Spotify’s official iOS app has received a new update that introduces a number of new features and improvements. In addition to playlist sorting on the iPad, Spotify promises “friendlier” login for first-time users on iPhone, a new settings menu that’s now arranged by category, faster radio, and more.
Mac gaming portal, GameAgent, today announced a new version of its web portal. The new update will launch in September of this year and include information on over 150 Mac games, as well as some new game discovery features.
Gameloft’s Order & Chaos Online is widely believed to be the closest alternative to Warcraft on iOS. It’s a popular game, and there’s no doubt it would be even more popular if it weren’t for the monthly fee Gameloft charged to pay it. Thankfully, in the game’s latest update, Gameloft has finally scrapped the subscription fee and made the role-playing game free to play online after purchasing.
When Twitter released its new guidelines last week, it quickly became clear that third-party clients would be hit hardest by the company’s latest rules. However, it seems third-party developers aren’t quite as concerned as the rest of us. Tapbots quickly confirmed that Tweebot development wouldn’t change, and now Iconfactory has confirmed that it will continue development on an “all-new” Twitterrific as planned — unfazed by Twitter’s new rules.
When Apple released OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) back in July, one of the few things users complained about was its impact on MacBook battery life. The software seemingly contains a frustrating bug that causes some of Apple’s notebooks to lose around 38% of their normal charge.
Apple has been working on a fix that will be distributed with the OS X 10.8.1 update. And according to one registered developer who’s currently testing the beta, it significantly improves battery life by adding up to four hours.
Kicking off this week’s must-have apps roundup is a brand new update to Instagram — the world’s most popular photo sharing service — that introduces an improved user interface and new features. We’ve also got a new Food Network app that every foodie should have, the official WWE app for wrestling fans, and a great educational app for the iPad that promises to teach your little ones how to write capital letters quickly and efficiently.
IM+ and IM+ Pro, two hugely popular messaging apps from Shape Services, have been updated today to introduce a new feature dubbed “Off-the-Record” messaging. It’s a $4.99 in-app purchase that allows users to have secret, encrypted conversations with other IM+ users.
While Apple’s latest iOS 6 beta didn’t make any significant changes to the platform’s front-end — aside from removing the YouTube app — it did make some changes under the hood. In addition to “bug fixes,” it appears the fourth beta has made some improvements to App Store download times that make updating your apps super snappy.
The BBC has updated its iOS today, finally delivering high-resolutions visuals for the third-generation iPad. It also introduces “improved video performance,” better accessibility with VoiceOver controls, and more.
I featured UX Write in one of my must-have apps roundups when it first hit the App Store, because it’s one of the best word processors available on iOS. It has now received its first update, and it’s a fairly major one, introducing support for external keyboards, autosave, dictation on supported devices, and more.
Pixelmator, a wonderful image editing app for Mac OS X, just received a major update that introduces some great new features. As well as Retina graphics for the new MacBook Pro, version 2.1 brings iCloud syncing, a new Effects Browser with new effects, OS X Mountain Lion support and more.
I’ve always had a lot of love for Things for iOS, ever since I began using it on my iPhone 3G. But lately I’ve felt the iOS version has been lacking a few key features, and struggling to compete with rival solutions. Today, however, Things has received a massive update packed full of new features, including a fresh new look, and Things Cloud syncing. But does it do enough?
Path just pushed out a new update to its iPhone app, introducing a number of nifty new features. Users now have the ability to share their favorite films and books, send personal invitations with their own message to their friends, snap photos using the volume button and then edit them with Path’s new tools, and more.
With the release of OS X Mountain Lion today, Apple also released Safari 6.0 for Mac. As noted by some, the Windows version of Safari didn’t see the update, and in fact, disappeared from Apple’s site altogether.
While a direct download is still available, speculation has arisen that perhaps Safari for Windows had been completely discontinued.
Following the release of OS X Mountain Lion this morning, it seems Apple is also pushing out updates to its applications to ensure they’re compatible, and to take advantage of new features. One of the apps on that list is iPhoto, which now has new sharing options in version 9.3.2.
