Apps

Google updates Play Books with rentals and sepia mode, starts rolling out textbooks

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2016

I like Google's Play Books app even though it's severely crippled due to Apple's policy of prohibiting links to external stores, which doesn't make it very useful if you want to browse and download some new reading material to your device (to shop books, visit Google Play in your browser).

Other than that, it's a solid reading app and perhaps a nice gateway drug to Google's other content stores.

It's been a while since Google last updated Play Books so today saw an interesting update which has brought out three useful features. I've included the description and a few nice screenshots right after the break...

New KeyMe app allows you to store, share and duplicate physical keys

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

We've all been there, right? You get home from a long day of work or school, walk up to your front door, reach in your pockets and—you can't find your keys. After some quick backtracking, you realize that they're inside, on the kitchen counter, and you're locked out. What do you do?

Well unless you have a spare hidden in a fake rock or under the doormat, the first step is calling anyone who has or might have a house key. But if that doesn't work, and breaking a window isn't an option, the next step is a $200 call to your local locksmith. That is, unless you have KeyMe...

Vevo Apple TV app reportedly in the works

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Specialized publication AdAge is out with a new report which asserts - based on chit-chats with the obligatory "people familiar with the matter" - that Apple and the Vevo music website (no, I'm not capitalizing the name) have teamed up on providing the official app for the Apple TV to stream music videos 24/7 over the Internet. Akin to the Vevo TV feature found in Vevo's existing iPhone and iPad programs, the Apple TV application would offer non-stop streaming of music videos from Vevo's content partners.

Such a piece of software has the potential to effectively turn your $99 set-top box into the MTV jukebox for the 21st century. Keep in mind Vevo controls a catalog of 75,000 music videos from more than 21,000 artists...

Rdio update brings Pandora-style personalized radio stations

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

Adaptive Internet radio is all the rage these days for streaming music service subscribers. At least, that's what you'd think looking at the top players. The feature, which was popularized by Pandora, can be found in Apple's iTunes Radio, Spotify, and now Rdio.

Rdio updated its apps today with a number of improvements, including enhanced Stations, tweaked UI, and more importantly, a new feature called 'You FM' that allows you to listen to personalized radio stations based on your favorite and pertinent tracks...

1Password 4 for iOS discounted by more than 50 percent ahead of Dropbox API changes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

Dropbox retiring its legacy API in favor of a next-generation one on September 1 is inevitably going to break apps which plan to continue syncing data through the popular cloud storage service using the legacy API.

Among them: AgileBits' 1Password 3 for iOS and Mac. Now, this rather useful password management utility has been using Dropbox to sync its secure database across devices for ages.

Users on 1Password 4 are on the safe side because the app already uses the latest version of the Dropbox API so it'll continue to sync with Dropbox just fine. If you're on 1Password version 3.x and sync with Dropbox, however, you'll need to upgrade to the latest version to prevent syncing issues come September 1, or switch to Wi-Fi sync.

So, if you've been thinking about upgrading to the latest version, now's a good time because AgileBits has just sweetened the deal by discounting 1Password 4 by more than 50 percent, for a limited time...

Apple researching audio hyperlinks technology to control devices from podcasts

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 8, 2013

Remember the hokey demonstrations of hypnotism, where people are given commands to honk like a duck when a bell rings? Substitute podcasts for the hypnotists and a hyperlink for a duck quack and you've got Apple's latest patent application.

The application, published Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, outlines a way to encode device commands in audio signals. While Apple uses the example of enhanced podcasts which embed commands to visit a webpage or view an image stored on your device, the technology is also seen as a way to include ads in the upcoming iTunes Radio service...

New iOS video editing app MixBit by YouTube creators now available for download

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen on Thursday launched a brand new video editing app for the iPhone and iPod touch called MixBit. The software builds on the popularity of Twitter's Vine and Instagram Video by giving you the power to easily combine short video snippets called "bits" into a longer video that plays seamlessly even though the individual "bits" are store as independent elements. It's a lot of fun and already catching on with early adopters so jump past the fold for the full reveal...

Aero weather app brings a touch of iOS 7 to your iOS 6 device

Lory Gil ∙ Updated May 3, 2017

These days, it seems like seven is the new six. Frankly, I’m ok with that. I love the new look that is coming our way with Apple’s redesign of its mobile operating system. I can’t get enough of it. Luckily, neither can developers.

Aero is a brand new weather app that looks and acts like it belongs in iOS 7. This app is so hip it's practically wearing an ironic beard…

Comcast testing new cloud DVR app for iOS devices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Back in June, Comcast announced its new X2 set-top box—a DVR that uses cloud storage instead of a traditional hard drive. It isn't expected to launch until later this year, but the cable provider has just been caught testing a new iOS application that allows subscribers to access their saved programming from the cloud-based recorder.

The folks over at FierceCable spotted the app in iTunes this morning. It's called Comcast Labs DVR, and it's published by Comcast Interactive Media. The software promises a revolutionary new DVR that streams live TV and shares your recordings to tablets, phones, and all of your television sets—as long as you're behind a Comcast modem...

Instagram update brings video importing, automatic straightening, and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

Instagram just announced its first major app update since it introduced its new video capture and posting feature last month. Today's update brings the client to version 4.1, and it includes a handful of some highly requested enhancements.

Easily the biggest change in today's update is the ability to import videos from your Camera Roll (though jailbreakers have been able to do this for a while now). This means you can now upload clips shot outside of the app to Instagram's network...

Infuse 1.3 drops: AirPlay, Wi-Fi file transfers, fullscreen TV out and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

FireCore, the guys who brought you the aTV Flash Black for jailbroken Apple TV boxes, back in April launched their iOS media player app, Infuse, on the App Store.

My initial review praised the attractive user interface and support for more than a dozen non-iOS media formats, but criticized lack of wireless media transfer capability and non-existent AirPlay support, including lack of subtitle streaming over AirPlay which has seriously hampered Infuse's potential to become my go-to iOS media player.

Staying true to its promise, the team in the meantime has been hard at work expanding on the app's initial feature set. I've been testing today's 1.3 update for the past week or so and I'm happy to report that - much to my delight - the new version addresses most of the initial complaints I had with it.

Read on for the full reveal...

Take “a Ride into the Mountains” to discover the joy of casual gaming

Lory Gil ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

You may not be a fan of gaming on your iPhone. Maybe you have Angry Birds and Sonic CD just to give you something to do while waiting for the bus. You may be the kind of person who prefers gaming on a living room console instead.

A Ride into the Mountains may change your mind, or at least give you a reason to add another game to your iPhone. It is simple, fun, and will keep you coming back for more…