It’s not often we hear any major new features coming to Foursquare lately, but the service just announced something pretty huge. It has partnered with Delivery.com to allow users to order food, groceries and even liquor right from the app to get sent straight to their homes.
Hackathon may finally create great Apple TV apps
Just a few months after release, the Apple TV has just about 3,600 apps in its App store. That’s a ton of entertainment, games, and media apps waiting to be discovered on the big screen.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a single killer app among them.
AppLovin, a mobile adverting and analysis firm, is hoping to change all that with the first ever Apple TV contest and hackathon, to be held in San Francisco this coming April.
Microsoft’s iOS news app has a smart plan to compete with Apple News
As rumors swirl that Apple is considering subscription-only content for its News app, Microsoft is also looking to get in on the iOS news game. On Tuesday, they released a new app called News Pro, which boasts the tagline “hyper-relevant news for your work.”
Former Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld is now an iPhone developer
Former Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld, one of the key individuals responsible for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, is now an iPhone game developer.
His first app, though, doesn’t boast his name, but British prime minister Winston Churchill’s. Even weirder? It’s a solitaire game.
How to use Picture in Picture mode to watch YouTube on iPad
Picture in Picture mode is one of the best features of iOS 9. On iPads, it lets you continue to watch a video from one app (say, Netflix) in the corner of your screen, even while you’re browsing a webpage, reading your email, and so on.
A lot of cool video apps already support Picture in Picture mode, but curiously, Google’s YouTube app isn’t one of them. But if you want to watch YouTube in PiP mode, there’s another app you can try.
Your heart rate sets the pace of Massive Attack’s new album
Massive Attack just jumped ahead of the curve with a new app called Fantom Sensory Music. It uses your iPhone camera, motion sensors, location data and even the heart rate from your Apple Watch to remix one of four new tracks from the trip-hop collective that hasn’t had an album out since 2010.
The app itself is a trippy, almost spooky black and white affair that will have you listening to the tracks as you point the camera in all directions, shake your iPhone, and jog in place to raise your heartbeat. Or, at least, that’s what I was doing.
Concepts, Lifeline and other awesome apps of the week
It’s a lazy winter’s Sunday, which means it’s the perfect day of the week to try out a few of the hottest new apps currently hitting Apple’s various App Stores. But which ones to sample?
Whether you’re looking for a great Apple TV media player, an engrossing text-based game for your Apple Watch, or a great iPhone app to plan your first 2016 adventure, we’ve got you covered!
Check out our picks below.
The best gadgets of CES plus essential apps for your Mac and iDevices, on The CultCast
This week on Cult of Mac’ podcast: Super-sized drones, app-controlled robot bartenders, smart coffee mugs and the coolest of gadgets from CES 2016. Plus, don’t miss our picks for the absolutely, positively, you-should-install-them-today, most essential Mac and iOS apps.
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to build a website that looks beautiful on any device at Squarespace.com. Enter offer code “CultCast” at checkout to get 10 percent off.
The Bluetooth headset that keeps you awake at the wheel
Pounding coffee and Red Bull can only do so much to keep a driver from falling asleep at the wheel. But one company has developed a discreet Bluetooth headset that nudges you before you doze off.
The Vigo Bluetooth headset uses an infrared sensor, an accelerometer and an algorithm that tracks blinking patterns and head motion and notes changes to quantify mental energy in real time.
Switch faces with anyone, thanks to this hilarious (and nightmarish) app
Tis the season for playing around with weird iOS apps with your friends and family, and boy, do we have a doozy for you. It’s called Face Swap Live, and it does exactly what it says on the tin.
How to restore older versions of iOS apps
Usually, an app update is a good thing. But sometimes, things go wrong: An update does the opposite of what you expect it to do. In that scenario, you want to roll your apps back, but unfortunately, at least on the iOS and Mac App Stores, Apple makes that seemingly impossible.
But it isn’t impossible — just a little tricky. Here’s how to roll your iOS apps back to an older version when things go wrong.
Create royalty-free soundtracks with the click of your mouse
I just made three custom, royalty-free soundtracks using nothing more than a website and my Mac. I’ll be able to use these in any video project I like. This is some super-simple music making; if you make videos that need music, you’ll want to check this out.
Jukedeck Make is an amazing online tool for making basic soundtracks using artificial intelligence. A team of experts in machine learning, music composition and audio production came together around this system, initially conceived of and built by a couple of classmates from Cambridge University.
PhotoPanda, Groove Planet and other awesome apps of the week
From a photography app with a difference to a math training app with human curation and a fantastic classic iOS puzzle game going free, we’ve sifted through this week’s most exciting apps to bring you the ones you absolutely need to download now.
Check out our picks below. Trust us, this is the way you want to spend Sunday!
Cult of Mac Magazine: Big, beautiful iPad Pro
We’ve gotten our happy little hands on the gorgeous, huge new iPad Pro, and we’ve got first impressions of the next-gen post-PC Apple tablet right here.
