News - page 3

Dropbox is now baked into the iOS 11 Files App

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dropbox files
Dropbox is now just another folder on your iPad or iPhone.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Dropbox now shows up as a regular old folder in the new iOS 11 Files app. The latest update to the Dropbox iOS aa brings full integration with Files, making it work much more like it does on the Mac and PC. For instance, now you can drag a file from a Dropbox folder into an iCloud Drive folder, and it just works.

Apple updates iWork suite for iOS 11

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iWork iOS 11
iWork adds Files integration, and drag-and-drop support.
Photo: Apple

Apple has pushed updates for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote on iPad and iPhone, updating its iWork apps to work with iOS 11. The apps now have full support for drag-and-drop, as well as giving us a glimpse of how the new iOS 11 file manager — named Files — works inside other apps. Let’s look at the new features in the iWork suite for iOS 11.

Check out this amazing use of drag-and-drop in iOS 11

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GoodNotes gets an amazing drag-and-drop update for iOS 11
GoodNotes gets an amazing drag-and-drop update for iOS 11
Photo: Cult of Mac

With the iOS 11 launch imminent, developers are releasing updates that take advantage of all its new features. Some, like Dropbox, will support the new Files app, making Dropbox appear like just another folder like it does on the Mac. Other apps, like 1Writer and GoodNotes, now support drag-and-drop. And one of these apps in particular — GoodNotes — makes a spectacular and unexpected use of dragging and dropping.

This iPad synthesizer lets you play almost any sound

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SyndtSphere iPad synth
SyndtSphere lets you dial in sounds, and the sounds between sounds.
Photo: Cult of Mac

SyndtSphere may be just about the most flexible music instrument ever. It is also an iPad app. Klevgränd’s SyndtSphere can be a piano, a violin, a flute, a bass, but it can also be anything in-between. If you ever struggled to find the exact sound you wanted out of a synthesizer, then should try SyndtSphere, because you’ll probably find it there.

The pros and cons of wireless charging

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wireless charging mat iPhone x
Why do you do this to us, Apple?
Photo: Apple

The new iPhone 8 and iPhone X support “wireless” charging. That is, you can toss them onto a charging mat instead of plugging in a Lightning cable. Obviously this is more convenient when you’re at home — you can put a pad on your nightstand, desk or hallway table.

But there are other advantages to iPhone wireless charging that aren’t so obvious. And there is also one big disadvantage — one that has the potential to cause major damage to the Earth.

iOS 11 lands on iPhone and iPad on September 19 — here’s what’s new

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Auto Brightness iOS 11
iOS 11 changes everything.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

In today’s Apple keynote, we got another look at the the new iOS 11 for iPhone and iPad. There are a lot of great new features for both devices — person-to-person Apple Pay, an all-new App Store, improved Siri, and a new kind of social network built around Apple Music. But the iPad is the real winner. iOS 11 brings multitasking features that unchain Apple’s “big iPhone,” and turn it into a computer to rival any Mac or PC.

How iPhone X celebrates the iPhone’s 10th anniversary

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10th anniversary iPhone wallpapers
Then and now -- the original iPhone wallpaper, and the new version for the iPhone X.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

The iPhone X comes 10 years after the original iPhone. Even the name itself could be a not-so-subtle homage to this: Apple used X, the Roman numeral for 10, for years to name the Mac’s OS X operating system. But there is another 10th anniversary reference in the new iPhone X: It comes with an updated version of the original iPhone’s iconic wallpaper.

iOS 11 has had more betas than any other iOS version

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thinkybits iOS beta chart more betas
Will Hains' fantastic chart shows you everything you need to know about the history of iOS betas.
Photo: Will Hains

iOS 11.0 has had ten beta versions. That’s more betas than any version of iOS before it: Only iPhone OS 2.0, and iOS 10.0 come close, tying with eight beta versions apiece. Now that the iOS 11 gold master has been leaked, we can safely guess that there will be no more iOS 11 betas until Apple starts testing iOS 11.0.1.

iOS 11 GM was allegedly leaked by ‘rogue Apple employee’

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Another apparent leak from Apple serves up more details about the upcoming products, including this swirly new iPhone wallpaper leaked
You'll soon be able to add wallpaper packs to your iPhone.
Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Over the weekend, a massive leak revealed pretty much all the details of the new iPhone 8 and “iPhone X.” The details came from a leaked gold master (GM) of the new iOS 11 operating system, which contains mentions of new features like Face ID, and photos of new products like the Apple Watch Series 3.

