Apps

Another app showcases the iPhone 5s M7 chip: Pedometer++

Argus is the first app to officially take advantage of the new M7 motion coprocessor found inside the iPhone 5s. As the floodgates are open now, small wonder fitness software makers are scrambling to update their warez with support for the power-efficient chip.

If you own an iPhone 5s, it's already tracking your movement on a daily basis so M7-compatible apps have a history of what iOS has already recorded to work with.

You can now add David Smith's Pedometer++ to your list of apps which take advantage of the M7 rather than dutifully perform motion calculations day in day out using the power-hungry A7 processor...

Yahoo updates ‘Sportacular Pro’ with iPad support and more

Right now is a great time to be a sports fan. College and pro football are in full swing, and we're on the verge of post-season Major League Baseball and the beginning of the 2013-14 basketball season.

And with so much going on, it's nice to have a sports app around to help you keep up with everything. And while there are several, Yahoo is hoping its big 4.2 update for Sportacular Pro will win you over...

New GBA emulator found in the App Store, get it while you can

At any given time, there are dozens (if not hundreds) of apps floating around the App Store with built-in ROM emulators. These apps are disguised as calculators and sketch pads, but feature the hidden ability to play old-school games.

And everyone once in a while we find out the name of one of these apps, and how to activate its secret feature, before Apple has the chance to pull it. And that just so happens to be the case with this newly-posted app called Earthquake 7...

Apple working with MLB on interactive Ballpark app

Apple has teamed up with Major League Baseball developers to enhance their 'MLB.com at the Park' app, according to a new report from Mashable. They're said to be working to create custom, interactive stadium experiences for fans.

The app, which has apparently been worked on by the pair since February, takes advantage of Apple's new iBeacon micro-location APIs in iOS 7 to provide users with info on their devices specific to where they're at in the ballpark...

Apple patent envisions digital autographs

Have you ever read a book or listened to music and wanted an autograph of the author or artist? For printed items, the wish is easily granted - not so for their electronic equivalent. Now Apple has filed to patent a method for embedding autographs in ebooks and other digital material.

The patent application, titled 'Embedding an autograph in an electronic book,' describes a way an author can use a special application to digitally sign an ebook, video, song or author content, then share it with owners of the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad devices...

Following user backlash, Realmac Software reinstates original ‘Clear’ app

Realmac Software has decided to reverse course, and reinstate its original 'Clear' todo list app to sell alongside its all-new universal app it released for iOS 7. It originally planned to discontinue the iPhone-only app.

But that plan has obviously changed over the last week or so, following user backlash. Original Clear purchasers were upset they'd have to pay again for the app, despite the fact that they didn't need an iPad version...

Echofon Twitter client redesigned in iOS 7 update

Those keeping track of major iOS 7 app updates can add another one to the list this morning. The popular Twitter client Echofon has received a major redesign in its 7.0 update.

For the most part, the app acts and runs like its predecessor. But the UI has received a fresh coat of iOS 7-inspired paint with flat blue text and icons, and ample empty white space...

Strava Run app becomes first to utilize iPhone 5s’ M7 [update: NOT]

UPDATE: Strava Run is not the first app to take advantage of the M7. Read our post about Argus for the details.

Strava, maker of fitness tracking software, has been referred to as one of the top 10 most innovative companies in fitness right now. And tonight, it proves that again with a new update to its Strava Run app.

Version 3.5.3 of the app, which uses GPS to track your runs and bike rides, features a handful of notable improvements. But the most significant, though, is the addition of support for the new M7 coprocessor...

‘Bastion’ and ‘Walking Dead’ games updated with iOS 7 controller support

It seems like the gaming scene on iOS is about to explode—even more than it already has. As most of you know, iOS 7 brings about controller support for games, and a few high-profile names have already signed on.

Last week, both Logitech and ClamCase began teasing their respective upcoming controllers for iOS 7. And yesterday, two big-named games from Telltale and Warner Bros studios were updated with support for them...

On iOS 7 launch day, Internet traffic spiked 112%

As part of its announcement of the nine million iPhone 5s/5c sales during the opening weekend, Apple also mentioned this morning that 200 million customers have upgraded to iOS 7 since its release last Wednesday. In fact, the mobile operating system has experienced such a rapid adoption that it may have been responsible for a spike of up to 112 percent in last Wednesday's Internet traffic.

Among traffic hotspots were the US and UK, which have the highest rate of iPhone usage. Just how much traffic are we talking about? Some 2.2 terabytes of data per second spread over 6.3 million downloads per hour, according to one estimate...

New in iOS 7: use Siri to access app settings

Apple has not only made Siri more intelligent and capable in iOS 7, but it's also stopped referring to it as being in 'beta.' We've noted a number of the digital assistant's improvements over the past few months, but here's a cool little trick that was just pointed out to us...

BlackBerry halts BBM for iPhone rollout after Android version leaks

Last week, BlackBerry confirmed via its Twitter account that it would be launching BBM for iPhone this weekend—today in fact, September 22. But as you've probably noticed, it's nowhere to be found.

So what happened? Well the app actually landed in the New Zealand App Store, and a handful of other countries yesterday. But it appears that a leaked version of the Android app halted the rollout...