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Apple to live stream October 16th press event
Apple this week sent out invitations to a media event that'll be held October 19 at the company's Town Hall auditorium. Apple may use the event to unveil its next generation iPad lineup, the release date for OS X Yosemite and possibly new iMacs. As it has done with previous events, Apple will be providing a live stream of the presentation on its events website at www.apple.com/live. Viewers can watch the stream using recent versions of Safari on iOS or OS X. Apple TV owners also can tune into the "Special Events" channel, which appears shortly before a scheduled event. TUAW will be liveblogging the event and covering the announcements as they happen. We'll provide the details for the liveblog as the event date nears.
News Republic challenging established iOS news apps
News Republic is the new kid on the block, challenging Flipboard, Zite and other popular news readers/aggregators. The app claims to have an advanced algorithm with semantic and learning intelligence, reviewing millions of news items to create a news feed for each specific reader based on his or her interests in stories. This free app scours hundreds of news sources (including TUAW) for stories that are relevant to you. When you set it up, you decide which broad categories of stories you want, like Science and Technology, U.S. News, Apple, and so on. When you are done, the app creates a front page with the categories visible. Tap on the categories and you'll see a long list of what should be relevant stories. Each story includes any audio and video attached to the originals, and you can choose to read the story in a browser instead of in News Republic. Unlike the new Google News & Weather app I recently reviewed, News Republic reformats every story into a pleasing format with consistent fonts and layout. The app also has a configurable widget for iOS 8 users, which is a nice up-to-date touch that most news apps haven't yet offered. You can sign up for an app account or choose not to. I skipped the sign up, and News Republic seemed to work fine. I've probably given up a feature or two, but generally I try not to sign up for app accounts if I can avoid it. And now for something that I didn't like: the news categories just aren't granular enough. I selected politics, and the majority of the stories came from overseas. I would have preferred U.S. Politics only, but I didn't see any way to accomplish that. You can search for topics and the app will attempt to find stories so that you can create a new category from the results, but U.S. Politics simply didn't work. I'm sure there are other troublesome categories. The app supports notifications, which many people will like, but I'm on a notifications diet so I left them disabled. Overall, I had a good experience with News Republic. It needs to allow more specificity about the types of news I want, and I didn't see any way to activate local or regional news without manually typing some keywords. I'll keep an eye on this app and see how it progresses, but it certainly is worth a look. News Republic requires iOS 6 or later and works fine under iOS 8. It's universal, and offers a good experience on the iPhone or the iPad.
Google offers a free but bland News and Weather app
Google News & Weather is a free app designed to give you access to more than 65,000 news sources, both globally and locally, as well as weather for your current location and any locations you specify. It's basically a lift from the Google News pages, put into an app format. If you're happy with Google News on the web, you'll like it. If you want something more, Google News and Weather isn't going to cut it for you. When the app launches, you get your local weather up at the top of the screen, and then a sampling of news headlines below. Tap on one and you get the story, and at the bottom you will see headlines for related stories that you can click on. It's easy to re-order the topics and delete subjects you don't want. The app also grabs local news based on your location, and you can add other locations of interest too. My main issue with this app is the formatting of stories. Unlike Zite or Flipboard or the AP app and many others, Google News just gives you a browser-based view of the original story. There's no formatting to fit the iPhone or iPad, and no consistency of text -- it's just not a pleasant experience. There is basic personalization in that you can select topics of interest as noted above, but the app does not learn from your selections. Google News & Weather also fails to take advantage of Apple's new iOS 8 widget feature, which surely would be nice to have. The app delivers news and weather, but other apps do these tasks better and with a bit more flair. This seems like the result of a rush job and could be much better if more thought is put into the presentation of information. The info Google provides is fine -- it just isn't superior to other news solutions. Google News & Weather requires iOS 7 or later. It's universal, and optimized for the iPhone 5, 6 and 6 Plus.
What could be announced at Apple's October 16 event?
