Following last month's preview of a major new update to its BBM for iPhone messaging software, BlackBerry today released BBM 2.6.1.31 featuring an improved support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus alongside additional iOS 8 compatibility updates and other enhancements.
There's a new timer option and you'll also notice certain improvements for the message retraction feature and refinements to timed pictures and messages.
Apple's promotion that makes hand-picked apps and games available at no cost for a week typically falls on Thursday.
Given the holiday iTunes freeze, which ended on Sunday, Apple's editors couldn't make changes to the App Store so they haven't gotten around cherry-picking another Free App of the Week until yesterday evening.
A cool adventure platformer called Icycle: On Thin Ice by UK-based published Chillingo, now a division of Electronic Arts, is available at no cost until next Thursday, normally a $2.99 value. Regardless of the fact that it includes optional In-App Purchases, Icycle scored some rather favorable reviews and it fits the holiday theme perfectly so you should give it a whirl.
For the last six years Apple has been running its "12 Days of Christmas" promotion in the UK, and did so last year in both the UK and US "12 Days of Gifts". It joyed customers by giving away iOS apps, music, films and books over the twelve days following Christmas Day. However as noticed first by MacWorld, it appears Apple is discontinuing its holiday tradition in 2014/2015.
We're now three days out of Christmas, and any type of promotion can't be found. MacWorld reports from a reliable source that we're definitely not seeing the "12 Days of Christmas" app this year.
Apple has shared some cumulative end-of-the-year lists for best performing iOS apps of 2014. The lists, which have been posted in the App Store, include top paid apps for iPhone and iPad, top free apps for iPhone and iPad, and the top grossing apps for iPhone and iPad.
There aren't too many surprises here, with familiar names like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat ranking high. Still, it's interesting to see which titles had major success this year, and which ones didn't. Below you'll find the top 10 apps from each of the categories.
Tempo Smart Calendar for iOS just received a big update, bringing the app to version 1.6. The update allows the app to take full advantage of the new functionality in iOS 8, adding a new Notification Center widget and support for interactive notifications.
With the new Tempo Widget, users can see their upcoming events, as well as information about their next immediate meeting. And with interactive notifications, users can get directions, dial-in to conference calls, and check on things like their flight status.
A file management app innocently named Floppy Cloud, which contains a hidden emulator of the Nintendo NES and Super Nintendo, is now available in the App Store.
As pointed out by TouchArcade, its developer Kyle Hankinson has cunningly exploited the annual App Store shutdown to sneak Floppy Cloud onto Apple's servers “moments before the iTunes freeze,” which started yesterday and ends on December 29.
Developers are unable to upload new code to the App Store during the iTunes freeze window so Floppy Cloud should be available on the App Store for a few days before Apple pulls it first thing in the morning on December 29.
Facebook this evening released its odd 'Stickered for Messenger' app for iOS. First released on Android last week, Stickered allows users to add some fun stickers to their photos before sending them off to friends and family on Messenger.
More specifically, the app allows you to snap a photo, or pull one in from your camera roll, and pick from hundreds of stickers to apply. You can move the images around, resize them, and then pop into Messenger to send off your work.
The proliferation of incredibly varied, feature-rich software keyboards has proven that Apple did the right move opening up iOS 8 to third-party developers more than ever before. That being said, the initial crop of keyboards available in the App Store leaves a lot to be desired, in my personal opinion.
None of the keyboards I've tried and tested thus far — and I downloaded virtually every single one out there — come close to touching Apple's stock keyboard in terms of efficiency and usability. It's more often than not that cramming all the features one could think of into a keyboard does the opposite of elevating the experience.
Sure, Swype makes you a faster typist but I just can't get over its sluggishness and the globe icon that's inconceivably nested under a menu. Another example: Tintype may take typing and swiping to the next level but it takes a lot of time getting used to and its appearance can be a little overwhelming for most people.
I could go on and on highlighting weaknesses and bad design choices in other keyboards that are mostly Android replicas anyway, but I won't as I'm sure our readers have their own gripes with them. On a brighter note, looks like search for the perfect iPhone keyboard could be over soon.
Enter Next Keyboard.
Google's official iOS client for the company's social network, Google+, has finally received a refresh for the new iPhones, more than three months after the handsets have hit stores.
In addition to native support for the new 1,334-by-750 and 1,920-by-1,080 screen resolutions of the new iPhones, the updated software brings a useful Share extension allowing you to send stuff to Google+ from other apps, the ability to vote on polls embedded in Google+ posts and bug fixes.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp quietly introduced blue-ticked read confirmations in its mobile iPhone app a month and a half ago and now the social networking behemoth has refreshed its backend to bring read receipts to Messenger for iOS and Android.
And with Christmas around the corner, the company is helping us celebrate the upcoming festivities by adding holiday-themed content to Messenger like fresh sticker packs, a new festive frame and more.
As if that wasn't enough, Facebook's engineers have done a lot of work under the hood to make the app more fluid and responsive than ever before.
There's a brand new app from Facebook in town and it's hitting iOS real soon. Having launched on Android today, Stickered is a companion app for Messenger which allows you to add some fun stickers to a photo before sending it to a friend on Messenger.
The first companion app for Messenger, the lightweight Stickered app should make it easy and fun to pick a photo and then resize and slap a sticker on top.
Amazon updated its Instant Video streaming app today, bringing it to version 2.9.5. As the build number indicates, it's a fairly small update, but it should make users happy with its improved support for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
This means that streaming videos should look better on the larger, higher resolution displays of Apple's newer handsets, as should the app's menu system. You can now see more content in a single glance, making navigation easier.