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Foursquare 8.0: All things reconsidered
Who was not a happy camper when Foursquare suddenly decided to take their self-named app, rip the fun part -- check-ins -- out of the app, and put it into a new app named Swarm? Me, that's who. It really torqued me off that an app that I had enjoyed for years was suddenly breaking into two apps. Hell, that's almost as bad as what Facebook did, forcing users to load another app (Facebook Messenger) to do something they'd always been able to do from within the iOS Facebook app. Well, the new Foursquare app, AKA version 8.0, arrived today, so I decided to take a hit for the team and install it. The first thing you notice is the new Foursquare logo, kind of a pink (er, magenta) stylized "F" -- apparently meant to represent a pin on a map -- on a background of expanding grey circles. That takes a bit of getting used to, since the original Foursquare branding was seared into my brain. But I can adjust... What Foursquare has done by splitting into two apps is kept the fun of checkins and social with Swarm, and then vastly improved discovery of restaurants, stores, and other locations with the Foursquare app. When you fire up Foursquare for the first time, the app tells you that with the first splash screen. Swarm is meant, according to that splash screen, to "teach" Foursquare about the places you like the most. A Twitter conversation revealed that some users think the onboarding process for Foursquare was too long and detailed. I'm assuming that these people were logging into Foursquare for the first time and not previous users, since all I got was a few helpful screens explaining new features before being asked to do some simple configuration. To begin with, you are asked to "tap a few things you like". If you've been a Foursquare user for years like I have, the company has a lot of ideas about what kind of things you like. For me, I started by tapping on pulled pork sandwiches, steak, IPAs, bistro, bison burgers, fireplaces, burritos, fajitas, and more. You can add more "likes" later on, so it's not really important to spend a lot of time on this starting out. Next, Foursquare comes up with nearby recommendations. Not surprisingly, two places that I enjoy for a really good pizza (one traditional NY style, the other just plain amazing), were near the top of the list. Foursquare also displays a list of places recommended by people who I follow. Along the bottom of the new app are buttons for finding a place, "Here" for getting information about the place you're at and also shunting you to Swarm to check in, "Tips" from people you either follow or who have similar tastes, and a profile button. By the way, when you're moved over to Swarm for the check-in, the top of the screen turns blue and displays a notification to tap it to return to Foursquare. The two apps are nicely integrated in that manner, switching seamlessly with a tap. The Tips button provides a way to save tips so that you're reminded when you're near or at a place. For example, if I choose to save a tip about some good fish tacos at a smoothie place nearby, whenever I'm near there I'll be reminded. The Profile button shows how many tips you've left, how many followers you have and how many people you follow, as well as telling you how much of an expert you are in terms of various tastes by how many tips you've left. No matter what screen you're looking at, there will always be a small blue "leave a tip" button in the upper right hand part of the screen that looks disturbingly like the icon for Microsoft Word for iPad. Tapping the Foursquare button in the upper left corner of the screen lets you add tastes, follow people, and otherwise personalize your Foursquare settings. Foursquare now provides a list of people you may wish to follow based on your contacts, Facebook friends, Twitter pals, and Instagram buddies. It recommended that I follow Apple "lost co-founder" Ron Wayne on Foursquare... So yeah, I'm still a bit peeved that Foursquare decided to split into two apps. But after seeing just how much more functionality is in Foursquare 8.0 and Swarm, and how well the two apps work together, it's time for me to eat a bit of crow (hence the image at the top of the page). I think they really did know what they were doing. Forgive me, Foursquare, for ever doubting you! But Facebook and Facebook Messenger? I'll never forgive Mark Zuckerberg's minions for splitting a perfectly fine instant messaging feature out of Facebook ... at least this week.
Yahoo Mail improves email inbox searching with new filtering options
Yahoo today pushed out an update to its iOS Mail app, adding an improved search experience to the app's lineup of features. This latest update, available now in the App Store, brings the email client up to version 3.2.0. The new search option allows users to search for a contact's name and filter the results by email or attachments such as photos or files. This would allow a user to quickly find an email in their inbox that contains an important screenshot or document. Other changes include standard performance improvements and bug fixes. What's New in Version 3.2.0 - We're excited to introduce you to our new and improved search experience. Now, when you search for a person's name, you can easily filter the results by emails, photos, or files. We hope you love it as much as we do! Please drop us a note at aerogram-feedback@yahoo-inc.com with your thoughts or suggestions. - Performance improvements - Bug fixes Yahoo Mail is available for free from the iOS App Store.
