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Third-party Twitter client Twitterrific is back on macOS
Twitterrific has been through quite a few iterations.The Iconfactory's first third-party Twitter client originally launched for Mac then languished (thanks in part to Twitter's user caps) while the company focused all its efforts on an iOS version. That was pretty sad for the company that originated the term "Tweet." In February of this year, however, the developer took to Kickstarter to fund the development of an all-new macOS Twitter client. The project is now a reality: Twitterrific for macOS is available for $20 in the Mac App Store.
Airmail's productivity-oriented email app comes to the iPad
Airmail is a popular Mac and iOS email app among power users, as it lets you use nearly any client and tailor the environment to suit your needs. While it recently came out on iPhone for the first time, the company just released version 1.1 for iPad which, along with the new features, should please hardcore users even more. Airmail now has split screen and multitasking, keyboard support for iPad Pro users, read receipts, smart folders, Touch ID support and a "send later" function for scheduled emails.
'Dota 2 Reborn' will make playing or just watching easier next week
E3 isn't even under way yet, but Valve (which will not be presenting at the event) is starting things early by revealing a new client for its massively popular PC game Dota 2. Dota 2 Reborn is being revealed in three blog updates before it launches in a beta test later next week, but what we can see so far should impress both fans and those still trying to get into these types of games (check out our primer here for a heads up). The dashboard players use to enter games is completely redesigned, with buttons to launch a session from anywhere, and easier ways to join up and play with friends. It's all running on a new engine (not specified, but presumably Source 2), and also adds support for Custom Games, which Valve will talk more about next week.
Hearthstone due out on smartphones early next year
The one thing that Hearthstone currently lacks in comparison to traditional card games is the simple portability of a deck of cards, but that deficiency will soon be rectified. A new update on the official site shares an infographic with players and talks turkey on the upcoming clients for iPhones and Android phones. The client for Android tablets is nearly finished and should be ready before the end of the year; the iPad version softlaunched last spring. But the iPhone client is taking just a little longer to polish up. As a result, the clients for these devices will not be ready until early next year. So you won't be able to bring the game with you on your phone to winter holiday gatherings in 2014, but before long, you'll be carrying an entire deck of cards in a device that is smaller than an actual deck of cards. We've included the game's playerbase infographic below.
Aplos is a very flawed, but beautiful new Twitter client
Aplos is a brand new Twitter app for iPhone that tries to shove important user features into a minimalistic design. Some highlights include a unified timeline for multiple accounts, web browsing reminiscent of Facebook's chat heads and intelligent tweet actions for each account. In a very crowded App Store category, Aplos enters as a US$4.99 Twitter client for iOS 7.0 or later. As far as first impressions go, Aplos makes a terrific one. The design is nothing short of beautiful. The app even comes in six different color themes, including the default red and white, if you want to give it a nice paint job. The timeline streams tweets live from all of your Twitter accounts, which is clear by the profile picture thumbnails on the top left. Tap them to switch to individual views. The UI for tweet actions harkens back to the era of Tweetie, which featured a left-swipe gesture on any tweet to reply, retweet, favorite and some other actions. This works nicely in Aplos and helps keep the main timeline cleaner. Another feature I love is the chat head-like web browsing. Tap any link in Aplos, including tweet permalinks, and a thumbnail of that page bounces out from where you tapped and pleasantly lands in the bottom right hand corner. Tapping multiple links will store all of them in that corner and they all open up in a tab view when you're ready. In recent years, Twitter has been severely limiting the capabilities of third-party clients by restricting API access as well as just flat-out not providing APIs for features like seeing when people retweet or favorite your tweets. Aplos suffers from this hindrance, but it's not fair to blame this app or any others. Unfortunately, those are far from the only features Aplos is missing. There is absolutely no sign of direct messages anywhere within the app, which now more than ever is a prominent part of Twitter. Even worse, the app doesn't suggest usernames or hashtags when you start typing either in a tweet, forcing you to use memory as your only source, which most of the time (at least in my experience) doesn't work out so well. Twitter profiles only display the bio, location, website and information about who you know that follows the account and if the account follows you. Aplos lacks a way to view tweets from an individual account. It also lacks a way to view individual tweets themselves. Yes, a permalink is present, but that inadequately opens the tweet in an in-app browser window. The fact that Aplos is missing this smorgasbord of Twitter essentials is downright disappointing. I'm reminded a bit of the iPhone when it first debuted. Its gorgeous design and functionality successfully distracted from it lacking many basics such as video recording and MMS messaging. There's no doubt this Twitter client mimics the stunning design aspect, but functionally, Aplos is missing too much right now to recommend -- especially with its relatively high price tag of $4.99.