Fantastical is one of our favorite Mac apps here at Cult of Mac, because it makes managing your calendar a breeze — unlike Apple’s built-in Calendar application. Today it got a massive update that introduces support for OS X Mountain Lion (coming today!), Retina graphics for the new MacBook Pro, and more. It also has 50% off its price tag for a limited time.
Readdle has today issued a major update to PDF Expert, its excellent PDF management app for iPad, to introduce a number of handy new features. In addition to faster PDF rendering, version 4.1 brings Dropbox AutoSync, Microsoft SkyDrive integration, and more.
Microsoft’s free My Xbox LIVE app for iOS just got a brand new update that introduces the ability to use your iPad as a remote control for your console. You can use it to navigate your way around the menus, control media playback, and to “find fresh entertainment” in the new Discover section.
One of the reasons most of us jailbreak our Apple TV is to install aTV Flash (black), a terrific piece of software from FireCore that adds a ton of incredible features to your set-top box. In its latest update, aTV Flash delivers a number of features, including trakt.tv integration for those who never know what to watch.
Sparrow, my favorite mail client on both Mac and iOS, just received a new update that will be particularly exciting to those of you with the new MacBook Pro. In addition to support for OS X Mountain Lion and Notification Center, Sparrow 1.6.2 brings high-resolution graphics for the new MacBook Pro’s Retina display. It’s also on sale for just $4.99 until Monday, July 16.
iPhoto for Mac just updated to version 9.3.1, bringing a few bug fixes to the table along with a couple of new features. The almost one gigabyte download is available in the Mac App Store now.
What’s New in Version 9.3.1
– Addresses a problem during the migration of albums from MobileMe Gallery that may cause photos to be moved from their original events into a new event called “From MobileMe”
– Fixes an issue that in rare cases could cause iPhoto to hang when upgrading libraries
As of version 9.3, iPhoto was able to open Aperture 3.3 or later files, supported AVCHD video, and added an expanding Description field to see while you enter more text. You can flag photos in Magnify view, keywords are now preserved when exporting GPS location embedded files, and the new Export option allows you to organize photos into event subfolders.
Source: Apple
Via: 9 to 5 Mac
Google has released a major update to its Google+ iOS app that brings full support to the iPad’s Retina display. Borrowing from the Android version, Google+ on the iPad relies heavily on images and sports a very clean, minimal interface. The iPhone version of Google+ was updated weeks ago with a similarly clean UI, probably due to the fact that Google acquired Kevin Rose’s talent at the app development firm Milk.
In today’s update, the location-based Google+ Events feature has been integrated into the universal app. You can attach photos directly from your device’s Camera Roll and add them to your posts. You can also start and join hangouts in-app and stream them to your TV using AirPlay.
Twitter has updated its official iPhone app in the App Store with several new features, including added settings for notifications, enhancements to the Discover tab, the new expandable tweets feature for viewing media content in the timeline, stability improvements, and the new Twitter icon.
Twitter for iPhone 4.3 is available now in the App Store for free. Change log after the break:
As reported by Marc Gurman over at 9 to 5 Mac, Twitter’s official iPhone app is getting a big update soon.
The beta iOS 6 App Store has mistakenly loaded some app update screens for the new Twitter client, version 4.3. Twitter’s apps have been lagging farther and farther behind recently, due to changes in Twitter’s mobile API and third-party apps that include more power features than the official ones. The changes are substantive, however, in the upcoming Twitter app, as shown in the leaked release notes.
Popular online streaming music service Pandora started it all. They grew out of the Music Genome Project in January of 2000 and haven’t looked back. Pandora has a web streaming option, is built into many home and car audio products, and, of course, can be found on iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad. While their algorithms can be hit and miss in my experience, they’re still the go-to app when Spotify, Grooveshark, or Rdio don’t quite cut it.
Today, Pandora updated its iPhone app with several new features and a nice face lift to boot.