If you’re using the latest Apple devices and all your software is up to date, then your iPhone will now use Bluetooth to search for nearby AppleTVs as well as just searching on the network using Bonjour. The end result is the same – streaming over the local Wi-Fi network – but if you have an odd or non-standard Wi-Fi setup, this might help[,your devices talk to one another.
Ever since the first Angry Bird flapped its wings back in 2009, Rovio has been only too happy to churn out sequel after sequel with slight variations on flinging birds with slingshots, but for its next act the video game studio is introducing a turn-based roleplaying game for the Angry Birds world.
Microsoft will release a OneNote application for Mac later this month, according to sources familiar with its plans.
OneNote is already available on iOS and Android — and, of course, Microsoft’s own Windows platforms — and the new Mac app is part of the company’s plans to take on rival note-taking services like Evernote.
Gameloft has released the trailer for its forthcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2 mobile game.
Timed to coincide with the build-up to the movie sequel of the same name (which hits theaters Friday, May 2), the game will land in the App Store sometimes in April.
Ever wanted to hear Siri declaim “Luke, I am your father” in 32 different languages?
In a blog post by the developers behind the daily Spanish word app Vocab Ninja, you can click on all of Siri’s different voices — overwhelmingly female-gendered, interestingly enough — in both standard and enhanced audio resolutions.
Apple might have added a bunch of new features for iOS 7.1, but not all of them are available in every single market.
Thanks to Apple’s “iOS 7 Feature Availability” webpage, however, it is possible for international users to easily check which features are supported in which countries. Apple’s CarPlay, for example, is currently available in just thirteen markets, while Siri’s more advanced features — included restaurant and movie reviews — to limited to even less than that.
It’s a tale as old as time (and, perhaps, a song as old as rhyme): Apple releases a new version of iOS, hackers immediately get busy finding security vulnerabilities to exploit, eventually claw together a jailbreak, only for Apple to then find out about the flaws and fix them for the new iOS version.
Rinse and repeat.
Having released iOS 7.1, Apple has also released a list crediting the individual researchers and companies who helped spot security issues with the previous version of iOS — including jailbreak specialists Evad3rs, the team behind the iOS 6 and 7 jailbreaks.
Growing up I was a huge fan of the game Asteroids.
But while it’s great seeing these games appear on iOS, too often they’re accompanied by a feeling of disappointment. Although there’s no arguing that the games themselves are still great, too often the controls let them down. Where arcade machines, and even computer keyboards, did four and eight-directional movement well, I have yet to play an iOS game where the virtual buttons felt anything less than passable.
In games where timing is everything, and controls are meant to become so intuitive that you find yourself thinking about them when you’re not actually playing, that’s a massive problem.
Your iPad Mini is slim, clean and beautiful, and we’re sure you want to keep it that way. If you’re looking for extreme protection without the bulk, Spigen’s Tough Armor has changed the game in protective cases.
The iPad Mini Tough Armor Bundle lets your iPhone’s hardware keep up with its shiny new iOS 7 software. This bundle of iPad Mini goodness comes with the Tough Armor case, the Crystal Screen Protector, and the Kuel C10L Sync and Charge Cable to make sure your smartphone is protected and charged at all times. And all for the low price of just $54.99.
Despite being a world where one-third of new iOS games are Flappy Bird clones, it’s impossible to say that the App Store doesn’t serve up some genuinely original game fare from time to time.
The eccentrically titled Floyd’s Worthwhile Endeavor is one such title. Resembling one of Terry Gilliam’s surreal animated openings to Monty Python’s Flying Circus, this is a 2-D platformer, that borrows its inspiration (and its graphics) from the the 19th century photography of photo-pioneer Eadward Muybridge.
Cult of Mac Deals has assembled a wide variety of promotional offers over the years, and this time around we’ve got two that will appeal to anyone who’s trying to learn more, build better-looking apps and workflows, and save money all in one go.
First up is the iPhone App Interface Design For Beginners course, which will teach you how to build better-looking apps. We’ve also got Pixa, an app that will easily organize your images and build a better workflow in the process. You can get the iPhone App Interface Design For Beginners course for only $29 and Pixa for just $9.99 – all thanks to Cult of Mac Deals!
Google released a new update for its Gmail iOS that makes it getting email faster than ever thanks to a new background refresh feature.
The Gmail 3.0 update will now retrieve your mail while the app is not open so you don’t have to keep refreshing to see if your boss finally replied to that important email in the last 5 minutes.
Also included in the update is a new simplified sign-in feature that automatically signs you into all of your Google apps once your login to just one. The free update requires iOS 7.0 or greater and is available now in the App Store.
Here are the release notes:
Watching so much True Detective — among other shows — that you need an iOS app to track what it is that you’ve already seen?
To help with this very quandary, and generally to help you sift through the television trash pile for the hidden gems, TV-tracking app Trak TV Show has just received a major update — adding universal support for optimizing the app for iPad and iPad mini, in addition to iPhone and iPod touch.
