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App Watch: Stargazing, light-leaking and book-recommending

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This Labor Day holiday we take things easy. Whether stargazing with Starwalk 2, taking a walk and remembering the hot spots along the way with Rego, getting a recommendation for a good read with Bookvibe, or adding so retro-style light leaks to our photos with a new set of Prolost Lightroom presets.

This Labor Day holiday we take things easy. Whether stargazing with Starwalk 2, taking a walk and remembering the hot spots along the way with Rego, getting a recommendation for a good read with Bookvibe, or adding so retro-style light leaks to our photos with a new set of Prolost Lightroom presets.


Facebook finally adding search feature to let you look through old posts

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Facebook is experimenting with a feature allowing you to more easily search through old posts.

As more and more of our lives are lived on social media, the importance of being able to efficiently search through content is greater than ever.

With that in mind, Facebook is currently user-testing a new feature letting mobile users sift through old posts by friends using keywords — allowing them to more easily find content that would otherwise be lost.

The feature, which only counts for posts you’re allowed to see (meaning that private posts won’t show up) has currently only been rolled out to a select few, but will likely be officially added into an update of the Facebook iOS app in the near future.

Rovio CEO steps down as Angry Birds profits plummet

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Angry Birds developer Rovio has a new CEO, who hopes to restore this freemium title to its previous glory.
Photo: Rovio

Are we seeing the collapse of freemium game makers as the monster money spinners they were a year or so back?

Following the recent news that the recently-public Candy Crush Saga maker King had posted a disappointing quarter in terms of revenue, now the CEO of Angry Birds dev Rovio has announced that he is stepping down for similar reasons.

CEO Mikael Hed says he is “passing the hoodie” to new CEO Pekka Rantala, who recently joined Rovio after serving as head of Finnish drinks maker Hartwall.

“It has been an amazing ride and in the coming months I will be very happy to pass the hoodie to Pekka Rantala, who will take Rovio to the next level,” Hed noted in a statement. “Pekka is known to be a great leader with experience building successful global consumer brands. I will continue to play an active role and will support Pekka in any way I can to ensure Rovio’s continued success.”

8 Nintendo games we’d pay a premium to see on iOS

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Okay, so this month saw the announcement that the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online is coming to iPad, but the Pokémon game players really want to see on iOS is the classic series of RPGs that made the Game Boy a must-have console.While the first-generation  games were all well and good (and by “well and good” I mean that I personally pumped hours into each one) it was with the follow-up trifecta of Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal where the series really took off. For the first time, day and night cycles were incorporated in a meaningful way, with certain Pokémon discoverable only at specific times.There was also a Friendship/Happiness system, which meant that Pokémon became increasingly devoted to specific trainers. Throw this game into the App Store, and we’ll be clued to our iPhones pretty much non-stop.(Picture: Nintendo/Samit Sarkar)

Okay, so this month saw the announcement that the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online is coming to iPad, but the Pokémon game players really want to see on iOS is the classic series of RPGs that made the Game Boy a must-have console.

While the first-generation games were all well and good (and by “well and good” I mean that I personally pumped hours into each one) it was with the follow-up trifecta of Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal where the series really took off. For the first time, day and night cycles were incorporated in a meaningful way, with certain Pokémon discoverable only at specific times.

There was also a Friendship/Happiness system, which meant that Pokémon became increasingly devoted to specific trainers. Throw this game into the App Store, and we’ll be clued to our iPhones pretty much non-stop.

(Picture: Nintendo/Samit Sarkar)


Microsoft wants to lock down its app store, iOS-style

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Microsoft wants to apply some Apple-style stringency to clean up its App Store.

While it certainly has its fair share of clones and discoverability issues, Apple’s mega profitable App Store is still the toast of the App Store world.

With that in mind, Microsoft is using it as its (unofficial) model for rethinking its own Windows app store which, to put it bluntly, is downright broken.

Ridge Racer Slipstream adds new cars and tracks

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Ridge Racer Slipstream is one of the best racing games available on iOS.

Ports of popular console and arcade game series can be hit-and-miss on iOS, but Namco Bandai’s Ridge Racer Slipstream definitely falls into the “hit” category.

