Apps

Microsoft on the defensive: Apple’s free iWork productivity suite is ‘no big deal’

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 24, 2013

There's nothing like a good dogfight between two tech titans to get your blood flowing. After a hiatus from its sniping at Apple, Microsoft is back, calling the decision to offer iWork and iLife software free "no big deal". Sure Microsoft, whatever you say.

But Redmond didn't stop there. In a Wednesday blog post, the software giant's communication vice president paints Apple's move as desperate, before launching into a rally-round-the-flag sort of promo for the new Surface tablet.

All of which reminds me of the Hamlet quote about protesting too much...

EMPIRE review: a deck building game with strategy

Lory Gil ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Being that I am a bit of a board game geek, I’m always on the lookout for apps that are digital versions of tabletop adventures. Whether they are land grab games, resource management games, or deck building games, I’m all in when it comes to apps that have turn-based strategy planning and stats-based battles.

EMPIRE is a deck-building game that combines a bit of 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) style empire creation. Construct your empire by gathering materials and destroy your enemies by building your deck to its maximum potential…

Fandango update brings new iOS 7 design, ‘Go Now’ feature and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Attention moviegoers, Fandango has posted a significant update for its iOS client today, bringing the app to version 5.9. The new software has been redesigned for iOS 7, and includes several improvements.

Among them is the return of a popular feature called 'Go Now,' which allows you to quickly find a movie at your local theater and purchase tickets. And Spotlight and Search have both been given makeovers...

Aperture gains iCloud Photo Sharing, SmugMug integration, iOS 7 Camera filters and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 5, 2018

Apple's Aperture for Mac continues to give Adobe's Lightroom a run for its money as both programs compete for the title of the best photo manipulation and management software on the Mac. As you know, Apple's long been bundling a free copy of its iPhoto application with every new Mac (and now also with new iOS device purchases). But for photography fans whose needs go beyond the basic set of iPhoto's editing and photo management tools, Aperture is a logical progression.

In its latest 3.5 update, Aperture brings a couple welcomed new features to the table and a host of tweaks and bug fixes. Jump past the fold for the full breakdown...

Pixelmator 3.0 FX now available with Layer Styles, Liquify Tools and new Mavericks features

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 23, 2013

My favorite Photoshop Mac replacement, Pixelmator, has just received a massive 3.0 update. Now rechristened as Pixelmator FX to reflect the newly acquired capabilities, it brings the much needed Layer Styles and Liguify Tools, both building on top of the recent 2.2 update which dates back as recently as two weeks ago.

Pixelmator 3.0 also supports new features introduced in OS X Mavericks (a free upgrade) and introduces a new image editing engine which the team claims make Pixelmator "a top-quality, full-featured image editing app for the Mac”...

Redesigned, re-engineered and 64-bit optimized iLife suite now available on iOS and Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

After showing off the new versions of iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand for the iPhone and iPad at its keynote earlier today, Apple's made the updated iOS and Mac editions of these apps available for download on the App Store and Mac App Store.

The apps come with a revamped user interface, iOS 7 style app icons and a host of new features and capabilities, including AirDrop sharing and 64-bit support which makes browsing and editing "faster and smoother than ever". Jump past the fold for the download links and release notes...

Safari 6.1 is out, brings Shared Links, Power Saver, Sidebar and more to Mountain Lion

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 22, 2013

In addition to a host of updates to its various iOS apps, Apple following today's iPad keynote has released the Safari 6.1 update, bringing some of the features that are part of the free OS X Mavericks update to Mountain Lion Macs. These include the Shared Links feature, the new Sidebar and Power Saver which improves battery performance when browsing plug-in heavy web pages on notebook systems...

Apple updates Trailers, Podcasts and Find My iPhone apps for iOS 7

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

Earlier today, Apple announced that it would be updating 20 of its apps for iOS and Mac. We've already covered a number of these updates, including those for the iWork and iLife suites, and now it's time for some iOS-specific apps.

Trailers, Podcasts, and Find My iPhone have each been updated for iOS 7. They have all been redesigned to match the new iOS with flatter UI elements and thinner fonts, and we have screenshots and download links after the fold...

Previous app versions coming to Mac App Store, too

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 22, 2013

A little over a month ago, Apple started letting customers download older versions of App Store apps. This handy new capability was designed to allow folks on legacy hardware to download the last compatible app version for their outdated iOS build. Up until then, the most recent app version available had used to render all of the previously submitted app builds inaccessible in the Mac App Store.

The same 'Previous Versions' feature is now coming to the Mac App Store, writes Apple in its memo to the registered Mac developer community, adding devs can now "let users download an older version” of their apps. I've got more information right below...

BBM sees 5 million downloads in first 8 hours of availability

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Less than eight hours after officially hitting Apple's App Store and Google's Play store, the BlackBerry Messenger app (free download) has seen more than five million active downloads on iOS and Android combined, BlackBerry announced in a tweet.

The messaging application is a staggered rollout which employs a reservation system to prevent the kind of a server strain seen after the Android build had leaked out prematurely. According to some repots, there's a workaround that could let you use the app without waiting...