The more and more we use our devices daily, the easier it is to become tired of them. In the effort to rejuvenate your experience with your device, changing your wallpaper can make a big difference. From the developers behind the hit app “Pimp Your Screen” is a new app called Wallpapers for iOS 7 that can give you access to tons of great wallpapers right away. Are you ready to love your device again?
Take a look at Wallpapers for iOS 7 By Pimp Your Screen and find out what you think.
This is a Cult Of Mac video review of the iOS application Wallpapers for iOS 7 By Pimp Your Screen brought to you by Joshua Smith of “TechBytes W/Jsmith.”
Flappy Bird may be gone from the App Store, but that’s not to say it’s been forgotten.
French urban artist Invader — whose work appropriates the pixelated look of 8-bit video games — just unveiled a giant piece of street art in Paris depicting the iconic pipe-dodging avian itself.
For readers in France, the piece can be checked out at 81 Rue De La Boetie.
Developers Tabasco Interactive have released the trailer to their new game Star Horizon.
A gorgeous on-rails shooter, with a $3.99 asking price and no IAP, Tabasco has submitted the game to Apple, and is hoping to launch it on March 20.
You play as John, a disenfranchised human pilot whose ship is controlled by Ellie, an Artificial Intelligence which is programmed to help pilots stay mentally strong throughout combat and and which cannot kill human beings. After being placed into hibernation for 1,000 years John must discover what has happened to the galaxy and try his best to save it.
One month after being launched, Paper – stories from Facebook has received its first significant update.
The addition allows users to share articles via Facebook Messages, text message, or email, as well as create stories in languages that use multi-stage input, including Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
There’s also the possibility of turning off sound effects to “enjoy the silence,” alongside a variety of other improvements designed to make Paper more reliable.
Arguably the App Store needs another ninja game like it needs another Flappy Bird clone. So what does the boldly-titled Epic Ninja Game offer that you don’t get from, say, Clumsy Ninja or Ninja Chaos?
To start answering that, let me explain a bit about the retro-styled platformer that is Epic Ninja Game. You play an unnamed ninjitsu who, waking up in a mysterious laboratory stripped of his magical ninja powers (!), has to travel through multiple stages to regain them.
At your disposal from the start are jumps and an endless supply of shurikens, but as you make your way through the game this expands to include an unlikely assortment of jet packs, invincibility power-ups, and laser eyes.
Volvo today confirmed that it will be one of the first to support Apple’s new CarPlay platform in its upcoming XC90 SUV, and it has released a new video that demonstrates how the technology will be used on the road to send messages, view maps, and control apps like Spotify.
Did you ever try to write a blog post on your iPad? It’s easy, right? But did you ever try to add an image to that post? It’s a major pain in the ass. Plink is here to fix that. It’s an iOS app that will upload a photo to its own storage cloud, and generate a URL that is automatically copied to your clipboard. All you need to do is switch back to your writing app and paste it in.
And of course this isn’t just for bloggers. Anywhere you need to link an image – forum posts for example – you can use Plink.
Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk has revealed that he’s working on a new skateboarding game for mobile devices.
Hawk made references to the game in two recent interviews: one with Larry King and the other with Bloomberg.
The new light-based physics puzzle game from developers Playmous sure looks interesting!
Called God of Light, the game features 3 different game worlds, and 75 dozens of mind-expanding, puzzle-filled levels. Your mission is to join game mascot, Shiny, to save the universe from impending darkness — which means seeking out game objects that reflect, split, combine, paint, bend and teleport rays of light energy to activate the mythical “Sources of Life.”
If that sounds all a bit confusing, the above video may help shed some light (pun intended!) on what we’re talking about.
Nearly one third of all games released in the App Store in a 24-hour period are Flappy Bird clones.
That’s according to the Guardian newspaper’s Stuart Dredge, who used an RSS feed of the Appshopper site to get his hands on a list of every game released in the 24-hour period, ending 5am on February 27.
Of the 293 new iOS games, he discovered that 95 (just over 32%) were clones of the recently deceased Flappy Bird.
The NBA Game Time app for iPhone and NBA Game Time for iPad have just been updated, adding support for classic games.
As its name suggests, Endless Surf is pretty much an endless runner with a whole lot more water involved. If you’re looking for a true to life surfing sim, complete with realistic board dynamics and the like, you’re going to be disappointed. But if you can look past that, Endless Surf is a giant wave of fun.
Like any endless runner, your goal is to keep going for as long as possible, while simultaneously notching up the highest score you can. In your path are various power-ups — in this case including one that turns the weather temporarily stormy, therefore increasing the size of your wave —as well as an array of obstacles to negotiate. These are mainly made up of buoys and menacing shark fins, but the real threat is the constantly advancing wall of water breaking behind you. Move too slowly and you’ll get swallowed up — leading to the inevitable “Wipe Out” screen. Move fast enough and, over time, you’ll be able to customize your character and complete the various stages the game has to offer.