Apps

Plex updated with iPhone 6 support, Chromecast improvements and more

Plex, the popular cross-platform media player and my go-to home theater solution, on Tuesday issued a nice refresh to its iPhone and iPad application containing support for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus screens.

Plex 3.5.2, now compatible with iOS 8, has also been updated with improved support for Google's $35 Chromecast HDMI dongle and contains additional bug fixes.

The universal app will run you $4.99.

Shazam updated for iOS 8 with Today widget for tagged music and more

Shazam, a song-matching service that recently passed 100 million active users, on Tuesday released a major update to its free iPhone and iPad application.

Available free of charge in the App Store, the refreshed Shazam 8.0 has been optimized for iOS 8 and introduces a handy Today widget that lists tagged music recognized through the background-listening Auto Shazam feature.

A new Charts page in News Feed lists collates popular tracks other Shazam users have tagged and track lists now have a nicer looking layout.

Feedly app updated with support for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, tagging and more

Popular RSS service Feedly has posted an update for its iOS app, bringing the client to version 24.0. The update brings about support for the higher resolution displays of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, as well as the ability to tag articles in-app.

Both of these changes are welcomed improvements, considering the larger iPhones have been out for more than a month now, and Feedly users have long been requesting that the team add the ability to organize content in the app via tags.

Facebook app update makes it easier to share multiple photos

Facebook announced a new update for its mobile clients today, bringing the iOS app to version 16.1. The update brings about a new workflow that will make it easier for users to post multiple photos to the popular social network from their smartphones and tablets.

Using the Facebook app, you can now choose the exact order of photos when uploading them via iPhone or Android. Once you've selected the images, you'll see a preview of how the "story" (interesting that Facebook calls it that) will appear after its been posted.

Yelp updated for iPhone 6 screen sizes

Apple's latest and greatest smartphones are more than a month old now, but many popular apps have not yet refreshed to take advantage of the bigger 4.7 and 5.5-inch canvases with more pixels (the price you pay for being an early adopters). Yelp is feeling your pain, too.

Monday, they issued a long awaited update to Yelp's iOS app for crowd-sourced reviews about local businesses.

Yes, it has native display support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but that's not all: there's a new Directions button to help take you from A to B in a more efficient manner, by telling you how long it'll take to walk or drive to the business.

The update has rolled and is now live in the App Store.

Camera+ gains lossless TIFF compression format, brings back iOS 7 support

Camera+ by Taptaptap has received a newsworthy refresh Monday that has brought back iOS 7 support killed in the previous release while enabling a new Auto setting for the front flash feature.

More importantly, Camera+ 6.1 introduces a Pro quality setting that lets those who are serious about iPhone photography save their snaps in the TIFF image format using lossless compression.

As if that weren't enough, the team teased “some big things coming down the pipeline” for both the latest iPhone edition of Camera+, along with “a huge, long-overdue update” for the iPad version.

Camera+ is available in the App Store for $2.99.

Great Big War Game and other Rubicon titles free for the weekend

If you're looking for a little entertainment this weekend in the form of a new iOS game, you might check out some of Rubicon's titles. The UK-based indie developer has discounted nearly all of its iOS library down to free for the next two days.

This includes the massively popular turn-based strategy "Great War Game" series, as well as other games like Zombies: Dead in 20, Fruit Blitz and Yachty Deluxe. They normally range in cost from $1 to $3, so we're talking $10+ in savings here.

RGB Express goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Apple has named the popular mini truck puzzler RGB Express its app of the week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the title for free in the App Store—a solid $3 discount from its normal price tag.

For those who haven't played RGB Express, the game is simple. Players are tasked with drawing routes for their trucks in a way that ensures every house receives the correct package. There are over 200 levels, which of course get progressively tougher.

Facebook takes on Reddit with anonymous posting app, Rooms for iPhone

Facebook on Thursday unveiled a brand new iPhone application. Called Rooms and available free of charge in the App Store, it's a flashback of sorts to the Internet bulletin boards which used to be all the rage in the 1980s. It's essentially that anonymous Facebook sharing app that the The New York Times reported on earlier this month.

A Facebook Creative Labs project, Rooms lets you create places for the things you're passionate about.

It's fairly straightforward: just pick your favorite topic, customize the look and feel of your room and share with others. Others can join your rooms either through private invitations or by posting a public link.

If that sounds familiar, it's because Room is a lot like Reddit. “It's perfect for the things you love and interests that make you unique,” said the social networking giant.

iHeartRadio gains iOS 8 Today widget and CarPlay support

Thursday, an enhanced version 5.3 of iHeartRadio became available for download in the App Store.

The refreshed application brings out a nice Today widget allowing you to play your recent stations from the Notification Center in iOS 8. You should also appreciate its built-in support for Apple's in-car entertainment system dubbed CarPlay, so you can now listen to iHeart Radio in CarPlay-enabled vehicles.

The updated app can be grabbed for free in the App Store.

Tumblr for iOS gains 2-factor authentication, new video player and commenting features

Since Yahoo's $1.1 billion acquisition of the popular blogging platform Tumblr in May of 2013, the Internet giant has been consistently adding new features and enhancements to Tumblr's nicely done iPhone and iPad application.

In its latest update Thursday, Tumblr has picked up three useful features. Firstly, you can now use Tumblr's two-factor authentication to log in securely into the app. Prior versions required you to visit Tumblr's web interface in order to create an app-specific code for use with the app.

Now the process has been simplified as Tumblr's two-factor implementation now supports code creation via authenticator apps such as Authly or Google's own Authenticator for iOS. If you're not using authenticator apps, Tumblr can instead text you a code to your mobile phone number.

The other two features are explained right after the break

Tumblr is available free in the App Store.

NHL 2K hits the App Store

2K Games on Thursday released NHL 2K for the iPhone and iPad, a successor to its previous hockey game which can no longer be found in the App Store. Unlike rival Electronic Arts's sports-themed freemium games, NHL 2K is a paid download that will run you eight bucks a pop for the privilege of playing the full game that doesn't limit your gameplay or constantly ask for cash.

Featuring iOS controller support, live roster updates, the My Career mode where you control one player and earn skill points to build up ratings over multiple seasons, turn-based multiplayer penalty shootout using Game Center, in addition to a fast-paced arcade style 3-on-3 mode, this one's feature packed and well poised to storm the App Store charts.