Apps

14 Google Reader alternatives

Google sent shockwaves throughout the tech world yesterday when it announced that it would be killing off Google Reader this summer. Despite a recent decline in usage, a number of people, and apps, still depend on the service.

But never fear, as usual, iDB has you covered. We've done all of the leg work, and put together a list of 10 Google Reader alternatives. And by the time you get done reading through them, you'll be saying "Google what?"

EU watchdog tightens privacy rules governing mobile apps

The Article 29, a watchdog comprised of the European Union's top privacy protection groups, today issued a set of new recommendations aimed at app developers and tech giants that run the mobile application stores in the latest attempt to bring order to how your apps handle your private information.

The new set of more detailed recommendations arrives following the recent EU probe into the privacy practices of Google and other tech firms.

The United States Federal Trade Commission set out a similar set of guidelines last month so EU's new recommendations could have serious ramifications on how Apple's App Store, Google's Play Store and other application stores operate...

How to bring your Google Reader feeds over to Flipboard

Some of us are adamant that a bright future lies ahead of RSS. Though the majority of my news discovery happens on Twitter and Facebook these days, I still rely on RSS feeds every now and then. In fact, you could say I am a regular Google Reader user.

But with the impending shutdown of the service, loyal fans like myself have no other choice but find a new home for their feeds.

Cody has put together a useful list of the ten most popular Reader alternatives and there's also that upcoming Digg Reader app. People who happen to manage their news sources in the excellent Flipboard app can bring their Google Reader feeds quite easily, here's how...

YouTube Capture is now optimized for iPad

Google's standalone YouTube video recording and uploading software, YouTube Capture, has been updated today to work natively on the iPad and iPad mini.

Now a universal binary supporting all your iDevices natively, the program enables you to quickly capture a clip on  your iPad, perform basic touch ups, type in some meta data and upload your work in full HD to YouTube.

We're not sure who in their right mind would want to record footage on a tablet, but editing and managing those clips surely feels much more natural on the iPad's bigger canvas...

CBS releases free iOS streaming app

Eager to watch episodes of CSI or Survivor on your iPhone, iPod or iPad? Now you can, as CBC this morning released a major new streaming software which gives Apple's iOS devices free access to the network's popular shows like The Late Show with David Letterman, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Survivor, Catch NCIS, How I Met Your Mother, The Young and the Restless and Elementary. Some of the shows will stream via the app 24 hours after they air, but most of the shows are being offered eight days following their initial broadcast...

Google to shut down Google Reader on July 1

In a new blog post entitled "A second spring of cleaning" this afternoon, Google announced that it was going to be closing down a number of its projects and services over the next several months.

Included in the shutdowns is Google Reader—a popular RSS news aggregation service, which a number of apps and users still depend on to serve up headlines. Keep reading for more details....

Twitter reportedly readying standalone music discovery app for iOS

Last year, Twitter acquired popular music discovery service We Are Hunted. The company developed proprietary search technology than can continuously scan the Internet to identify trending new music around the world.

And according to a new report, Twitter is getting ready to launch a new standalone app based on that technology called Twitter Music. The app, which is expected to debut on iOS, will bring music discovery to the masses...

PayPal outs in-store payment software for iPad

eBay-owned PayPal operates in 190 markets and in 25 currencies around the world and has more than 123 million active accounts.

The company has had the PayPal Here iPhone app available on the App Store since March of last year. The free software has now been released on the iPad, marking PayPal's first tablet app ever.

Essential to merchants who prefer PayPal and want to get paid directly at the point of sale, the program works in conjunction with a free credit card reader to let you scan an item’s barcode for faster checkout, wirelessly connect to a cash drawer and printer, track sales activity and more...

Apple posts new ‘Brilliant’ and ‘Discover’ iPhone ads

Apple has posted two new iPhone commercials this evening. The first one is entitled 'Brilliant,' and the second is 'Discover,' and both of them follow the Cupertino company's recent marketing trend for its iOS devices.

The spots start out with a slew of quickly flashing descriptive words, landing on a final one just before jumping into a quick app demo. And they repeat this a couple of times to an upbeat soundtrack. Check them out...

HiddenApps lets you disable iAds and hide stock Apple apps, no jailbreak required

Occasionally, an app escapes the watchful eye of Apple's review team and gets released on the App Store despite ignoring Apple's stringent rules for third-party iOS development. HiddenApps by David Goelzhaeuser, a 15-year-old German iOS developer, is one such example.

The whole point of this free application is to let you hide Apple's stock apps from your Home screen, like Passbook, Newsstand or Stocks - no jailbreak required.

It can also disable Apple's iAds altogether and give you access to a Field Test mode which gives you precise readings of your cellular signal strength. You better download as it's going down in 5, 4, 3, 2...

Social apps become the third highest App Store category in terms of revenue

Last year saw the rise of social networking apps. While not as dominant as games, apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Skype helped revenue for the category skyrocket nearly 90 percent, compared to the previous year. Likewise, social networking apps flew to third place on Apple's App Store, behind only games and productivity. That's a notable jump from 2011, when social apps ranked only twelveth.

Revenues for the category on the App Store jumped 87 percent year-over-year in January 2013, with a 30 percent rise in monthly downloads now accounting for fiver percent of total downloads. On Google Play, social networking apps became the number one category, besides games, an app research firm announced Friday...

Judge orders Apple to reveal app review process

Are reviewers of entries to Apple's App Store being threatened with death? That is the implication lawyers for the iPhone maker gave a California federal court earlier this week.

Despite the allegation, a judge overseeing a privacy lawsuit against Apple ordered the company to reveal how it reviews submitted apps, as well as condemned a three-month wait for internal documents.

Today is the deadline for Apple to turn over to U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal its process for gathering documents it must submit to plaintiffs. Attorneys for the plaintiffs charge the firm with collecting location data of iPhone owners without their permission. Earlier this week, Grewal issued the order, writing he cannot rely on Apple to turn over documents first requested in November 2012...