Apps

Apps of the Week: Notability, Carrot Alarm, Flip, Plants vs Zombies 2 and more

The weekend is upon us again. No more getting up early, putting on a suit, and heading out for a grueling day’s work. For the next two days, you can rest your head, watch movies on Netflix, and play your favorite games.

Whether you want to take a virtual tour of exotic locations, learn about one of the world’s most epic wars, or just want something new to wake you up in the morning, we have a list of apps to get your through the weekend...

Apple gives devs more details on new ‘Kids’ app category ahead of iOS 7 launch

Following a series of changes made to its iTunes terms and conditions and App Store Review guidelines, Apple has this afternoon emailed developers with additional details regarding the new 'Kids' section in the App Store.

The email describes the new category as a place where parents can go on the App Store to find age-appropriate apps and games for children. It also breaks down the new age groups for the section and offers additional details...

Google+ for iOS kills in-app Messenger, adds Google Apps and Drive integration

After giving Google+ for Android its fair share of love earlier in the week, the Internet giant Google today pushed a new version of its universal iPhone and iPad app.

In accordance with the announcement back on Tuesday, the new build gets rid of the built-in Messenger feature as the focus turns to the new Hangouts app which was created to consolidate Google's many chat services under a single umbrella.

Google+ version 4.5 also features Google Apps domain support and lets you view, edit and share photos stored in your Google Drive...

Syfy brings its top TV shows to iOS with Syfy Now

Television channel Syfy announced today that it is relaunching its Syfy for iPhone app as 'Syfy Now' and its iPad app as 'Syfy Sync,' in an effort to compartmentalize their respective features. Sync, for example, will now be a dedicated second-screen title.

But as for Syfy Now, it's been completely redesigned with more features like iCloud sync, iPad compatibility, and access to more content. Users can now watch full episodes of their favorite Syfy shows and can find new episodes in the app a day after they air...

Flow Colors treats you to a colorfully addictive puzzle game

Puzzle games can be fun when done right. There are some that are too repetitive and are ultimately overshadowed by too many clones and copycats. Too much of the same thing can sour any genre.

Flow Colors is an interesting and unique puzzle game that makes you think about the path you take and whether there is something better to be done…

Aeroplanes makes Battleship an airborne fight

Tired of the same old patrol boats, submarines, and destroyers of your grandparent’s Battleship game? Looking for a new way to guess your enemies whereabouts and then blow them to bits? Then, you are in luck.

Areoplanes is a fun new game that uses the basic structure of the nearly 50-year-old Battleship game, but instead of fighting at sea, you’ll be flying through the sky…

Popular todo list app Finish receives big 2.0 update

Back in January of this year, we reviewed Finish, a timeframe-focused todo list app that promised to help users "overcome the clutches of procrastination." We liked it for its UI design and unique features, and it even went on to win an Apple Design Award.

Well today, the app gets even better with a major 2.0 update. The new version of Finish includes design improvements and a number of new features such as task-by-task time setting, optional 'Bother Me' reminders, and real-life rewards for completing tasks...

WatchESPN gains Live Toolbar, two simultaneous videos, iOS 7 support and more

Sports fans, rejoice: the freshly updated WatchESPN iOS app has been updated today with a cool new feature allowing for multitasking of sorts during live programming.

The all-new Live Toolbar in WatchESPN version 1.7 for iPhone and iPad lets you keep up with news, scores and on-demand video from your favorite sporting events while watching multiple videos at once.

That's right: if you ever wanted to follow game highlights while watching live ESPN programming, now you can. You can easily switch to live ESPN programming without exiting the video currently being watched, with video highlights becoming available at the conclusion of a live event...

Half of top US iPad apps not available or ready for Android tablets

What with Android having a numerical edge on Apple's iOS, chances are good that popular iPad apps will find their way to Google's Play store, right? To the contrary, just half of the hundred most popular iPad apps in the US are available for Android tablets, according to a research firm Wednesday.

Of the top hundred iPad apps in the US App Store, thirty don't even appear on Google Play and eighteen more are not optimized for Android tablets, just smartphone versions cartoonishly displayed on a larger screen....

Gurk III – the 8-bit RPG comes to iOS

The Gurk series of games are silly, fun, dungeon crawls that, until now, were only available on Android-based devices. Fans of pixelated role-play adventures can now scour the lands to fight monsters, loot gold, and gain experience on their iPhone.

Gurk III – the 8-bit RPG recently launched in the iOS App Store with just as many pixels as its predecessor, but with more spells, quests, and monsters than ever before…

Viz review: how to quickly create clean and simple charts from your iPhone

I used to hold down a “square” job, where I looked at charts and diagrams all day. It wasn’t nearly as exiting as writing app reviews, but it paid the bills. After spending all day with my head in an Excel program, the last thing I would want to do in my free time was to create another pie chart. However, sometimes they are the best way to get your point across.

Viz takes all of the work out of chart creation by making them for you. No more adding formulas to cells or dragging arrows around on a spreadsheet. All you need is some labels and numbers…

Apple updates App Review guidelines with new rules for kids apps

Apple has updated its App Store Review Guidelines this week, introducing a number of new and revised rules for developers. Perhaps the most notable change is the addition of a new section to the Guidelines on children's applications.

The move likely has something to do with Apple's recent push to get iPads into classrooms. The company recently revised its iTunes terms of service to allow children under the age of 13 to set up educational iTunes accounts...