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iOS apps - page 19

Bluetooth LED makes iPhone camera even flashier [Reviews]

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This portable Bluetooth flash is perfect for those who thrive on nightlife.
Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac

As far as smartphone cameras have come with improved low-light shooting and intelligent LED flash, there will always be some situations in which you could use just a bit more light. This is especially true for photographers who want to make smart adjustments for their photos, or people who tend to do most of their socializing at night. So it’s worth shining a light on iblazr 2, a fantastic Bluetooth LED flash.

This successor to Concepter’s original iblazr isn’t just your ordinary wireless LED flash. It’s equipped with tons of features that let me fine-tune the way I want my photo to come out. The most important feature for me is that it works with the native camera apps on iOS and Android. In fact, according to Concepter’s website, it’s the only wireless LED flash that does.

How to sign, scan and send PDFs with an iPhone or iPad

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Want to go completely paperless? Here's how to better manage PDF documents on iPhone and iPad!
Want to go completely paperless? Here's how to better manage PDF documents on iPhone and iPad!
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnail PDF handling on the iPhone and iPad has vastly improved over the last year or so. Not only can you scan documents as PDFs using the camera, you can sign documents and send them off to the recipient, and even request the signature of others electronically. If you need a reliable iPhone PDF converter, you can find everything you need in this guide.

Google Maps finally lets iPhone users make pit stops

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Get it together, U-Stop.
Photo: Google

Android owners have been able to insert detours into their Google Maps routes since October, but now the company is letting iPhone users in on the cool feature.

Starting today, Google is rolling out “pit stop” functionality to the iOS version of its navigation app. The company says it will work in the over 100 countries in which it offers driving directions.

My irrational love of the iPhone flashlight

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GC

This is the first installment in a series of memoirs on the intersection of technology and daily life.

When my fraternity brother Grant and I began a drive from Arkansas to Los Angeles to visit friends on the West Coast, I believed it would be the greatest road trip of my life.

I was wrong.

The ultimate guide to iPhone and iPad password managers

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Using the same password over and over, or keeping track of passwords in the Notes app is bad practice. Here's how to manage all your passwords safely and conveniently!
You owe it to yourself to take control of your passwords. And it's easier than you might think.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailAs we store more and more of our information digitally, it becomes more important than ever to make sure our data is safeguarded. To ensure security, you should always use strong and unique passwords.

Password manager apps aren’t hard to use, and once you get started, they actually offer you more convenience than any other way of maintaining and storing passwords. Not convinced? Let me help you understand….

Reignite the iPad email experience with Spark [Reviews]

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The iPad app is even better than the already amazing iPhone app.
Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac

One of the best email clients for the iPhone just got even better. Spark, which promises that “you are going to like your email again,” is now available for the iPad as well. And this isn’t an all-too-common instance of developers just stretching out the iPhone version of their app and calling it a day. Spark is fully optimized for the iPad’s larger display.

Best news and RSS apps for iPhone and iPad

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The built-in Apple News app won't cut it for many. Try these awesome news and RSS apps instead!
The built-in Apple News app won't cut it for many. Try these awesome news and RSS apps instead!
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailThe iPhone and iPad are both great ways to consume news and RSS on the go, or while simply lounging around the house. No matter what service you use — Feedly, Feed Wrangler or something else — there are tons of RSS and news apps that support them. If you don’t need a news aggregator service, or don’t even know what that means, there are still news apps that can help you find interesting things to read.

These are currently the best of the best news apps available for iPhone and iPad — and why I think they’re so great.

Uber’s new logo sure is a bit bizarre

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Uber's new app icon is already getting insults.
Photo: Uber

Uber dropped a surprise announcement today that it has completely changed its logo and branding. The new logo is only slightly modified, featuring an altered font with letters that are closer together. The bigger news is the new app icon reflecting a total branding change. People already aren’t thrilled with it.

The picture you see above is indeed using the new Uber icon. It’s supposed to represent very small, simple forms of matter and technology coming together: atoms and bits.

