Apps

Angry Birds Reaches 500 Million Downloads Worldwide

It seems we just can't get enough of those Angry Birds, with developer Rovio announcing that the game has been downloaded a whopping 500 million times worldwide.

The half a billion downloads are made up of the three Angry Birds games currently available: Angry Birds, Angry Birds Rio, and Angry Birds Seasons.

Key to the game's success is its cross-platform nature, with Angry Birds available to download on most platforms you could care to name, with iOS, Android, web, Mac, and Windows all present, and versions also set to come to the Nokia Asha 300 and 303 phones...

WhatsApp Now Sending 1 Billion Messages a Day, Gives iMessage a Mountain to Climb

WhatsApp, one of the most loved cross-platform messaging services, has reached a real milestone, with the news that its collection of apps are sending 1 billion messages per day.

Covering iOS, Android, and just about every other mobile platform out there, WhatsApp has one massive advantage over the likes of BlackBerry Messenger and iMessage, and that's its cross-platform roots...

Apple’s New In-Store Self-Checkout Plan Revealed

A few days ago, MacRumors reported that Apple was going to be unveiling a new version of its iOS retail app in the very near future. The update is expected to bring multiple new features, including an in-store self-checkout option for accessories.

As crazy as the idea sounds, it's starting to seem more and more legitimate. Now, BGR is claiming that it can confirm that an Apple Store app update is indeed on the way. And it has even obtained details of how the new services will work...

Apple Stores Looking to Enable Self-Checkouts Via iOS App

Apple Stores are already considered trendsetters in the retail space. From their awe-inspiring architecture to their product-focused environments, the Cupertino company's world-wide chain has other retailers turning green with envy.

Now it seems like the Mac-makers are looking to start another fad: self-checkout. No, we're not talking about those big machines at your local Walmart. We're talking about customers paying for items using their iPhones without the help of a sales clerk...

Apps Aren’t the New Channels

Since we first heard that Steve Jobs had 'cracked' the code for an integrated Apple TV set, rumors have been going crazy about what Apple has planned.

News came out this week that Jeff Robin, the guy who helped develop the iPod and iTunes, is currently leading Apple's secret TV project – let's just call this Apple TV set the "iTV." Our imaginations then started running wild at the prospect of a TV that could be controlled using Siri, or maybe even 3D gestures.

While there is no doubt Siri would be part of an iTV, one big question remains: how will the content get there?

Best Buy Offering 15% Off iTunes Gift Cards For a Limited Time

Everyone loves a good app sale, and we've seen quite a few of those over the past couple of weeks. But what about an app, music, iBook, and video sale? That's what's going on at Best Buy right now.

9to5Toys, a site dedicated to finding the best deals in electronics, points to a Best Buy sale that ends this weekend. Apparently, the nation-wide retail chain is selling iTunes gift cards at a nice discount...

iOS-Controlled Helicopter Gets Launchable Missiles

Tired of flying animated helicopters and shooting digital missiles? Why not try the real thing? The folks behind the popular iHelicopter line just released a new iOS-controlled helicopter that is sure to cure your boredom.

The new Cobra from iHelicopter comes complete with all of the typical RC helicopter features. It has a durable frame to prevent crash-damage, a self-stabilizer to help with flying, and oh yeah, two on-board launchable missiles...

How Jailbreakers Helped Create the App Store

The Associated Press seems to have gotten its hands on the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. The highly anticipated book is due out later this month, but excerpts have been surfacing on the web over the last 48 hours.

One of the more interesting tidbits that has come to light is a passage regarding Jobs' thoughts and comments on third-party applications. Apparently at one point, Jobs thought that web apps were the wave of the future...

First Google Music App Now Available in the App Store

Remember Google Music? Back in May, Google unveiled a beta version of its cloud-based music service that allows users to upload up to 20,000 songs to its servers. Users can then access that music from almost any device with a web connection.

A major downside to the service is that it hasn't had a native iOS app. It's had a web app of sorts, but never an actual application. Until now. Macgasm is reporting that gMusic, a native Google Music app, has just surfaced in the App Store...

Workaround Adds Siri Support to Remember the Milk

Siri is obviously the breakout feature in Apple's latest handset. Love it or hate it, you can't deny that it's a crowd pleaser (when the servers are up). Even the critics that say that the system is too limited right now, but we all have to agree that Siri has some great potential.

The potential lies with third party developers. Currently Siri can't launch apps or perform tasks inside third party applications, but it's coming. And the folks behind the popular task manager Remember The Milk are leading the way...

Adobe Releases PDF Reader Application for iOS

Adobe and Apple don't always see eye-to-eye. And the Cupertino company's continuous omission of Adobe's Flash technology from its iOS platform certainly hasn't helped matters. But regardless of their history, the two remain frenemies.

In fact, Adobe just pushed out a version of its popular Reader application for the iOS platform. It allows you to view and interact with several types of PDF files including those protected by encryption and Adobe's LiveCycle Rights Management...

Apple Releases iTunes Movie Trailers for iOS

Just when you thought the onslaught of software releases was finished for the day, Apple drops another new title. iTunes Movie Trailers for iOS is a new app that contains hundreds of movie trailers and other film related information.

Much like other apps in the category, such as Flixster, Apple's new Trailers software gives you access to all kinds of data regarding new movies. You can watch previews, read overviews, and discover showtimes for new releases...