But where did the leak come from? According to independent reports from Daring Fireball and the BBC, a rogue Apple employee deliberately sent to the links to 9to5Mac and MacRumors.

WriteMapper mixes mind maps and text editing

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WriteMapper-Hero
WriteMapper is a great app for getting your thoughts in one place.
Photo: WriteMapper

WriteMapper is a new Mac app that combines a mind mapper with a text editor. It works like a regular mind-mapping app, with easy-to-create nodes to get your ideas down and arrange them. But if you open a node, you get a full-featured, cleanly-designed text editor in which to write, so you don’t have to switch to a word-processor or anything else to complete your project.

Then, when you’re done, you can export the mind map as a document to publish it, or whatever you want to do with the finished text.

Achievements Unlocked: Pedometer++ now gives awards

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pedometer 3 achievements
Health, energy, and a long life are no longer the sole rewards for taking a walk.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Pedometer++, from developer Underscore David Smith, is everyone’s favorite step-counting iPhone app. It’s simple, it is accurate, and it just works. Now, in version 3.0, the four-year old app gets a neat new Today widget, and — brace yourself — Achievements.

Raindrop.io is a slick new bookmark-organizing app for iOS

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raindrop ipad app
Raindrop's web page looks way better than its iOS app.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Raindrop.io is a new bookmarking service for Mac and iOS, and the web, and Android. It lets you save your bookmarks into folders, known as Groups, and those bookmarks are then available from anywhere. The main selling point of Raindrop.io seems to be the slick interface, and the myriad beautiful ways you can arrange the bookmarks therein.

The Shelf is like a Desktop for iOS 11

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The shelf in action
The Shelf may prove to be the handiest iOS utility ever.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

You know how on your Mac you always drag stuff to the desktop as a kind of temporary holding spot? You might be gathering together some photos, or just keeping a PDF until you work out where to put it, or until you have emailed it and can delete the original. That kind of thing isn’t possible in iOS, because a) there is no real concept of files, at least not in the Mac way, and b) there’s no desktop. But that’s about to change in iOS 11. The new Files app takes care of a), and thirdparty apps like The Shelf will be able to take to role of the desktop.

iOS 11 App Store now shows Mac apps previews

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iOS 11 App Store previews mac apps
In iOS 11, you'll never have to shout at this ridiculous warning ever again.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Ever tapped an App Store link for a Mac app while browsing on your iPad, and gotten sent to a useless page telling you that the app is only available on the Mac? Like, you couldn’t possibly want to know the price, or see screenshots, or read any other information about a Mac app while you’re using your iPhone?Well,

Well, those dark, patronizing days are over. In iOS 11, clicking on a link for a Mac App takes you to the proper iOS 11 App Store entry for that app. Right there on your iPad.

Roland’s pocket-sized GO MIXER adds great audio to iPhone movies

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go mixer hero
The GO MIXER adds good-quality sound to your iPhone videos.
Photo: Roland

The Roland GO MIXER is a little box that improves the audio on your movies. Aimed mostly at musicians, but usable by anyone with a microphone and the need to shoot a video, the little Lightning-powered box hooks together all your musical instruments and mixes them, live, before sending the audio to your iPhone (or Android device).

Audiobus keeps your music creations in perfect time

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audiobus link
Audiobus now syncs with all other apps using Ableton Link.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Audiobus, the iOS app that lets you route audio between apps on your iPad or iPhone, just got an update. The version number is 3.0.5, which belies the fact that Audiobus 3 just got one huge new feature: support for Ableton Link, which means that it will now keep tempo with all the other music apps on your iDevice.

Zoom’s Livetrak mixing desk turns your iPad into a music studio

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Zoom livetrak l-12
Zoom’s wonder-box has real knobs and faders, just like a proper music studio.
Photo: Zoom

Zoom’s new Livetrak L-12 could be the only box you need to turn your iPad into a mobile music studio. In one unit, the L-12 combines a mixer, a 12-track recorder, and an interface that lets you hook up all your musical instruments and gadgets to your iPad. And that’s just the beginning.