Ember for Mac gains 'hugely-requested' screen recording feature
Popular web clipper and digital scrapbooking app Ember was updated today with a killer new feature -- the ability to make a video recording of your screen. No longer limited by only static images, Ember now allows you to capture your screen as you demo webpages, click through a presentation or showcase an app. The new scree recording feature in Ember version 1.8 allows you to capture more than just a static screen shot. You can now select a small section of your desktop or the entire screen (command-a in screen recording mode) and record in 60fps video. The recordings are saved in the Ember app and are treated just like any other Ember capture The video also can be synced between your iOS and OS X devices, shared with your friends or exported as a .MOV file that can be stored on your Mac The latest version of Ember with screen recording is available now in the Mac App Store for US$49.99.
Spotify update adds equalizer, refreshed Artist page and more
Hot on the heels of yesterday's Beats Music refresh, Spotify today also updated its iOS app adding several new features and UI changes to the music streaming app. The most notable change to Spotify Music is the addition of a new equalizer that allows you to tweak the levels to get the sound that is perfect for you. Besides an equalizer, Spotify also updated the Artist page on the iPad to include information on the artist's latest releases and associated merchandise. The app's designers also moved the Discover feature on the iPhone to the Browse section of the app. The full change log for version 1.5.0 is as follows: New: Want an equalizer? OK, it's waiting for you in Settings. Go play. New: Looking for Discover? You'll now find it inside Browse. (iPhone) New: We've redesigned the Artist page for iPad, now with latest release and merchandise. Fictitious: This app will swap any sticker for Messi. Spotify is available for free from the iOS App Store. It is a universal app and requires iOS 6 or later.
Fantastical 2.1 for iOS adds new snooze, search and notification features
Flexibits' Fantastical 2.1 for iOS is available today with a host of new features, improvements and bug fixes. The calendar, reminders and to-dos app is a major hit with the TUAW team, so we're always pleased to see an update to this fantastic app! Check out our review of Fantastical 2.0 for iPhone, here. Highlights of the update include new snooze options for event or reminder notifications, the option to search and add contacts or locations when creating a new event, a setting to hide the event details location map (which can be a little annoying if you don't always use it), and new event invitation notifications. And if that isn't enough -- there's also a new app icon badge option, upcoming birthday notifications. keyboard shortcuts for those that use an external keyboard with their iOS device, and improvements to the calendar week-view, with updated colors and an improved appearance for timed events that span multiple days. To celebrate the update, Flexibits is putting Fantastical on sale. The iPhone and Mac version is 50% off at $4.99 and $9.99 respectively, and the iPad version is 33% off at $9.99.
ExpanDrive 4, more services and faster sync
I've written about ExpanDrive in the past, but I haven't mentioned it since version 2.0. Version 4 is out now, and it's a major update to this app that allows you to mount remote servers and cloud services as local drives. ExpanDrive has always done an amazing job of mounting a wide array of remote server types and letting you use them like your server was just a local USB drive. Lately, the number of accessible services has become wider than anything else I've seen, and the usability of the mounted drives is outstanding. ExpanDrive 4's biggest advancement is in speed. It can now cache files locally and transfer smaller files in the background, meaning you can mount a remote server, edit files in a text or graphics editor, and when you hit save you're immediately able to continue working while the actual transfer happens transparently. It can even watch for changes on the remote server to keep the sync rapid and up-to-date on both ends. ExpanDrive has also been adding to its available services. You can now mount everything from SFTP and WebDAV servers to Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, Amazon S3, and DreamObjects cloud services. The latest services include Microsoft OneDrive, Copy.com, HP Helion Cloud, Owncloud and hubiC. Being able to mount a Dropbox drive without installing the Dropbox app means easy access to your synced files on remote computers without the bandwidth of a full download, or even the trouble of setting up selective sync. This holds true for any of the supported cloud services. It also means easy backups to the services without any special software. ExpanDrive has a free trial available (and is also available for Windows). You can license a copy for $49.95 US.
