Today in the App Store -- the best free apps, new apps and app updates

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Updated Sun, Dec 21, 2014, 6:00 PM·3 min read

Here are some of the best free apps, app updates and new apps that have landed in the App Store recently. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.

Apps Now Free

Swipe N Clean [iPhone; Now free, down from $1.99] Swipe through your photos and edit, share or clean them directly from your iOS device.

MeteoEarth for iPad [iPad; Now free, down from $2.99] MeteoEarth is the spectacular weather app from MeteoGroup – also developers of WeatherPro.

MeteoEarth [iPhone; Now free, down from $2.99] MeteoEarth is the spectacular weather app from MeteoGroup – also developers of WeatherPro.

King Oddball [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $2.99] Blow up tanks! Collapse structures! Crash helicopters! Squash puny humans! Hurl boulders until nothing remains!

Lion Pig [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] Lion Pig is an arcade-style platform / speed run game featuring pixel graphics.

Toca Mini [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $2.99] Cute, weird or funny? That's up to you in the colorful world of Toca Mini.

Duckie Deck Card Wars [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $2.99] How will you stack up against your friends in a game of Card Wars? The classic, cross-generational card game has been given a colorful makeover in our latest toddler friendly app.

Disk Inspector [OS X; Now free, down from $6.99] Disk Inspector is a utility that allows you to locate "space eaters" - big files and folders saved on any of your Mac disks or drives.

Owly - Sleep Prevention [OS X; Now free, down from $2.99] Say hello to Owly, a cute little fellow who lives in your Mac's menu bar and does its best to prevent your Mac from automatically sleeping.

New and Notable Apps

The Hit List - Simply Powerful Tasks, To-Dos, Projects, & Reminders [iPhone; $9.99] The Hit List helps manage the daily chaos of modern life - little tasks, big to-do lists, and anything in-between.

Emoji Type - custom keyboard with predictive emojis [iPhone; $0.99] Use the Emoji Type keyboard whenever you're typing on your iPhone, and it will auto suggest matching emojis as you type.

Procreate Pocket [iPhone; $2.99] Made by the developers of the award-winning Procreate® for iPad®, Procreate Pocket™ allows you to sketch and illustrate concepts on the move, anywhere you find inspiration.

Updates you don't want to miss

Toca Kitchen 2 [iOS Universal; $0.99] In Toca Kitchen 2 you can cook however you want! Juice tomatoes, boil the salad or make a burger. Come up with your very own recipes and treat your guests to something special.Version 1.1 brings the following changes:

We added a whole lot of fun stuff! You can now enjoy cooking: Chicken, Prawn, Pineapple and Corn
Watch the characters react on burning hot sauce, sour lemon and laugh at loud burps
And we fixed a bug on iPad Air 2

[Nintype]https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nintype/id796959534?mt=8) [iOS Universal; $4.99] Transform your iPhone or iPad into a highly productive device where you can actually type relatively quickly with it. Version 1.5 brings the following changes:

Critical bugfix where tutorial gets stuck
Calculator has been removed from the app, because it violated the App Extension Guideline
Backspace slide now restores letters when you slide back to the right. - You can disable this behavior in options
Slide right from caps key to undo deletion, just like backspace slide
You can now edit keys, edit key shortcuts, and the like

Pixelmator [OS X; $29.99] Full-featured and powerful image editing app for the Mac. Version 3.3.1 brings the following changes:

Pinch to zoom support
Resize and scroll features added to Shapes, Gradients, and Styles palettes.
Various fixes and improvements