GOG announces Steam-like client 'Galaxy' [Update: Trailer added]
PC game distribution service GOG.com announced a DRM-free, Steam-like client called Galaxy during the CD Projekt Red and GOG.com Summer Conference livestream today. Galaxy allows players to access their game libraries, earn achievements and can be used to connect with others for multiplayer gaming action. The client will offer cross-platform support for those playing online with others that are using other clients, such as Steam. It's also totally optional: Those looking to just play their games offline won't need to use the client. While Galaxy will not require any online activation and will handle game downloads and updates, players won't need to use the client if they choose to do those things manually. Update: GOG.com issued the trailer from today's presentation explaining the Galaxy client.
Valve's latest Steam beta makes it even easier to go full VR
Despite the fact that most of us still don't have an HMD (head-mounted display) like the Oculus Rift, Valve is embracing VR gaming wholeheartedly. Its latest SteamBeta now has a "virtual reality mode" right in the view menu, negating any of the last version's command line futzing. Assuming you have the SteamVR beta installed and an HMD plugged in, you can now switch quickly between the desktop and VR or Big Picture modes. Your HMD can be hot-plugged while Steam is running too, unlike before. With those tweaks, Valve seems well prepared in case a highly-anticipated VR headset shows up at GDC 2014 this week, or something. Right Sony?
Perfect World Entertainment explains more about Arc
Perfect World Entertainment is pulling its games together in a big way. The company's new Arc platform is meant to integrate all of its various titles, from Star Trek Online to Neverwinter to Perfect World International, under a single launcher and a more unified scheme. A new development update explains more about what this will mean for players of these titles and offers a rough idea of when these changes will begin rolling out. First and foremost in many players' minds, the new launcher will not be made mandatory just yet, although a new version of all the various game websites will be launching before the year's end. The change is also creating a new and streamlined format for buying Zen for each game, along with a new set of game guides to help new players understand what they're getting into. For more details on these changes as well as the new profile system, take a look at the full update, and keep your eyes peeled for our interview with PWE on these changes from Terilynn Shull.
First Impressions of RuneScape 3 from a returning player
Over a decade ago, two brothers working out of their parents' house in Nottingham set themselves the impossible task of building their own graphical multi-user dungeon, a genre that later evolved into the MMOs we know today. RuneScape launched to the public in 2001 as a low-res browser game with only a few hundred players and 2-D sprites for monsters, but several years later it boasted over a million paying monthly subscribers. The 2007 Sunday Times Rich List even estimated the Gower brothers' business empire to be worth over £113,000,000, due almost entirely to RuneScape. The secret behind RuneScape's success is that it's been continually updated throughout its lifetime, not just with regular infusions of new content but also with several major graphical and gameplay overhauls. The game was recently reincarnated as RuneScape 3, which is as far as it gets from the primitive game many of us grew up with. It now boasts a visually improved HTML 5 client with graphics acceleration, orchestral music, some voice-acted quests with cutscenes, and a fully customisable UI. This combines with last year's Evolution of Combat update and over a decade of new quests and zones to produce an MMO with more depth and character than many other AAA titles. In this hands-on opinion piece, I put RuneScape's three major versions side by side and look at how far RuneScape 3 has come since those early days of punching 2-D goblins and mining for fish.
Plex updates Media Server software and highlights PlexConnect Apple TV client hack
The team behind the Plex media playback package seems to rarely rest, and has most recently pushed an update to the server end of the software. Now up to version 0.9.8 and nearing the lofty 1.0 tag, Plex Media Server is finally offering proper multiuser support, giving each user their own view state. That means your kids can have their own account, for example, with access to only certain silos of content. Even better, the Web, iOS, Android and Roku clients are already prepared for this, and the others are getting updates soon, although it's currently only enabled for PlexPass subscribers. Also new is a "now playing" status which carries more importance thanks to the previously mentioned multiuser feature, all viewable through Plex/Web or accessible via the API. The last major change is that it can create video index file that drops in thumbnails for each section of a video. That enables image previews while navigating on the Roku, and thumbnails of progress in that new now playing feature. On the client end, the Plex blog highlighted an interesting project called PlexConnect which runs on the Apple TV. While that's not new by itself, the twist here is that it works on Apple TV second and even third generation boxes without the need for a jailbreak. This bit of magic is apparently achieved by spoofing Apple's Trailer app, which means it requires firmware 5.0 or higher to work. It doesn't have all the features of other clients (yet) and it will require a bit of Terminal know-how to get running, but there's plenty of information in the wiki to get you started.