Whenever Apple announces an upcoming event, one of favorite pastimes of tech bloggers is to "Zapruder" the invitation -- in other words, analyze the heck out of the design and wording of the invitation. This often means that we read things into the invitation that never happen, but sometimes we just happen to make some lucky guesses that match reality. Let's take a look at the latest invitation (image above) and consider some possible meanings... A new Mac mini? The words "It's been way too long" can be interpreted any number of ways. My first guess is that they're referring to the 715 days since the Mac mini was last updated. Apple's least expensive Mac (well, at least if you already have a monitor, keyboard, and pointing device on hand) has been ignored far too long, and it's still one of the more popular server devices for small business. The current MD388LL/A (and MD389LL/A server) Mac mini model features up to a 2.6 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 as a configure-to-order option, allows for up to 16 GB of RAM, has a built-in Intel HD Graphics 4000 processor, and has one Thunderbolt and four USB 3.0 ports. Let's say that Apple decides to follow the design cues of the Mac Pro and turn the Mac mini into a squat cylinder, bumps the CPU to a quad-core 3.7 GHz Intel Xeon ("Ivy Bridge-EP"), adds RAM expandibility to 32 GB, and sports an AMD FirePro D300 graphics coprocessor. Throw in 802.11ac capability and Thunderbolt 2, and you've got quite the nice little machine. Retina iMac? That "It's been way too long" tag line could also be referring to the second oldest member of the Mac family, the iMac. The current iMacs were released on November 30, 2012 (677 days ago) for the 21.5-inch model and sometime in January of 2013 (approximately 631 days ago) for the 27-inch. While the slimline design of the iMac probably won't change, I could see the display getting some attention. The 21.5-inch model has a 1920 x 1080 display, the 27-inch a 2560 x 1440 display - both of those are 16:9 aspect ratio. It wouldn't be out of the question to see the 27-inch model gain a 4K display resolution (3840 x 2160), although this would put the pixel per inch count down to around 163 PPI - much less than Retina quality but better than the existing 109 PPI display. Apple could consider a UHD+ display (5120 x 2880) for 217 PPI, which would still give it the lowest PPI of any Retina display. Any higher resolution would probably put the iMac out of the price range of its target market. Of course, this is pure speculation, but wouldn't it be nice? Although the early 2013 27-inch iMac is still amazingly fast, I could easily see a late 2014 iMac adding Thunderbolt 2, greater storage, and more RAM as well as a faster CPU. iPad and iPad mini It's a stretch, but the long, colorful line in the invitation could refer to a new iPad Air that's even more slender than the existing. Rumor sites are saying that a new Air will not only lose thickness and weight, but also gain Touch ID. Both current iPad lines have been around since late 2013, so that's not really "way too long". Mac OS X Yosemite With a second Gold Master release of Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite sent out this morning, it looks like the latest Mac operating system is a cinch to be shipping soon. Expect the announcement of its release at the event; I'd even venture that it could go live on October 16. Apple TV Perhaps the "It's been way too long" is referring to the gap between releases of the Apple TV. The last major revision (third-generation) was on March 7, 2012, although the company has been shipping a slightly revised version of the little black box since January of 2013. Apple TV has a lot of competition these days: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast to name just a few. Chromecast is currently much less expensive at $35, and there at Google's I/O 2014 it was announced that 6,000 developers were woerking on 10,000 Chromecast apps. Maybe it's about time for Apple to market a much more powerful Apple TV that runs apps... Or maybe it's a colorful HDTV (I seriously doubt it), and "it's been way too long" since the company started enticing Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster with dreams of a big screen Apple device. That long colorful line that's the top of the "apple" in the Apple logo? Maybe that's representing a cable, and Apple's going to announce a way to "cut the cable" and finally get a la carte television. It's been way too long since someone gave us an alternative to cable and satellite TV. iPods I think it's totally unlikely that Apple would do anything to the iPod nano, since sales of portable media players in general have been plummeting since the advent of the iPhone and iPad. It has been two years since the device - which comes in a rainbow of colors that are reflected in the invitation graphic - has been updated. Likewise, it's been a while since the iPod Shuffle was last updated (September 1, 2010), but does the world really need another media player, even a tiny one? The iPod touch could be getting a refresh, perhaps with better battery life and an A6 CPU. Maybe the iPod Shuffle will be replaced by a pair of Beats headphones with the music player built into it? Who knows. But for some reason I just don't think that the iPod is going to be the big focus of the announcement. Wait until October 16 Whatever is announced on October 16, there are sure to be some surprises that we never even dreamed of. Comments from Apple executives earlier in the year reporting that they were thrilled with the company's product pipeline have been partially fulfilled with the introduction of the iPhone 6 family and a peek at the Apple Watch. Now it may be time for the other shoe to drop, with even more exciting new products coming down the road. I've probably completely struck out on what will be announced, but this has been a fun exercise in looking at Apple's current product lineup and trying to figure out what could be coming from Cupertino. What are your ideas as to what the invitation's cryptic "It's been way too long" means? What would you want to see from Apple at the even? Leave your ideas in the comments below.
Apple set to go to trial in November over FairPlay DRM and iTunes lock-in
The year isn't 2007 so you might be surprised to learn that Apple, in 2014, still has a pending legal class action suit regarding iPods and the FairPlay DRM that used to shroud every song sold on iTunes. The lawsuit dates all the way back to 2004 and alleges that Apple in the mid-2000s illegally used DRM to lock in users to the Apple ecosystem by making the cost of switching prohibitively high. The plaintiffs in the case are seeking $350 million in damages. Ars Technica reports: Last week, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers gave the green light (PDF) to sending a long-running antitrust lawsuit against Apple to trial. Plaintiffs in the case say that Apple used its FairPlay DRM system to "lock in" its customers and make it costly to switch to technology built by competitors, like Real Networks. They describe how Apple kept updating iTunes to make sure songs bought from Real's competing digital music store couldn't be used on iPods. As a result of this lock-in, Apple was able to overcharge its customers to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. With Judge Rogers finding Apple's recent effort to have the case dismissed unpersuasive, the case is slated to go to trial on November 17.
