Apps

Spotify and record labels in talks over free streaming on mobile devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 20, 2013

I get literally 90+ percent of my digital music through Spotify. Just ten bucks a month buys me unlimited, high-quality, ad-free streaming. Apple's à la carte iTunes downloads just don't stand a chance. But Spotify isn't the juggernaut of Apple's calibre so no wonder record labels have limited free streaming to computers and notebooks. That could change now as the Swedish startup is reportedly in talks with content owners over extending free streaming to smartphones and tablets like iPads and iPhones...

Audible launches iPad app

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 20, 2013

In the speeded up world I'm increasingly finding myself listening to audiobooks because I just don't have the time for long reads. Besides, reading is rarely a background activity.

That's what I love about spoken word: it saves time. I can enjoy my audiobooks while jogging, cooking, commuting and what not. Heck, I sometimes even listen to audiobooks while I simultaneously blog about technology.

Amazon-owned Audible sells some awesome digital audiobooks, radio and TV programs and today they've finally launched an iPad app. And let me tell you, it's been a worthwhile wait.

Of course, the Newark-based company has had an iPhone app in the App Store since July 2010. That piece of software, too, has received a major refresh today, bringing out a revamped interface, quick sign ups / sign ins and other tidbits...

Make room on your home screen for Sunrise Calendar (it’s that good)

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

https://vimeo.com/sunriseapp/ios

If the stock iOS Calendar app is too boring and you wish Fantastical, a nice iOS/OS X calendar alternative from Flexibits, had a raft of social features, don't miss out on Sunrise Calendar, a free iPhone calendar alternative by Sunrise Atelier, Inc.

The program pulls your appointments from multiple Google Calendars and Facebook Events and retrieves your weather forecast. Frankly, I was wondering why there was no app to combine weather data with my appointments, so I could make changes to upcoming meetings in case my weather forecast takes a turn for the worse. The only downside: Sunrise Calendar is made with Google Calendar users in mind (for now)...

Apple’s iPad in vogue with fashion industry

Ed Sutherland ∙ February 18, 2013

Apple has always produced fashionable devices, its sleek iMacs making multiple television appearances, for instance. Now comes word iDevices such as the iPhone and iPad are revolutionizing the fashion industry itself, altering how designers, publications and catwalk producers operate.

According to fashionistas, the iPad and iPhone screen are rapidly replacing the desktop computer display as how fashion is viewed. Additionally, iPad apps are all the rage for fashion designers and editors of industry publications...

Third party apps may finally land on the Apple TV this fall

Cody Lee ∙ February 15, 2013

I know, I know. There's so many different Apple rumors these days, going in so many different directions, it's hard to keep track. There's the 4.8-inch iPhone, and the budget iPhone, and let's not forget about the iWatch, which has become extremely popular as of late.

But try to block all of that out for a second, and focus on the Apple TV. A new report is out today from Tech Crunch's well-connected MG Siegler, who says that talk of Apple’s broader television plans is picking up, and we could see something happen as early as this fall...

Opera buys Skyfire browser that brought Flash video to iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg7oUtydk3Q

Back in March 2011, when Adobe's proprietary Flash plug-in was still predominantly used for web video, a new paid-for iPhone browser, Skyfire, made headlines. It helped alleviate the situation by detecting Flash-encoded clips on web pages and then tapping a cloud computing platform to translate Flash video into an iPad-friendly format, on the fly.

Since then, Skyfire has seen over 20 million downloads across iOS and Android devices and developers claim it now converts over 200,000 web sites with Flash video into an iOS-friendly format. While most of web video is delivered via HTML5 these days, the Skyfire iOS app has seen several major updates that over time brought social features, even built-in extensions, to the table.

In a surprising move, Norway-based Opera Software, which makes the multi-platform Opera browser, Friday said it acquired the Skyfire team, hoping to broaden its solutions "beyond the browser"...

Dropbox refreshed with all-new PDF viewer, push alerts for shared folders

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Dropbox on Monday rolled out a shiny new admin console for enterprise users and last week released a new Sync API to make it much easier for programmers to write software which treats cloud Dropbox files as if they were local.

Today, the hot cloud storage startup gave its iOS client some love by pushing out an update containing three useful enhancements.

First up, the Dropbox app sports an all-new PDF viewer with search and nice thumbnail view. Second, you will now receive a push notification when a folder has been shared with you. And third, Dropbox now lets you sort your files by date modified (finally!). The free update is available now from the App Store...

Latest Bump update turns your iPhone into a flash drive

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Bump has really come a long way since it debuted in the App Store back in 2009. The app, which once only allowed users to exchange contact information, now facilitates the sharing of photos, documents and even Dropbox files between mobile devices.

But the latest update looks to take Bump to a whole new level, with a revamped 'Bump to PC' feature. Users can now move files between their iPhones (or Android phones), and any computer, effectively turning their handsets into a personal flash drive...

Kindle app gains multicolor highlights, book end actions and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 14, 2013

Amazon's Kindle iOS app has been updated with three useful additions. First up, now you can pick between four color choices to highlight passages of text. Second, Amazon says that the brightness setting will now be saved across device sleeps. And last but not the least, the app now supports something Amazon refers to as Book End Actions, which is basically "sharing the accomplishment with friends on Facebook and Twitter".

Wunderlist 2 adds features, crisp Retina iPad UI

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPKwf0DPmMw

Wunderlist to-do and reminder app by Berlin-based startup 6Wunderkinder landed on the iPhone two years ago. It has expanded since to Android devices, as well as to Mac and Windows PCs. So far, the program has been named the iPhone App Of The Week in 104 countries.

Today, developers announced a major new version, a universal binary that now natively runs on all form-factor iOS devices, including iPads. The app features Facebook Connect, lets you share your to-dos and reminders, supports recurring tasks and subtasks, notifications and seamless cloud sync across all your devices...

The official Kickstarter app finally hits the iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 14, 2013

Funding platform Kickstarter is great for crowd-sourcing projects traditional investors may not be keen on supporting. I mean, Kickstarters gave us the majestic Pebble E-Watch, a foldable iPhone keyboard, mounts, innovative stands and a whole bunch of accessories. We're not really sure what took it so long, but here it is: the official Kickstarter app. A free download for your iPhone and iPod touch (iPads are not supported natively), the app provides easy access to thousands of projects...

Vimeo takes on Twitter’s Vine, buys iOS animated GIF-making app Echograph

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps-Hb8DyztI

Video sharing service Vimeo (which in March 2011 released an awesome, free universal iOS client) has snapped up Echograph, an animated GIF app for the iPhone and iPad by Clear-Media. Vimeo wrote in a media release that as part of the acquisition, the Echograph app, previously costing three bucks, is now a free download.

Echograph wants to be the Instagram of animated GIFs by providing easy to use tools to help make animated photography a reality. You can simply paint and touch up moving images as if they were stills and then use your creations in in Final Cut, Keynote, iBooks Author or the web, via HTML5...