Official Grepolis client coming soon to iOS
I met with the German company Innogames a few years ago at GDC, where the company told me it was eventually planning to bring out some of its browser-based strategy titles to iOS. I haven't heard much from Innogames since, until today: The company has announced that its next mobile title will be a client for Grepolis, one of the most popular games in its lineup. Grepolis is enormously popular overseas, especially among European gamers (the title claims over 20 million registered users), and in addition to Innogames' other mobile-enabled title, Tribal Wars, it should significantly grow the company's audience on iOS. There's already an app from Innogames called the Grepolis Toolbox available on the App Store, but it's really just a companion app for the game, and this upcoming app will be a full client, allowing users to log in and play directly on the iPhone and the iPad. Innogames hasn't announced a release date for the app just yet, but it's scheduled to show the client off during E3, so we can probably expect it to be available on the App Store soon after that.
Viber expands its VoIP service with new OS X app
Viber is a voice-over-internet app that's seen some success on iOS already, but today the company announced a brand-new version for both OS X and Windows. Viber Desktop has all of the features of the iOS app, including free messages and calls to other users, synced contacts and history between the mobile and desktop clients, and the ability to start up group conversations and so on. The iOS version and the desktop version are completely integrated, so you can even start a call on one platform, and then transfer it across to another. Both versions are completely and totally free to use. The iOS version also got an update this week, which includes a new voice engine, the ability to send video messages to your contacts and a number of other design and feature updates. If you haven't checked out Viber yet and have a need for a voice-over-IP client, now is your chance.
Tweets sent from 'Twitter for Glass' appear, suggest official app in testing
Google has opened its Mirror API for devs while passing out Glass headsets to early adopters -- including our own Tim Stevens -- and now there's evidence Twitter is already working up an official app. As TechCrunch points out, developer Jonathan Gottfried noticed images popping up from a "Twitter for Glass" client sporting the same #throughglass hashtag he'd been using on his own TweetGlass project and that Google puts on G+ images shared from the device. The original tweet he pointed out has been deleted, but as he informed AllThingsD, there are several others still live. Most notably, they originate from Googlers working on the Glass project, and ATD astutely mentioned Twitter's rules prohibit third-party apps from using the company's name, suggesting this is something developed in-house.
Twitter updates its OS X client
Twitter has updated its Twitter for Mac client, and you can see all of the new changes on the official company blog. The biggest update is that you now get a camera icon when you're composing a tweet, which makes it easier than ever to share pictures straight from your desktop (other Twitter clients have had this for a while, and you could always drag pictures over, but this is a clearer way to do this anyway). The app has also added Retina display support, which is nice, and there are now 14 more languages: Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese and Turkish. As always, the app is available for free directly from the Mac App Store. Twitter says to keep an eye out for more changes as well, so it's working hard on providing even more updates to the OS X app.
Plex client project for Raspberry Pi gets a fresh update and its own site to call home
RasPlex is not the only HTPC software project aimed at the Raspberry Pi (also see Raspbmc, OpenELEC or PyPlex), but it is trying to leverage the Plex Media Server to become the best option. As detailed on the "Why Rasplex?" section of its new website, Plex's client/server model lends itself to handling video streams that might otherwise not be supported by the Pi's lightweight ARM CPU, as well as (once it's out of beta) access a number of additional apps and features. Its creator celebrated Pi day yesterday by launching a new site for the project, and even has plans for custom cases to make mounting your $35 media PC in the living room easier to do. Hit the source links to download the latest update, version 0.1.27 or just get more information.
League of Legends out now on Mac in open beta ... finally
League of Legends has finally released that Mac open beta that we heard was coming just a little while ago. Back in 2010, Riot Games had a ported Mac version all ready to go, but eventually determined that it just wasn't good enough, and not compatible with, the way they wanted to run their game. That led to a shutdown on development, but the company secretly restarted work on a native client, and it's now out and ready for download for everyone. League of Legends is currently the biggest game in the world -- it's a "multiplayer online battle arena" title based on the old Defense of the Ancients mod, where teams of five players battle each other from a top-down perspective. If you're a fan, you've probably already gone to download the Mac version, and if not, it's completely and totally free to play, so you should definitely check it out for yourself. Oh, and watch the announcement video -- it's funny. The Mac version is fully cross-platform, so all of the champions, skins (including the new "iBlitzcrank"), and so on are all available right away on the Mac. It's still in open beta, so there may still be some issues, but those should be fixed soon. At long last, we've finally got a full version of League of Legends, all ready to play on the Mac!
