Instagram 2.1, which launched at the end of last week, has fixed up the frankly horrible interface of v2.0, and added in some significant new features. Other things — like the proliferation of scantily-clad ladies and (normally-clad) pets in the “popular” section — remain just the same.
Instagram has been updated to version 2.1 in the App Store. The update brings several improvements, including a revamped interface. More photo editing features have been added, like the “Lux” editing tool and the new “Sierra” filter.
Tapbots released Tweetbot 2.0 for iPhone in the App Store today. The update brings several significant improvements, including one-tap links, image preview thumbnails, faster performance, and a UI facelift.
Tweetbot was already one of the best third-party Twitter clients in the App Store, and it just got even better with version 2.0.
It seems as if everyone and their uncle are building iPhone apps these days. As a result, the competition is getting fiercer and fiercer by the day, and it’s becoming tougher to stand out amongst the crowd.
That said, there are a ton of apps that just don’t “cut the mustard” and the user experience suffers because of that lack of care and quality. David Sparks, the man behind the popular MacSparky blog, said the following about what he calls “speculative developers”:
If you want to develop apps, take your time and make something awesome. Make it fast. Make it beautiful. Make something you’re proud of. Don’t make 60 crappy apps: Make one really good one.
I couldn’t agree more, but when you’re faced with the haze of substandard apps that claim to be able to deliver the goods, how can a developer get their app noticed — and adopted — over the long-term?
The latest Cult of Mac Deal may have the solution to that problem.
Last week we told you about Evi, an iPhone app that challenges Apple’s own Siri voice control technology. Powered by the same Nuance backend, Evi and Siri offer similar voice control/assistant features. The main difference between the two is that Evi is available on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS, while Siri is only available natively for iPhone 4S owners.
Another App Store app has come to our attention, and its name is vokul. As the first and only 100% handsfree voice control app for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, vokul allows users to dictate text messages, make calls, and play music without ever having to lift a finger.
Since carriers aren’t allowed to install their own crapware on iPhones the way they do on other smartphones, their forced to release their own apps on the App Store. There’s myAT&T for AT&T customers and My Verizon Mobile for Verizon customers, but up until now, Sprint customers haven’t had a companion app to manage their mobile and data plans.
If you’re a Sprint customer, then, you’ll be glad to know that there’s now an official Sprint app on the App Store called Sprint Mobile Zone, which lets you manage your online account. It also sprays you with promotions and Sprint-related news articles, as well as gives you information about your device, including battery stats, data info, space remaining and more.
Thrillsville, I know, but these apps are occasionally useful to have floating around on your device, so if you’re a Sprint customer, you may as well get downloading.
SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD / iWORLD 2012 — Those brainstorming sessions that we’d all like to eavesdrop on at Apple are managed using an iPad system.
SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD / iWORLD 2012 — If you want to create great photos from your iPhone, start by shooting everywhere. Including the dentist’s office or out the window of a friend’s bathroom.
Photographer Jonathan Marks has snapped his evocative pics in both those places, plus waiting at a traffic light and at a Whole Foods parking lot. He shoots and processes everything directly on his iPhone, thanks to a handful of key apps.
The App Store is a morass of to-do list managers, but there’s reason to perk up your ears about Clear. It might seem like just another to-do list manager from another new studio, but it’s neither. Clear is something special.
Last August, Spotify launched a public API for mobile developers to piggy back off of their system and release their own apps. The hope was the abiogenesis of a series of cool new music apps that pushed the boundaries of how we discover music, with Spotify’s library of 15 million tracks as the lifeblood.
The first app to really come from Spotify’s initiative and impress? SpotON Radio, a Pandora-like service built upon Spotify that allows you to create custom tailored music stations, share them with friends and sync them across the iCloud. Plus, it’s got a really swank visual aesthetic that just sings on iOS devices.
Siri has a new competitor, and her name is Evi. Developed by True Knowledge and powered by the same Nuance-based backend as Apple’s virtual assistant, Evi is available for all iPhones in the App Store. There’s also a beta app available for Android handsets.
While Evi doesn’t have the integrated advantage that Siri wields, she is perhaps the first clone that’s just as smart, if not smarter, than Siri.
Help on those tricky algebra problems could be a touchscreen away thanks to a new iPhone app.
A company called Does That Make Sense? (DTMS, for short) plans to offer live help to students using Apple’s smartphones.
Psychotherapist Marcos Quinones has got streamlining a one-man office down to a science.
Quinones, a former software developer, is a New York City-based cognitive behavioral therapist and licensed clinical social worker who runs his entire office on Apple gear.
He credits the iPad with making a big impact in the smooth running of his sole practice.
As part of our continuing series about businesses using the iPad, he shares a few key apps that help him process payments and help with patient records, saving time and money.