iTunes U update will bring course creation and student discussion to iPad app
Apple today announced an update to iTunes U that'll bring a new course creation tool and support for student discussion to the iPad version of the iTunes U app. iTunes U is the educational arm of iTunes that allows teachers from K-12 school districts, universities and colleges to create courses that are open either to students in their classroom or available publicly. For the first time, teachers will be able to use the iPad app to create a full course directly from their iPad. Students also will benefit from a new discussion feature that allows them to collaborate with teachers and other students in their online classes. These new features will be available July 8th in an update that will roll out to the iPad version of the iTunes U app. iTunes U is available for free from the iOS App Store. Additional details are available in the press release below. Show full PR text Apple Announces Updates to iTunes U Brings Course Creation, Management for Teachers & Student Discussions To iPad CUPERTINO, California-June 30, 2014-Apple® today announced updates to iTunes U®, bringing educators and students great new tools to build and experience educational content on iPad®. Beginning July 8, teachers using the free iTunes U app can create, edit and manage entire courses directly on iPad for the first time, and students will discover new ways to collaborate including the ability to start class discussions and ask questions right from their iPad. "Education is at the core of Apple's DNA and iTunes U is an incredibly valuable resource for teachers and students," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. "iTunes U features an amazing selection of academic materials for everyone around the world. Now, with the ability to better manage and discuss educational content, learning becomes even more personalized on iPad." The new in-app updates to iTunes U give teachers full course creation capabilities on iPad, with the ability to directly add rich content and learning materials from iWork®, iBooks® Author or any of the over 75,000 educational apps available for iPad. Taking advantage of the built-in camera on iPad, teachers can also capture photos and videos to incorporate real-world subject matter into any course, making relevant content available to all students in an instant. "iTunes U is the most powerful destination for bringing the entire educational experience to life on iPad," said Fraser Speirs, head of computing and IT at Cedars School of Excellence in Scotland. "By freeing teachers to create and organize courses right on iPad, educators can be better focused on enabling student participation both with the content and one another." Students using iPad and enrolled in private iTunes U courses will now have everything they need to fully collaborate with their classmates and teachers. With Discussions in the iTunes U app, students can automatically follow classroom discussions and join conversations on new topics, or set up push notifications for when new topics are started or replies are added to active exchanges. Teachers can participate in forums too, and have the ability to moderate discussions by removing any off-topic messages or replies. "Discussions in iTunes U puts the potential for thoughtful exploration and collaboration into the hands of every one of our students," said Larry Reiff, a teacher from Roslyn High School in New York. "iPad and iTunes U continue to provide students with the tools they need to build knowledge and demonstrate their learning." iTunes U helps educators create courses including lectures, assignments, books, quizzes and more for millions of iOS users around the world. With over 750,000 individual learning materials available on the iTunes U app, iTunes U is the world's largest online catalog of free educational content from top schools and prominent organizations. Today, thousands of educational institutions are hosting over 7,500 public and thousands of private courses encompassing the arts, sciences, health and medicine, education, business and more. Educators can create iTunes U courses in 69 countries and make their courses and educational content accessible via the iTunes U app in 155 countries. In addition to the thousands of individual iTunes U learning materials found on the iTunes Store®, over 500,000 apps designed specifically for iPad are now available on the App Store℠. Additionally, with the free iBooks Author app on the Mac App Store℠, nearly 30,000 Multi-Touch™ books have been created by independent teachers and publishers worldwide. Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
Amazon Instant Video app now offers free, ad-supported TV episodes, new HBO shows
Apple today released an updated version of its Amazon Instant Video app for iOS with free TV show episodes that include in-video advertising, new HBO content and improved playback controls. According to the app description, Amazon Instant Video users will be able to stream the first episode of selected TV shows for free, including classic shows such as 21 Jump Street, Eight is Enough and others. These free videos will feature advertisements before and during playback. Many of these free episodes are part of Amazon's Prime Instant Video catalog, which means Prime subscribers won't have to watch the video ads. Advertisements will be shown to non-Prime subscribers and in TV shows that are not part of the Prime video service. The free first episodes are already available on Kindle Fire devices and the Roku, but this is the first time ad-supported content from Amazon is available on iOS. Besides the free TV shows, Amazon also added new content from HBO that debuted online last month. The list of HBO titles includes The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Big Love, Deadwood, Eastbound & Down, Family Tree, Enlightened, Treme, early seasons of Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, select mini-series such as Band of Brothers and comedy specials featuring well-know comedians like Lewis Black and Bill Maher. Additional HBO shows will be made available three years after their original airing date. Last but not least, the updated Amazon Instant Video app offers new video playback controls with 0-second skip and "Next Episode" buttons to improve the streaming experience. iOS device owners can download the Instant Video app from the App Store for free.