Aquarium app fills your Apple TV with A.I. fish

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Fish with AI beats recorded video loops any day.
Photo: Aqua TV

A fairly popular group of apps for the Apple TV has been those that add a bit of scenic ambience to your living room. I’m talking live camera streams around the world or footage of gorgeous waterfalls. Even Apple’s own Aerial screensavers are stunning. One such app with a special twist is Aqua TV, which puts a customizable aquarium on your television screen. It’s beautiful to glance at in your peripheral vision, but also fun to build and personalize.

Best weather widgets for iPhone

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Four apps that make checking the weather on your iPhone quick and easy.
Four apps that make checking the weather on your iPhone quick and easy.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailI don’t like spending a lot of time inside weather apps. Instead, I’d rather just swipe down and view current and impending conditions within the Today view section of Notification Center.

That’s why, when looking at weather apps to try, one of my criteria is that whatever one I choose, it comes complete with widget support. Depending on what kind of weather data you need, these weather apps currently have the best weather widgets for iPhone.

Home security kit will keep you safe (but not your wallet)

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MyFox's wireless home security hardware works well but will cost you a pretty penny.
MyFox's wireless home security hardware works well but will cost you a pretty penny.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

A few years ago, home security systems were a luxury for the rich and famous (or at least the well-off). They could be super-expensive, clunky, and usually had to be installed by a team of security specialists.

But times are changing. As the market becomes flooded with smart home-security systems, they get better and better. A great example: wireless security systems by MyFox.

Chrome update gives iOS users a speed boost

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Chrome for iOS  just got faster.
Chrome for iOS just got faster.
Photo: Google

Good news for iOS users who prefer Chrome: Google’s browser is now as fast as mobile Safari.

Chrome has switched to the WKWebView engine, which first became a feature in 2014 with iOS 8, allowing third-party browsers access to the same rendering engine as Safari.

Best video editing apps for iPhone and iPad

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You don't need a Mac to create professional-looking video. With these great apps, an iPhone or iPad will do just fine.
You don't need a Mac to create professional-looking video. With these great apps, an iPhone or iPad will do just fine.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnail Long gone are the days where video editing has to take hours and involve your Mac. Thanks to the iPhone and iPad, I’ve put together some awesome, professional-looking video. Depending on what your needs are, and how much control you want over the process, these are currently the best video editing apps I’ve found for iPhone and iPad.

Best manual camera apps for iPhone

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For when the stock Camera app just doesn't cut it.
Photo: Unsplash.com

app-factor-logo-thumbnail Manual camera apps for iPhone offer better control over settings like exposure, focus, ISO and shutter speed. If you’ve ever shot photos in an environment where the light wasn’t ideal or had a rough time balancing shadows and light, you would benefit from a manual camera app.

While these kinds of apps aren’t always necessary, a great one is a good tool to have in your app arsenal. These are currently the best manual camera apps for iPhone.

How to use Picture in Picture mode to watch YouTube on iPad

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YouTube videos come to Picture in Picture mode on iOS 9, thanks to Corner Tube.
YouTube videos come to Picture in Picture mode on iOS 9, thanks to Corner Tube.
Photo: App Advice

Picture in Picture mode is one of the best features of iOS 9. On iPads, it lets you continue to watch a video from one app (say, Netflix) in the corner of your screen, even while you’re browsing a webpage, reading your email, and so on.

A lot of cool video apps already support Picture in Picture mode, but curiously, Google’s YouTube app isn’t one of them. But if you want to watch YouTube in PiP mode, there’s another app you can try.

Forget Adobe, here’s an easy way make PDFs your BFF

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PDFelement makes wrangling PDFs simple.
PDFelement makes wrangling PDFs simple.
Image: Wondershare

This post is brought to you by Wondershare, maker of PDFelement.

If you work with a computer (which, since you’re here, is likely), you have to deal with PDFs. And while PDFs are a great and reliable way to send forms, presentations and contracts — basically anything that can be read or written on — they’re not exactly flexible. In order to edit, add to, remove from, or otherwise alter them, you might think your options are limited to pricey software from Adobe.

Yik Yak stomps onto the web

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Because it's worth seeing how much your community loves you from a computer too.
Photo: Yik Yak
Yik-Yak-logo
Because it’s worth seeing how much your community loves you from a computer too. Photo: Yik Yak

The app that has become famous around college campuses is now ready to show itself in a different form: as a desktop website. The creators have been testing a web version of Yik Yak in private beta for a while now, but as of today the site is open for public use.