Engadget
Threads now lets you control who can quote your posts
Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri announced the update this weekend, saying he hopes it will “help keep Threads a more positive place.” Users can choose to turn off quotes entirely or limit them only to people they follow.
Engadget
Parrots in captivity seem to enjoy video-chatting with their friends on Messenger
A small study led by researchers at the University of Glasgow and Northeastern University compared parrots’ responses when given the option to video chat with other birds via Messenger versus watching pre-recorded videos.
Engadget
Google prohibits ads promoting websites and apps that generate deepfake porn
Google has updated its Inappropriate Content Policy to include language that expressly prohibits advertisers from promoting websites and services that generate deepfake pornography.
Engadget
X is using Grok to publish AI-generated news summaries
X is using Grok to publish AI-generated summaries of news and other topics that trend on the platform.
Engadget
Nintendo blitzes GitHub with over 8,000 emulator-related DMCA takedowns
Nintendo sent a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice for over 8,000 GitHub repositories hosting code from the Yuzu Switch emulator, which the Zelda maker previously described as enabling “piracy at a colossal scale.”
Engadget
Helldivers 2 PC players suddenly have to link to a PSN account and they're not being chill about it
Helldivers 2 players have become frustrated after Sony suddenly required linking to a PSN account to play the game on PC. This was not necessary when the title launched in February.
Engadget
Redfall’s two DLC heroes are still MIA a year later
Microsoft may want to be more careful about leaving a trail of broken promises when games don’t go as planned. A year after Redfall landed with a thud, players are still waiting for the advertised post-launch DLC they already paid for.
Engadget
Instagram's 'Add Yours' sticker now lets you share songs
Instagram has released some new interactive stickers for use in Stories. One of these is a “Reveal” sticker that blurs content, so people have to DM the creator to get it unlocked.
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Apex Legends is getting a solo mode for the first time in five years
Apex Legends will have a solo mode for the first time in five years when the new season starts on May 7. Respawn said as recently as January it had no plans to bring back the single-player option.
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A four-pack of Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 2 trackers is back on sale for $70
A bundle of Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 2 Bluetooth trackers is back on sale for $70, matching the lowest price we've tracked.
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Research indicates that carbon dioxide removal plans will not be enough to meet Paris treaty goals
New research indicates a large “emissions gap” between what actions nations have committed to help remove carbon from the atmosphere and what’s required to meet Paris treaty goals.
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Rabbit R1 review: A $199 AI toy that fails at almost everything
The Rabbit R1 is a cute AI gadget, but at launch it’s riddled with issues and terrible battery life. When phones can handle similar AI tasks, the R1 doesn’t do enough to justify its existence.
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The Apple Watch Series 9 is back on sale for $299, plus the rest of this week's best tech deals
This week, we found deals on gear from Samsung, Apple, Bose, Anker and more.
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Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft may finally take its first crewed flight next week
Boeing's Starliner crew capsule is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex-41 in Florida on Monday, May 6. The launch window opens at 10:34PM ET. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be on board.
Engadget
Google says Epic’s Play Store demands are too much and too self-serving
Google has filed an injunction telling the court that it will not give Epic what it wants without a fight, because the company's asks "stray far beyond the trial record."
Engadget
The best gifts to upgrade your grad’s tech setup
College grads are probably using the same tech they started out with four years ago. Here are the best gadgets you can get them to upgrade their kit, including laptops, headphones, monitors and more.
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Boom's XB-1 supersonic jet has been authorized to break the speed of sound
Boom's supersonic XB-1 test jet has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to fly past Mach 1.
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The Morning After: Peloton's grim post-pandemic reality
The biggest news stories this morning: Huawei has been secretly funding research in America after being blacklisted, The best noise-canceling earbuds, Olivia Rodrigo, Drake and other Universal artists return to TikTok.
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Engadget Podcast: Kill the Rabbit (R1)
The Rabbit R1 is finally here, and it's yet another useless AI gadget.
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The best password manager for 2024
Remembering dozens of passwords can be difficult for anyone. These are the best password managers you can use to keep your information safe and secure.

Today in the App Store -- the best free apps, new apps and app updates

Apps Now Free

New and Notable Apps

Updates you don't want to miss

Latest Stories

Threads now lets you control who can quote your posts

Parrots in captivity seem to enjoy video-chatting with their friends on Messenger

Google prohibits ads promoting websites and apps that generate deepfake porn

X is using Grok to publish AI-generated news summaries

Nintendo blitzes GitHub with over 8,000 emulator-related DMCA takedowns

Helldivers 2 PC players suddenly have to link to a PSN account and they're not being chill about it

Redfall’s two DLC heroes are still MIA a year later

Instagram's 'Add Yours' sticker now lets you share songs

Apex Legends is getting a solo mode for the first time in five years

A four-pack of Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 2 trackers is back on sale for $70

Research indicates that carbon dioxide removal plans will not be enough to meet Paris treaty goals

Rabbit R1 review: A $199 AI toy that fails at almost everything

The Apple Watch Series 9 is back on sale for $299, plus the rest of this week's best tech deals

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft may finally take its first crewed flight next week

Google says Epic’s Play Store demands are too much and too self-serving

The best gifts to upgrade your grad’s tech setup

Boom's XB-1 supersonic jet has been authorized to break the speed of sound

The Morning After: Peloton's grim post-pandemic reality

Engadget Podcast: Kill the Rabbit (R1)

The best password manager for 2024

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