Apps

Vosis for iPad creates cool synthesizer effects from photos and live video

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2014

There's certainly no shortage of music-creation apps for aspiring musicians on the App Store, even if most of the available programs strive to perhaps dumb down the process of composing music. But every once in a while someone out there comes up with another great idea for music creation on the go.

Although ImageSonification‘s new iPad app called Vosis is not meant to compete with the likes of Apple's GarageBand and similar apps, I can easily see it used in the production and creation of live effects.

Now available in the App Store free of charge, Vosis creates cool ambient and synthesizer effects by analyzing greyscale image pixel data in your photos and live video feed. I've included a nice video after the break so do give it a look to learn what image and video “audification” is all about...

WinZip overhauled for iOS 7, now with Dropbox integration, AirDrop support and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2014

WinZip Computing has finally updated its WinZip application for iOS which lets you access archived ZIP files on the go, create your own ones and more.

Now available in the App Store in both free and paid flavors, WinZip 3.0 brings out the all-new flattened interface that feels very natural on iOS 7, with AirDrop support making it real easy to share ZIP archives between iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices using Apple's new AirDrop peer-to-peer sharing technology in iOS 7.

WinZip 3.0 also allows you to upload files to your Dropbox and download them on your device, copy or send sharable links of files in Dropbox, take advantage of an improved workflow making it easier to manage your ZIP files on iOS devices and more...

Groops review: match patterns like a logic boss

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

I have vivid memories of taking pattern recognition tests in school that were supposed to rate my intelligence. I was terrible at them. I never could understand how to figure out what the next logical pattern should be.

Groops is a matching game that is similar to the pattern games that haunted my dreams as a child. Only these patterns are easier to figure out and the results won’t make you look stupid to any teachers…

Type up to 120WPM with this new Swype-style keyboard

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Developer Yose Widjaja has created a new Swype-style keyboard, and is demoing it in his note-taking app Hipjot. The keyboard allows you to type and utilize swipe gestures with two hands, enabling you to complete words and sentences very quickly.

While the app looks far too busy for my taste, the keyboard is actually very interesting. It'll obviously take some getting used to, and some practice, but the app promises you'll hit 70-90 words per minute with ease. Widjaja himself is able to reach 120...

Apps of the week: Noted, Duke Nukem Manhattan Project, Rail Racing, and more…

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

As 2014 gets into full swing, the winter cold is freezing the East Coast of the U.S. while the West Coast is on the verge of a drought from lack of rainfall. This is one of the weirder winters I can remember in my short life.

Whether you are trying to keep from freezing to death, or just want something to keep you from being bored to death while waiting for the front door to thaw out, we have a list of apps and games we think you will find interesting…

simian.interface is the weirdest puzzle game you’ll ever play

Lory Gil ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

Sure, you can blow up towns in Russia with visually stunning tanks, or slice your way through dragons with 64-bit graphics. But sometimes, you might just want to take your game down to a few basic shapes.

Chillingo’s latest puzzle game, simian.interface, is full of simple squares and rectangles that throw you for a loop by being three-dimensional on a two-dimensional plane. This strange adventure will test your skills at spatial reasoning while making you feel like a lab monkey…

Confide brings off-the-record messaging to iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 9, 2014

With the recent Snapchat data breach (and the company's subsequently poor handling of the situation) and given the ongoing NSA snooping scare, little wonder some folks would think twice before downloading a messaging app to their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

Storing your chat transcripts in the cloud introduces an attack vector so that's a big no-no, right?

And you definitely at all cost want to avoid the contents of your communication kept on the device itself, no? So how about a 100 percent off-the-record messaging software, one that would bypass the cloud while allowing for Snapchat-like disappearing text messages?

That's Confide for you...

PAC-MAN goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Apple has named Namco Bandai’s classic PAC-MAN game its App of the Week for this week. This means that through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the application for both your iPhone and iPad, for free—a sizable savings of $7.

For those unfamiliar with the game, it's essentially an iOS port of the popular arcade game that first debuted in 1980. In it, you navigate a tiny character around various mazes while trying to eat pellets and fruit and avoid deadly ghosts...

Joe Danger is back in an all-new toy box adventure

Lory Gil ∙ January 9, 2014

One year ago, Joe Danger jumped into the App Store and became a big hit with fans of casual arcade games. Players could jump, duck, and tap their way across toy-like courses as the tiny stuntman.

Joe Danger Infinity is the sequel to the fun-filled toy box adventure starring the mini motorbike man. Plus, there are new characters, vehicles, and challenges to make the game feel brand new…

Vine updated with focus and exposure lock

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Twitter's Vine is on an update spree. Earlier in the week the company rolled out two new features specifically covering Vine's web interface, one allowing users to browse, like share and comment on Vines on the web, bypassing the mobile apps, and the other called TV mode that lets you play all of the videos from your home feed, or from any given profile, in sequence.

Twitter has now turned its attention back to Vine's iPhone app which has been bumped up to version 1.4.7. In addition to bug fixes and performance improvements, this Vine edition allows you to capture sharper videos and achieve better effects by locking your focus and exposure with the focus tool, here's how it works...

‘7 Minute Workout Challenge’ goes free in the Apple Store app

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

A lot of folks were unhappy with the free download items Apple offered during its 12 Days of Gifts event. Many felt that the company, which is worth some $140 billion, was a little cheap with the giveaway. But the good news is, it's not done giving.

Last fall, Apple started offering free content in its Apple Store app in an effort to drive more traffic to its online storefront. And today, it's posted a new free item: the popular '7 Minute Workout Challenge' fitness app for iPhone by Fitness Guide Inc...

Snapchat is ‘sorry’ for data breach, strengthens mobile app security

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Snapchat has found itself in some pretty hot water after a group of anonymous hackers on New Year's Eve breached its database and leaked 4.6 million usernames and phone numbers on the web. The controversy wasn't necessarily about the security breach itself, but over Snapchat's stubborn refusal to publicly acknowledge the situation, apologize for the inconvenience and update customers on steps taken, if any, to rectify the situation.

It's mind-boggling that Snapchat was aware of a security hole in its API for several weeks yet did absolutely nothing to plug it, an inexplicable move that has in turn allowed the hackers to successfully exploit Snapchat's shortcomings and steal user data.

Today, the company has finally gone on the record to confirm that a new update to its Android and iOS apps improves security by letting folks opt out of the Find Friends feature which has, partially, allowed for the hack.

And although the company has yet to formally apologize for the messy handling of the situation, it now says it's "sorry" for any problems this issue may have caused its users...