Apps

New Pebble firmware enables music volume control, Launcher item ordering and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 5, 2014

Pebble released a new firmware for its smartwatch line that enables two new features dealing with the App Menu and music playback controls, alongside a few other minor improvements.

The new 2.2 firmware finally enables the volume control for music playback, something the company first demoed in the Pebble Music app months ago.

In addition to music controls, the software makes it easy to rearrange the items in the Launcher Menu.

The refreshed firmware is available through Pebble's companion iPhone app, available free in the App Store and updated to the latest version last week...

PayPal integrating Touch ID into its iOS app

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 5, 2014

A year ago, PayPal CISO Michael Barrett spelled doom for existing verification methods based on passwords and expressed hope that the then unreleased iPhone 5s would kill the password once and for all. As it turned out, Apple limited the handset's fingerprint scanner to iTunes purchases and user authentication on the Lock screen.

But with the iOS 8 SDK now official, Apple has opened up Touch ID to developers and PayPal is first out of the gate with the official confirmation that it is working on integrating Touch ID authentication into its mobile apps...

1Password for Mac gains WhiteHat Aviator browser support, tons of fixes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

AgileBits has updated 1Password for Mac with support for the WhiteHat Aviator browser, adding several minor improvements as well. The new 1Password for Mac version 4.4.1 is now live in the App Store and you should update your copy now because the new version comes with a ton of bug fixes, too.

Additionally, AgileBits has reflected on Apple's technological announcements announced during the WWDC keynote.

Developers have touched on such hot topics as Apple opening up the Touch ID fingerprint scanner to third-party developers and allowing apps to install system-wide extensions, explaining what it all could mean for 1Password...

Free edition of the premium Camera Fx8 app now available in the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 6, 2018

Camera Fx8 by Apalon Limited is great if you want to liven up your photos by adding creative borders and apply fun effects. Having gone temporarily free a week ago, the iPhone and iPad download is now a paid download again, setting you back 99 cents for the iPhone and iPod touch app.

But as fine folks at Apalon Limited want everyone to experience Camera Fx8, they've decided to release a free version in the App Store so everyone can now check it out before buying the full edition...

‘République’ goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Joe Rossignol ∙ June 5, 2014

Apple has named the first episode of the action-adventure thriller game République as its Free App of the Week on the App Store. The game will remain free through next Thursday, after which it will return to its regular $4.99 price. Episode 2: Metamorphosis is available as a $4.99 in-app purchase, building upon the Exordium storyline from the first episode…

Here are apps from Apple’s ‘Strength’ iPhone 5s ad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

Yesterday evening, Apple began airing a new iPhone 5s television commercial under the now familiar 'You're More Powerful Than You Think' tagline. The nicely done upbeat commercial focuses on seven popular fitness apps and accessories to suggest that "hey, we’ve already got wearables!"

Like the previous 'Powerful' spot which came with a special webpage highlighting all of the featured apps, Apple has now listed the apps used in the 'Strength' commercial...

Xbox One SmartGlass app is now your universal remote for TV and cable boxes

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 4, 2014

Microsoft's Xbox One companion app, SmartGlass, has been bumped to version 2.5 earlier today, bringing out a handful of new features that improve your living room experience and interactions with the console itself.

Most importantly, the app now features a remote control functionality similar to Apple's free Remote software. But as Microsoft's console lets you hook up a cable or satellite box to it, you can now basically channel surf from across the room using your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

The update is now live in the App Store and I have a full list of features for your right after the break...

Inky Mail makes email distractions a thing of the past

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 27, 2018

I receive dozens of emails during my workday. Some of them are important, but don’t require my immediate attention. Some must be addressed as soon as possible. Some are just advertisements for a sale that I can’t resist and will end up spending money on something I don’t need. Email is distracting.

Inky Mail hopes to curb some of those distractions with time saving features and simple organization tools that will help you address what you need to and leave alone what you don’t. Combine all of your various email accounts into one straightforward app and keep your correspondences from getting in the way of your work…

The New York Times releases NYT Opinion app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 5, 2018

After launching its NYT Now app back in March with more affordable subscriptions, The New York Times newspaper this morning released another iPhone application in the App Store, as part of its doubling down on mobile and digital.

It's called NYT Opinion and focuses solely on the paper's opinion pieces, edited by former Reuters and Fortune editor Paul Smalera. The app is free to download in the App Store and comes with a $6 per month subscription...

Yahoo replaced by The Weather Channel for weather data in iOS 8

Cody Lee ∙ June 3, 2014

Last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that Yahoo was in talks with Apple over increasing its presence on the iPhone. The company wanted more of its content pre-loaded onto Apple's devices, and was after the default search spot in Safari.

But its quest to expand its reach in iOS isn't going so well. Apple released the first beta of iOS 8 to developers yesterday, and it's been discovered that the Weather app, which used to pull info from Yahoo, now uses data from The Weather Channel...

Instagram 6.0 rolls out with 10 new photo editing tools and other features

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 3, 2014

iPhone photography buffs, pay notice: Facebook-owned Instagram is rolling out a major version 6.0 update to its mobile apps. Available free in the App Store, Instagram's iPhone app now comes with ten new tools making photo editing before posting a lot easier.

There are also other features in this update, including more efficient video sharing, an improved design and bug fixes. Jump past the fold for details...

Google+ for iOS gains Stories support, adds new photo editor with filters and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

Following a stream of ongoing WWDC keynote coverage yesterday, the Internet giant Google issued an update to its Google+ iOS client containing some newsworthy new features.

The free iPhone and iPad app has been bumped to version 4.7.0 and now offers support for nice-looking digital travelogues, called Stories, that Google unveiled last month.

For those unfamiliar with Google+ Stories, it's an album feature that works by combining your photos, videos and location data into interactive presentations. And now the iOS client lets you create this beautiful trip summaries. Other changes, refinements and feature additions are listed right after the break...