Alfred 2.3 adds external triggers and more
Alfred for Mac is one of my favorite utilities. So much more than an app launcher, it lets me find and move files, control apps and even set complex workflows into action for a super-effecient work day. Things get better with version 2.3, which is out now. External triggers, case-sensitive hotkeys and other changes only make this app better. External triggers are so cool. In a nutshell, you can use an AppleScript from outside Alfred to tell it what to do. Attach one to a Calendar event, for example, for precision timing. Meanwhile, you use Alfred to select which app opens a specific file. Think of it as Finder's "Open with..." command but much more efficient. The marquee feature is context-sensitive hotkeys. I use a utility like Alfred because I don't like reaching for the mouse over and over, all day long. Perhaps you're the same. Now you can make your hotkey triggers case-sensitive. There's also an option to disable a combination when a certain application is frontmost, and a unique setting for when you're using Photoshop. Hotkey conflicts are a huge pain in the backside, and Alfred 2.3 does a lot to address it. Alfred is among the apps I install on a new Mac immediately. This update is an example of why.
Daylite 5 adds refinements to the business management app
Marketcircle's Daylite has been around for a number of years, pulling in Best of Show awards at Macworld/iWorld and kudos from happy users. The application, which comes in Mac, iPhone and iPad versions, is a full-featured system for keeping track of your business. Whether it's calendar, email, or contact management; project tracking or following up on business opportunities, Daylite is hands-down the best and most comprehensive tool for managing a business. Now the company has just introduced Daylite 5, the latest version of the multi-platform solution. Priced at US$299.95 per user, Daylite 5 includes licenses for the Mac, iPhone and iPad apps, as well as for the Mail Assistant (used to link Daylite and Mail) and Daylite Server. Existing Daylite 4 users can update for $199.95, while Daylite 3 owners can make the jump for $249.95. What does the new version provide? A lot of refinement to an already polished set of apps. The new Insight View is described as a "visual summary of your data" that "helps you discover patterns and answer questions about your business." By displaying a number of graphs on one screen, it's easy to see patterns appear and then make comparisons. Clicking on a bar chart drills into summaries, and dragging across a timeline allows even further focus on project details. My personal new favorite feature is the timeline, which provides a quickly scrolling list of project information and associated emails to give a history of what went on during a period of time. Hovering on a small graphical timeline to the left of the timeline detail allows you to quickly jump to a specific date, while filters create a way to grab only certain pieces of information -- like emails associated with a project -- while getting the others out of the way. One feature that Daylite users had been asking for is now present -- repeating tasks. Regularly scheduled tasks such as project status meetings can be set to repeat daily, weekly, monthly or for any other time period. The iPad and iPhone apps have received an amazing makeover, with a flat, simple design that would make Jony Ive happy. Searching is available from the Daylite home screen, and synchronization with the Daylite server is done in background. Those of us with mature eyes love the way that Daylite now uses the text size that's chosen in the Settings app so that it's possible to read details without squinting or holding the iPhone screen two inches from our faces. On the Mac app, the sidebar now has the ability to have folders and subfolders added to group items, and since those folders can be opened and closed, it's possible to hide those projects or groupings that are unimportant at a particular time. You can even hide the sidebar altogether to make more room on your workspace. The Daylite Mail Assistant now has the capability of allowing you to update details in Daylite right from within Mail.app. If a contact's information (email, address, phone number, etc...) has changed, or if you need to change the status of a project, there's no need to jump into Daylite -- it can all be done in Mail. Marketcircle has also provided more advanced filtering capabilities to allow you to dig into your data -- for example, you can search all contacts that have no opportunity associated with them to provide a list of customers you should cold call. Finally, the Mac app has received a redesign that provides a visual look and feel that is closer to the iOS apps. Things are less cluttered and much easier to read in the revised app. Marketcircle has obviously listened to Daylite customers in making the changes to Daylite 5, and all of the apps now have a much more streamlined and polished feel to them. For existing Daylite users, making the jump to Daylite 5 might cause some temporary heartburn as you get used to the new features and find your way around, but you'll quickly get back up to speed and be able to accomplish more in less time.