Vidgets has lots of widgets
Vidgets is a handy free iOS app that enables a number of Today screen widgets on your iOS 8 device. When you launch the app, you can choose to add any of 20 different widgets. The app features analog and digital clocks, status of your device (battery, storage, memory usage), and GPS information (analog or digital speedometer, altimeter and digital or analog compass). The app also provides current weather, a forecast, and temperatures for two selected locations, one of which can be your current location. Vidgets offers a Pro version for US$2.99, but I think the free Vidgets are sufficient to get you started. You can customize the colors in the free version. Widgets from third parties are new to iOS 8. Up until now, Apple provided widgets only based on data from Apple apps, but now the feature is wide open and several apps offer widgets available with just a pull-down gesture from the top of the screen. Vidgets is pretty handy, and provides you with some useful info with a simple gesture rather than digging around for similar data buried in a folder on your iOS device somewhere. Vidgets requires iOS 8 or greater, and it is optimized for the iPhpne 5, 6 and 6 Plus. Widgets are an exploding App Store category now that Apple allows them, so keep checking TUAW and we'll try to highlight the best of them.
Adaptxt Keyboard is a capable and free iOS 8 add-on
One of the great things about iOS 8 is the addition of third party keyboards allowing swipe typing, a variety of symbols and foreign language support. I've already looked at Swype from Nuance (US$0.99) and found it generally superior to the Apple standard keyboard. Adaptxt is offering a free keyboard with the same swipe features, a boatload of languages (I count about a hundred) and specialized keyboards for everything from baseball symbols to keyboards designed for finance and scientific disciplines. Like all third party keyboards, you load it via an an app. Within the app are some special features that can be turned on and off to customize your experience. Select the keyboard in your system settings to enable it and then it is available at any time by tapping the "globe" key on the Apple keyboard or any other installed keyboard. I was mainly interested in how the keyboard worked with swipe typing. I found it just as responsive as the Nuance Swype keyboard. Unlike a typical keyboard, you drag your fingers to different keys without lifting your finger from the keyboard. The software generally figures out" what you are typing and inserts the correct word. You don't even need to press the space bar, instead just pausing and going on to the next word. It's pretty magical. Like any keyboard under iOS 8, you get suggestions for words as you type. Sometimes this works well, sometimes not. The Adaptxt keyboard learns from your typing and suggestions get smarter over time. The keyboard supports custom gestures, text shortcuts, and a variety of keyboard layouts like QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY and more. I liked using the keyboard and found it very capable. The non-English keyboards are happily not stored in the app, but are a download away keeping things compact. I have to say I was pretty down on the whole idea of swipe typing, but now that I am used to it, I prefer it as a way to enter text. The Adaptxt Keyboard is a winner and I love the free price. The app requires iOS 8 or later and is universal. The only weak part of the third party keyboard experience is Apple. iOS 8 had some troubles with third party keyboards and 8.0.2 was supposed to fix those issues. I still have issues like having the default keyboard vanish or be inconsistent across applications. I've seen the same problem in the beta of iOS 8.1. I'm sure those things will get ironed out, and I urge people to try some of these keyboards and see if they enhance the iOS user experience.
Pick your battles wisely in Weapons Throwing RPG
Weapons Throwing RPG is a retro style RPG. The graphics and music have an anime design that is adorable and fun. The music sounds similar to that of other games from the 90s 16-bit era. It is an easy game to figure out and pretty simple to play. Although it looks like something that could have been played on a console in the early 90s, it is compatible with the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch and is optimized for iPhone with iOS 6 or later. The design appears to be retro and simplistic but at a closer look, it is clear that there is a great deal of detail given to the scene illustrations in the game. I think it's an appealing look for users who would be interested in playing a classic and stylish RPG like this on their iPad or iPhone. The game made me feel like a character in a classic anime cartoon that takes place during medieval times. I can see users that typically play RPGs being drawn to the aesthetics of this cloudy and competitive world of knife throwing. To play, a user picks weapons to fight your enemies and advance to new levels. You can throw knives in two ways: straight forward or flung in the air. You can use the knives to block throws made by your opponent or you can throw quickly to injure them. A user can also use an invisibility tool to disappear just before a weapon hits you. As you advance in each level a boat at the top of the screen moves forward to indicate your progress in the game. Right before you reach the end, the game warns that you must defeat a boss. This is typically a fire breathing dragon or another intimidating looking character. You do have to be careful to choose just the right timing for throwing your weapons. If you throw too early or use all your weapons early on in a level, it will be difficult and nearly impossible to defeat the boss. You have to use defensive strategy to be sure to move forward in the game. Players can go to the equipment store and purchase protective gear (like shields and armour) and more weapons. The method of payment in this cloudy feudal society is jewels. A user has the option to purchase jewels in order to advance further in the game with more weaponry and protection. US$0.99 will buy you 20 jewels, and US$9.99 will buy 300 jewels. This game feels pleasant and sweet despite the fact that it entails throwing weapons to the death. I like that this game is both easy to play, but also complicated once you realize there are many options to purchase goods that can help you advance more smoothly in the game. The design is entertaining and playful. I can see RPG players of all ages enjoying Weapons Throwing RPG and defeating many fire breathing dragons in their missions.
