the year, I’ve filled my brain with as much horror movie content as possible. For the entire month of October, I’ll watch nothing but scary movies or television shows. Because of that, I am hyper aware of anything relating to images of death, monsters, or the undead.

When Grave Matters popped up in the App Store, I was drawn to it like a magnet. This necropolis themed puzzle game has all of the elements for a spooky good time. We have a full game review of Grave Matters for your reading pleasure.

Apps of the week: Haunt the House, Run Sackboy Run, and more

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

This week produced a whole bunch of scary titles. I know that Halloween is over, but there is no reason not to continue the spooky celebration for a little while longer. If I could, I’d keep Halloween going all year long. My costume might get a little gross after the first few months, though. If you are holding onto that creepy feeling just a little bit longer, or maybe want some help with your finances, we’ve got a list of apps and games to get you through the weekend.

Google optimizes Play Music for iPhone 6 screens

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 31, 2014

Another day, another high-profile app receives its iPhone 6 focused update. After Apple optimized the WWDC app for the bigger iPhone screens, the Internet giant Google on Friday refreshed its Play Music iOS client with native display support for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus screens. The refreshed application has additionally squashed several bugs and introduced “lots of little tweaks”.

Google Play Music is available free in the App Store.

Apple updates WWDC app with iPhone 6 support

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 31, 2014

Apple on Friday issued a small update to the official iPhone and iPad application for the Worldwide Developers Conference, its annual pilgrimage for developers which traditionally takes place each summer at San Francisco's Moscone West.

Now sitting at version 2.1.3, the updated software brings out support for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus screen sizes.

Furthermore, it resolves a bug that would crash the software at launch on devices running iOS 8 or later.

WWDC is available free in the App Store.

This app predicts when you will die

Sébastien Page ∙ October 31, 2014

Want to know the exact day you'll die? There is an app for that!

Deadline is an application that was recently released that aims at predicting the exact date you will die. After giving it access to your health and fitness data by allowing it to tap into the Health app. Alternatively, if like me you barely have any data in the Health app, you can also answer a few simple questions about your sleeping habits, your stress level, your exercise routine, etc, that will help Deadline predict the day you'll die more accurately.

But how does it work?

Zero Age review: use blocks to build new paths to enlightenment

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

Puzzle games on the iPhone are no longer a casual affair. They’ve gone from relaxing to complex in just a few short years. With games like Monument Valley gracing our mobile screens, we are now forced to decide whether to solve the next puzzle, or finally go to work.

Zero Age is a puzzle game that on the surface seems simple enough. Move a block, climb it, move another. However, the devil is in the details. How can you get a block across three rows when it can only move along a single column? We’ve got a game review of Zero Age to help you understand the game a bit further.

‘PAC-MAN Friends’ goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Apple has named BANDAI NAMCO's 'PAC-MAN Friends' its app of the week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you'll be able to pick up the title for free in the App Store—a significant discount off its normal $4 price tag.

PAC-MAN Friends is exactly what it appears to be—a modern twist on an arcade classic. Using simple tilt controls, players are tasked with maneuvering PAC-MAN through progressively challenging mazes to rescue his friends from the Ghosts' Castle.

Apple changes its mind again, will allow calculator widgets in Notification Center after all

Sébastien Page ∙ October 30, 2014

Yes. No. YES!

These three words sum up the situation of PCalc, a powerful calculator app that features a Notification Center widget, whose developer was asked by Apple yesterday to remove as it apparently wasn't in line with App Store rules.

Today, it appears that Apple has changed its mind (again), as TechCrunch reports that they've been "hearing that Apple is changing its course. The PCalc app and widget will remain in the App Store, and all calculator-type widgets will be allowed as well, an Apple spokesperson has confirmed to us."

So what gives?

Spotify for iPad overhauled with dark UI, gains Your Music feature

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Spotify, the leading music-streaming service hailing from Sweden, gave its iPad app on Thursday a little love. For starters, the team has crafted Skype for iPad's user interface around an all-new dark look.

As a result, Spotify at last has consistent appearance on the iPad, iPhone and Mac — down to the same dark theme, precise typography and rounded iconography.

Moreover, the Your Music feature which debuted in the iPhone edition in April 2014 is now available on the iPad, too. Representing a better way to save, organize and browse your favorite songs, Your Music is a replacement to user-generated playlists. With Your Music, you can add tracks which sync across every device, without having to create playlists or use the starring feature that lumps all starred songs into a huge list.

Download Spotify free of charge in the App Store.

Skype for iPhone updated with avatar sync, ability to save and delete photos from chats and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 30, 2014

After updating Skype for Mac with Yosemite support earlier this morning, Microsoft on Thursday issued a new Skype for iPhone refresh. Now sitting at version 5.7, the app finally makes it easy to save and delete images from chats.

People who roam between devices and platforms will notice that chat avatars now stay in perfect sync when picking up on one device where they left on another.

You should also notice faster performance, especially when opening chats from a notification, and improvements to Skype's contact filters such as All Contacts, Skype and Online.

Skype for iPhone is available free in the App Store.