Fantastical — the incredible calendaring app from Flexibits — is kicking off this week’s must-have apps roundup, and it’s accompanied by KitCam, a great new photography app that gives Tap Tap Tap’s Camera+ some real competition. We also have some big updates to Apple’s Remote app and Vimeo.
Kicking off this week’s list of must-have iOS games is Dreamcast classic Jet Set Radio, a terrific skating game in which you rollerblade around a fictional city and tag buildings, rival gang members, and more with spray paint. It’s accompanied by Pong World, the first official Pong game for iOS; a massive update to FIFA 13, and more.
If you haven’t gotten enough of Robert Kirkman’s uber-popular Walking Dead series, you’ll love this. On his Twitter feed today, Kirkman posted a link to the the website for new, also episodic, iOS game, The Walking Dead: Assault.
It looks much more like the comic than the recently finished season one of Telltale’s The Walking Dead game, and allows you to play as one of the characters from the original series of Eisner Award-winning comic books, published by Image Comics.
Over the last year Apple has been trying to cure itself of its dependency on Samsung, but that’s been pretty hard to do. Samsung makes Apple’s RAM, some displays, and is the sole supplier of processors for Apple’s mobile devices.
There has been speculation about where Apple might go to supplement or replace Samsung, and one of the top contenders Apple might turn to is Intel. According to a new rumor Apple is already in talks with Intel about using them to replace Samsung.
New on the store this week is Etsy for iOS, and it’s beautifully done. Taking cues from apps like Flipboard and sites like Pinterest, Etsy is an exceptionally neat way of browsing and buying from the site that’s full of interesting hand-made things.
It’s been 40 years since Atari released the first Pong game, and to celebrate the milestone, the company just released the first official Pong game for iOS. Called Pong World, the title delivers a new way to play the classic arcade game, in addition to a colorful new look and a whole host of new features.
Apple has issued a press release announcing that the iPhone 5, the iPad mini, and the fourth-generation iPad with Retina display will be arriving in China next month. Both iPads will be available on December 7, while the iPhone 5 will be available on December 14.
The Boomerang is a new Kickstarter iPad accessory from the one-device-to-rule-them all crowd — it’s a combination universal mounting system and frame. The hinged, X-shaped frame snaps onto the back of your iPad, while a powerful, centrally located magnet of its back allows it to attach to a wide variety of stands and mounts that Uros Cadez, the project’s creator, has already designed. Even without any accessory mounts, the frame’s hinge can ratchet to prop the iPad up at three different angles. Another plus: The Boomerang’s corners were designed so it wouldn’t get in the way of a Smart Cover.
Sure, you could use the calculator, or any one of a dozen-odd apps that allow you to tap the screen and calculate the tip in a restaurant, but why even bother? iOS and Siri can meet your needs just by talking to your iPhone–or iPad, but won’t that get meatloaf gravy all over it?
Regardless, here’s how to ask Siri the right way to calculate the tip for the super-helpful server or bartender in your life.
When the PadPivot arrived, I scoffed: It’s just another iPad stand after all, and a weird-looking one at that. But then I started using it, an interesting thing happened: It grew on me quicker than almost any other gadget I have.
A few weeks later and the PadPivot has not only ousted several other widgets from my gear-bag, but – if it was pried from my fingers right now, I’d immediately order myself up a new one.
Alongside the release of iTunes 11, Apple has also updated the iOS Remote app that can be use on an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad to control iTunes.
Remote is simpler and easier with new ways to browse your library and see and edit upcoming songs with Up Next. A redesigned experience for the iPad shows all the songs in an album with the Expanded view and a more powerful search delivers results as you type.
Remote version 3.0 comes with a sleeker design that is similar to the experience offered in iTunes 11. You can download the new update for free right here.
Apple launched the fourth-generation iPad back in October, introducing a new A6X processor, a FaceTime HD camera, and its new Lightning connector. But despite those improvements, it appears the device isn’t selling as well as its predecessors. The reason? Another tablet is “cannibalizing” its sales.
But that tablet isn’t from Microsoft, or Google, or Amazon — or any other manufacturer for that matter. That tablet is the iPad mini.
I was never a big fan of the Dreamcast, but it did have a couple of titles I really liked. One of those was Jet Set Radio, a hugely enjoyable game in which you would skate around a city and mark your turf by “tagging” walls, billboards, and rival gang members with spray paint. I’m sure you’ve already heard of it.
