WItness gets you help from your own emergency contacts when you need it most. Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac
If you’re afraid of ever being in a dangerous situation without any witnesses or good samaritans nearby, you might want to consider downloading this new app appropriately named Witness. Calling itself the ‘panic button for the smartphone age,’ one tap broadcasts live video and your current location to a list of preset emergency contacts, who can then decide if it’s appropriate to take action.
Of course, if they do nothing, they could potentially have front-row seats to a very morbid and disturbing show.
A long time ago (well, three days ago) in an App Store far, far away, Disney finally dropped its official Star Wars app ahead of the release of this winter’s Episode VII movie. Bringing you all the breaking news and interactive features you can shake a lightsaber at, the app will let you know the second a new trailer drops or any other big announcement is made.
On top of that, the app lets you unlock 3D characters for a special Augmented Reality camera feature, take and share a Star Wars selfie, and so much more.
Domino's has added a couple cool features to its iOS app. Photo: Domino's Pizza/iTunes
You know that feature when you order online from Domino’s that keeps you posted on the process of your order and even tells you which employee has put your pizza in the oven, and who just left the store to bring it to you?
I love that feature, for some reason. I don’t think it makes me some kind of creepy pizza stalker, if that’s even a thing.
But my main issue is that I had to keep my laptop open to stay on top of the whole process. Luckily, however, Domino’s has addressed that one, strangely specific gripe with the latest update to its mobile app.
Smug Californians now have proof they’re better than you.
A couple of the most popular fitness apps in the App Store have pooled their data to figure out which U.S. states have the best (and worst) health habits. They examined a combination of workout and nutritional info among their users and concluded that the Golden State has the best habits, and Wyoming has a lot of work to do.
That map on the wall is an augmented-reality city guide. Photo: Premier Inn
I typically look for two things in a hotel room: Internet included with the room and free breakfast. But a new hotel in London’s Covent Gardens might have me adding some things to that list.
The recently opened Hub hotel from Premier Inn, the U.K.’s largest lodging chain, sports some pretty impressive tech features that involve both smartphones and wearables like the Apple Watch. And while your hotel room shouldn’t be the coolest part of any trip, Premier is really giving the rest of your vacation something to live up to.
Please, please, please let my charge last all day. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
We’ve had a couple days to check out Apple Music, Apple’s song-streaming platform that launched Tuesday. It comes loaded with 30 million songs that you can listen to on demand with a quick search or a request to Siri.
But all that choice and tech power may come at a price, as some users are reporting that the new Music app is killing their iPhone’s battery life.
Apple Music streams music bleep-free unless you take some action. Photo: Wikipedia
Apple Music is the latest way to stream a ridiculous number of tunes on demand. And with all that variety, you’re going to get some cursing in there. It’s just how a lot of musicians work.
But if you don’t want to hear all of those bleepables and swears, it’s a pretty quick fix to keep it from showing up in your stream. Here’s how to do it.
Maryland residents can prepare to set sail with their Apple Watches. Photo: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Apple Watch might not be waterproof, but it will help Maryland residents get sailing, anyway.
The state of Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has launched a companion Apple Watch app to help residents find waterways to explore. This makes Maryland the first state government with an official app for Apple’s recently released smartwatch.
It's straight out of a David Lynch movie. Photo: Ben Bacal (via YouTube)
If you have an extra $11.5 million sitting around, and you’ve always wanted to live somewhere that looks like a great place to plan a heist while your robot butler serves you drinks, we may have found your new home.
The house at 535 Haynes Avenue in Beverly Hills once belonged to tycoon, filmmaker, and real-life Iron Man, Howard Hughes. And if its classic charm and amazing views weren’t enough for you, it’s also entirely automated and runs from an iPad.
You can see more of the swanky house in the video below.
Final Fantasy VII is coming to iOS Photo: Square Enix
It might be kind of hard to keep up with all of the Final Fantasy news that’s suddenly everywhere. We have a high-definition remake and an iOS port of PlayStation 1 classic role-playing game Final Fantasy VII in the works, the weird and cute-ish World of Final Fantasy, and trailers everywhere.
Oh, and if you’re looking for a hub that will make keeping track of all of this stuff way easier, developer Square Enix is ready to help you out with that too, thanks to the new Final Fantasy Portal app coming out for iOS
We didn't think it was possible to make this series more adorable, but Square managed. Photo: Square Enix
If you love the Kingdom Hearts series of role-playing games, which is a sprawling adventure set in a series of worlds from classic Disney films — or if you’ve never heard of it but think that what I just said sounds like the best thing ever — we have some good news for you: It’s coming to mobile.