Slow down songs so you can learn them with Capo touch 2.5

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Capo Touch Steinberger iPad
Fantastic slow-downer app Capo Touch just got even better.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Capo touch is the iOS version of Capo, an amazing Mac app that lets you slice and dice a song, slowing it down so you can learn it on guitar or another instrument.

Developer SuperMegaUltraGroovy added some great new features to Capo touch version 2.5. If you’re a long-time user, you’ll appreciate the interface tweaks, the Apple Music support and the new audio-scrubbing engine. If you never used Capo, and you play a guitar, you should buy Capo touch right now.

Wizibel makes videos for your music, so you don’t have to

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wizibel
It won't make Thriller, but it's better than nothing.
Photo: Klevgränd

The rumors say that SoundCloud is on its way out. The company is laying off staff, while burning through streaming bandwidth with no real way to make any money. If you’re a musician, this is a big deal, because SoundCloud is where you share music, and where you go to hear other musicians’ music. It’s a mixtape and an audition reel combined.

The smart move is to take your music to YouTube, because a) it’s not going away, b) it’s free, and c) it’s where everyone goes for free music anyway. The problem? You need to make a video. You could always just put a still image up there, but then the kids will get bored and move onto something else. But as a musician, you’d probably rather spend your time making music instead of making movie.

Luckily — surprise surprise — there’s an app for that. It’s called Wizibel, ands it comes from master iOS music-app-maker Klevgränd.

Omnigraffle 3 reinvents shareware for iOS

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omnigraffle shareware
Omnigroup has started offering 2-week trials on its $50-100 iOS apps.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Omnigroup launched Omnigraffle 3 for iOS today, and it looks like a fantastic update to the diagramming, chart-making, flow-chart-creating app. But that’s not nearly the most important thing about this release, because Omni may have changed the way paid software works on iOS, and may be making it possible for “expensive” pro-level apps to be viable on the cheap-o app store at last.

Seamlessly download and copy YouTube videos to iPad

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softorino youtube converter
Once you've got YouTube Converter set up, you almost don't need to go near the actual app to get your video conversions done.
Photo: Softorino

If you ever need to get a video off YouTube and onto your iPad or iPhone, then Softorino’s YouTube Converter 3 should be an insta-buy. It’s a $20 Mac app that grabs YouTube videos, converts them to a Mac- or iOS-friendly format, and then sends those videos wirelessly to your device. I’ve tried it out quickly and it’s actually even easier than it sounds.

The InkCase adds a second screen to your iPhone 7 Plus

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Inkcase
Why stare at boring aluminum when you can stare at a second display instead?
Photo: Oaxis

We’ve seen Oaxis’ e-ink cases a few times here on Cult of Mac. The InkCase is a relatively slim iPhone case with an e-ink screen embedded in the back, and a Bluetooth connection to the host iPhone. The idea is that you can use the low-power e-ink display that covers its back as an always-on second screen to so that you don’t have to keep waking up your iPhone to check things like shopping lists or calendar events.

And now, the case is available for the iPhone 7 Plus

Apple rolls out iOS 11 mall and airport maps

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airport maps iOS 11
Never get lost in an airport or a mall ever again.
Photo: Cult of Mac

As promised at the WWDC 2017 Keynote, Apple has started rolling out airport maps and shopping mall maps. If you’re running iOS 11 beta, then you can visit airports in San Jose and Philadelphia, as well as shopping malls in San Jose and San Francisco. The new view shows indoor maps of these locations, with a new tappable info section that lets you find the exact terminal or donut store you’re looking for.

Europe just abolished all roaming charges

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sim wallet roaming
This doesn't have to be you.
Photo: CC Karl Baron Flickr

Today, roaming charges have been dropped across the European Union. If you live in Berlin and travel to Budapest, you can keep using your existing data plan at no extra cost, and you keep (more or less) the same data allowance. That’s neat for Europeans, but it’s also good news for international travelers, because you only need to buy one SIM card at the start of your trip, and then you’re covered until you go home.