MultiCam for iOS can greatly improve your photos
Since cameras were first invented photographers have gone through this drill: Focus, set exposure, take photo. Some innovative cameras like the Lytro let you interactively change your focus after you take your image, but the Lytro hasn't set the world on fire due mainly to buggy software and small sensors. MultiCam (U.S. $1.99) cleverly turns the whole process around. You take your photo, then select the proper exposure and focus. The app works by taking a series of three or six exposures almost instantly. It does the same with focus, taking up to 15 shots with varying focus. When you are done, you see the photo with two sliders: one to change the exposure, another to see all the focus options. Moving those sliders, you see the changes in the picture all happening smoothly and in real time. When you have the combination you like, you save the photo. Both the front and back cameras are supported. You can save the MultiCam shots in the app's internal library, and if you throw those away you will have only the image you saved. Chances are good that once you have selected the best combination of focus and exposure, you won't need the originals anyway. I was a little dubious when I started my tests, but Multicam works really well. The multiple exposures/focus stream takes just a few seconds, so you'll want to hold the camera steady. Picking out the best focused and exposed photo is easy on the iPhone's excellent screen, and you can pinch zoom to enlarge the image and check your precise focus. MultiCam is innovative and can truly capture photos that are better exposed and focused that your usual images. I thought it was especially effective on closeup subjects like flowers and insects, and even moving objects at a distance where you might not get the focus right in one shot. Of course the iPhone under iOS 8 allows for the rapid taking of multiple photos like the motor drive on convention DSLRs, but they will all be exposed the same and at the same focal plane. MultiCam is a universal app and it works very well. It's innovative in the way it takes your pictures, and it can certainly make sure you get something better than you might with conventional photo apps. The only suggestion I would make to the developer is that since the app can take multiple exposures, I'd love to see an HDR option added. Then you'll get sharp focus and better dynamic range all in one app. MultiCam requires iOS 8 or later and is highly recommended.
You will not want to hit the brakes with Asphalt Overdrive
Asphalt Overdrive is a new racing game from Gameloft that is both classic and exciting. The design quality and energy of this game makes it feel more current than older racing games. It is compatible with both the iPad and iPhone. It requires iOS 6 or later and is optimized for the iPhone 5. The app requires a user to have access to internet, which is unfortunate because my favorite time to play games like this is on the train where I often do not have internet access. The goal of the game is to complete short courses and escape from the police by using driving skills and car maintenance knowledge. You must touch the icon at the bottom of the screen as each race begins at just the right second to get an instant nitro boost that is extremely helpful in beating levels and earning stars. When you earn stars, you unlock more races. To earn stars and finish races, it is helpful to use your money and gold bars to purchase car parts, nitro boosts, and other upgrades. You are able to customize your vehicle in the auto shop and even create a free custom license plate. The graphics are very beautifully animated in 3D. Its design is reminiscent of classic racing games yet with a more high definition feel. For a free app, I'm truly impressed by the high level of design. It looks just like a video game you can purchase to play on a console. I'm guessing there was some funding behind the app - there are Ford logos included in the background of the auto shop scenes. There are an excessive amount of in app purchases available. Gameloft aims to incorporate a social media element with the option to invite friends from Facebook. Users are also encouraged to create or join gangs to increase success in the game. This could give users a role playing aspect to live vicariously through your characters and become addicted to this racing world much like other simulation games such as Second Life. Asphalt Overdrive is a very well designed game that has the potential to be very popular with iPad and iPhone users. Given the high quality graphics, I would prefer to play this on an iPad to see the images on a larger screen. It is a surprisingly difficult game to excel in. It is pretty easy to crash into other vehicles ad obstacles. I think about giving the game another shot every time I put it down because it is just challenging enough to hold my amusement. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys street racing games.