An iOS game which pulls together a lot of the best vehicles and tracks from previous Ridge Racer games, Ridge Racer Slipstream has just been updated for the first time since March adding two brand new race tracks, four new Class 1 vehicles (including the Kamata Synci, Kamata RC410, and Lucky Wild Evolver), Masters’ Class career content, and support for MFi game controllers.

Creator of A Dark Room launches match-3 Web game

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The creator of minimalist text game A Dark Room has just released an intriguing new title entitled Gridland. Although the game has yet to arrive in the App Store, it is playable on iOS devices using Safari.

Gridland is a match-3 game, which requires players to make matches in order to gather resources and build buildings during the day — and then to fight off creatures at night. In other words, it’s every bit as “out there” as A Dark Room — and quite possibly as immersive as well.

Android’s fragmented hell stew is only getting worse for app makers

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Now that Samsung is pretty much the only Android handset manufacturer making any money, you’d think that Android’s fragmentation problem would start to get better, but the latest Android fragmentation report from OpenSignal reveals the madness of developing for multiple screen sizes, hardware specs, and various versions of Android, has only gotten worse over the last year.

See how iOS 8 lets you connect with friends faster than ever

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The upcoming release of iOS 8 brings many new features that will dramatically improve everyday use of iPhones and iPads. While currently contacting your friends can be an annoyingly long process because you must open apps and search through contact after contact, a new feature in iOS 8 eliminates this common hassle.

In today’s video we show how iOS 8’s new quick contacts feature will make contacting your most recent friends much easier. After you update to iOS 8, simply double-click the home button to enjoy this new functionality.

Subscribe to Cult of Mac TV on YouTube to catch all our latest videos.

iPhone 6 frenzy, Apple’s Robin Williams tribute and the rest of this week’s hottest news

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Steve Jobs was known for speaking out loud, dreaming big and acting upon his thoughts. While it’s been just a few short years since his passing, fans have been able to see his characteristics shine through other personalities. The late comedian and actor Robin Williams lived a life similar to Jobs’ life: With every movie and every off-camera activity, Williams showed a passion for anything he did.

Watch today’s Cult of Mac news roundup to see how Apple pays tribute to Williams, as well as some crazy stories regarding the iPhone 6 and even how one new app is truly showing that life really is a box of chocolates.

Subscribe to Cult of Mac TV on YouTube to catch all our latest videos.

iOS and Android completely dominate the global smartphone market

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In the smartphone race there are only two players: iOS and Android. That fact is clear in IDC’s new report for worldwide smartphone shipments for the second quarter.

Combined, iOS and Android account for a whopping 96.4% of global smartphone sales. IDC notes that there’s “little space for competitors,” which is a mild way of saying that every other platform has little to no hope.

How to access your Facebook messages in iOS without installing Messenger

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Do you hate the fact that Facebook is forcing you to install the Facebook Messenger app if you want to send or access messages on your iPhone or iPad?

We do too. But luckily, it turns out that right now, there’s an easy way to get around the restrictions and access your Facebook Messages through the vanilla Facebook app again. But better move on it: Facebook’s not likely to let this loophole stay open for long.

Candy Crush not so sweet after disappointing earnings

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We may be in something of a golden age for iOS gamers, but Candy Crush maker King isn’t reaping the benefits quite as much as it had hoped.

With revenue shrinking, and having been unable to recapture the lightning in a bottle of its breakout hit Candy Crush Saga, the company dropped 21 percent in value yesterday after posting disappointing earnings. The company’s earnings fell 5 percent (or $30 million) from the first quarter this year.

Get buns of steel with these super fitness apps

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Our iPhones are known to help make our everyday activities easier and when it comes to fitness, it’s no different. Getting up and exercising is difficult, but downloading applications to help you along your fitness journey definitely isn’t.

In today’s video take a look at our top three apps that will transform your iPhone into the ultimate fitness trainer. Keep track of your movement, prevent dehydration and do so much more, just by using these super-fitness apps.

Subscribe to Cult of Mac TV on YouTube to catch all our latest videos.