Comparing uprisings in the Middle East to what happens when a manager brings his or her own iPhone to work seems like a bit of a stretch, but IT executives say the effect has provoked a similar shake-up.
The people (read: employees) have brought about a groundswell of change in the corporate world by opting to bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and choosing their own apps. This has upended the “regime” of IT departments, who used to be able to control what devices employees used and what ran on them.
Oliver Bussmann, CIO of SAP, makes an unlikely cheerleader for Apple’s iPad — but one who is bound to get noticed. (If you’re now picturing him in a varsity sweater shaking pom-poms, sorry).
But Bussmann is unabashedly enthusiastic about Apple’s magical tablet computer.
SAP deployed some 14,000 iPads to employees last year, making the stodgy German business management software colossal the second largest corporate iPad user worldwide. (Korea Telecom handed over 30,000 to its workers).
“It’s an exciting time. The line between consumer and corporate is fading and we’ve been aggressive in regards to the iPad,” he said. “There’s a huge opportunity to be in driver’s seat.”
You think your users are hard to please? Try cops, says Travis Taniguchi.
He’s a police criminologist for the Redlands Police Department in California, and one of the driving forces behind an iPhone and iPad app-friendly police department. Cops are not only skeptical, but armed.
“You want to talk hostile customers or end users? You don’t get more hostile than a cop,” Taniguchi joked.”They do that lean back thing, then they put a hand on their gun. It’s not easy.”
As the only “suit” on an Appnation Enterprise Summit panel about upstarts – he was gently ribbed by other panelists about not following the casual jeans-and-blazer mandate – he gave some interesting insights about how police departments can implement mobile apps.
Popular music service Shazam has released a free iPhone app today called Shazam Player. The application is meant to serve as a replacement for the stock iOS 5 Music app, and Shazam is hoping to set itself apart with several marque features.
Firstly, Shazam Player brings LyricPlay to your iPhone’s music library, meaning that you can get fullscreen lyrics for tracks as you listen. You can also watch music videos on YouTube in-app, get tour information, read artist bios, and share what you’re listening to on Twitter and Facebook.
LAS VEGAS, CES 2012 – Sphero is a fun little gadget indeed. Paired with your iPhone, you can make the Sphero roll this way and that. You can also change its color on the fly. And if you own a cat, well, just watch the video and let your imagination do the work.
The Sphero was at CES last year, but only as a rough prototype. They just started shipping in December, so if you’d like to pick one up, you can do so on Amazon or on Sphero’s website for $129.
Go get one, your kitty will think its purrr-fect.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Debuting here at CES 2012, the GoPano Micro ($80) is an odd-looking little device that lets you record 360° panoramic videos on your iPhone 4 and 4S. You can then scroll around those videos in a way similar to how you move around in Google Maps street view, watching your video from a ton of different angles and perspectives.
Hey kids, NASA needs your help. And your iPhone.
Famous director and producer JJ Abrams owns a special effects company called Bad Robot Interactive. Abrams’ company has released an iOS app in the App Store called Action Movie FX that allows you to create realistic special effects on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
Once you shoot video on your iOS device, Action Movie FX will let you choose a type of special effect to add. The end result is some pretty impressive footage.
Apple is offering the popular Bejeweled game for free to customers who ‘like’ the App Store on Facebook. The limited-time sale is a continuation of app giveaways that Apple has been offering on Facebook for the last couple of months.
Facebook has released an update to its iPhone app that brings the highly-anticpated Timeline view to mobile users. Version 4.1 of the Facebook for iOS app brings with it the ability to access friend lists, subscribers, and subscriptions. Photo viewing and overall speed improvements are also included.
An iPad version of Timeline is coming soon, according to Facebook. Users can download the latest update for free in the App Store.
Hipstamatic Disposable from Synthetic on Vimeo.
Hipstamatic has a new group photo sharing app that just might help you remember what happened last night.
With the Hipstamatic D-Series (as in “disposable”) app,
Here’s how it works: you invite Facebook friends to participate and everyone who agrees can either shoot the roll or just view all the photos when the roll is finished. And just like analog photo rolls, those blurry shots or accidental shots of the floor go in there, too. The basic app is free, but you’ll be able to buy $0.99 lenses to further awesomeize your shots.
Fittingly, the video demo shows a hungover guy trying to put together the pieces of a rollicking night spent with friends from high school. Like the anonymizing Tweet app, originally designed to liven up boardrooms but popular with Occupy protesters, this could be co-opted to use on reporting events, protests and the like, an scenario Allen Buick says he didn’t plan on but can well imagine.
Children and Apple stuff mix pretty well — iDevices cap the top three slots on kids’ wishlists, right? So it’s a good bet that there’ll be a bunch of Apple stuff underneath the trees or the Menorah this year. We’ve put together a short list of icing-on-the-cake type gifts — or great follow-ups if you got ’em iDevices last year.