Apps

Portal for iOS: wireless file transfers from your computer to iPhone made easy

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 26, 2015

Portal, an Android app that launched earlier this summer, is now available on your iPhone free of charge in the App Store.

Created by a company called Pushbullet which makes a namesake cross-platform notification mirroring utility, Portal for iPhone uses QR codes and takes advantage of peer-to-peer connectivity to transfer very large files and folders between your devices in a snap.

With Portal, you can transfer files from your computer to an iOS device via a simple interface that can be accessed through any web browser. The app lets you transfer as many files as you’d like and imposes no file size limits.

Here's a quick review of Portal based on my brief hands-on time with the app.

Read-later app Pocket rolls out personalized Recommendations feed

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 26, 2015

You can now check out the most interesting articles and videos you might have missed using Pocket's newly launched Recommendations feature. Available in Pocket's latest 6.0 update in the App Store, Recommendations takes “the absolute best content being saved across Pocket” and tailors it to your own saving and reading habit, based on what you save, read and watch in Pocket.

Facebook Moments is now available outside US with new features

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Moments, a Facebook-made app that lets you “get the photos you didn't take”, is no longer confined to the United States, thanks to a 2.0 update that went live in the App Store earlier this morning.

For starters, Moments is now available in a total of 34 different markets such as Japan, Russia, China, Germany and Italy, to name just a few.

The app also comes with an interesting new feature that appears to be borrowed from Google Photos, which automatically creates a movie from your photos, while providing bug fixes, performance improvements and improved upload performance.

Viber gains improved spam handling and reporting in latest iPhone update

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 25, 2015

Viber for iPhone was refreshed this morning in the App Store with improved spam handling. I've noticed an increase of spam messages on Viber lately as I've been regularly getting spam messages from seemingly random people telling me I've won a free iPhone or some fishy contest prize.

While Viber offers the ability to block unwanted contacts from messaging you, this update should help sort out the influx of spam on the service.

No other changes are mentioned for Viber 5.5.1, a free download from the App Store.

Leaderboards and more added to Foursquare’s location check-in app Swarm

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 21, 2015

Foursquare's dedicated check-in app, Swarm, has been adding missing features ever since the startup split the main mobile app's functionality into dedicated place discovery and check-in apps.

The new Swarm 3.0 for iOS, which released earlier this morning, brings back leaderboards after gaining mayorships early in the summer. In addition, messages and notifications have been unified under a single inbox view.

Your worldwide and nearby views are now folded into a single Friends tab and a revamped Here Now section is now located under the Nearby section.

Google Photos gains Timehop-like blasts from the past, new sharing options and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Google's standalone Photos application for the iPhone and iPad today received an update in the App Store, bringing a few new sharing options and other enhancements to your on the go photo-management experience.

Google Photos 1.2 for iOS, a free download in the App Store, will also show you photos and videos from the past so you can take a brief walk down memory lane, a new feature provided in the form of cards in the Assistant view.

Puzzler Quell Memento+ goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Apple has just named Fallen Tree Games' "Quell Memento+" its App of the Week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you’ll be able to download the critically-acclaimed puzzler for free on both iPhone and iPad—saving you $2.99.

If you've never played Quell Memento+, it's a zen-like puzzler set in an old abandoned house. Players are tasked with solving puzzles to restore order to the jumbled memories of the last occupant, which then leads them on a haunting journey of self-discovery.

Yahoo Weather now pings your iPhone 15 minutes before rain or snow is expected

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 20, 2015

You'll never get caught in the rain or snow again no matter where you live, provided you use Yahoo's gorgeously designed mobile Weather app which in its most recent update has added near-term weather alerts.

In addition, Yahoo Weather for iPhone and iPad, now bumped to version 1.8, is even more accurate than before and zooms in smartly on microclimates.

As Apple News launch draws nearer, Flipboard rolls out new personalization features

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 20, 2015

After iOS 9 launches this fall, reading aficionados and news junkies will have a field day consolidating their reading experience via a brand new Flipboard-like app.

Called News, it basically aggregates news stories and popular blog posts from around the web and presents them in a beautifully decluttered view with smooth layouts made possible by the new Apple News format.

But Flipboard isn't standing still either.

Today, the social news aggregator service began rolling out some changes to its mobile app which it designed to help users fine-tune their Cover Stories view using an all-new thumbs-up and thumbs-down system.

1Password for iOS gains quick vault switcher, Touch ID and Apple Watch updates and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

1Password, the popular password manager for iOS, OS X and Windows by developer AgileBits, today received a nice little update in the App Store which bumped the app to version 5.5 and brought out a couple notable improvements.

In addition to a brand new quick vault switcher, 1Password 5.5 contains improvements to TouchID authentication, shared lock settings, browsing Credit Card items on your Apple Watch and other tidibts.

iTranslate updated with keyboard extension and Apple Watch support

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Sonico pushed out an update for its iTranslate app today, bringing the iOS client to version 8.4. The software, which is regarded as one of the best translation apps in the App Store, now comes with a keyboard extension and proper Apple Watch Glance.

The keyboard extension is particularly significant, since it can be used in most iOS 8-compatible apps. So now, instead of having to open the iTranslate app to make a translation, you can do it on the fly in WhatsApp, Mail or your favorite Twitter client.

Infuse 3 updated with Touch ID support, faster browsing and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 4, 2018

FireCore updated its versatile media player Infuse 3 for iPhone and iPad today, bringing the app to version 3.5. The update brings about a number of improvements, including faster SMB browsing and a fix for those having AirPlay issues.

Additionally, 3.5 adds support for passcode and Touch ID locking, meaning you can now secure the app using one of these options. This way, videos and other media files you'd like to keep private can only be accessed via proper authentication.