iPod Touch

Snapseed now gives you precise control over brightness levels and colors

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Earlier this week, Google's free image-editing app Snapseed was refreshed with a new tool for adjusting brightness and color levels precisely. A pair of under-the-hood tweaks is included, too. Snapseed is part of my iPhone photography toolkit and while I'm fond of its simplicity, I wish I could say the same for the app's imprecise slider-based controls.

With Snapseed 2.15 for iPhone and iPad, adding drama to your photos has become a lot easier than before.

That's because the new curve-based editing gives you precise control over things like contrast, brightness and color intensity in a given image.

Outlook for iOS picks up third-party integrations with Evernote, Trello, Giphy & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Two years ago, Microsoft launched Outlook for iPhone and iPad to critical acclaim. Celebrating the milestone, the Windows maker announced it's bringing third-party integrations to your inbox with add-ins in Outlook for iOS.

Not unlike Airmail or Readdle's Sparrow, Outlook brings some of your favorite apps straight to your inbox so you can turn any email into a Trello card, save conversations in Evernote, translate messages in seconds and more.

YouTube app adds Chromecast playback controls to Lock screen, Control Center & Apple Watch

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Google's official YouTube for iPhone and iPad app has picked up a trio of compelling new features in its most recent update on App Store. Bumped to version 12.03, the free of charge software adds handy Chromecast controls to Control Center and your iOS device's Lock screen, and to your wrist via Apple Watch. The playback controls only appear when you're streaming videos from Chromecast devices, smart TVs, game consoles or any other living room devices that run the YouTube app.

Watch live video and experience weather in real time with Yahoo’s updated Weather app

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Apple hasn't been using Yahoo for weather data in its stock app since iOS 8, but I still keep Yahoo Weather on my iPhone. That's because to me, Yahoo Weather is the most beautifully designed and most comprehensive piece of weather software I've used on mobile thus far. Today, the failed Internet pioneer has pushed a nice little update to Yahoo Weather for iPhone and iPad, which now provides real time weather data along with live video of current weather conditions for select cities.

Apple, IBM and United Airlines join forces on apps to improve your flying experience

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Apple, IBM and United Airlines said Thursday they've teamed up on a next-generation of apps for United's employees that will make their work easier while improving your flying experience. These apps will assist the carrier's front-line employees in handling peak customer demands better while enabling more effective maintenance for over 50,000 iOS and Apple Watch devices already deployed.

As part of IBM and Apple’s global partnership to redefine the way work gets done, these MobileFirst apps include real-time analytics and data insight. For instance, United's flight attendants will be able to see at any time which customers are connecting in order to assist them in finding their gates upon arrival, for example.

Google launches Chrome 56 for iOS with QR code scanning and overhauled tab switcher on iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Google today updated Chrome for iPhone and iPad on App Store with a pair of new features. The first allows you to scan a QR code or barcode by selecting a new Scan QR Code option in the shortcuts menu after pressing the app's Home screen icon with 3D Touch on iPhone 6s/7 series. On older devices without 3D Touch, search for “QR” in iOS's Spotlight feature to reveal a shortcut to the browser's new barcode-scanning function.

Fantastical gains iOS 10 rich notifications, iMessage stickers, iPhone 7 haptics & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 1, 2017

Developer Flexibits today issued a major new update to its popular calendar and reminders app, Fantastical 2.8 for iPhone and iPad. Beginning with this version, the app no longer works on older iOS editions and now requires iOS 10 or later, developers have said Wednesday.

On iPhone 7/Plus, Fantastical now supports enhanced haptic feedback. They've also added a convenient sticker pack for iMessage that you can enable or disable manually in the Messages app.

Viber rolls out auto-vanishing messages, instant video messages, rich notifications & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 13, 2017

Messaging service Viber today announced it is launching a new Secret Messages feature along with other improvements. Viber 6.6 for iOS now lets you send photos and videos that self-destruct after they've been seen. The app now supports iOS 10's rich notifications letting you press a Viber alert with 3D Touch to see the contents of your chats. You can send media as files and create short video messages, too, in the latest edition of Viber for iPhone.

Google open sources Chrome for iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 31, 2017

Google today announced it is open-sourcing its Chrome browser for iOS. The code for Chrome for iOS is now part of Google’s Chromium project and being moved into the open-source repository so that interested developers can download it and compile an iOS version of Chromium just like they can on other platforms. For those wondering, Chromium is the open-source web browser project from which Chrome draws its source code.

Alto’s Adventure creators announce a game that captures the true essence of skateboarding

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 2, 2017

Just like Alto's Adventure has distilled the essence of snowboarding into a wonderfully executed iPhone, iPad and Apple TV title, their next project promises to do the same for skateboarding. Developer Snowman has teamed up with the Oslo, Norway based studio Agens to help bring their game Skate City to life.

“Together we’ve been building a game that tries to capture the true essence of skateboarding, in a way that really feels at home on mobile,” Snowman founder Ryan Cash told me recently via email.

32-bit apps may no longer work with future iOS versions

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 31, 2017

A beta of iOS 10.3 that was seeded to developers last week comes with an updated app compatibility warning which cautions users that 32-bit apps may no longer work with future iOS versions, suggesting iOS 11 will likely stop supporting non-64-bit apps. In June 2015, Apple warned developers that all apps and app updates submitted to App Store must include 64-bit support alongside 32-bit code.

When a user launches a 32-bit app, iOS 9 puts up a warning saying using 32-bit software on a 64-bit device may affect system performance. The wording of the prompt has changed in iOS 10.3 beta 1 and now specifically states that 32-bit apps may stop functioning on future iOS editions completely.

Super Mario Run: new Easy mode, 78 million downloads, $53 million revenue

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 31, 2017

Nintendo said Tuesday that Super Mario Run for iPhone has managed to rack up 78 million downloads and generate about $53 million in revenue since its December debut on App Store, a performance analysts said was better than expected, reported The Wall Street Journal.

The game's most recent update brought out a new Easy gameplay mode which lets players explore the level at their own pace, without the timer.

The update also adds support for the Korean language and compatibility with new events while bringing changes to the game's Toad Rally mode, which now makes Toads easier to collect by reducing penalties for poor performance.