Now you can enjoy this awesome game on your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad — because it’s just hit the App Store.
Bill Nye “The Science Guy!” is working with developer Gamedesk to create a game for the iPad to teach kids all about aerodynamics, and they’re funding it on Kickstarter. The tagline? “Help Us Teach Difficult Science Concepts Through a Beautifully Engaging 3D Bird Flying Game.” How can it go wrong?
Ever wanted to remove all those recently contacted emails from the drop down list in your Mail app on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad? The lists gets kind of long, and maybe you just want to narrow it down to the folks in your list of contacts, rather than all the folks you’ve contacted recently.
You can do this fairly easily on your iOS device, provided you don’t mind removing one address at a time. The address also has to not be in your Contacts on the device, either.
500px launched an awesome iPad app last year, which allowed us to browse the site’s stunning photography from the comfort of our armchairs. We’ve been itching to have the same experience on our iPhones ever since, and today it’s here — a new 500px app for iPhone and iPod touch.
Skype has issued an update to its iOS app that introduces support for Microsoft accounts, and a number of new features. Users can now login to the app using their Messenger, Hotmail, and Outlook.com credentials and then merge their accounts. And if you’ve got an iOS device with a Retina display, you can enjoy animated emoticons. Finally!
Android tablets have grabbed 14 percent of tablet market share, according to new research. While Apple’s iPad is still king, with up to 55 percent of third-quarter tablet shipments, tablets running the Google Android system are gaining ground, and fast.
ABI Research found data that shows the iPad losing more of its dominant position to Android competitors, as reported on CNET today. The iPad is showing a decline of 14 percent, the lowest its been since the iPad was introduced two years ago. Samsung, Amazon, and Asus tablets were among the tablet manufacturers that account for that Android increase, with the Google operating system powering over 44 percent of all tablets shipped.
Like Spotify, Rdio offers unlimited music streaming for a monthly subscription fee. Today Rdio unveiled a completely redesigned iOS app in the App Store, and it’s available now as a free download for subscribers.
Clean and simple design has always been a plus for Rdio, and the new iPhone and iPad apps reflect that design taste.
There are quite a few apps out there that share your location data and allow you to check in at a place, like Foursquare, Facebook, etc. They’re pretty fantastic, and they let your friends see where you are at, and then come meet you.
But what if you want to share where you are going to be in a little while? What about letting your friends know that you’re on your way, and letting them track where you are, how far away you are, and when you’ll arrive at a certain location? Glympse has got your back for that very thing, and some other great stuff.
Power! It’s the stuff I’m always hunting for in the halls of conventions, like the upcoming 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). For you see, when you’re multi-touching your iPhone 5 morning, noon, and night, a once-a-day charge isn’t going to cut it.
So this year, when I’m gadget-hunting on the floors of CES, in my bag I’ll definitely be carrying the Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation ($79). It’s tiny, looks great (more on that in a sec), and will charge a dying iPhone 5 up to two times. Yes sir, in my short time with it thus far, I reckon it’s already become one of my favorite new iPhone accessories.
Adobe pushed out a big update to its Ideas app for iOS today, introducing a number of news tools and features that promise to give you “more creative options and control.” There are enhanced tools for drawing, working with color, and managing layers, Adobe says — in addition to support for the iPhone 5, iPad mini, and iOS 6.
General Motors has announced that its upcoming Chevrolets will be the world’s first cars to offer “Eyes Free” Siri integration, allowing drivers to use the voice control capabilities of their iPhone without taking their hands off the wheel. The feature will be integrated into GM’s MyLink infotainment system.
Black Friday was just the beginning. Now that Cyber Monday has arrived, there’s plenty to offer our readers here at Cult of Mac. Most notably, we’ve got a pair of killer Cult of Mac Deals offers lined up for you that will net you a whole slew of value for under $100!
To celebrate Cyber Monday, we’re offering two great bundles – The iStack Mac Bundle and The Mac Utility Bundle – that on their own are standout sales – but together they are perhaps the best deal we’ve ever offered.
The original Air Display is a great way to add a temporary second screen to any laptop or desktop Macintosh. It’s also super easy to set up and use, as we told you in an iOS tip a while back.
Unfortunately, it’s also a bit on the spendy side. While $10 really isn’t that much to spend for quality software that lets your Mac use an iPad as a second monitor, some folks might not want to spend that much without giving it a good try first.