Nimble-fingered strategists will love Light 'em Up
It would seem there is a never-ending influx of strategy and puzzle-related games coming down the App Store pike, and for good reason. There is a burgeoning group of fans waiting to try them, critique them, and talk about them to their friends and on social media. With this kind of context, Light 'em Up should find a niche very quickly. The free app is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch and is optimized for iPhone 5, running on iOS 6.0 or later. The game's basic premise is simple: Building on a puzzle-assembly motif, the player must connect various glass tubes and other pieces, such as light bulbs, in order to make an electronic connection and light up the bulb and tubes. The player must tap each tube and bulb to rotate them in order to make the proper connection. This sounds simple enough, and in the early stages it is. Players will find themselves racing against both an allotted time (which changes depending on the level) as well as an allotted number of taps (each tap counts as one move). Use up all your moves, or fail to light all the bulbs \by the end of the given time, and you have to start over. This game is genius, simply put. I'm a thinker and armchair strategist, so these kinds of puzzle-esque games appeal to me. I like having to think ahead, plan, and ponder. The interesting thing about this game is that you may have to tap the tube or bulb more than once to get it into the proper position, which is both a good and bad thing. It's good because it allows one a process of elimination in figuring out which connections will work and which won't. But it also uses up one's allotted moves, which can be frustrating and detrimental to advancing in the game. Granted, as one grows in their abilities and strategies this may become less of a problem, but it was nerve-wracking and annoying on higher levels, some of which have less time. Another interesting feature which I had not anticipated is that not every single tube has to be used. At first, I was concerned because I was making all of the necessary connections and even lighting up all of the bulbs but had several pieces unused. I am not entirely sure of the purpose for this. I do not know if the game designers have more than one possible solution for each level (which would be likely, though I typically stuck with the first one that worked) which necessitated the extra pieces, or if perhaps they are supposed to test the player's ability to know which pieces are necessary and which are extraneous (which will thus save both time and moves). I'm not sure. But it was nice to know I was lighting all of the bulbs without having to rely on all of the tubes given. The game offers a total of ninety levels and players typically cannot jump to different levels without playing the preceding ones. There is an option of unlocking some (not all) future levels without playing the previous ones, but this costs US$0.99 per unlock. Players can disable in-app purchases to bypass this option. My biggest two critiques of the game are as follows. The first is the presence of ads. This is a sticky issue for me, as I realize free apps have to make some kind of income. However, I feel the placement of the ads is meant to be deliberately annoying. The banners on the bottom of the screen are not really a problem; it is the banner across the middle of the screen after every successful completion of the level that is the worst. Additionally, there are regularly pop-up ads that fill the screen (these can be closed and only occur once every other level or so), along with video ads that come up randomly. The videos were the worst for me. The first time the screen went black in order to start playing one, I actually thought something was wrong with my iPhone; I wasn't accustomed to it going black for no reason. They are not very long, typically only fifteen seconds to a minute in length, but they do distract and annoy. The good thing is that players have the option of purchasing an in-app ad-free version, but this also costs US$0.99. I ended up purchasing this because during later levels, players must drag the screen different places to build extended parts of the puzzle, and the ads were getting in the way. So, I really don't like having to pay money (in a free app!) to avoid ads, but most players will need to pick this option. The other critique I am genuinely on the fence about: time limits. I have zero problem with limits in themselves, as having to complete tasks within a certain time frame heightens both the challenge and the strategy of gameplay. However, in at least one level, it appeared next to impossible to complete the entire puzzle in the fifteen seconds I was given. (In comparison, other, sometimes less difficult puzzles in later levels were given as much as a minute and fifteen seconds). This, coupled with the banner ad blocking my view, made me have to play this level over and over again. I lost count of how many times, actually. This felt odd because the time limits seemed uneven. I don't care if different levels have different times, but when a later, easier puzzle is given either a much longer time limit or a larger move limit, and this puzzle gets only fifteen seconds, there seems to be an issue. Despite these issues, Light 'em Up remains a fantastic, addictive, and brilliant game. If you're looking for a nifty brain-stretcher that will light up your screen (literally), thoughtful players needn't look any further than this.
True HDR adds a third exposure and fine tuning of your photos
True HDR (U.S. $1.99) has always been one of the best third party HDR (High Dynamic Range) apps for iOS. Apple includes an HDR feature with the built-in Camera app, but it really doesn't measure up to dedicated apps. The new version 3 of True HDR takes and analyzes three exposures rather than two for better dynamic range. Thanks to changes made in iOS 8, you can now control focus and exposure independently, and the actual photo capture speed is much improved. You just hear one click when you take your picture, but three photos -- all at slightly different exposures -- are taken. The increased capture speed will be great for any objects that might be moving, but this is not an app for sports photography with fast moving subjects. When you are taking your photo, you can superimpose a grid on the scene to help you keep the camera level and as an aid to composition. True HDR has added a bracket slider so you can control the exposure range manually, and there is also a color histogram to help you set the center exposure. There are sliders to fine tune the image after you take it, offering control of vibrance, highlights, shadows, contrast and brightness. In addition, there are filters that can change the look of your image. I thought the black and white pre-set was particularly effective. The photos I captured with the app looked good. HDR photography works best when there are deep shadows and bright areas as well. I tested the app both outside and shooting from a darkened room into a bright window, focused on the scene outside. That's a tough test for any photo system. The image looked good, and it was far superior to Apple's own solution. Apple has made HDR quite popular among casual photographers. It's not for every photo, but when the conditions are right HDR can make the difference between having a photo you keep or one you toss. True HDR gives you some control over how your photo will look, or you can leave everything to be done automatically. The post photo settings are good, and the filters -- although limited in number -- are of good quality. If you already have True HDR, the update is free. If you are looking for a good HDR app, True HDR will do a nice job for you. True HDR requires iOS 8 and it's a universal app. It is optimized for the iPhone 5, 6 and 6 Plus.
