Apps

SwiftKey note-taking iPhone app leaks, shows off custom auto-correct keyboard with predictions

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 23, 2014

TouchType is behind the popular SwiftKey software keyboard for Android phones and the company previously went on the record expressing hope that Apple would allow third-party software keyboard development for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

"The keyboard is the thing that needs work more than anything on that platform," TouchType's marketing chief Joe Braidwood said last summer.

For the record, Tim Cook did promise that his company would open iOS up more for third-party developers. While the stock iOS keyboard is still off limits, TouchType is now incorporating its popular SwiftKey keyboard technology into an upcoming new note-taking iOS app, SwiftKey Note...

Bardbarian review: crush bad guys with your shredding guitar licks

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

I love a good mash-up. Mix Slayer with DMX and you’ll win my heart. Mix “Shining” with a feel-good trailer and I’ll giggle. Mix role-playing games and castle defense and I’ll be glued to my iOS device for hours.

Bardbarian is a mash-up game that combines the fantasy of role-playing battles with the tactics of castle defense. Throw in some lowbrow humor and a sprinkle of metal music for good measure and you can see why it is so fun…

Pixelmator 3.1 brings photo printing, Mac Pro GPU acceleration and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Pixelmator is my favorite Photoshop replacement and today's 3.1 update code-named Marble brings a new Order Prints feature, full support for the Mac Pro and its dual-GPUs, including 16-bits per channel color image support, a few new effects, a number of improvements for Layer Styles, Type Tool and selections and a whole bunch of other minor refinements and bug fixes. The update is free for those who've purchased the app, a $29.99 download from the Mac App Store...

Life Graphy helps you stay on track with your New Year’s resolutions

Lory Gil ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

Millions of people set resolutions on Jan. 1 of this year. Thousands have probably already given up on their goal. You don’t have to walk away from your resolutions just because you didn’t start three weeks ago. You can still follow through with your goals. You may just need some help sticking with it.

Life Graphy is a simple app that helps you be accountable to yourself when there is no one else to be accountable to. Whenever you think about eating that late-night snack, just remember you won’t be able to mark that goal as successful today…

Sunrise Calendar criticized over request for iCloud credentials

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 31, 2017

We're big fans of the Sunrise Calendar app here at iDB. We named it one of our Apps of the Week in October of last year, and it has a permanent spot on our list of Best iPhone apps. It's a great-looking, full-featured alternative to Apple's stock Calendar.

But Sunrise has been taking a lot of heat lately for one of its newer features: iCloud support. You see, in order for you to add your iCloud account, the app requires you to enter your Apple ID and password. And some people see this as a huge security risk...

Readability 2.0 is out with new iOS 7 design and other improvements

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 21, 2018

Fans of the popular read-it-later service Readability will be happy to hear it has posted a huge update for its iOS client this morning. The app has been completely rewritten for version 2.0 with a new design and several other improvements.

The new design seems to follow the design language of other apps updated for Apple's iOS 7. The developers eschewed empty white space for gray matter, but text, images and various other UI elements match the redesigned OS perfectly...

Beats offers to double length of free ‘Music’ trial following launch problems

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2018

Earlier this week, Beats launched its highly anticipated streaming music service dubbed Beats Music. The service is entering into a crowded marketplace, several years late, but it hopes to differentiate itself from the Rdios and Spotifys with custom in-house curation methods.

But the launch isn't going as smoothly as the company would've liked. It's had a hard time dealing with the influx of users, and has had to shut down signups in order to work out the kinks. The good news, though, is that it's doubling the length of its free trial to make up for it...

Facebook updates Pages Manager with new post scheduling feature

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Facebook has posted an update for its Pages Manager this afternoon, bringing the app to version 2.2.1. The update includes bug fixes and performance improvements, as well as a new feature for scheduling photo posts.

For those unfamiliar with Facebook’s Pages Manager, it allows admins to interact with their audiences and keep tabs on activity for their pages by doing things like viewing Insights and replying to private messages…

OptimizeMe wants to be your only life logging app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

Readers who frequent this blog may have figured by now that I'm a big fan of health and fitness apps for my iPhone. I'm especially fond of logging programs that tap Apple's M7 motion coprocessor which lets my iPhone 5s record up to a week's worth of motion data with a minimal impact on the battery.

The problem is, the M7 folder on my Home screen is packed to the gills with apps.

I use one app to track my steps taken and calories burned, another app to take care of my gym training, yet another program to monitor my sleeping habits... Then there are apps that track my entertainment activities such as movies and TV shows watched, programs that recognize places and track my activities with GPS - you get the idea.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was one app to rule them all? Enter OptimizeMe by German-developer OptimizeMe GmbH, now available free in the App Store...

PhotoBlur lets you create great looking wallpapers for your iPhone

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Shortly after iOS 7 was released to the public, users everywhere were on the search for wallpaper apps that complimented the new design. These days, blur is the new 3-D. There is even a blurring effect jailbreak tweak that makes your camera controls transparent.

PhotoBlur is a new app that lets you flatten and distort your pictures into a beautiful mess like many other apps like it. However, this one is different because it also lets you overlay the original images and add captions so your Lock screen will look dynamite…

Pocket gains background AirPlay streaming and multitasking

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 22, 2014

Users of the popular read-later application Pocket (formerly Read It Later) are saving more than two million videos each week and now you can enjoy all those clips on your big screen TV thanks to newly-implemented support for AirPlay background video streaming in Pocket 5.0.2.

Now available free in the App Store, Pocket 5.0.2 also fixes an issue with sharing links to Facebook and another one pertaining to the Pocket bookmarklet, which should now work correctly when installed in Google's Chrome browser...

Calendars 5 by Readdle improves upon event management with notifications and ICS support

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 22, 2014

App maker Readdle launched its iOS 7-ready Calendars 5 application last September, just a few days following the public launch of iOS 7. Both the free and paid Calendars apps have now been bumped to version 5.3 in what Readdle says is "our biggest update since the launch".

Calendars 5.3 focuses on making it easier to send or accept event invitations by adding new features to manage meetings, conference calls and any activity that involves other people...