Apps

GrouPlay brings democracy to your iOS party playlist

Mike Schnier ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Settling on a good party playlist can be difficult. Say you've got friends with different tastes in music, and your music library doesn't have enough danceable tracks on its own that everyone can enjoy. If it's a big party, you don't want just anyone touching your iPod, and you also don't want someone with questionable taste to hijack the music for the party.

With the GrouPlay app, anyone with access to your Wi-Fi network can contribute songs from their own music library to your temporary party playlist, provided they have an iPhone 3GS, 3rd generation iPod touch, iPad, or later. Once the songs are uploaded, the real fun begins...

Twitterrific gains new features, push notifications still being worked on

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 21, 2013

https://vimeo.com/57871805

As you can see in the clip above, Iconofactory today released an update to its Twitter client on the App Store, Twitterrific. The app has some loyal following - in fact, both TweetBot and Twitterrific are my favorite go-to Twitter clients for iDevices. Twitterrific fans should appreciate half a dozen new features and a bunch of improvements in this release.

Most notably, the new Twitterrific version 5.0.2 now has a simplified in-app web browser and reading mode supporting Instapaper or Readability. It also lets you find tweets in all timelines via History, preview images directly in the timeline and so forth. Push notifications, you say? Read on for the full breakdown...

HypedMusic: listen to millions of tracks for free

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Rdio, Pandora and Spotify are all nice options to stream unlimited music rather than buy individual tracks (so last century). But these services cost north of ten bucks per month, which amounts to a $100+ annually. With so many music tracks readily available on the Internet for free, in the form of music videos and what not, Luke Li launched the HypedMusic web site in January 2011 as a legally compliant option to enjoy music on your computer free.

And with an iPhone app launched yesterday, HypedMusic has become a whole lot more useful an alternative to the commercial streaming music services. I've included additional info and a few more screenies right past the fold...

Bump update allows for swapping Dropbox files

Mike Schnier ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Bump recently received an update to version 3.5.3, which adds support for sharing Dropbox files. Dropbox support is a long time coming, considering it's been a popular service for storing and sharing files in the cloud since 2008.

All you need to do is open Bump, swipe to the button for sharing Dropbox files, and link your Dropbox account to the app. Once you're done, you'll be able to send Dropbox file links to friends with a bump of your phone...

Create, add, and share beautiful filters for your photos with Digiback

Mike Schnier ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

There is an embarrassment of photography and filter apps on iTunes. If you're not keeping track, Hipstamatic allows users to play with swappable filters disguised as virtual camera equipment, Instagram shares retro-filtered photos to a community, while Snapseed gives mobile users fine control of photo editing on the go. That barely scratches the surface of iPhoneography. In a flooded marketplace, what else can an iOS photography app allow users to do?

Digiback is a recently released photography app that allows users to not only share pictures they've taken, but to also share their custom filters with other users. Not only can users create impressive photography effects for their own use, you can also share these effects with others, and then benefit from effects created by Digiback's community...

The government wants to give you greater control of app privacy and data tracking

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated November 9, 2023

We don't often discuss U.S. government action when it comes to iPhone apps. But proposed legislation in Washington has iOS app advertisers up in arms and could even curtail future app development. Known as the "Apps Act", the measure ostensibly is aimed at protecting the privacy of consumers downloading a growing number of apps on mobile devices.

Per voluntary guidelines, Apps Act will require apps to get explicit permission from you before acquiring your name and email address. Among the areas targeted in the US House of Representatives proposal by Georgia Democrat Hank Johnson is requiring app devs to explain how your data will be used and what third parties can access it.

These steps are largely positive and one component of the proposed new regulation is particularly interesting as it would give your the right to delete your personal data used by advertisers...

OkCupid launches ‘Crazy Blind Date’ app

Mike Schnier ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Ever tried OkCupid? It's a geeky little dating service that matches people based on their answers to multiple choice questions. Your answers determines what the site believes you care about, as well as your opinions on ethics, sex, religion, lifestyle, dating, and a host of other topics. The premise of the service is it can match its users with their ideal partners, before you're even introduced.

But is 'ideal' everyone's cup of tea? OkCupid recently launched an app called Crazy Blind Date that throws your pictures, answers, and meticulously crafted profiles out the window. Just pick an evening you're free, a place you'd like to go, and Crazy Blind Date will set you up with somebody who also happens to be free...

Finish for iPhone, a new task manager for procrastinators

Cody Lee ∙ January 17, 2013

When it comes to getting stuff done — either around the house, or running errands — I'm one of the biggest procrastinators I know. I don't mean to be. I've tried Clear, Wunderlist and other to-do list apps. And they're all filled with long-overdue tasks.

So you can imagine my intrigue when I heard about the new Finish app, which bills itself as a timeframe-focused todo list that will help you "overcome the clutches of procrastination." And since everyone seems to be talking about it, I had to try it out...

Minecraft sold more on mobile than any other platform in 2012

Mike Schnier ∙ January 17, 2013

You might be tempted to think of Minecraft: Pocket Edition as the lesser version of Minecraft, a fun diversion but not the real game. When Pocket Edition was first launched in 2011, it lacked many of the desktop version's features, including crafting and survival mode. Now that Pocket Edition is catching up in terms of features, it seems the tide is turning.

In fact, Pocket Edition was the most purchased version of Minecraft in 2012, according to numbers released by Mojang last week. Minecraft: Pocket Edition sold over 39.1% of units, or 5,899,727 copies total. This was ahead of Minecraft for Mac/PC, at 27.7%, and the Xbox 360 edition, at 33.2%...

How to use your iPad as a shortcut keyboard for Mac OS X

Mike Schnier ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Do you hate digging around in menus but have trouble memorizing all the key combinations for your most frequently used programs? Hotkeys is an app that allows you to use your iPad as a programmable shortcut keyboard, which comes with shortcut packs for Mac OS X and Photoshop preloaded.

While the preloaded packs are decent, you can also edit the packs to your liking or create your own packs from scratch. If you're a gamer, you might also find the labelled shortcuts handy...

Dolphin gets browser sync, easier sharing, Evernote integration

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Dolphin, the popular third-party browser for iOS and Android, received a major update today. In addition to the obligatory stability and performance improvements, developers added a few new features you'll be excited about. For starters, Dolphin now has browser sync that keeps your environment and settings flawlessly consistent across desktop and your mobile devices powered by iOS or Android.

You can also send tabs, images, phone numbers and directions from a mobile device to your computer, share to social networks and email articles. And if you live in Evernote, Dolphin now lets you grab any web content and save it directly to your Evernote (or Box) account, useful for saving a particular article or document for later, especially if you are not a huge fan of Instapaper or a similar read-later service...