1Password 4.5 for iOS gains features, slims down
Ask any member of the TUAW team what they use to keep track of the swarm of passwords they are confronted with on a typical day, and they're likely to say 1Password. AgileBits today announced a major update to the iOS version of the app, which is available for free to current users. 1Password 4.5 will be on sale at half-price -- US$8.99 -- for those who don't already own it, through Friday, April 25. What's new in the password manager? To start with, the app has a shiny new iOS 7 look and feel, complete with a new icon. But that's just the icing on the cake. Under that gooey frosting is: A 34 percent smaller app footprint, saving 8.6 megabytes of space Faster syncing Search available all the time at the top of the Categories tab and each main category AirDrop support for sharing items Support for multiple vaults once they're configured in 1Password for Mac A new Demo Vault replacing the venerable Demo Mode A redesigned user setup process, as well as an improved upgrade process from 1Password 3 for iOS Support for custom item images (must be added via 1Password 4 for Mac) Tags added in Mac version sync with iOS Improvements and bug fixes in Wi-Fi Sync Support for multiple Dropbox accounts Enhancements were made to the built-in 1Browser to allow for easier logins, faster checkouts, and online form auto-fill much in the way 1Password mini works on the Mac. And speaking of the Mac, 1Password 4.3 for Mac was also released today with a variety of improvements.
IFTTT for iPad brings service/device mashups to your favorite tablet
I have an amazing amount of love and respect for IFTTT.com, an online service that provides an easy way to connect apps, devices, and services in ways that make them much more useful. Want to get a phone call from your house telling you that your basement is flooded? Use IFTTT, a moisture sensor connected to a SmartThings Hub, and the IFTTT phone call channel. Maybe you want to keep track of how much time you spend at a local bar... Pull up IFTTT and use the iOS Location and Dropbox channels to create a log file of every time you go to or leave that bar. Up until now, IFTTT fans either had to log into the desktop website or use the iPhone app to create new recipes or tweak old ones. Last week the free IFTTT for iPad app showed up, and it's a no-brainer download for anyone who uses IFTTT. The app is designed perfectly for the iPad and iPad mini screen, featuring a browser mode that reminds me of nothing less than the App Store. Curated collections, featured recipes, all-time favorites, recipes that are trending, and new recently added recipes all have their place on the Browse screen. If you'd rather manage your existing recipes and see a log of when they were triggered, just tap a good-sized toggle in the upper right corner of the app display and you are in "Manage" mode. The left side of the management screen provides a running timeline of when your recipes were triggered, while the right side has a list of your recipes. To turn one off or on, there's the familiar iOS 7 green switch on each recipe. With a tap of the recipe, you can turn notifications on or off, check the recipe, edit it, share it, or delete it. Large arrows on the personal recipe display let you scroll left or right through those recipes, making group edits (of a phone number change, for example) quite simple. For new IFTTT users, the iPad app provides a very simple five-screen introduction to the service the first time the app is launched. You can sign in if you're already an IFTTT user, or create a new account from the app. If you're not currently using IFTTT, it's time to give it a try -- especially if you're an iPad owner. The app is beautiful, sweet icing on the IFTTT cake and you're going to love it.
Daily App: Rormix brings indie music videos to your iPhone and iPad
Aspiring musicians have several ways to promote their music. One tool new to the scene is Rormix, which focuses not on music but on music videos. The app recently received a major overhaul making it easier to find new artists that match your taste in music. Rormix's biggest change is a new music scanning feature that combs through your iTunes music library and picks Rormix videos based on your preference in music. A tagging feature makes the music curation even better by allowing users to add tags for well-known acts to their favorite indie music video. For example, an indie acoustic performer can be tagged with David Gray, while an alternative band could be tagged with Red Hot Chili Peppers. Other new features include a new bio page for artists that allow them to share their background and musical aspirations with their fans. This makes the experience a bit more personal, allowing users to see the person(s) behind the music video. Rormix has all the common features you would expect in a music discovery tool. You can follow artists on Rormix, like a music video, and browse through a feed of fresh or trending content. About the only thing missing is a "related artists" option that pulls together artists that are similar. Rormix instead uses categories and tags to aggregate similar content, which you can use to find related artists that you may enjoy. Rormix is available for free from the iOS App Store. It's available for the iPhone and requires iOS 7. There are no ads, but it does require a login if you want to use the social features of the app. A non-login option allows you to browse through the music videos without creating an account.
