Posts tagged app store
iDygest for iPhone – app review
Aug 23rd
iDygest is just what it sounds like — an app that will congregate all feeds Apple into one sleek timeline for you to browse through. I know I have quite a few iRelated websites that I browse through everyday, I’ve even got an Apple group in Google Reader that syncs with my RSS app on my phone. But lately I’ve found myself opening up iDygest if I just want to see a quick highlight of what’s been going on the world of all things Apple.
When first launching iDygest, the app will populate the latest Apple feeds into the first tab. You can then browse through those or choose to look at top stories. You can also search for Apple news. The app really seems to catch a lot of the same Apple news you’ll get from browsing 5 different sites. One obvious advantage to this app is when browsing through, you don’t get double-posts as the app uses an algorithm to pull stories, it isn’t random. I have several Apple sites in my RSS feed and one thing I see is duplicate stories (which we all know will happen when you’re browsing news sites). This somewhat solves that problem by only pulling in the same story one time. At least I haven’t run into duplicates as of yet. One down side I have noticed is the search feature doesn’t seem to be that accurate.
It definitely won’t completely replace your RSS app (unless all you do is skim iNews and nothing more). There were few times I saw stories stories we had posted as well as other sites, but they still never made it into iDygest. For the most part, they were little things that maybe iDygest’s algorithms won’t pick up on. Either way – if you want a way to quickly browse through iNews, this is a more than decent solution.
Pros
- No double posts like you see when congregating several feeds that may contain the same story
- Slick interface and UI
- Quick load times
Cons
- Sometimes misses stories
- Sometimes slow with scrolling (tested on an iPhone 4)
- Pull to refresh would be a nice addition
- Search doesn’t seem to be very intuitive
iDygest for iPhone – app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Awesome iPhone and iPad apps and updates – August 19, 2010
Aug 19th
We’re shifting our focus from iOS 4 compatibility updates to any iPhone or iPad app or game, new or updated, that seems especially awesome. So if you guys see anything you think deserves some special attention, let us know in the comments and we’ll look at including it in a future roundup! Continue on to see what we found this time!
Pandora
Pandora recently updated their current app to support hi-res images on the iPhone 4. It also fixes several issues with the last version of Pandora. This will also change control settings for volume control and fix crash issues. Since downloading this update, Pandora’s been a lot more stable for me. How’s it been for you guys?
Box.net
Box.net is a great service for sharing files and viewing them on the go. They offer free accounts as well as paid accounts. There’s a lot of options for file storage and sharing out there, and Box.net is definitely a worthy competitor. This update adds fast app switching as well as some tweaks to the general UI. It also adds speed improvements for viewing files by adding caching. If you have it, grab the update, if you don’t, try it out and let us know what you think!
Cannon Cadets
Cannon Cadets is a new game coming to us by the same people responsible for Little Metal Ball. (If you don’t have Little Metal Ball, check that one out too!) Most of their games are physics based games that require maneuvering and use of the accelerometer. This game combines a story into puzzles and 80 graphically awesome levels. Definitely worth a try. You can also choose an in-app purchase that’ll allow you to unlock all the levels if you want to skip around instead of playing in order. If you pick it up, let us know what you think!
Photoshop Express
Photoshop has long been a favorite of many graphic junkies, and while the iPhone and iPad (yes, I said iPad) versions of Photoshop won’t do you any good for hardcore editing, for on the go picture editing and adding fun little tweaks to your pictures, Photoshop Express is great. This version adds compatibility for iPad too! This version also allows native uploading to Photoshop.com and Facebook. The general UI seems to be revamped a bit as well as some of the workflow spaces.
Dragon Medical
This app is mainly focused on professionals in the medical industry. You can use voice controls in order to look up drug interactions, diagnosis information, and much more. It aggregates from some of the more popular databases on the internet. So if you’re a medical professional or student in the medical field, it may be an app worth a second look.
Awesome iPhone and iPad apps and updates – August 19, 2010 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Director of App Store for Apple also made fart and wiz apps
Aug 18th
Wired did some poking around and discovered Phillip Shoemaker, Apple’s director of App Store — the man purportedly in charge of App Store approval and rejection — was or is the developer of fart and urination apps.
Shoemaker apparently had or has a company named Gray Noodle, whose titles include Animal Farts and iWiz. Although the social networking profiles and posts that led Wired to the discovery have subsequently been removed, they’ve retained archive copies. An Apple spokeswoman gave them the following comment:
“Phillip’s apps were written, submitted and approved before he became an Apple employee,” an Apple spokeswoman said in a statement. “His experience and perspective as a developer is one of the valuable things he brings to Apple’s developer relations team. Apple’s policy allows for employees to have apps on the App Store if they’re developed and published prior to their start at Apple.”
Other former Apple employees confirmed that special, executive level permission was required in order for an Apple employee to publish on the App Store, though if the apps predated Apple employment permission for them to remain on the App Store might be easier to obtain.
