Apps

Rap Genius releases new iPhone app for understanding song lyrics

Cody Lee ∙ January 28, 2014

Rap Genius, the website dedicated to the annotation and interpretation of lyrics, poetry and other forms of text, has released a new mobile app for the iPhone. As you'd expect, it's essentially the major features of the site packaged in a native application.

On the surface, the app looks good. It's nice to see an app go against the grain with a darker theme, and the text and graphics seem sharp. And functionality-wise, it hits on all the big features such as the Shazam-like Genius Recognition Technology...

Hipjot developer creating jailbreak tweak for his Swype-style keyboard

Cody Lee ∙ January 23, 2014

Earlier this month, we told you about a note-taking app called Hipjot that featured a Swype-style keyboard. The app was ok, but the keyboard garnered considerable attention, with many commenting that they wished they could make it their default in iOS.

Well we have some good news this evening. The developer of Hipjot, Yose Widjaja, is working on turning his keyboard into a jailbreak tweak so that it can be used natively. Speaking in a Reddit thread, Widjaja says he's made getting into Cydia a top priority...

‘Where’s My Mickey?’ goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Apple has named Disney's popular 'Where's My Mickey' game its App of the Week for 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—saving you a buck.

For those unfamiliar with the game, it's very similar to the hit 'Where's My Water' title in that it sees players trying to get water from one end of a level to the other. The only really difference is that this one features Mickey and the gang...

Facebook’s targeted ads coming to other third-party apps

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

You know those eerily personal ads that you see on Facebook, the ones that seem to know your likes and dislikes better than your closest friends do? Well get used to them, because not only are they here to stay—they're branching out.

Facebook announced yesterday that it is running a small test with a limited number of advertisers and partners to explore showing its Facebook advertisements in third-party mobile apps. It's essentially building its own ad network...

Sunrise Calendar criticized over request for iCloud credentials

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 31, 2017

We're big fans of the Sunrise Calendar app here at iDB. We named it one of our Apps of the Week in October of last year, and it has a permanent spot on our list of Best iPhone apps. It's a great-looking, full-featured alternative to Apple's stock Calendar.

But Sunrise has been taking a lot of heat lately for one of its newer features: iCloud support. You see, in order for you to add your iCloud account, the app requires you to enter your Apple ID and password. And some people see this as a huge security risk...

Readability 2.0 is out with new iOS 7 design and other improvements

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 21, 2018

Fans of the popular read-it-later service Readability will be happy to hear it has posted a huge update for its iOS client this morning. The app has been completely rewritten for version 2.0 with a new design and several other improvements.

The new design seems to follow the design language of other apps updated for Apple's iOS 7. The developers eschewed empty white space for gray matter, but text, images and various other UI elements match the redesigned OS perfectly...

Beats offers to double length of free ‘Music’ trial following launch problems

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2018

Earlier this week, Beats launched its highly anticipated streaming music service dubbed Beats Music. The service is entering into a crowded marketplace, several years late, but it hopes to differentiate itself from the Rdios and Spotifys with custom in-house curation methods.

But the launch isn't going as smoothly as the company would've liked. It's had a hard time dealing with the influx of users, and has had to shut down signups in order to work out the kinks. The good news, though, is that it's doubling the length of its free trial to make up for it...

Facebook updates Pages Manager with new post scheduling feature

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Facebook has posted an update for its Pages Manager this afternoon, bringing the app to version 2.2.1. The update includes bug fixes and performance improvements, as well as a new feature for scheduling photo posts.

For those unfamiliar with Facebook’s Pages Manager, it allows admins to interact with their audiences and keep tabs on activity for their pages by doing things like viewing Insights and replying to private messages…

Adobe Reader app updated with new iOS 7 design and other improvements

Cody Lee ∙ January 22, 2014

Adobe updated its Reader client for the iPhone and iPad today, bringing the popular PDF reading app to version 11.2.0. The update brings about a number of improvements, including a new iOS 7-inspired UI design and upgraded navigation.

While I'm sure some people aren't going to like the new design, I think it looks way better than the previous UI. The black elements and bold text have been replaced by white spaces and thinner fonts, making it easier to browse and find things...

Beats launches ‘Music’ streaming service for $10 a month, iPhone app now available

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 14, 2018

As promised, Beats launched its highly anticipated 'Music' service this morning, bringing the headphone-maker into the highly competitive world of streaming audio. And with a library of around 20 million songs available for on-demand play, it's certainly built to take on the competition.

But Beats is taking a different approach to its subscription service. Unlike your Rdios and your Spotifys, it doesn't offer a free ad-supported model and the company is putting a lot of focus on its custom radio stations and playlists that it says were curated by some of the best DJs in the world...

Following backlash, Starbucks beefs up security in iPhone app

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

You have to hand it to the folks of Starbucks. When they want to, they can move rather quickly. Hot on the heels of its blog post earlier today addressing security concerns regarding its iPhone app, the coffee company released an update this evening.

The change log for the update, which is marked as version 2.6.2, notes the new release brings 'additional performance enhancements and safeguards.' And we're hoping this means that the app no longer stores user passwords and data in plain text...

Imgur’s MemeGen app lets you make your own memes

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Last summer, Imgur released an official client for iOS, essentially putting all of the web's most popular memes in the palm of your hand. Now it's bringing the ability to create your own meme to that same hand, with MemeGen.

It looks like MemeGen has actually been in the App Store since late last year, but like others, we're just finding out about it today. At any rate, the app allows you to tap Imgur's vast photo library to create your own viral web pic...