Pebble updates its iOS app with new apps, sharing options and v2.1 fix
Pebble today rolled out an update that brings its iOS App to version 2.1.1. The most notable feature in the latest version is a bug fix for version 2.1, which was released earlier this week and included a critical flaw that prevented users from managing their Pebble smartwatch from the application. This latest version fixes the v2.1 bug and adds several new apps to the Pebble appstore. It also includes the ability to share apps with friends via email, Twitter, Facebook, and text messaging. Users updating from version 1.0.x will notice the following changes in version 2.1.1: Pebble watchapp directory: browse, find and install the latest watchapps for Pebble. List of prior notifications now stored on your Pebble. Watchapp locker: keep track of your favorite apps and manage the apps on your Pebble. Completely revamped and improved user interface design. Pebble smartwatch owners can download the latest version of the iOS software from the App Store for free.
PSA: Pebble for iOS v.2.1 update contains critical flaw that breaks the app - Update
According to a support forum post, the latest update to the Pebble app for iOS contains a critical issue that prevents the application from working. The company is working on a fix, but, in the meantime, it is asking users to delay installing the version 2.1 update that was released today, Monday, March 31st. The app is temporarily hidden from the iTunes App Store while Pebble tries to resolve the issue. iOS owners with automatic updates enabled should turn off the feature by going to Settings > iTunes & App Store and toggling Updates OFF in the "Automatic Downloads" section. If you already have version 2.1 installed, there may be a temporary work around that allows you to install the previous version 2.0.2. Update: We received the following statement from Pebble: "Today we experienced an issue deploying version 2.1 of the Pebble iOS smartphone app. We've pulled the update from the App Store for now. We're working with Apple to fix this problem as quickly as possible, and will notify customers when an update is available that resolves the issue. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. Please check our forums for more information."
Today in the App Store -- the best free apps, new apps and app updates
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. Also, check out our Daily Deals, with hand-picked sales on iOS and OS X apps as well as deals on accessories for Mac and iOS owners. Apps Now Free 2 Days [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $0.99] 2 Days is a simple and effective to-do app for your iPhone and iPad. It comes with the simplicity of use. ArtRage for iPhone [iPhone; Now free, down from $1.99] Express your artistic side with easy to use painting and drawing tools that work just like the real thing! LVL CAM [iPhone; Now free, down from $0.99] LVL CAM is the only camera app for taking perfectly balanced and level shots on your iPhone. Touchfit: GSP • The Complete Home Fitness Solution [iPhone; Now free, down from $6.99] Download Touchfit: GSP today and join the legions of others who have already achieved incredible results with the first home training program designed to adapt and evolve after every workout. Tactical Soldier - Undead Rising [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $4.99]Tactical Soldier is a tactical squad level turn based game where you control a group of soldiers trying to uncover the dark secrets of an army research base invaded by zombies. Man at Arms TD [iPad; Now free, down from $4.99] Man at Arms is the newest hit in TD strategy games! Play fast-paced action gaming with hundreds of units, then collect unique cards to increase the strength of your army! Man at Arms Pocket Edition [iPhone; Now free, down from $1.99] Man at Arms is the newest hit in TD strategy games! Play fast-paced action gaming with hundreds of units, then collect unique cards to increase the strength of your army! Carmageddon [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $0.99] Carmageddon is the original freeform driving sensation, where pedestrians (and cows!) equal points, and your opponents are a bunch of crazies in a twisted mix of automotive killing machines. DRAWNIMAL [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] Our goal with Drawnimal was to expand your device by using simple tools like pen and paper. Apple's App of the Week. NightSky HD [OS X; Now free, down from $2.99] NightSky is an action-puzzle game that offers an ambient gameplay experience unlike any other; cerebral challenges fill uniquely designed picturesque worlds. Mr Stopwatch [OS X; Now free, down from $5.99] Mr. Stopwatch is Simple and Neat Stopwatch. New and Notable Apps Incredible Numbers by Professor Ian Stewart [iPad; $4.99] Bestselling author Professor Ian Stewart is your guide through Incredible Numbers. Numbers define the patterns of sunflowers; they bring pleasure through music; and they help us answer existential questions. Star Wars: Assault Team [iOS Universal; Free] Assemble a powerful team of your favorite Star Wars™ heroes, and battle enemies and other players across the galaxy in STAR WARS™: ASSAULT TEAM. