Apps

Sequel to exquisite stargazing tool Star Walk now available in App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Yours truly used to be an amateur astronomer during his education years. And while I'm saddened because no longer do I have the time to set out to stargazing trips, my love for the stars has never waned.

And who could blame me?

Even nowadays, I'd sneak outside on a clear night whenever I feel like reliving the excitement of spotting breathtaking comets or gazing up at the shimmering Milky Way.

But instead of lugging around astronomy binoculars, compact telescopes and other heavy gear, you can see me exploring the night skies using just my iPhone and specialized astronomy apps such as Night Sky 2 and Star Walk.

The latter, by Vito Technology, is one of the best stargazing apps in business. Used used by over ten million people and the winner of Apple Design Award, Star Walk is beyond doubt among the best astronomy apps in the App Store.

As of today, a sequel to Star Walk, predictably called Star Walk 2, is now available on iOS as a $2.99 download for the iPhone and iPad...

Disney’s iOS-exclusive combat strategy game Star Wars: Commander launches globally

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 7, 2018

After soft-launching in Australia nearly two months ago, Disney Interactive on Thursday released its real-time strategy game for iOS, Star Wars: Commander, on a worldwide basis.

Available as a free-to-play download for the iPhone and iPad, Star Wars: Commander lets you play on the side of the Empire or the Rebellion and "lead epic battles with your favorite heroes".

You'll be challenged to invade other players' bases, charge into battle on distant planets, command your troops and lead machines of war like AT-ATs and TIE fighters into battle, while rising through the ranks as a powerful battlefield commander.

The premium game is set in the period of Galactic Civil War when the Rebellion rallied for justice and freedom while the Empire — as is its wont — sought control of the galaxy.

So, where does your allegiance lie?...

New game from Flappy Bird developer ‘Swing Copters’ now available

Cody Lee ∙ August 20, 2014

As promised, 'Swing Copters,' the latest game from Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen is now available in the App Store. It's free, with a single $1.29 in-app purchase to remove ads, and it supports both the iPhone and iPad.

The premise of the game is actually quite similar to Flappy Bird—navigate your character through obstacles as you scroll through a level. You're going upward this time, instead of side to side, but you're still furiously tapping...

SoundHound updated, now lets you add songs to Rdio playlists

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 20, 2014

Rdio users, rejoice!

The popular song-matching service, SoundHound, has updated its iOS application with the ability to connect with Rdio and add matched songs to an Rdio playlist.

You can then listen to them instantly in the Rdio app. The free SoundHound mobile client is available in the App Store. But SoundHound seems to be playing a catch-up game to rivals such as Shazam.

As a reminder, Shazam implemented Rdio integration last December. But unlike SoundHound's, Shazam's implementation not only lets you play recognized tracks through Rdio, but also play back full songs without switching apps...

Mailbox for iPhone and iPad gains Drafts

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2018

Less than 24 hours after releasing the first public beta of Mailbox for Mac bringing new snooze options and support for the Drafts folder, the Dropbox-owned startup has updated its Mailbox mobile client with the same capability.

Sitting at version 2.2, Mailbox now predictably allows you to access your work-in-progress messages stored in Drafts across desktop and mobile apps for Mac, iOS and Android...

Xbox One SmartGlass now lets you install Xbox games remotely, live TV streaming due soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Software giant Microsoft today pushed a nice little update to its Xbox One companion app for the iPhone and iPad, SmartGlass.

Version 2.8 is now available in the App Store, providing a handy new feature letting you buy and install Xbox games and other content remotely, from your iOS device.

Moreover, the application now supports in-app browsing of new and popular games, add-ons and bundles.

You can even rate your favorite Xbox game clips and activity feed entries, as well as view shared Activity Feed and Game Clips — all within the app. And in a future SmartGlass update due later this year, Microsoft will add ability to stream live TV locally to your iPhone or iPad...

Apple adds Beats Music to ‘Apps Made by Apple’ section in App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Following its addition to the 'new user' prompt in the App Store earlier this week, Apple has added the Beats Music iOS client to the 'Apps Made by Apple' section of its digital storefront. The move comes just two weeks after the two companies made the acquisition official.

If you've never seen the section, you can find it in under the Quick Links portal of the App Store—either on the right-hand side of the desktop version, or the very bottom of the iPhone version. And it houses a number of Apple's iOS apps including iBooks, Podcasts, and Remote...

Yahoo Fantasy Sports gains news stream on iPad and other enhancements

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 15, 2014

Today, Yahoo pushed a new update to its Fantasy Sports app for iOS. Now bumped to version 5.10, Yahoo Fantasy Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Hockey (that's the full app name) now serves an all-new news stream on the iPad, with shareable articles keeping you in the loop on the latest in the world of football, baseball, basketball and hockey.

The software allows you to manage your fantasy roster and make trades, draft your team, participate in mock drafts, get breaking player news based on your team with instant scoring updates, set your lineup with expert analysis from Rotoworld and Yahoo fantasy experts and more...

Vimeo app updated with new uploading, private sharing options

Cody Lee ∙ August 15, 2014

Vimeo users will be happy to hear that the video site has rolled out a new build of its iOS client. The update brings the app to version 4.2, and it brings about new video upload and private sharing options, as well as new find and follow features.

With Vimeo 4.2 on iPhone and iPad, you can now upload videos from your device’s Camera Roll, straight to Vimeo from within the app. You can also now share videos with people you follow on Vimeo privately, so they won’t show up in your feed…

Tom Hanks promotes new iPad app in App Store interview

Cody Lee ∙ August 14, 2014

Here's something you don't hear every day. Actor Tom Hanks participated in an App Store interview this afternoon, in an effort to promote his new iPad app 'Hanx Writer.' The conversation happened via Twitter, with Mr. Hanks answering questions asked by the official App Store account.

Hanx Writer aims to recreate the experience of a manual typewriter on the iPad, with authentic sounds and graphics. And while there are already a host of similar apps on the App Store, early reviews say that none of them come close to Hanx in terms of polish and attention to detail...

‘Epoch 2’ goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ August 14, 2014

Apple has just named Epoch 2, by Uppercut Games, its App of the Week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the popular game for both iPhone and iPad, for free—a solid savings of $5.

For those who haven’t played it before, Epoch 2 continues the post-apocalyptic storyline of the original with new weapons and gameplay modes. New players will enjoy its sharp graphics, engaging plot and deceptively simple gameplay...