Cubical‘s color-matching puzzler is frantic iOS fun

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From the mathematical brilliance of Threes to the insanely addictive, Design Award-winning Blek, iOS users are spoiled for choice when it comes to great puzzle games on their iOS.

Does that mean developers should throw in the towel and stop making them, then? On the contrary, as the great Alan Partridge once said about regional detective shows: “Another way of looking at it is, people like them, let’s make some more of them.”

The “more of them” in question is Cubical, a seemingly straightforward puzzler that asks you to match the colours of different cubes by tapping them before the time runs out. And it’s a whole lot of fun.

Stupid is as stupid does: Forrest Gump is now an iOS endless runner

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Gump's investment in Apple would make him a billionaire today.
Gump's investment in Apple would make him a billionaire today.

Sometimes a video game movie spinoff comes along that is so left field that you you a) check to see that it’s not April Fool’s Day and b) makes you wonder if the developers have actually seen the film in question.

Joining 2004’s Fight Club video game, which turned the epic David Fincher mindf*ck movie into a straightforward beat-em-up, is a new Forrest Gump iOS game, which mutates the beloved Oscar-winning comedy-drama into an endless runner. Yes, really.

Called Run Forrest Run, the game “celebrates” the twentieth anniversary of the movie by stripping it of whatever complexity it had, and transforming it into a game in which Tom Hanks’ simpleton character runs into traffic and collects coins like a “stupid is as stupid does” Super Mario impersonator.

No objections, your honor: English-language Ace Attorney – Duel Destinies on the way

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Yesterday we wrote about the exciting news that Ace Attorney 5 (known outside Japan as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies) had landed in the Japanese App Store.

Although it came with no official announcement of an English language release, we noted that we remained hopeful — particularly since the game had already received such a translation for a Nintendo 3DS version in 2013, which went on to be heavily praised by various outlets.

Well,  developers Capcom didn’t keep us in suspense for very long, since already the company has confirmed that English-language audiences can expect to play a version of the hit game “quite soon.”

5 iOS tips that will help maximize your storage space

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We all enjoy stuffing our iOS devices with enough movies, music, photos, and other content to keep your iPhone entertainment system pumping for decades, but overtime your device can get too full.

New games, songs and even an iOS update can put users in quite the dilemma about where to trim some gigs of fat. Luckily when not wanting to part ways with your favorite iOS content there’s other convenient ways to free up more storage space.

Today’s video takes a look at 5 tidying tips that can free up more storage on your iOS device for when you need it most. Uncover how to manage your storage, address the dreaded “other” space on your device and find even more by simply using these tips.

Subscribe to Cult of Mac TV on YouTube to catch all our latest videos.

Revolution 60 is like Charlie’s Angels in space

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Beautiful 3D rendering and smooth animation are Revolution 60's undeniable strong points.

A year ago, I heard about an intriguing potential game in the making, a possible hybrid of games like Mass Effect and Heavy Rain, two of my all-time favorite console games. This alone was enough to pique my interest, but once I found out it starred a crack black ops team of lycra-clad ladies like Charlie’s Angels, I was sold.

Ambitious and innovative, Revolution 60 offers an iOS experience like no other. With gorgeous 3D animations, bold interactive gameplay and intriguing plot, Giant Spacekat brings to life a team of four futuristic female operatives assigned a mission to re-establish control of a compromised space station. As the sharp-tongued and strong-willed protagonist Holiday, you’ll find yourself balancing your decision-making between the needs of two of your subordinates – the compassionate Amelia and authoritarian Minuet.

Order in court! Ace Attorney 5 launches in the Japanese App Store

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Originally released exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013, Capcom has dropped the fifth instalment of its superb Ace Attorney series into the Japanese App Store, seemingly without any warning.

The game (which was heavily praised upon its release) follows the story of attorney Phoenix Wright who returns to action after his premature retirement in the game’s previous instalment, set one year earlier. Going up against former death-row-convict-cum-prosecutor Simon Blackquill, Wright is able to draw on the help of fellow legal eagles Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes.

The game features five cases, with a sixth one downloadable via in-app-purchase. Other IAPs allow users to add extra costumes or access a special mini-quiz.