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - The Official Game [iOS Universal; $2.99] Play as Captain America and lead your S.H.I.E.L.D. Strike Team as they struggle to contain a massive global attack by several nefarious criminal organizations. Logline [OS X; $24.99] Logline is a screenplay editor that let's you write your screenplay, treatment and outline in one place. WiFi Strength Indicator [OS X; Free] Provides a menu bar item that indicates the signal strength of your current WiFi connection. Choir [OS X; Free] The official client for Choir.io - Sound gives you ambient awareness without effort. Updates you don't want to miss OptimizeMe - Lifelogging [iPhone; $3.99] OptimizeMe helps you record your life to improve it. Version 2.0 brings the following changes: Integration of M7 for automatic steps count Integration of Weather Condition, Daily High and Moon Phase Integration of Period Tracking for our female users Autocomplete: OptimizeMe can automatically predict your daily activities in case you forget to record a day or two Backup and Restore with Dropbox to secure your data or transfer it between different devices More Microsoft OneNote for iPad [iPad; Free] It's time to harness the immense potential of your thoughts and discoveries by taking a note in OneNote, your very own digital notebook. Version 2.2 brings the following changes: Beautifully redesigned for iOS 7 Photos of whiteboards and documents are now auto-cropped and enhanced Bug fixes nPlayer [iOS Universal; $4.99] nPlayer provides high quality video play performance and easy control-UI supporting almost all kinds of video formats and codecs without file converting efforts. Version 2.6 brings the following changes: Support for Bitcasa, Box, OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) Support built-in web browser that can download/stream contents Fixed bugs UpTo Calendar [iPhone; Free] Life goes beyond meetings and appointments. Your calendar should too. UpTo gives you a more complete view of everything coming up that matters to you - without the clutter. Version 3.0 is a complete overhaul of the app that adds the following features: New, multi-layered calendar interface. Pinch or tap to expand your calendar. Hundreds of new calendars to follow, including TV show schedules, local concerts powered by StubHub and a series of curated calendars with popular events coming up 'This Week'. Choose which layer your personal calendars appear on. Facebook events and birthdays can be on the back layer while your work calendar is on the front layer. Integrated weather that shows the current and forecasted local weather by day. Multiple calendar views. Slide the calendar up to transition from Week View to Day View or pull it down for Month View Native meeting invites Location look-up when adding new events Privately share events with friends on UpTo, or share via email, text message, Facebook or Twitter. Send email replies to meeting invites And much more! PicGIF [OS X; $4.99] PicGIF enables you to quickly create incredible animated GIFs from photos or short videos. Version 2.0 brings the following changes: Add effects and adjustment features. Support trimming video clip. Add stickers. Support managing overlays. Set start frame & end frame for overlays. Add options for better quality export. Share GIFs directly to Tumblr. Add support for German, French, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. New UI. Other minor bug fixes. Lens Blur [OS X; $4.99] Transform your existing photo into true out-of-focus bokeh lens effect. Version 1.1 brings the following changes: 3 real lens profiles of Canon and Nikon added; more lenses adding soon Significant performance improvement Treble Cat - Learn To Read [OS X; Free] Treble Cat is a highly entertaining game designed to help kids and adults learn how to quickly identify notes in the treble clef. Version 1.3 brings the following changes: new practice level Fotor Photo Editor [OS X; Free] People everywhere are getting their edit on with Fotor's solid photo editor for Mac. Version 2.0.0 brings the following changes: New Batch Function for quickly editing multiple photos Added Highlights, Shadow and Curves adjustments More filters and special effects Lots more Borders and Patterns to choose from Added EXIF information when sharing photo to Flickr Added more Freestyle Collage backgrounds Better user interface to make it easier and more fun to use Smoother operation and increased stability Other bug fixes and minor improvements MyFourWalls [OS X; $29.99] MyFourWalls is an easy-to-use home planning tool that lets you play with new design choices in an existing space or plan the entire interior of a new home. Version 1.0.2 adds the following features: Print sheet redesigned 3d view is printable now Export sheet for pictures and pdfs added Ceiling fans, New stairs and New office chairs added to furniture library Several minor bugs fixed
Runtastic 5.0 update brings redesign, hydration monitoring and more to the fitness app
Runtastic today updated its Running and fitness app, bringing a brand new look to the app and few notable new features. The biggest changes users will notice is a fresh, new UI with improved automatic syncing to a user's Runtastic account when an activity is completed. Another new feature is hydration monitoring that takes into account the weather, your activity level and your vital health statistics to recommend the best way to rehydrate after each workout. The company also improved the free version of the app, making the previously pro-only Music player and Live Tracking & Cheering features available to free users. The Pro version keeps its full suite of additional features, which includes Powersong, Training goals, Interval training and more. Runtastic is available in two versions -- a feature-limited free version with ads and a US$4.99 ad-free version. Both are compatible with the iPhone and require iOS 7.