Developer Square Enix debuted the new entry in its incredibly nerdy series during its event at the Electronic Entertainment Expo tradeshow today, and while the series is already super cute, the iOS installment really kicks that up a few pegs.
Get ready to raid your pocket. Actually, don't do that. Photo: Square Enix
Fans of the Tomb Raider game series will be able to bring the adventure along with them with an upcoming game from developer Square Enix Montréal.
Lara Croft Go is a turn-based puzzle game with a bright, stylized visual style. Square Enix announced it during its Electronic Entertainment Expo event earlier today, and you can get your first look in the trailer below.
The nuclear holocaust has never been so adorable. Photo: Bethesda
Developer Bethesda had a surprise or two for its showcase at the Electronics Entertainment Expo trade show last night. But the biggest one was a previously unannounced game called Fallout Shelter, a resource-management title for iOS that puts you in charge of a subterranean colony after the nuclear holocaust.
Most surprising of all: It’s out right now, and it’s free.
Prepare for a fun night out of stabbing. Gif: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac
We’ve all had terrible neighbors who throw loud parties that last all night, even on Mondays. Party Hard, an upcoming game for iOS, is about bringing those annoying gatherings to a halt. With a knife.
Developer Pinokl Games has released a new trailer for its “third-person urban conflict simulator” ahead of the Electronics Entertainment Expo trade show next week, and you can check it out below.
Uber, the disruptive (and controversial) ride-sharing service, has a real problem. If you want to corner the market on the backs of a global workforce of what are essentially freelancers, how do you ensure that they all know how to use your system? And, more importantly, how do you replenish your supply of willing Uber drivers.
The San Fransisco company thinks that a video game may be the answer. Called UberDrive, it will be available on the App Store for anyone who wants to take a virtual trip as an Uber driver.
“UberDRIVE is a compelling representation of what it’s like to be an Uber driver-partner on the platform,” said Mike Truong, a senior product manager at Uber, in a statement. “Through the course of playing the game you can get a sense of how much money you can make using your own car and driving on your own time. With the sign-up flow embedded directly into the game it makes it really easy to start the sign-up and screening process right then and there.”
Prepare to get even more lost in Wikipedia. Photo: Wikilinks
If you’ve ever hopped onto Wikipedia just to “look one thing up really quick” and then come to an hour later with a comprehensive knowledge of the various forms of lightsaber combat, WikiLinks 3 might very well be your Kryptonite.
And even if you’re not the type to fall into a Wiki-hole of cross-references and endless chains of links, it’s still a cool app that offers an interesting way to get lost on the Internet.
To be faire, how would you keep a fleet of large, camera-covered vans a secret? Photo: AppleInsider video
A post on Apple’s site for its Maps app heavily suggests that it’s hard at work on a feature to rival Google’s Street View, which lets users zoom into maps to explore areas from ground level. The company hasn’t officially announced that that is what it’s doing with those camera vans, but we’re running increasingly low on alternative theories.
You just can't make a Star Wars game without putting Hoth in there. Photo: Kabam
An upcoming mobile game will throw players into the struggle immediately following the death of the Emperor in Return of the Jedi.
Star Wars: Uprising, which is due out later this year for iOS and Android, is a real-time strategy game that picks up after the destruction of the second Death Star at the end of the third film as the decapitated Empire struggles to maintain control over the galaxy.
Find a cruise that matches your style and budget without a lot of travel industry tricks. Photo: MSC Cruises
If you’ve ever tried to book a cruise through a portal like Cruise.com or — heaven forbid — via a cruise line’s website, you know that it can be an incredibly confusing and costly experience.
The thing is, though, that it doesn’t have to be. Cruisable is a startup that hopes to take the obfuscation away and let you find affordable and/or incredibly fantastic cruise vacations with a website and app that won’t try to trick you.
“Cruises can be cheaper than other getaways,” said CTO and co-founder Giacomo Balli, “as low as a couple hundred dollars.”
Now's your chance, every iOS developer. Photo: Apple
Patient iOS developers haven’t had long to wait for their time with Apple’s new App Analytics tool; the beta is now open to everyone with an iTunes Connect Admin, Finance, or Sales account.
The New York Times recently updated its NYT Now app for the iPhone to version 2.0. It was already an excellent app for staying on top of the day’s news, and now it’s the best.
Hipstamatic rolled out DSPO, a new product that creates a social network. Photo: Hipstamatic/iTunes
Many smartphone photographers use Hipstamatic as a way to articulate their personal vision. But the quest for beautiful photos need not be so solitary.
The iPhone app that lets you apply a vintage aesthetic from any era of photography now has a social component called DSPO.