Apps

App Store honors Earth Day with green living apps

Today is Earth Day and the App Store is conveniently spotlighting some of the finest iPhone and iPad applications for going green, both free and paid ones. Whether you're into alternative means of transportation, green living in general or environmental awareness, there's an app for you out there among the more than one million software items available in the App Store.

"We’ve compiled a thought-provoking selection of films, books and podcasts to help you celebrate and care for the planet this Earth Day," notes Apple. I've listed all of the featured apps right below...

1Password for Mac updated with better search, full screen mode, 1Password mini editing and more

To go along with a major 1Password 4.5 update that has brought a brand new iOS 7-friendly look and feel plus a bunch of new features to the popular password-management app for the iPhone and iPad, developer AgileBits this morning unleashed an improved version of 1Password unto the Mac App Store.

Now available half price through Friday (and free to existing users), the new 1Password 4.3 for Mac includes support for the native full screen mode on OS X 10.8.4 or later, contains various search improvements, sports better URL matching, lets you edit items right in 1Password mini and more.

I've included detailed description, screenshots of the new interface and the official list of changes right after the break...

1Password revamped for iOS 7: multiple vaults and Dropbox accounts, AirDrop sharing and more

Developer AgileBits today pushed a long expected update to its password-management app for iOS, 1Password. The new 1Password version 4.5 includes an all-new clean design on the iPhone and iPad created with iOS 7 in mind and a couple new features.

Billed as "our biggest free update for iOS ever", the new 1Password includes support for multiple vaults, lets you share items securely using the iOS AirDrop feature, sync vaults via multiple Dropbox accounts and more.

Moreover, you'll enjoy a new unified AutoFill tool found in the in-app browser, a streamlined search field that's always where you need it and other new features, refinements and under-the-hood changes. Existing users can pick up this update free...

Spotify picks up new Repeat One and Your Music features, bug fixes

Following up on a recent Spotify revamp that has painted it black with an all-new look, the Swedish music streaming service has issued another update to its iOS app, bringing out a better way to organize your music, a Repeat One functionality and several bug fixes for a few nasty issues that were introduced in the last release.

Spotify version 1.1 is available free in the App Store. Jump past the fold for the full changelog and additional notes...

Square Enix posts new trailer for upcoming ‘Final Fantasy Agito’ game

Great news this morning for all of you Final Fantasy fans. Following the release of Hitman Go last week, Square Enix has posted a new trailer for its upcoming free-to-play game: 'Final Fantasy Agito.' It's going to be an RPG title, made specifically for smartphones and tablets.

The game takes place in Orience, a land divided between four nations in a state of near-constant war: the Fiefdom of Rubrum, the Milites Empire, the Lorican Alliance and the Kingdom of Concordia. The main character is a cadet training as Agito, tasked with preventing destruction...

Mailbox 2.0 is out with Dropbox syncing for preferences and Auto-swipe

Mailbox users will be happy to hear that the iOS email client received an update today. The release, which brings the app to version 2.0, brings about 'lots of bug fixes and improvements' as well as 2 new features: Dropbox syncing for preferences and Auto-swipe.

While Dropbox syncing for preferences is fairly self-explanatory, Auto-swipe takes some explaining. The feature was first announced by the Mailbox team earlier this month, and its purpose is to learn your in-app behavior in an effort to automate processes...

Apple, Google offering game developers special incentives for exclusivity

Competition between Apple and Google not only covers smartphones and mobile operating systems, but the App Store and Google Play app marketplaces, as well. The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday the two companies have been working to sway game developers over to their own platforms exclusively with special incentives.

Having an exclusive game title on an app marketplace could help smartphone users feel as if they're on the best platform, a task Apple and Google have been working hard at since 2008. Both companies have reportedly offered game developers premium placement on the App Store and Google Play, for exclusivity in return.

Square reportedly in talks to sell after growing losses, held ‘informal talks’ with Apple

Mobile payments startup Square is looking to sell its business, following growing losses and shrinking cash reserves, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Square, founded by Twitter's Jack Dorsey in 2009, makes software, hardware products, and services, including Square Register and Square Wallet, for customers to pay merchants in an easier way.

Square has discussed an acquisition with Google in 2014, according to the report, with prior talks dating back to 2012. Additionally, Apple is said to have held informal talks with Square about a deal, interesting given the mobile payment rumors that have been circulating the Cupertino-based company. 

Facebook reportedly planning ad network for mobile devices

Facebook is finally following the likes of Google and Yahoo and will launch an advertising network with a focus on mobile platforms, according to Recode.

Facebook hasn't publicly acknowledged its plans, but the publication says Facebook will take the wraps off its mobile ad network at its F8 developer conference in San Francisco at the end of April.

An ad network from Facebook essentially means you'll see Facebook ads even when you're not on Facebook - think any app on the App Store. In a way, Facebook's solution could go after Apple's iAd network, which has failed to catch wind with the industry.

Isolani is an awesome first-person shooter with an engaging story

What do you get when you combine an awesome science fiction storyline with a well-made first-person shooter (FPS) game? You get a bunch of diehard fans that will play till their eyeballs pop out of their heads.

Isolani is an FPS that just about has it all. It looks great, plays great, and has a storyline that should be turned into a sci-fi novel. To top it all off, the game features auto fire so you don’t have to waste time tapping the screen to shoot…

The best email apps for iPhone

It wasn’t that long ago that email was an untapped resource. Within the past decade or so, technology and the Internet have advanced so far that it is incredibly easy to stay in touch with people all over the world at any hour of the day. Emailing has become a behemoth that has gotten out of control.

If you are unsatisfied with the native Mail app and are looking for something to help you get to Inbox Zero, we’ve got a list of what we believe are some of the best email apps for iPhone, and our favorite apps for organizing and reducing the daily routine of checking email.

Apps of the week: Hitman Go, Union, iOOTP Baseball, and more…

The weekend is here again. It is time to talk about apps and games we are exited about that have recently become additions to our favorite mobile devices. With all of the new titles coming out in the App Store, it is a wonder any of us get any work done during the week.

Whether you are looking for a deeply engrossing game, something to help you get fit, or are looking forward to managing your virtual baseball team, we’ve got a list of apps and games to turn you into a vegetable this weekend…