Apps

Nokia Executive Thinks Apple’s Focus on Apps in iOS is “Outdated”

Cody Lee ∙ August 11, 2011

Nokia is in an interesting position right now. Just a few short years ago they found themselves as nearly untouchable at the top of the wireless industry. But the Finnish company has struggled to keep up with new competition from Apple and Android handset-makers.

Bleeding smartphone sales, CEO Stephen Elop and company were forced to make a drastic decision. After several years of development, Nokia announced earlier this year that it would be dropping Symbian OS in favor of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.

Given the fragile state of the company, it was surprising to hear Nokia's U.S. President Chris Weber slamming his opponents...

Facebook Releases Standalone Messenger App for iOS

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Mark Zuckerberg and company just released a standalone iOS app — the first since the original Facebook app — for Facebook's messaging service. For those wondering where this is coming from, the company acquired a messaging start-up firm earlier this year named Beluga.

It appears that Facebook is beginning to get serious about the messaging platform its CEO unveiled last Fall. Facebook Messenger will allow you to send and keep track of Facebook messages and group messages in real time...

There Are Now 450,000 Active Apps in the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

Last month, Apple announced that their iOS App Store had reached 425,000 live applications. By "live" I mean currently active and ready to download, not the total number of apps that have ever been published.

Now, nearly a month later, it seems the mobile world's favorite application destination has reached another significant milestone. There are now 450,000 active applications in the App Store...

appMobi Lets Developers Code HTML 5 Apps for Submitting to the App Store

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated June 25, 2016

Google's Chrome web-based app store received a new entry this week, and believe it or not, it does have a link to the world of iOS.

The newly released appMobi is a web app designed to help developers to code HTML 5 web apps, but it also packs a sucker punch that we didn't see coming. If after writing your HTML 5 app, you decide you'd like to submit it as a native iOS app to Apple's App Store, then appMobi will let you do that, too...

iWindows: A Simple Windows 7 Simulator for Your iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 6, 2016

A lot of folks jailbreak their iDevices to add functionality to iOS. Maybe they do it to download SBSettings to access toggles quicker, or to install Xpander to save time typing. For the most part, though, people tend to jailbreak for productive reasons.

But Cydia also has a lot of non-productive apps. Not just games, but entertainment-type apps that are more likely to be used in a round of "look what my phone can do," rather than actually used. Now that I've preempted what category this one falls into, here's iWindows...

Vonage Releases iPhone App With Discounted International Calling, 15 Minutes Free For Early Adopters

Alex Heath ∙ Updated February 18, 2018

Vonage has released an interesting application in the App Store that offers incredibly cheap rates on voice calling with access to over 100 countries for international calling. The app, called Time to Call, works like popular VoIP services (Skype) to deliver pay per calls and discounted rates for iPhone users.

With Time to Call, you'll be able to talk internationally for 15 minutes at no charge, and then be charged $1.99 for each 15 minute international call after the first.

New App Store App Brings Flash to the iPhone and iPad [Updated]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 12, 2018

It seems like Flash is slowly going the way of the betamax, depending on who you ask. While I myself don't ever feel held back by the fact that my iPhone doesn't support the platform, there are some folks that still feel it's a downfall of the device.

Heck, it seems like "supports Flash" is in nearly every Android phone and tablet commercial. Well, for iPhone users that still feel like they're missing out on something, another Flash-compatible mobile browser has just entered the App Store...

shoulderPad Helps Baddies Steal Your iPad Passwords

Oliver Haslam ∙ July 17, 2011

Using your iPad in a public place may never be the same again, with news that a new app has been created that allows unscrupulous users to steal passwords from unsuspecting iPad users.

The app, available for iOS devices as well as Apple's Mac platform, uses a camera to watch which keys are being pressed on the iPad - and it's even more clever than that.

Rather than just watching where your finger is pressing on the screen, the new app, called shoulderPad, actually detects the brief, blue flash which occurs when a key is pressed on any iOS on-screen keyboard. This means improved accuracy, as well as a further distance from which this works.

Creepy stuff...

iPhone to Join the Fight Against Crime, Thanks To MORIS

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated November 26, 2016

Apple's iPhone isn't just the most advanced smartphone on the market, it's also a crime fighting super machine, thanks to a new app and accessory.

MORIS, which stands for Mobile Offender Recognition and Information System, promises to combine state of the art iris recognition with good old fashioned facial recognition, with the aim of making the identification of individuals a quick and easy process...

Apple Announces App Store Volume Purchases for Enterprise

Alex Heath ∙ July 14, 2011

Apple has announced Volume Purchasing for Business in the App Store. The new Volume Purchasing program will allow businesses and educational institutions to buy apps from the App Store in bulk and easily distribute them to employees.

This is great news for large corporations that need a more streamlined way to distribute their B2B (business-to-business) apps in the workplace. Apple is clearly making itself more compatible with the corporate world...

25,000 Apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

It was recently announced that the there are now 100,000 apps made specifically for the iPad in Apple's App Store, and there are 500,000+ apps available to iOS users.

On the opposite side of the numbers spectrum, Microsoft just hit 25,000 apps in its own Windows Phone Marketplace. Sounds like there's still a lot of catching up to do...

MissedReminder: iOS 5-Style LED Flash Alerts for Missed Calls

Cody Lee ∙ June 23, 2011

Have you ever noticed on a BlackBerry that when there is a missed call or text, a tiny LED flashes to alert the user? That's certainly one feature I wish Apple would implement in future smartphone designs, as a missed call can go unnoticed for hours on the iPhone if it's not in use.

Apple halfway makes up for the missing feature in iOS 5 with the addition of LED Flash Alerts. The new option triggers the iPhone 4's camera flash to alert users of missed calls or text messages. For folks that can't wait until the fall to take advantage of the Flash Alert feature, here's MissedReminder...