iPod Touch

Rovio to air Toons series through Angry Birds apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_7JjB0At_s

As we told you, Finland-based Angry Birds maker Rovio continues to milk its franchise with the announcement of an animated series titled Angry Birds Toons. It's premiering on the weekend of March 16 and 17 and today Rovio revealed that it will be airing the episodes directly via its Angry Birds apps, in addition to other more traditional distribution channels.

That's a clever move considering more than 1.7 billion Angry Birds downloads across devices and operating systems. If they offered a standalone Toons app, I don't think many people would download it. The first episode titled 'Chuck Time' will be airing in the Angry Birds Toons channel this Sunday, March 17, with a trailer for it included right after the break...

Apple rules the skies: 84% of in-flight Internet use comes from iDevices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 20, 2017

In-flight Wi-Fi provider GoGo yesterday released an interesting infographic based on its real-world data on what devices passengers are using to access its service and what they are doing online. Apple's iPhones and iPads dominated 2012 with a commanding 84 percent share, which sounds about right even if the figure is a bit higher than Apple's other web usage stats.

Android is gaining some ground in the air, so to speak, and in 2012 accounted for sixteen percent of in-flight Internet use, sharply up over just 3.2 percent in 2011. Apple's share in 2011 was 96.8 percent so clearly the company lost some ground to Android.

Five Apples for every Android on Gogo's networks is in stark contrast to other surveys highlighting Android's unit sales lead. Nonetheless, this is a real-world data point, therefore suggesting that either other market share estimates are inherently flawed or that Android-totting passengers are just not as fond of using their devices on a plane as their Apple peers are...

The fantastic Fantastical update hits the iPhone, we go hands-on

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 7, 2018

I'm a long time fan of Fantastical, a tremendously useful and well-designed calendar and to-do software for the Mac from Flexibits.

Therefore, it goes without saying that I was tingling with expectation after the team had teased an iPhone experience in early-November 2012.

And now, less than three months since its iPhone debut, developers Thursday pushed the first major update. It's a must-have as it addresses a few omissions while expanding on core functionality with some nice enhancements that will admittedly boost your productivity.

These include time zone support, multiple event alerts, even faster natural language parsing, handy user interface tweaks and of course "staggering number of other improvements, parser enhancements, and bug fixes." If you're a fan of the app, we've got you covered with detailed observations of what's new and how the changes affect your daily workflow...

The original Angry Birds game goes free for the first time on iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

It appears as if Angry Birds maker Rovio is changing strategy lately and switching away from paid downloads to free ones. Having briefly experimented with a massive 99-cent sale of its iPad titles last month and adding free, ad-supported downloads to its puzzler Amazing Alex, today the company has made the game that started it all - the original Angry Birds - free for the first time ever on Apple's mobile platform. Unlike free Angry Birds downloads on Android, this one doesn't come with in-app advertisements and Rovio also has added 15 new levels to keep you going...

Facebook Messenger improved with updates to group chats

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

Facebook has just updated its Messenger iOS app with a few new features and "other improvements and bug fixes." The new Facebook Messenger version 2.3 is all about enhancements to group conversations, says the social networking behemoth. It contains one feature I've been yearning for ever since the program's debut on the iPhone: you can finally name a group by tapping on the top of your active conversation.

And just like Facebook's main iOS client (and a growing number of other third-party apps for the Apple platform, for that matter), you can now get to your active group conversations by swipe left, which reveals them in your sidebar. I've included a few screenies along with other nice tweaks right after the break...

Twitter refines iOS app search, but also removes Vodpod, Posterous and Mobypicture

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 6, 2013

After discontinuing its mobile TweetDeck apps for iPhone and Android in favor of the web client, the micro-blogging service Twitter today refreshed its iOS client with better search, refined layouts, support for traditional Chinese and other perks.

Unfortunately, this update also kills off support for external video services like Mobypicture, Vodpod and Posterous as the company supposedly is building a rumored video uploading service of its own.