Plus, some Mac-like keyboard shortcuts for your new friend, must-have iPad Pro apps for creative types, a review of The Room Three (a fantastic puzzler in the App Store), and a check-in with Pope Francis, who wants us all to spend time with each other at the dinner table.
So check out all that and a bunch more in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, the best slice of Apple news and info this side of Cupertino. Be sure to get your own copy today.
Here’s a quick preview of what’s inside:
Apple TV app will wow you with stunning shots of Earth
I’ve always wanted to go into space. The now-familiar view of our “big blue marble” have always fascinated and entranced me, even as a young boy.
With Earthlapse TV, I can stare out of a virtual window from the International Space Station to watch the coast of Northern Australia spin past my high viewpoint, see the aurora borealis as it shimmers above the northern hemisphere, or watch as the world turns from London to Africa beneath my gaze.
This is a gorgeous app and a perfect fit for the big-screen TV in my living room.
Facebook orders employees to switch to Android
Facebook has a problem of iPhone love: too many of its employees prefer Apple’s device when given the chance between an iPhone and Android smartphone. This means that up until now, far less workers have been able to truly live in an Android environment where they can identify bugs within Facebook and fix them. Now, the chief product officer is changing that by ordering some employees to switch to Android.
Who’s Down, Lumino City and other awesome apps of the week
How does this happen? Already the weekend is halfway over, but — don’t worry — before Monday hits, we’ve got some great app suggestions for you.
Whether you’re looking for a fun socializing app, or a zanily original iOS puzzle game, we’re certain that we’ve got what you’re looking for.
Check out our list below.
Unique keyboard app turns your boring messages into music
SoundKey is a clever keyboard app that plays instruments as you type to create melodies from your words.
Developed by two French students who wanted to incorporate music directly into people’s daily use of the iPhone, it’s an unusual twist on the custom iOS keyboards we’ve come to know and love.
Boomerang, Guitar Hero Live and other awesome apps of the week
The weekend’s already half way over but, fear not, Cult of Mac is here to fill you in on the week’s best apps.
In addition to great gadget-hunting and photo sharing apps, we’ve picked out some great games from the past seven days. Check out our suggestions below. You won’t regret it!
Cult of Mac Magazine: Inside Apple’s new iMacs and Magic peripherals
Happy weekend, everyone! We’ve got another insane issue of Cult of Mac Magazine for you this week, full of details on Apple’s new iMac, Magic peripherals, the best updates in iWork’s new update, fresh how-tos, product reviews, and a sad goodbye to one of Apple’s ultimate fans.
All this (and plenty more!) in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine – be sure to download your own copy of our fantastic app today.
Here’s the latest top stories for this week.
Chesh, Twitter Moments, and other awesome apps of the week
Somehow it’s already half-way through the weekend, but there’s still time to check out the hottest apps to have arrived in the App Store as of late!
This week, we’ve selected a broad range of topics — from emergency alerts everyone should have installed on their iOS devices, to a fun photo app, and some truly immersive puzzle games. Check out our picks below.
Forecast Bar is the next best thing to having Dark Sky on your Mac
Forecast Bar brings all the features you love about awesome weather app Dark Sky to a Mac app. Not only does it look similar to Dark Sky, but it’s powered by the same Forecast API, which means you’re getting the same accurate weather predictions.
Forecast Bar also works the way you want it to. Keep it in the menu bar or let it sit in your Dock. Enable certain notifications and display a three-day, five-day or seven-day forecast — up to you. With its detailed weather and range of customization options, it should very quickly take your Mac by storm.
Protect yourself from massive iOS security breach
Apple has now been affected by the worst security snafu in iOS history when it found that hundreds of apps, mostly in the Chinese App Store, have malicious code in them, called “XcodeGhost.”
Apple’s pulled the affected apps from the App Store to contain the security breach, but you’ll still need to take a few more steps to make sure your iOS devices aren’t affected. Here’s what you need to do.
The best apps already equipped for iOS 9
iOS 9 is out and, unsurprisingly, app developers are springing to take advantage of its new features.
There are already too many to provide a fully comprehensive list of every iOS 9-optimized app out there, but we’ve pulled together a selection of some of the best — to give you a test drive of some of the best features of Apple’s latest mobile OS.
Read on for our picks.
New app tracks the movies you haven’t seen (yet)
Have you ever found yourself staring at the Netflix or Amazon Prime Video screen on your TV, or drooling a bit while you page through the Redbox screens at a red kiosk near you?
It’s frustrating, especially when you’re always hearing about movies that you must see right now, but can’t seem to remember when you’re on the couch (or sofa, get it?) with a remote in hand.
The developers of Sofa have you covered, though, with a new app aimed at helping you find and track all those flicks you haven’t seen, but want to.