Riot: League of Legends Mac client ready 'within a month,' and why it's so late
As promised, I went by Riot Games today in Los Angeles, and got the lowdown on the long-awaited (but soon-to-be-released) Mac client for the company's popular game League of Legends from PR manager Chris Heintz. Heintz told me that the Mac version of the game is already up and running on the Public Beta Environment, and that it should be available as an Open Beta on the live servers "soon. Not 'Soon (TM)'," he told me, "but soon. I would imagine within a month." So what happened? Why did we hear about a Mac version years ago and then see Riot shut it down without releasing it? "When we originally developed the Mac client, we developed it with a partner, and it was a port, effectively. Our service model and how rapidly we patch wasn't really compatible with that approach, and also the performance and stability of that client wasn't up to our players' expectations, and so we killed it," says Heintz. But this new version, developed internally at Riot, is set to run the game natively on OS X. "As soon as we closed down the earlier Mac beta, we had always planned from that moment to develop a native Mac client that would actually be able to serve the needs of Mac players. We knew it was going to take some time, but we wanted to do it right." In the meantime, Riot even saw a group of players develop an unofficial Mac port of the game, and Heintz says those players were used during the beta test of this new version. "The beta crew that we went after was the iLoL community. Instead of trying to recruit a new community we already had that group of tens of thousands of dudes. And so we invited them." Heintz says that Riot doesn't have any major expectations for what the new client might do to its already impressive 12 million players a day. He says the company already knows the community wants to play the game on Macs. "We think that alone justifies the Mac client. There's already demand -- there was a Change.org petition just for us to treat Mac users the same! And so we're sorry it took a while, but we're here."
Limited Origin for Mac alpha client launches, includes free copy of Bookworm
EA has announced an alpha version of the Origin client for Mac is available for testing to a limited number of users in the US and UK. Origin for Mac will eventually evolve, offering a similar experience for Mac users as already seen on PC. In its current form, however, the Mac client does not include the ability to stream gameplay directly to Twitch or purchase software. According to the Origin FAQ, those features will be added soon.Origin for Mac requires OS X 10.6.8 or newer, with an Intel Core Duo 2 processor or better.As a reward for those willing to test the client, EA is giving away a copy of Popcap's Bookworm to all downloaders, so log in and download it while you can. Spaces are limited.
League of Legends Mac client re-emerges, coming soon
I first got to see League of Legends running on the Mac a few years ago, but a few months after that, the game's Mac client still wasn't available to the public. Riot then confirmed that it was ending work on a client for the popular MOBA title, but it looks like that wasn't completely true. In a forum post, the company has suddenly announced that it's readying a Mac client for an open beta soon, which means that Mac gamers will finally get to play the popular title natively on OS X. Interested players can download the "Public Beta Environment" client right now from Riot's website, and log in and start playing right away. The Mac changes will reportedly reach the live client "very soon," which in Riot's case usually means a week or two. Of course, nothing is confirmed on this client until we actually see a live announcement (especially considering that we've actually been waiting a few years for Mac support), but it definitely sounds like Riot has finally completed its work and is ready for compatibility to go live. I'm scheduled to meet with Riot next week (about some unrelated plans for their esports programs), so I'll be sure to chat with the team about just why this Mac client took so long (and why it's finally going live now). But it's good to see that after such a long wait, Riot is finally delivering the Mac accessibility it promised years ago.
Plex updates arrive for Windows 8 app, web client and media server
The busy developers behind the Plex media server / client system have rung in 2013 with a slew of updates, this time targeting the company's native Windows 8 app, the Plex/Web interface and also the server software itself. On Windows 8, it's added audio/subtitle stream selection, universal search (seen above), some UI tweaks and more. On the web access front it's sporting retina-ready graphics, the ability to upload custom posters and some Flash video player fixes, among other tweaks. Finally, to make all this go (you'll need to update it to connect to the new Windows 8 app, as our own Sean Cooper found out) the media server gains a series of fixes, plus a speed boost on some DLNA streaming, searching for music by album and the necessary backend fixes to support Plex/Web's poster upload feature. More improvements are promised later this year, for now just hit the source link for the full list of changes, or check for an update on your platform of choice.
