Apps

NFL Now hits iPhone, iPad and Apple TV with rich video library, personalized streams and more

As announced last week, The National Football League has launched its brand new NFL Now app. The software is available as a new channel on Apple's $99 Apple TV media-streaming box and as a free download for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Arriving in time for the new season, NFL Now features a personalized video stream of your favorite NFL teams, players and coaches, delivers exclusive interviews and stories about the teams, breaking news on your fantasy players, and unlimited access to content in the NFL Films Archives.

The app learns from your behavior and analyzes what you like to deliver a personalized video feed of content tailored to your tastes...

Google Shopping Express 2.0: deliveries in more cities, enhanced search, new products and more

Following a June update, the Internet giant today released a major new version of its Shopping Express application for the iPhone and iPad.

The official iOS client of Google’s same-day delivery service, version 2.0, now live in the App Store, brings same-day and overnight delivery to more cities while introducing several enhancements to the built-in search feature.

You can now use the app to buy wine, beer and spirits and have them delivered to your doorstep, if you live in San Francisco or the San Francisco Peninsula. And people who shop at Costco can now purchase their Costco membership and shop Costco in the same session...

FX Photo Studio 6.0 for iPhone brings iOS 7 overhaul, new filters and sharing options and more

FX Photo Studio by MacPhun used to be my go-to iPhone photography tool, but I was forced to switch to other apps because it looked like the team had ceased further development (last update was in February of last year).

I'm glad I was wrong about that. As of today, the iPhone edition has been resurrected. Basically everything has changed and MacPhun bills it as "the biggest update in its four-year history".

Now available in the App Store as a free update for existing users, the new FX Photo Studio 6.0 of course sports an iOS 7-friendly user interface along with a brand new engine and tons of other new features.

All of the hallmarks of FX Photo Studio have been preserved and enhanced in this update, including great filters, special editing tools and sharing features...

Classic RPG ‘Dragon Quest IV’ lands in the App Store

Fans of the classic RPG 'Dragon Quest IV' will be happy to hear that Square Enix has delivered on its promise to launch an English version of the game. After spending several months in Japan, the title is now available in the US App Store.

For those unfamiliar with it, Dragon Quest IV was a popular turn-based RPG in the early 90's. Square Enix promises that the port keeps the same core gameplay experience as the original, and a new control system optimized for mobile devices...

United Airlines app gains handy new passport scanning feature

United Airlines updated its iOS app this morning, bringing the client to version 2.0.16. The update includes support for a new feature the company is testing out that enables users to scan their passports to check-in for international flights using their device's camera.

United is calling the trial feature "Expanded International Check-In," and its purpose is to allow international passengers to complete their check-in process and print their boarding pass before arriving at the airport. All it takes is a quick photo scan of their passport...

Pinterest brings messaging to iOS app

Pinterest pushed out a new build of its mobile client this evening, bringing the iOS app to version 3.8. The update offers only one new feature, but it has the potential to change the way people use the service: messaging.

That’s right, now whenever someone sends you a Pin, you have the ability to reply back with either a Pin of your own, or a direct message. It works with multiple users too, making planning a group trip or project a breeze…

Blend Music Player brings a new music listening experience to the iPhone

Since the dawn of the App Store, developers have been creating new ways for us to visually enjoy a music-listening experience. Apple’s stock Music app may sound good, but it lacks the flare and beauty that third-party developers have been able to capitalize on.

Blend Music Player is one of those apps that looks good, sounds good, and offers a number of features that go above and beyond Apple’s Music app…

Blood Bowl review: ‘Fantasy Football’ takes on a whole new meaning

The Warhammer series dates back to the mid 1980s when the role-playing adventure game and the tabletop miniatures game won the hearts of fantasy fiction fans. The football-inspired board game based in the Warhammer Fantasy setting made its debut in 1987 and became a PC video game by the mid-1990s.

Blood Bowl for the iPad is the mobile adaptation of the original PC game. You can play as either Humans or Orcs as you compete in this season’s tournament for supremacy. Just watch out for the opposing team. Killing your opponent works better than stealing the ball does. We’ve got a game review of Blood Bowl for you today…

Notifyr app goes free: receive iOS notifications on your Mac

Today seems to be the day for app discounts, as Apple is giving away Rise Alarm Clock, and now the developer of Notifyr, an app for receiving iPhone push notifications on your Mac, is giving his app away for free every other day for a week.

We first wrote about Notifyr on its launch back in May, and it took the tech community somewhat by surprise, as many thought Apple would remove it from the App Store per one of their many regulations. Regardless, it's been available for download at a $3.99 price tag up until today, as Notifyr has gone free for a limited time.

Foursquare revamps mobile app around Yelp-like features and focus on location discovery

Foursquare, the popular location-based social networking service, recently announced plans to remove social features and check-ins from its original mobile client.

Thus, Swarm was born.

By striping the mobile client off unnecessary features, the logic went, Foursquare aimed to provide its users with a lightweight app that would have a strong focus on location discovery.

After announcing the redesigned new app and showing off a new logo two weeks ago, the new Forusquare 8.0 for iPhone is now available in the App Store. It "learns what you like and leads you to places you love," as per the blurb, and is a lot like Yelp now.

Jump past the break for the full info...

Now free in the Apple Store app: Rise Alarm Clock

As part of its ongoing push designed to increase foot traffic in its retail outlets, Apple via the free Apple Store app for the iPhone and iPad has so far given away free music, books, apps like 7 Minute Workout Challenge and the Rhonna Designs photo editor and games such as Tetris, Temple Run: Oz and more. Today, the beautifully done Rise Alarm Clock app by Kellen Styler has gone free via the Apple Store app, a $1.99 saving.

It's a great little piece of software with a gorgeous interface and a lot of smart features. Trust me, you don't want to miss out on this offer. And if you passed on Rise Alarm Clock as the App Store's Free App of the Week a year ago, here's how you can grab it free of charge for a limited time, via the Apple Store app...

July was the best-ever month for App Store revenue and downloads

As a prelude to the most recent numbers detailing the impact of so-called app economy on Europe's job market, Apple yesterday underscored that July files as the App Store's best-ever month in terms of downloads and revenue.

Although the company stopped short of backing up the claim with some cold, hard numbers, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC on Tuesday that the App Store in July generated more revenue and had more customers make purchases than ever before...