Slidely Show lets you combine media to make nice video slideshows
Among slideshow creation apps for iOS, Slidely Show is a good one, allowing you to make a slideshow movie presentation without making almost any adjustments. It's completely automatic, allowing you only to choose the music, and then you can watch the show be assembled on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. Photos can come from your iOS device, Facebook, Instagram or Dropbox. Select some music you already have stored on your device, and the app assembles the slideshow. You can combine video clips in with your photos, and optionally add slow or fast motion effects. Trying Slidely Show on my iPhone 6, I thought it worked surprisingly well. Transitions were in the form of crossfades, and at the end of the created movie the music faded away rather than ending abruptly as I've seen happen with some other slideshow apps. This latest version of Slidely Show also lets you create video postcards direct from your camera roll. That capability uses the extensions feature Apple added to iOS 8. Pick a photo from the collection on your phone, select Slidely Show as a destination, and then you can change themes, add more photos and choose music without ever opening the Slidely app. It's a very nice implementation that shows just how powerful extensions can be. Your slideshow movies can be shared via mail, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. You can also browse other slideshows created by others and get some good ideas, or upload yours publicly as a way of sharing your ideas. Slidely Show is very good for a quick and dirty slideshow to send off to friends or family. One glitch I noticed: a movie I created was cropped when I viewed it on my older iPad 2, so obviously the clip did not adjust to the proper resolution and screen size Slidely Show is a clever app and for free it's a must-try if you share photos frequently. It really is free; there are no irritating in-app purchases. The app is universal and requires iOS 8. It's available in several languages.
iLands is a decent substitute sandbox game
iLands is a free game for iPhone and iPad that's available for iOS 4.3 or later. However, iLands Premium is available as an in-app purchase for (US $3.99.) If you're not wanting to drop $6.99 for Minecraft - Pocket Edition, then this is your game. You start with a fresh block world to build on and customize however you chose. The graphics are pretty decent in comparison to Minecraft - Pocket Edition, but they could be much better. The D-pad on the left side of the screen that allows for strafing, moving forward and backwards. Moving around using the D-pad can become somewhat frustrating at times. The sensitivity takes a little getting used at first, but it's bearable for the most part. The control on the right side is solely for jumping up and worked pretty well. When navigating the terrain, the experience was a little jerky when hopping over obstacles in your path. Sometime the touch targets would not respond unless I tapped them a few times. For instance,when using the X to bust up grass, dirt, or blocks, it would take a more than two taps. The game crashed frequently while I was right in the middle of building and exploring my Solo world. You're allocated a base of building materials that range from sand, grass, bricks. The steel skeleton cubes are unique to iLands because I had never seen anything similar to them in Minecraft - Pocket Edition. The steel skeleton blocks are awesome because you can build a solid structure and still have a view and daylight unlike building with solid blocks. I enjoyed building with the cobblestone to construct houses and roads. The materials with locks can be unlocked by purchasing the full version. For this review I only played the free version. If you're looking for the survival mode similar to Minecraft - Pocket Edition, you will not find it in the free version of iLands. I'm unsure it something like survival is available in the full paid version. I tend to play in creative mode all the time in Minecraft - Pocket Edition anyway, so I didn't mind that in iLands. Overall, iLands is worth the free download if you love building with blocks in a virtual world like I do. I'd be interested in learning what all the paid version of the game allows the user to do, aside from unlocking building materials. I enjoyed creating buildings and whatever else my imagination decided to dream up.
RadarBox24 is like an aircraft radar station in your pocket
RadarBox24 (free) is a slick iOS app that displays a zoomable map showing airlines flights that are currently en route. Zoom in and you see representations of the planes moving along their routes. The aircraft location information comes from the servers at AirNav Systems, and is the same data used by airlines and airports. In addition to the United States, the app also provides coverage for about 90 percent of Europe. The free version is pretty basic, showing all the flights but also displaying ads. Your map can be a terrain or plain map, or the app can display a satellite view. A US$2.99 upgrade to the Pro version adds a sky view so you can point your phone at the sky and identify flights as you watch them in real time with your own eyes. I tried the sky view and it worked well, but the data just slightly lagged behind what I was seeing. That's really not a surprise given the complexity of what the app is doing and the speed of the data stream. Both versions of the app are impressive. I upgraded to the Pro version and liked the added information I could get. There is also a search mode for particular flights and airports. Clicking on an aircraft button provides more information about the flight, like its altitude and speed, as well as a photo of the aircraft type. In my opinion, the Pro version is reasonably priced. While there are plenty of apps that track a particular flight, I'd like to see the developers of RadarBox24 add notifications for following a specific flight or flights since they have all the data anyway. This is a nicely done app that aviation enthusiasts and travelers will like. iPhone owners should note that you can ask Siri what planes are flying above you at anytime and get a listing as well as a position map. Siri gets the same data as RadarBox24 from the FAA and other radar operators, although few iPhone users know that Apple's intelligent assistant has that capability. RadarBox 24 requires iOS 7 or later. It's universal, and ran fine on an iPhone 6 running iOS 8. Both versions of the app -- ad-supported and Pro -- are recommended.
