Apps

Apple updates iTunes Movie Trailers with notifications, AirDrop support and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 9, 2018

Apple has posted an update for its iTunes Movie Trailers iOS client this afternoon, bringing the app to version 1.4. The app is universal, supporting both the iPhone and iPad, and provides mobile access to trailers reviews and more for new and upcoming films.

Today's update brings about a handful of useful features including the option to be notified when a movie you have marked as a favorite debuts in theaters or pops up in the iTunes Store. You can also now read critic reviews in-app, and share links via AirDrop...

Flexibits teases Fantastical for iPad coming

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

My daily productivity depends on a powerful and flexible personal information management system and Flexibits' Fantastical for iPhone has quickly become an indispensable part of that workflow.

I use this versatile app to save reminders for upcoming stories and industry events, create calendar entries for meetings and daily schedules, organize my weekly/monthly planning and lots more.

It's fast, has powerful search, looks business and lets me safely paste passages of text knowing its intelligent natural-language processing will automatically parse entries like 'conference call with Seb next Monday at 1PM PT' to create related events.

My only gripe with Fantastical stems not from the app itself, but from the iPhone's four-inch screen as I often find myself squinting rows and columns of small text.

I guess you could say that until Apple delivers a rumored large-screened iPhone, I'll be left yearning for the Fantastical experience on the iPad's 9.7-inch screen. But not for long, it seems. Tuesday, developers posted a new page teasing the upcoming edition of Fantastical for iPad...

Twitterrific 5 takes the freemium route, demands in-app purchases for advanced features

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 25, 2014

Iconfactory has just issued a new version of Twitterrific in the App Store. Previously a $2.99 download, the new Twitterrific version 5.7 has changed the business model from paid to free. Sort of.

The iPhone and iPad application, now supported by revenue from Deck Network ads displayed at the top of the timeline, is available free of charge for new customers, but some of the more advanced features like push notifications, Today view, ad removal and tweet translation are hidden behind a one-time in-app purchase.

That's an interesting change for Iconfactory, but what about Twitter-imposed token limits? Developer Sean Heber ensures customers that Iconfactory has grandfathered a whole lot of tokens so going free should not be a concern. Besides, they can always switch from the freemium model back to the paid one...

Watch Jimmy Fallon introducing Billy Joel to iPad beatboxing app Loopy HD

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Jimmy Fallon, the host of NBC's Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, gave Apple's iPad and a beatboxing thirdy-party app called Loopy HD a cool exposure during last night's show. Loopy HD costs eight bucks in the App Store and with it anyone can create music by layering looped recordings of singing, beatboxing or playing an instrument.

Loopy HD is rather sophisticated: it can receive live audio directly from other Audiobus-compatible apps like Apple's free GarageBand and more.

Jimmy and Billy Joel have used the app on air to loop their voices and form a two-man doo-wop group singing 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' by The Tokens in four-part harmony.

The video is a nice reminder that one can create quite remarkable music on the iPad. Even Apple's boss Tim Cook enthused over their "magical" performance...

On-rails shooter Star Horizon now available in the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ March 20, 2014

Great news gamers, that beautiful on-rails space shooter 'Star Horizon' we told you about earlier this month is now available in the App Store. This means you can download it now to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (running iOS 6 or later) and get to playing.

Star Horizon was developed by Tabasco Interactive, and is powered by the brawny Unity engine. The game follows John, a private in the service of the Federation, in his journey through the cosmos as he rescues friends and battles the enemy in his warship...

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes companion app hits the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Konami today released the next installment in its popular action-adventure stealth franchise, Metal Gear Solid. The game is officially called Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and available for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

And to go with it, Konami has created a namesake iOS companion app, now available free in the App Store.

Although the iPhone and iPad application connects to the main Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, some modes do not require console connectivity. Jump past the fold for full details...

Flappy Bird developer confirms he’s bringing back the hit game

Cody Lee ∙ March 19, 2014

Watch out Flappy Bird copycats, the original is making a comeback. Developer Dong Nguyen has confirmed with fans on Twitter that he is restoring his hit game to its rightful place in the App Store, although he hasn't given a specific launch date.

Nguyen is also on hand at this week's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and several developers and gamers that have run in to him at the event have said the same thing: that Flappy Bird will be making its highly-anticipated comeback...

RollerCoaster Tycoon coming soon to iOS

Cody Lee ∙ March 19, 2014

I'm what you would call a '90's' kid. I grew up during the decade, watching cartoons like Doug and Rugrats and playing video games like Sim City. And over the years, I've seen a lot of these video games get remade for,or ported to, iOS—except for my favorite one: RollerCoaster Tycoon.

Well I'm happy to announce that this is going to change soon. Atari has confirmed via the original game's landing page that it is working on a mobile version of RollerCoaster Tycoon, and it will be coming to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch shortly. Oh and don't worry, we have a trailer...

Gameloft teases major Asphalt 8 update including new cars, maps and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Yesterday we told you that Gameloft and Twitch were teaming up to bring live gameplay streaming to mobile devices. Their first project is Asphalt 8: Airborne, where users will be able to stream live video of them playing the game from their iPhone or iPad to their Twitch channel.

As we noted before, the new feature will launch alongside an upcoming Asphalt 8 update that will add new cars, new maps and more. And Gameloft has just posted a great-looking trailer for the release, titled 'Welcome to the Great Wall,' which we've posted for you down below...

Dropbox for iOS updated with new illustrations, improved photo sync and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Dropbox posted an update to its iOS client this afternoon, bringing the app to version 3.1. The update features a number of improvements, such as new illustrations, several bug fixes, and some SSO enhancements for Dropbox for Business users.

Users will be happy to hear that a few major bugs have been addressed in version 3.1 including the sync issue that would often cause some photos to fail to load, and the sorting problem that wouldn’t group items properly when you sorted by date...

Both Apple Store apps updated with various improvements

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Apple has pushed a pair of tiny updates to its two Apple Store clients (iPhone and iPad versions are separate downloads) this afternoon. The updates bring the two apps to version 2.9.2 and 1.1.1 respectively, and include various improvements.

On the iPhone side, Apple has improved notifications for folks using the app in retail stores—users can now view notifications from within the app and on the Lock screen. And as for the iPad, Apple has added the ability to gift card purchases...