Daily App: Snippit mixes music with photos in a very social way
If you're the social type that loves mixing music with your photography, then you may want to take Snippit for a spin. The app allows you to take a photo, overlay 10 seconds of music and then share the result with the world. Snippit is first and foremost a social network for you to share your music-infused photography. You must sign up for an account in order to use the app and you quickly gain followers within the first few days of joining. There is a running posts feed of new snippits that you can view as well as a browse feature that allows you find new snippits based on music genres, hashtags and both popular and latests trends. When you find a snippit you enjoy, you can favorite it or comment on it. You also can tap on the user profile to dig deeper into who they are and what type of music and photography they enjoy. When you are viewing a user's profile, you can view all the posts this person has created. You also can filter the content and only browse the posts you have favorited from this user, their tagged posts and their posts with location information. If you like what you see, you can choose to follow the user, adding their posts to your feed. After you've gotten a feel for the app, you may be ready to create your first snippit. Just tap the big music icon in the center of the screen to start compiling the media. Pick your music track, using either your own iOS music library or the 30-second music preview available for all iTunes tracks. Each snippet can be 4 to 10 seconds long and you get to choose which section of the track you want to clip. Once you've selected the music, you are ready to add your photo by taking a new photo or importing an existing one from your camera roll. You also can write a caption for your photo, add location information, tag friends and share to social networks all with just a few taps. Once you hit publish, it takes less than a minute for your clip to show up in the stream. If you don't like what you just posted, you can easily delete it. Snippit is available from the iOS App Store for free.
Sonos announces new controller apps for Mac and iOS
Sonos, the company that develops the popular self-named wireless music system, says it is giving the apps that control it from Macs and iOS devices a complete overhaul. According to the company, the apps have been: "rebuilt from the ground up, this new UI not only looks great but gives our customers even faster access to ALL the music they listen to in their homes. One of the coolest features is universal search. Instead of having to look separately within each service to find music from artists you are interested in, one search shows all the places where an artist's work exists on the Sonos system." Sonos products have been on the market for more than ten years, and the company is looking for these new apps to go the distance for the next decade. Sadly, the Android apps are in beta now while the updated iOS apps should appear this spring. Versions for the Mac are also on the way, with a new look and similar features. Sonos has had an early advantage in providing wireless solutions for the home, but Apple has done well with AirPlay solutions, and recently Bose and NuVo have ventured into wireless whole-house music solutions among with many other manufacturers.
Tipbit relaunches with smart search and Evernote integration to help make your digital life simpler
Juggling multiple email accounts can be hassle, but Tipbit aims to make it a manageable one. Founded by Gordon Mangione, the former Microsoft exec who oversaw the development of Exchange, Tipbit combines your various email accounts into one manageable feed on your iOS device. However that's just the beginning of its impressive number of features. Where Tipbit shines is the way it integrates various web services directly into your email, allowing you to check data from LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook without having to switch apps. Swiping left on a message brings up a menu that allows you to sort messages, find mutual contacts, make appointments in your calendar, and other tasks. With its latest update Tipbit is adding a new contextual, instant search function to the app. To ensure searching is as fast as possible the app indexes your information securely off the phone, allowing you to utilize their server for search rather than having your phone do the computing. It gives Tipbit a remarkably powerful leg up in sorting and organizing information. You can even search messages that haven't been downloaded to your phone yet. In addition to improved searching the update adds support for Evernote clipping directly from the app, allowing you to save an email as a pdf for later viewing. If you're worried that Tipbit might be tempted to try and monetize all this information you're sharing with them, put your fears to rest. I was able to speak with Mangione last week about the app, and specifically asked about their planes for monetizing the app. The company is taking a similar approach to Evernote, with the basic services they've made available since launch remaining free as long as the app is active. In the future they'll be offering paid premium services, but the app you download today is the app you'll always use. However they know that to get to that level of success, they have to respect their users' privacy. Mangione promised they would not be using any information connected to their servers for data mining purposes. Given how powerful the app currently is, it's easy to imagine a future where Tipbit finally makes it easy to manage a private secure enterprise email account and your personal email all from one app. We're looking forward to seeing how the app continues to develop over the coming months. You can watch Tipbit's launch video for version 2.0 below.