Scanbot for iOS gets an update and improves your scans
Scanbot (US$1.99) advertises it can pretty much eliminate your desktop scanner, and it's hard to argue with that. My colleague Steve Sande looked at an earlier version of Scanbot and was impressed (he scans all paperwork that comes into his home with Scanbot), as am I with this latest iteration. The app can image any document, whether it is one page or multiple pages, and get you a clear and usable scan quite quickly. Scanbot tells you to move closer if need be, or to check your perspective (move the iPhone or iPad more directly above the document) so nothing is warped. It then automatically snaps a photo, turns it into a PDF or JPEG file, and then uploads them to the cloud, saves to your camera roll, or allows sharing through mail and messaging apps. Supported cloud services include Dropbox, Box, Evernote, WebDAV, Yandex, Google Drive and a few others. Scanbot lets you turn color off for better images of black and white text, and it automatically enhances your text as well. The developers say the new iPhones are going to work even better thanks to the improved camera in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and the larger screens of those phones will help you get the document focus and orientation better. Scans are all 200 DPI or better. The only thing missing from Scanbot is OCR (optical character recognition) so you can turn your scanned document into editable text. But Scanbot offers a $4.99 in-app purchase for OCR. I bought the upgrade and tried it. The OCR feature worked well, but like most OCR'd text it needed some cleanup afterwards. Scanbot is not the only mobile scanning software out there, but it works very well and is great for saving receipts, whiteboards, notes, sections of a book, anything really. It's fast and reliable, and does an outstanding job for a low cost, although adding OCR brings the total app cost to $6.99. Scanbot supports many Asian and European languages, and it's universal. The app requires iOS 7 or after, and it worked smoothy under iOS 8. If you do a lot of scanning, or just need an occasional quick scan to create a JPEG or PDF, Scanbot satisfies. Soon I'll be taking a look at a competing product, Prizmo, which offers similar features but at a higher price of $9.99
Sound off! Is the end of the portable MP3 player nigh?
It's no secret the number of iPods that Apple has sold has significantly decreased over the last few years. As our smartphones have become more powerful and the types of tasks they're capable of have grown, there's been less of a need for having a device dedicated to only one type of activity. Is a dedicated portable MP3 player past its prime or does this type of device still have some life left? Visit the Engadget forums and let us know if you think the MP3 player can be saved.
MigmO is fun, but doesn't stand out in a crowd
MigmO is a free action puzzle game where you aid the single-celled titular character to the goal. The game works on all iOS devices running iOS 7.0 or later. This is a game that is fun enough, but is not groundbreaking. At the beginning of each level, MigmO stands still for a few seconds, long enough for you to figure out how to use a combination of a ladder, a hammer, a stool, and a sign (used for turning him around) to guide MigmO away from certain peril, and towards the goal (a door). Each level begins with about 3 seconds before MigmO springs to action. The first few levels are essentially a tutorial, instructing you how to use each of the tools to complete each level. After you are finally on your own, without help, the game just really doesn't change much. It's a fairly repetitive game with the puzzles getting slightly more difficult as you go on. Some frustration springs from having such a short time to try to figure out the puzzle, having him go ahead and start walking while you've barely had time to survey the scene and figure out just what to do. One could argue that this adds to the challenge, and maybe so, but I would like a little more time to think everything out. The graphics are fine, with a look nostalgic for the days of the 8-bit condole gaming, but much cleaner. Overall, I don't hate MigmO, I just don't feel there is anything that helps it separate from other puzzle games available on the market. Everyone has their own preferences, and I'd recommend at least giving this a shot to see if it draws you in.
