Apps

CARROT Fit review: get weight loss support that will make you cry

The CARROT series of apps will either make you giggle or angry. Personally, I am part of the former category. I laugh all the time when that smarmy lady tells me what to do every morning.

CARROT Fit is the weight loss version of the verbally abusive personal assistant. Not only will she call you “flabby,” no matter how skinny you are, but she will also berate you for keeping or gaining any weight. Think about that the next time you eat a Twinkie after 9 o'clock…

Unread: a beautiful new RSS reader for iPhone

Despite the fact that Google shutdown its Reader service last year, there still seems to be a lot of RSS users out there. And if you're one of them (and even if you're not), you may want to check out this new RSS reader for the iPhone called Unread.

Unread, by developer Jared Sinclair, is a new iPhone app for gathering and reading your RSS feeds. Like many post-iOS 7 releases, the app is a contemporary take on a traditional concept with a beautiful UI, gesture-based navigation, and more...

ESPN SportsCenter app updated with Olympics coverage, several improvements

With the 2014 Winter Olympics just a few days away, ESPN has updated its SportsCenter app to version 4.0.3. The update adds a new tab for keeping track of the events in Sochi and a handful of other improvements.

The Winter games are slated to kick off on February 7, and run through the rest of the month. And thanks to today's update, you can use SportsCenter to keep an eye on events, athlete/country medal count and more...

Google Maps app updated with new ‘faster route’ feature

Despite being kicked off iOS in the fall of 2012, Google Maps has managed to maintain a high profile on Apple's platform. Released as a standalone app that same year, Google's Maps app offers a solid alternative to the stock application.

And it gets even better today. Google posted an updated for its iOS Maps app this morning that adds a new 'faster route' feature. Now, when you're heading towards a destination, you'll get notified when a faster route becomes available...

Google Cast SDK released, now iOS devs can integrate with Chromecast

Google's inexpensive HDMI dongle dubbed Chromecast offers great value for money. For just $35, users can stream Netflix, HBO GO, YouTube, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Google Play TV & Movies and more, from their favorite mobile apps and websites right to their big screen TV sets - much like AirPlaying through Apple's $99 media-streaming box, the Apple TV.

While Google's been adding new Chromecast content sources, the device's true potential remained largely untapped because Google would only open up Chromecast to select few developers.

But not anymore. As of today, the official Google Cast Software Development Kit (SDK) is available to developers wishing to enhance their iOS and Android apps and websites with Chromecast integration...

Facebook refuses to change Paper app’s name following FiftyThree’s objection

Facebook's new Paper for iPhone app is out in the wild now. Released earlier this morning as a free download in the US App Store, already the software has created a controversy by using the same name as FiftyThree's popular drawing program, Paper for iPad, also a free download.

Facebook was of course aware of FiftyThree's Paper, Apple’s 2012 iPad App of the Year. In fact, the social networking giant was kindly asked well in advance of its own release to avoid using the same name, but refused...

Pebble launches smartwatch app store with over 1,000 apps and watch faces

As promised back in December, Pebble launched its dedicated app store today. The store, which can be accessed via the official Pebble iOS app, features over 1000 apps and watch faces that can be installed on the company's line of smartwatches.

Like other app stores, the Pebble Shop pulls together all third-party apps developed for the Pebble and organizes them into categories like Fitness, Notifications and Games. This makes it easier to browse through existing apps and discover new ones...

Facebook’s new Paper app lands in the App Store

Facebook's new Paper for iPhone app has just landed in the App Store, download it free. The news-reading application, which employs beautiful edge-to-edge design and Flipboard-like gestures, serves both stories surfaced from your News Feed and cherry-picked items from big name publications curated by Facebook editors. The app can be customized with a choice of more than a dozen topics ranging photography and sports to food, science and design, with each section including "a rich mix of content from emerging voices and well-known publications"...

Apple now rejecting apps that use ad tracking but don’t show any ads

An interesting finding by TechCrunch this morning that Apple has now started to reject apps which retrieve users’ Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), but don’t show any ads. IDFA was introduced alongside iOS 6 two years ago to replace the universal device identifier (UDID) from prior iOS versions amid privacy concerns and new regulatory requirements. The company last March stopped accepting apps into the App Store that use the now defunct UDID...

Pedometer++ totally revamped for iOS 7, now with data export and weekly timeline

David Smith's Pedometer++ was one of the first apps on the block to come out with support for Apple's new M7 motion coprocessor found inside the iPhone 5s. A bunch of health and fitness apps on the App Store have since integrated with M7 and today a new and totally revamped version on Pedometer++ has arrived.

Pedometer++ version 2.0, now available free in the App Store, includes a redesigned user interface that honors iOS 7 visual guidelines, in addition to a few new features...

Help Sherlock Holmes solve his latest case in this iOS game

Two weeks ago, the most popular show on PBS launched the first episode of its third season. The 90-minute episodes are possibly the most popular versions of Sherlock Holmes since Robert Downey Junior donned the cap. Frankly, I think the television show is better.

Sherlock: The Network HD is a puzzle game that stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Holmes) and Martin Freeman (Watson). Join the detecting duo as they solve crimes, stir up trouble, and act like smarty pants…

NBA Game Time app gets big update ahead of All-Star weekend

Now that the Super Bowl is over, and pro football is no more, the attention of many sports fans will now turn to basketball. College teams are just a month or so away from the big March Madness tournament, and the NBA is just two weeks away from All-Star weekend.

And because of that, the NBA pushed out a big update for its Game Time app this weekend. The update brings the app to version 5.2, and adds several new All-Star data points and features including rosters, schedules and everything you need to keep up with the action...