Apps

Amazon Cloud Drive Photos updated with new album view, photo sorting and more

Amazon updated its Cloud Drive Photos iOS client this afternoon, bringing the app to version 3.1. The update brings about a new album view, as well as a new sorting feature, upload status indicator and various other improvements.

The new album view will allow Cloud Drive users to quickly scroll through their albums with large cover photos. And the new sorting feature brings the ability for users to sort their photos by either oldest to newest, or newest to oldest...

Kik messenger app gains handy new ‘new people’ section

Kik users will be happy to hear that the cross-platform messenger has updated its iOS client today, bringing the app to version 7.2. The update brings about a handful of new improvements, such as a new block and report feature and the ability to send stickers faster.

But easily the biggest change in 7.2 is the new 'new people' section. This allows you to easily manage your conversations with people who aren't in your contacts, and it blurs out photos and other content files from them until you decide that you'd like to view them...

Adobe Photoshop Touch updated with new brushes, Quick Selection tool and more

Adobe has updated its Photoshop Touch app for iPhone this afternoon, bringing it to version 1.2. The update includes new brush types, and a handful of popular Photoshop features including the Quick Selection tool and auto-recovery for unsaved documents.

The Quick Selection tool has the ability to automatically detect the edges of shapes within an image, meaning you won't have to manually outline the shape to select it for editing. This will really come in handy on touch devices, where selection can be tough...

Twitter to try the music thing again, this time by buying SoundCloud?

Twitter last month discontinued its poorly received Twitter #music app, but that doesn't mean the micro-blogging giant has given up on music.

According to a report Monday by Re/code, Twitter is considering a deal to buy Berlin-based SoundCloud, the increasingly popular service enthusiasts use to upload, record, promote and share their originally-created sounds.

With a rather cool iOS app available in the App Store and installed user base of over 250 million people (as of October 2013) who turn to SoundCloud to listen to music and audio for free, the service/app has a lot to offer but can it possibly make Twitter relevant in the music space?

Read on for the full reveal...

Facebook reportedly working on Snapchat competitor codenamed ‘Slingshot’

Facebook is working on a new mobile application for video and ephemeral messaging, according to a report from the Financial Times. The outlet says the app is being referred to as 'Slingshot' internally, and is intended to go head-to-head with Snapchat.

Snapchat rejected an acquisition offer from Facebook last year worth some $3 billion, explaining that it wanted to hold out for more money. The social network has since bought messaging giant WhatsApp, but it obviously still feels that something's missing...

Instagram update removes option to share likes and activity to Facebook

Instagram updated its iOS client last night, bringing the app to version 5.0.11. The update is small—the change log only mentions one alteration—but significant, as it takes away the auto-sharing of activity to Facebook.

More specifically, users will now only be able to share images deliberately to Facebook using the in-app share button. So the change should go a long way in decluttering News Feeds, a common complaint amongst users...

Kayak Pro goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Apple has named the popular hotel and flight-booking app Kayak Pro its App of the Week this week. This means that through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the application for both your iPhone and iPad, for free—a modest savings of $1.

For those unfamiliar with Kayak, it's considered by many to be the top mobile travel app. It essentially works as a search engine for hundreds of travel sites, allowing you to compare prices for things like flights, cars and hotels, as well as book them...

iTunes Connect app updated with new design for iOS 7

Continuing with its wave of updates today, Apple has posted a new build of iTunes Connect for iOS. The update brings the app to version 3.0, and includes a long-awaited UI redesign in-line with the new look of iOS 7.

For those unfamiliar with iTunes Connect, it's what allows developers to access sales data for their apps and e-books. And with today's update, artists can now use the app to access data for moves and other media as well...

Apple updates Podcasts app with Siri integration, CarPlay support and more

Following big updates for Mac OS X and iTunes, Apple has this afternoon published an update for its iOS Podcasts client. The update brings the app to version 2.1, and includes a handful of new features and improvements.

Among the new features are Siri integration and support for CarPlay. Users can now ask Siri to play specific podcasts by simply saying 'play' and then the name of the podcast file, and control the app using a CarPlay vehicle...

Foursquare’s new Swarm app now available

Earlier this morning, I diligently informed you that the crowd-sourced location platform Foursquare has updated its free iPhone check-in software ahead of the impending launch of a brand new Swarm app later today.

Now available free in the App Store, Swarm for iPhone integrates gamified features from the main Foursquare app to “help people keep up and meet up with their friends”.

It combines all-new mayorships, while introducing intriguing new stuff such as popular stickers. Basically, the app offers detailed insights about your life and lets you connect to friends in your neighborhood to explore their activities.

Swarm arrives ahead of Foursquare's search-focused revamp due this summer. And when it drops, the Foursquare app will no longer let you check-in to places. If you have updated to the new Foursquare 7.0.8 and have Swarm installed, you should be able to peek at some of the upcoming changes inside the Foursquare app...

Official 9/11 Memorial Museum iOS app launches

Ahead of its public opening on May 21, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum has released an official iOS app. The 9/11 Museum Audio Guide app for the iPhone and iPad, available free in the App Store, honors the 2,983 people killed in 9/11 terrorist attacks on Twin Towers.

Basically an audio guide designed to aid tourists and museum attendees, the app includes three main tours to choose from such as Witnessing History and Discovering History and features 13 sections, each accompanied by description and narration...

Sentry teases Apex 2, the tweak that lets you group apps together

Sentry, the designer behind Auxo 2 and a bevy of other jailbreak releases, has teased a sequel to another one of his popular tweaks. Apex—the jailbreak tweak that allowed users to group app icons and reveal them using swipe gestures—has received the iOS 7 treatment, and it comes in the form of Apex 2.

If you're someone who likes to avoid using folders, then Apex is a jailbreak tweak that should pique your interest. The idea behind the tweak was good, but it was the implementation, with its smooth animations, that made Apex stand out.

Needless to say, it's good to see Apex running on iOS 7, as it evokes fond memories. Check out the full review of the original version, and a sneak peak at the new iOS 7 update.