Amazingly fast and file transfer with Send Anywhere
I don't typically think of moving files between devices as being very difficult. Then again, I'm an old geezer and remember "sneakernet"-moving files by physically carrying them around on floppy discs because there was no network. It's really not that hard to transfer files anymore and there are lots of ways to easily send them pretty much wherever we want. Send Anywhere, however, surprised me with a different approach to secure, point-to-point file transfers between computers or mobile devices. The Send Anywhere app is free and requires iOS 5.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and is also available for Android, Windows, and on the Mac through the browser. The iOS app is optimized for iPhone 5. The app claims to have been created for "simple, unlimited, instant file transfer." That's still needed in a world where not everyone is using an iOS device. Between iPhones and iPads you can use AirDrop. You can also just email or transfer many files using SMS, or use Dropbox (but then again, not everyone does). Considering that, as well as file size limitations, it really is useful to be able to send a single file one device or computer to another, directly, without uploading anything to some server. There's also the matter of security. Email and SMS are "in the open," meaning that the contents of their messages are easily readable by others. If you are concerned about privacy and security, you need to take extra measures. Send Anywhere uses SSL and a 6-digit key for standard transfers and offers enhanced security keys as well. Files are transferred, not stored on any servers. All transfers are only available for a limited time, the default being 10 minutes. That's all good news. To use Send Anywhere devices do need to be online for transfer files. It does not use any direct networking, like Bluetooth. But both devices are on the same local network then your file will not travel out onto the larger internet. It's not often that a piece of software surprises me, but Send Anywhere managed it. I loaded the free app on both my iPhone and my iPad and then transferred photos between them easily. I then visited Send-Anywhere.com on my Mac. I dropped a file into the Send box and clicked the Send files button. Here's where the surprise hit me: there was my iPhone listed as under "Nearby devices." Very cool (NOTE: your device must be turned on and the app launched for this to work). A simple click on my listed phone and I instantly received a notification about the file. That little bit of unexpected nicety was a pleasant surprise. I was more skeptical about the QR code. I typically find them annoying and useless, but with this app they actually serve a useful function. Say that you and an associate are together and she wants to send you a file. Using Send Anywhere on her device she can display a one-time-use QR code and you, using your device with Send Anywhere, can use your camera to capture the code on her device and initiate the file transfer. Slick. It works great, but it may be overkill. If you're together and both have the app launched you should be able to detect each other. Or you could type in the short code number. It worked, but it may not be necessary. There are, however, considerable limitations to Send Anywhere, largely due to how files are used on most mobile devices. iOS is built to largely give you access to desecrate files outside of specific apps. With Send Anywhere you can send and receive photos, videos, and contact records, but that's about it on iOS devices. You can send files that you've received from someone else, but not a file that you might have somewhere else on your device. You can't send music, but you might be able to receive it if sent from another device, although you won't be able to move it to your Music library. I was able to successfully send photos and PDFs between iOS devices and my Mac and it was very easy. I was not able to successfully send a Pages document. I tried sending different Pages files multiple times from my Mac to my iOS devices and each time the transfer ended with an error. I could successfully send and receive Microsoft Word documents between devices. I'm forced to conclude that however surprising and nifty this app is that there's really not much use for it. If you do find that you need to frequently transfer files between devices and can't easily do it with email, SMS, or through online storage like Dropbox, then you might find Send Anywhere useful. I'm certain that you'll find it well made and very easy to use.
iOS 8 brings new 3rd party keyboards and Swype is one of the coolest
Users of iOS 8 no longer have to be happy with just the default Apple keyboard. Developers are now allowed to create keyboards with features Apple that doesn't provide, and we'll see a catalog of new keyboards now that iOS 8 is out. Dave Caolo reviewed one earlier today, so the flood of keyboards is starting to appear already. Today I'm going to take a look at Swype. Now, Android phones have had alternative keyboards for a long time, so Apple is playing a bit of catch-up here. Some established keyboard creators have already had plenty of experience in the world of Android and are now moving to the iOS platform. First off, why do you need a new keyboard? It's certainly not a requirement, but let's see what is on offer with Swype. The app was released today at a special price of US $0.99, has been on Android for 5 years and has been eagerly awaited by many iOS users. It's among the most popular and for good reason. You can use Swype like the standard Apple keyboard, tapping out words letter by letter, or you can swipe your fingers across the keyboard without lifting them (hence the name "Swype".) The software figures out what you are swiping and the word appears. The keyboard can also learn from experience, and start offering intelligent suggestions. You can also add words to Swype's dictionary and even create shortcuts. Punctuation can be gesture-based, and a standard set of marks and corresponding gestures is built in. The keyboard also offers next word predictions, and support for several languages including English, French, Italian, German and Spanish, with more languages coming soon. It should be noted that Apple's default iOS 8 keyboard now offers a feature called QuickType that also offers predictive typing. Keyboards also look better than ever, as Swype allows you to choose from any of 5 different themes to customize the keyboard. I think the dark themes are really attractive, and make the white letters and numbers easier to see than the standard Apple keyboard colors. "The keyboard is perhaps the most used feature on a phone, so it has to be intuitive, fast, and of course, it has to deliver incredibly high accuracy," said Aaron Sheedy, vice president of mobile solutions for the Mobile Division of Nuance. So how does it all work? Very well, actually. I've been playing with an advance copy for a few days and when you first use the Swype keyboard it can be a bit bewildering. There are some keys you won't recognize, but once you get started and explore how to use them they'll become familiar quickly. Swype comes with an app that installs the keyboard and also offers tutorials and tips. Of course, you can use Swype just like the regular Apple keyboard, but the unique features of Swype are sure to tempt you. One thing missing is the little key with the microphone icon that allows you to dictate text. Apple doesn't allow third parties to use that extension, a policy I hope will change. I think once you get used to Swype, it may be hard to go for you to go back to the Apple keyboard. Swype is now one of many keyboard options for iOS users, and we'll keep an eye on what's out there to help you choose what's right for you. Swype comes from Nuance, the folks that bring us the Dragon family of speech recognition apps. They also developed the technology behind Siri with Apple.
