Apps

Google Play Movies and TV app hits iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2017

After Google Play Books and Google Play Music, the Internet giant Google on Wednesday has finally released the official Google Play Movies and TV application for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

A free download from the App Store, the software allows you to access those purchased or rented movies and television shows you bought in Google's Play Store.

With this move, Google has completed a trio of software offerings that make it easier for people on the Apple platform to enjoy media bought from Google's content store. Die-hard Apple fans may not care much, but those who happen to use both iOS and Android will appreciate that Google is catering to Apple users with these apps...

Box revamps iOS app, offers 50GB of free storage

Cody Lee ∙ January 15, 2014

Popular cloud storage service Box has released a big update for its iOS client today, bringing the app to version 3.0. The update includes an all-new UI design, real-time search for files and within files, and a number of other improvements.

As for the redesign, Box says it has completely re-written the app from the ground-up with things like speed and easier navigation in mind. In version 3.0, documents render faster, photos load quicker, and sharing is much less painful...

Apple agrees to refund users in FTC settlement over unwanted in-app purchases

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 16, 2022

Parents whose kids were tricked into obtaining virtual items in iPhone and iPad games by way of the iOS In-App Purchase mechanism will get refunded over unwanted spending, according to Apple's settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The penalty dwarfs Google's $22.5 million fine in the Safari website tracking scandal.

Apple CEO Tim Cook was not pleased with the outcome, but acknowledged in a letter to employees that the company "has entered into a consent decree" over long-standing complaints over inappropriate charges in the App Store, alluding his company may have exhausted its legal options and didn't want to risk an enduring legal battle with the government...

Chrome for iOS updated with data compression, Google Translate

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Google announced an update for its mobile Chrome browser today, which will bring the app to version 32. The update brings about a handful of new features including data compression, Google's popular Translate feature and more.

The search giant says that the new data compression feature can reduce data usage by up to 50% while browsing the web on your device, using Chrome. And with Google Translate for iOS, you can translate full webpages on the go...

Horizon cures vertical video syndrome

Lory Gil ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

By now, most people have heard of the terrible affliction that affects mobile camera phone video subjects and viewers. While the majority of iPhone users have learned of this widespread disease and have successfully broken the Vertical Video Syndrome (VVS) cycle in their lives, not everyone is so lucky.

Horizon is a video app that makes it impossible for you to record vertical videos, even if you are holding your iPhone in portrait mode. So, your loved one who just can’t seem to understand what the big deal is will stop sending you those clips of kittens with ugly black bars on either side.

New ‘Umoove Experience’ game utilizes eye, face-tracking tech

Cody Lee ∙ January 14, 2014

A new game is out this week that's causing quite a bit of commotion in the tech world. It's called 'Umoove Experience,' and it follows a main character as he flies around various villages collecting bottles of purple magic potion to score points.

But the real reason everyone is talking about this game is because of its control scheme. You see, it utilizes Umoove's eye-tracking technology, meaning instead of using touch or motion to control you character, you simply tilt/move your head...

Evomail+ launches as a brand new app and it’s free

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Last May, we took a look at Evomail for the iPad. At its launch, the app was pretty clean and worked well, but lacked features, wasn’t available for anything other than Gmail, and carried a three dollar price tag.

The app saw a lot of updates, including support for the iPhone, additional mail client integration, and a price drop to free. However, things were still not totally solid with the user interface.

Today, the company has completely redesigned the app with a better user interface, customizable gestures, and cloud-based sharing options. The app is so different that, instead of making it an update, the company has re-launched it as Evomail+…

Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour named IGN’s ‘Free Game of the Month’

Cody Lee ∙ January 14, 2014

Good news gamers, IGN has named Gameloft's popular Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour its Free Game of the Month. This is one of the few times that the game, which normally retails for $6.99, has ever been made available at no cost.

Modern Combat 4 first hit iOS devices in December of 2012, and received a massive 'Meltdown' update last June. It's powered by the Havok Engine, and has been widely praised for its console-quality graphics and smooth gameplay...

Lost Toys review: restore broken toys in this beautiful puzzle game

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

Puzzle games seem to be getting better and better these days. The Room Two sent waves of “wow” across the mobile gaming world with its intricate brainteasers and stunning graphics. Simian.interface is another interesting 3-D game that will really get you twisted up.

Lost Toys mixes the 3-D puzzle with stunning graphics for a challenging game that involves flipping, twisting, and twirling broken, weatherworn toys until they return to their former glory…

Smash away your match-three puzzle blues with ZEZ

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

When I think of match-three games, I think of Bejeweled. Maybe that’s because it is the most popular version of the object matching game in the entire world. Lining up gems to clear the board isn’t the only type of matching out there. Sometimes, you just want to bash a match out of existence.

ZEZ is a fun little match-three game that sends you soaring to great heights while letting you pound the color out of matching objects in 60-seconds or less…

Command-C lets you copy and paste between iOS devices and Mac

Lory Gil ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

I often find myself wishing I could copy text from a document on my iPad and paste it to a document on my MacBook Pro. It happens regularly. I use DeskConnect to share a lot of stuff between devices. However, sometimes I just want to copy text on one device and paste it on another without having to open any apps or programs.

Command-C is a productivity app that lets you share clipboard items without having to open another program first. Just copy on one device, send it through Command-C and immediately paste it in another device…

Snapchat apologizes (yes, apologizes!) for spam increase following data breach

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Perhaps realizing that apologizing isn’t a sign of weakness, Snapchat, the popular photo messaging application, took to the official blog to apologize for the spam increase observed during the weekend.

"We’ve heard some complaints over the weekend about an increase in Snap Spam on our service," a Monday post reads. The company has tried to make peace with disgruntled users by offering a formal apology. "We want to apologize for any unwanted Snaps," the team wrote.

The spam increase, the post claims, has nothing to do with a recent breach that saw a group of hackers breach its database and post 4.6 million user names and phone numbers on the web...