Apps

Pinterest app updated with the ability to view and pin GIFs

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Pinterest, the popular social scrapbooking site, updated its iOS client today, bringing the app to version 3.4. The change log for the update only says "we just made Pinterest a little better for you," but the company's blog says they've added GIF support.

Users can now pin GIFs directly to their pinboards, which will show up in feeds (on the web, or within the mobile app) with a small play button. GIFs can then be played via mobile, shared to other social networks and of course repinned across platforms...

Kahuna review: play your way to paradise islands

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

This whole “board games ported to iOS” thing is a huge money saver for me. My favorite types of games average $40 and can cost upwards of $80, not taking into account expansions. So, whenever there is version ported to the iPad, I jump at the chance to play it. If it’s one I’ve never heard of, it gives me the opportunity to see if I like the mechanics before dropping a few “twomps” on the physical version (which I usually do).

Kahuna is a port of the land grab strategy game of the same name by Rio Grande Games. This is one of those titles I’ve seen at my local board game store, but had not invested in yet because I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. Guess I’ll be heading to the game shop this week…

Square Enix’s card battle RPG ‘Deadman’s Cross’ hits the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 7, 2018

Square Enix, the studio behind the Final Fantasy franchise and several other hit games, has released a new title in the App Store this morning. It's called 'Deadman's Cross,' and it's a zombie-themed card battle RPG for the iPhone and iPad.

The game comes from the same team that brought you the uber-successful RPG 'Guardian Cross,' and promises to deliver similar addictive gameplay. It takes place sixteen years in the future, where a virus has caused a zombie apocalypse...

Viber acquired by e-commerce giant Rakuten for $900 million

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 24, 2017

This is kind of interesting. The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that the popular voice call app Viber has agreed to a deal to be acquired by Rakuten for $900 million. For those unfamiliar with the e-commerce giant, it's essentially Japan's version of Amazon.

Viber is available on all major mobile and desktop platforms, and is one of Skype's biggest competitors with over 300 million users worldwide. It was one of the first apps to allow 3G VoIP on the iPhone and it now supports land-line calls, messages and even push-to-talk...

Max Axe is App Store’s new Free App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

It's Thursday and those of you who routinely follow Apple's ongoing Free App of the Week promo know what to expect. That's right, the App Store editors have cherry-picked a new iPhone and iPad application, a game this time around, and slashed it to zero bucks for a limited time.

Max Axe, a humorous arcade frenzy by ChangeYou.com (a publisher of free to play MMORPGs), is now available free of charge until next Thursday (it normally costs $1.99).

This also means that last week's free app, Toca Boca's kids driving game Toca Cars, is no longer available in this promotion...

BlackBerry rolls out BBM 2.0 with voice calling, Channels, location sharing and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 13, 2014

Following a minor refresh recently which brought out a handy new Find Friends feature, Canada's struggling smartphone maker BlackBerry is today rolling out a new BBM version 2.0. The release contains a few new features such as free voice calling, BBM Channels, Dropbox integration, location sharing and more.

The free update is rolling out today so keep an eye on the App Store and don't panic if it's not live yet as these things take time to propagate.

The full breakdown is right below the fold...

Pandora app updated with Sleep Timer for iPad, push notifications and more

Cody Lee ∙ February 13, 2014

Pandora Radio users will be happy to hear that the streaming music service has just posted an update for its iOS client, bringing the app to version 5.2. The update brings about several enhancements, including two new features for the iPhone and iPad.

On the iPad front, Pandora has made its Sleep Timer feature universal. So tablet users can now fall asleep to their favorite tunes without worrying about all-night data usage. And for all devices, it has added new a personalized push notification feature...

Rovio teases new Angry Birds ‘adventure’ game

Cody Lee ∙ February 13, 2014

Rovio has started teasing a new Angry Birds game, tweeting the above image out from its official Twitter account yesterday. Along with the photo, the game-maker says that a "big adventure with new birds" is coming soon and added the hashtag #NewAngryBirds.

The consensus here is that Rovio is finally going to introduce new characters to its franchise, after using the same birds and pigs in many of its popular Angry Birds titles. The 'big adventure' comment also suggests that this isn't going to be its typical bird-slinger...

500px iOS app updated to finally allow you to upload photos

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

500px users will be happy to hear that the photo-sharing service has updated its iOS client today, bringing the app to version 2.5. The update only includes one feature, but it's a huge one: you can now use the mobile app to upload photos.

Up until now, you could only upload photos to 500px via the web—a major gripe with current users and big barrier-to-entry for potential users in an Instagram-era where most people take, edit and upload photos on their mobile devices...

Box It! is a relaxing but challenging puzzle game

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

When my world starts to spin out of control, one thing I like to do to calm down is play simple casual games. The more Zen-like, the better. These games help distract me from the issue at hand, while giving me a moment to collect my thoughts.

Box It! is a casual game that includes all of the calming themes I like. The game isn’t too hard. The design is simple and the colors are muted. The music is relaxing. The puzzles offer a challenge, but won’t make you pull your hair out…

Blaze&Graze will turn you into a machine of destruction

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

With all this news about Flappy Bird, I almost forgot that there are new, exciting, and fun games in the App Store with good quality graphics and smooth game mechanics.

Blaze&Graze is an endless runner game that lets you blast away your enemies with machine guns, lasers, and whatever else you can get your hands on. You won’t be stuck between two pipes with this fast-paced game…

VSCO Cam 3.0 lets you follow people, brings out a myriad of refinements

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

VSCO Cam should be on every iPhone photography fan's Home screen. The software offers a variety of advanced features making it easy to edit, crop and filter your snaps on the go.

Our own Lory Gil wrote in her review last summer that VSCO Cam for the iPhone and iPod touch is worth downloading, even more so considering that a set of filters included in the free download (with more available via in-app purchases) is enough to keep averages users occupied for some time.

VSCO Cam version 3.0, now available in the App Store, adds a bunch of new features aimed at improving your mobile photography experience. Plus, it wants to become your next Instagram by including the ability to follow individual profiles, a novel feature for a camera phone app and the number one request from users...