Your iPhone can now alert you every time police kill someone in the U.S.

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Archives sends push notifications when police kill someone.
Archives sends push notifications when police kill someone.
Photo: Josh Begley

Controversial coder and data artist Josh Begley is back with a new app called Archives that shines a light on the contentious issue of police violence that’s rocking the U.S.

Archives’ premise is simple: Every time cops kill someone in the United States, your iPhone receives a simple alert containing only the victim’s name.

iOS 9.3 officially supports hiding stock apps. Here’s how to do it.

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Apple Configurator 2.2 beta can hide your unwanted apps for you.
Apple Configurator 2.2 beta can hide your unwanted apps for you.
Photo: Reddit

iOS ships with a few dozen default system apps, all of which take up valuable room on your homescreen since Apple won’t let users delete them. Until now, the best you could do is squirrel them away into a folder, or jailbreak.

But with iOS 9.3 Beta 1, it looks like Apple is finally making it possible to hide unwanted system apps. Here’s how.

Periscope now streams inside Twitter for iOS

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Twitter just found a way to take up even more of your time.
Photo: Periscope

Twitter is using its subsidiary streaming service, Periscope, for a direct assault on your attention. That’s the only conclusion we can reach, anyway, as the social-media giant’s mobile app now supports both live streams and replays of content from Periscope.

And it’s hitting iOS first, with the feature rolling out today.

iOS 9.3 brings all-new 3D Touch shortcuts

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3D Touch is becoming more indispensable.
Photo: Apple

3D Touch gets a big boost in iOS 9.3, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system.

On top of the various other “what to expect” features we’ve told you about, the iOS update, which arrived yesterday, also adds a host of new shortcuts you can use from the home screen for all standard pre-installed apps. Check out our list below.

Sleep Number’s ‘It’ bed will help you improve your sleep habits

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The bed that might know more about how well you sleep than you do.
Photo: Sleep Number

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverage Sleep Number is perhaps one of the very few companies at CES that actually wants to put us to sleep instead of keep us awake with bright screens and games all night. It’s very latest method for accomplishing that goal is the It bed: a bed that will track different aspects of your sleep patterns during the night to inform you on just how well you’re sleeping at night. Plus, it’ll integrate with its own app and other third-party apps to do that.

Free app Veer takes the hassle out of reaching your contacts

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Veer is a free app that streamlines the way we interact with our contacts.
Quick-launch app Veer expands on iOS 9's Siri suggestions, putting your contacts and actions closer than ever.
Photo: Code Atlas

This post is brought to you by Code Atlas, maker of Veer.

Sometimes great innovations are really just refinements of something few would have thought of trying to improve. If you think Apple’s already figured out the best way of reaching out to your contacts in iOS 9, Veer will make you reconsider. It’s a novel new iOS app and Notification Center widget that blends seamlessly into your iPhone’s normal operations, simplifying and streamlining how we use the device to reach people.

Why most New Year’s resolutions fail (and how iPhone can help you succeed)

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The secret to losing weight and getting fit with iPhone in 2016
An expert reveals the secret to losing weight and getting fit with iPhone.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

If you’re feeling guilty about your festive overindulgence, you may be planning to lose some weight and get fit in the new year. Well, sorry to be a Grinch, but research suggests that only 8 percent of New Year’s resolutions are successful.

The good news is that there is a better way. One that involves steadily building healthy habits over time. There are some handy iPhone apps that can help with this, but you won’t find them in the Health & Fitness section of the App Store.

How to free up iPhone space with iMyfone Umate

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iMyfone Umate makes it quick and easy to clear cruft from your iPhone.
iMyfone Umate makes it quick and easy to clear cruft from your iPhone.
Photo: iMyfone Technology Co.

This post is brought to you by iMyfone Technology Co., maker of iMyfone Umate.

Sure our iPhones look sharp, but the sleek exterior hides an inner life that resembles the floor of a bachelor pad. Broken bits of uncompressed photos, unused files, app caches, cookies, backup logs and whatnot clog up the works (there’s probably a few empty pizza boxes in there, too).