Note that Posterous, a micro-blogging platform Twitter bought a year ago, is shutting down for good on April 30. Twitter also recently acquired Vine and launched a corresponding brand new app for recording and sharing short 6-second clips that can be easily tweeted out and viewed in-line on Twitter. With this update, TwitVid and yFrog are now your only video uploading choices in Twitter’s iOS app...

Google Maps for iPhone updated with faster local search, Google Contacts integration and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 5, 2013

Google Tuesday morning pushed a new version of its native Google Maps application for the iPhone and iPod touch. It's the first update since the Internet giant released a standalone Maps software for Apple's platform in December 2012, racketing up ten million downloads in just two days and becoming the App Store's top free iPhone app in no time. New features in Google Maps version 1.1 for iOS include integration with Google Contacts, local search icons that make finding places of interest faster and easier and more...

Temple Run: Oz slides its way into App Store ahead of Friday’s flick release

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxUY3ucvwcQ

Imangi Studios, the brains behind the popular endless-runner game Temple Run, is no stranger to movie tie-ins. Just last June, they released Temple Run: Brave which uses content from Disney's Pixar animated feature film, 'Brave'. A much-improved sequel to Temple Run hit the App Store in January 2013, quickly becoming the fastest downloaded mobile game in history.

Today Imangi's second Hollywood tie-in is available for download as a universal build for iPhones and iPads. As the name suggests, Temple Run: Oz ties nicely with 'Oz the Great and Powerful', an upcoming fantasy adventure film directed by Sam Raimi and due to hit theaters this coming Friday, March 8...

iPod touch being used as a friendly ticketing system at Walt Disney World

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 5, 2013

Walt Disney World is piloting a trial program which replaces the old turnstiles with something more in line with the 21st century: Apple's iPod touch. The media player is being used at the Central Florida theme park as a friendly ticketing system as the resort's costumed staff members use the device to scan the tickets of visitors as they arrive, a new report has it.

They are using a special accessory case and accompanying software similarly to how Apple Store employees have phased out the good ol' cash register by using the iPod touch to scan people's credit cards. A Disney representative warns the program is in its trial stage so the company may or may not deploy it on a large scale...

Chrome for iOS with Messages sharing and back button history now available

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 4, 2013

Google on Monday announced a new version of Chrome for the iPhone and iPad containing two new features. In addition to the obligatory stability and security improvements and bug fixes, Chrome build 25.0.1364.86 has brought out the ability to re-visit previously visited web pages by long-taping the back button.

This invokes a drop-down menu listing a history of the web pages you visited in the current session. The feature is also available on the desktop version of Chrome as well as on desktop and mobile version of Apple's Safari browser. Another nice-to-have enhances Chrome's Sharing menu with a new option for sending a web page via Messages...

The Croods: Official game hitting iOS on March 14

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy51B9V8wNM

We have decided to stop telling you about Angry Birds content updates because of the excessive franchise milking, but this brand new game is worth mentioning. So Rovio teamed up with DreamWorks Animation on the official game for The Croods CG animated feature film.

The game is due for release on an Apple and Google app store near your on Thursday, March 14 and follows the Croods as they hunt and gather their way through "spectacular new landscapes as they tame fantastic and never-seen-before creatures," or so says the blurb. The above teaser highlights custom animation from DreamWorks and I've also included gameplay clip right below...

Files hits iOS: manage all your files in one app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bjO2sLw2AU

One of the biggest iOS drawbacks (or blessings, depending on your view) compared to other mobile operating systems is that users cannot mess with the file system directly. That Apple doesn't provide an app to pull all your documents together in one place doesn't help either. Enter Files, a new app German developer Sonico Mobile created with the very specific purpose of tackling this issue.

It's available now at a special introductory price of 99 cents, optimized for all your iThings, including the original iPad. I've been playing with the software for the past couple of days and will be posting a thorough review over the weekend. In the meantime, here's how Files makes your mobile computing easier...