So is it reassuring for developers to have someone with experience getting controversial apps approved inside the App Store? Does it mean if you were rejected, you didn’t even meet the Animal Farts sniff test?
[Wired, thanks Luke!]
Director of App Store for Apple also made fart and wiz apps is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
iOS4 Apps Updated: Readdle, WeeMee Avatar Creator, Wolfram Alpha, Trism, Reel Director
Aug 8th
And the iOS4 app updates just keep on coming. We’re finding more and more by the day. Whether it’s adding support for the iPhone 4’s awesome retina display or taking advantage of new APIs within iOS4, we’re still watching for them. Here’s the ones we found this time around, and as always, if you see any we missed, be sure to let us know in the comments!
Readdle
Readdle is an incredibly easy to use app that allows you to not only view all kinds of files right on your iPhone, but also allows you to manage and save attachments. It’s one of the better apps we’ve found to handle documents, not to mention reasonably priced. Not only did Readdle’s newest update add multitasking support, it also adds support for USB file transfer through iTunes. Better yet, you can now save attachments via the Mail app.
WeeMee Avatar Creator
WeeMee is an incredibly cool app that allows you to create your own avatars on the fly. (I bet all of you could have guessed who the above avatar was without a name attached!) It’s a great time killer and an awesome way to express yourself on Twitter or whatever social medium you choose. This update fixed a couple bugs found in their initial iOS4 update. It also adds tons of in-app purchases to choose from. If you decide to check it out, let us know!
Wolfram Alpha
If you need a hardcore math application that can handle any formula or calculation you throw at it, Wolfram Alpha is definitely for you. Leanna reviewed this app a while back and had good things to say about it. I don’t know nearly as much about math as she does, so coming from her, you know it’s decent. I use this app for easy to semi-complicated formulas and it’s always performed incredibly well. This update adds support for the iPhone 4’s retina display as well as optimized images. It also adds multitasking support for fast app switching.
Trism
Trism is a long time favorite on the iPhone platform. It was released not long after the app store initially launched and it’s still a favorite of mine. It takes a newer approach on puzzle games like Tetris. This version of Trism adds HD puzzle pieces to support the iPhone 4’s retina display. So if you’re in the mood for a game that never gets old and never ends, Trism is definitely a great time killer at a great price.
Reel Director
Reel Director was here before iMovie for iPhone 4, and unlike Apple’s offering it supports not only older iPhone models but iPod touch and iPad as well. That’s right, it’s a universal binary and the latest update includes:
- Import music from iPod music library (iOS 4 only)
- Support iPhone 4 retina display
- Upload to YouTube within app
- Improved HD video quality on iPhone 4
- Improved photo render quality
iOS4 Apps Updated: Readdle, WeeMee Avatar Creator, Wolfram Alpha, Trism, Reel Director is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
App Store Genius now serving up iPad recommendations
Aug 7th
Apple has added a Genius tab to the iPad version of the App Store. Tap the tab, agree to the terms of service, and Apple will upload an (anonymized) list of all your apps and games, compare them to lists of millions of other (also anonymized) users, and recommend other apps and games you may be interested in.
So if the what’s new and what’s hot sections just don’t strike your fancy, if the top selling, grossing, and free stuff has lost its charm, if the categories are just impossible to sort through, give the Genius tab a try.
Then come back here and let me know just how smart the newly enabled iPad Genius was for you.
(My results so far: it recommended Fruit Ninja based on Angry Birds, Tetris based on Flight Control, iTeleport based on Brushes, Osfooha based on Twitterrific — which is interesting because I already own all of those I just don’t have them installed currently).
[Thanks @ltaylor5311]
App Store Genius now serving up iPad recommendations is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
iPhone App Store gains “Try Before You Buy”. Sort of.
Aug 6th
As part of their constant tweaking of all things App Store, Apple has added a section to the on-device (i.e. on iPhone or iPod touch) App Store that’s called “try before you buy”.
Here’s the deal, on the Featured tab, under New, there are series of 4 banners at the top. If you’re in the US, the bottom right one now says Free on App Store. Tap on it and you get a list of New and Noteworthy, Try Before You Buy, and Our Favorites.
Tap on Try Before You Buy and you get a listing of free or lite versions of popular apps you can sort by Featured, Popular, and Release Date.
So, it’s not like the Android Marketplace where you can sample any app and get a refund if you hate it; it’s really just the same content repackaged in a new way. However, the new packaging will probably be helpful to users looking for just those kind of free, sample apps.
Note: I’m not seeing it in the Canadian App Store yet.
iPhone App Store gains “Try Before You Buy”. Sort of. is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
iOS4 Updated Apps: Osfoora, Agendus, Reeder, AT&T MyWireless, Pano,
Jul 29th
As you all know by now, we’re still watching for iOS4 updates that crop up in the app store, and as always, if you guys see interesting ones, feel free to let us know. Here’s the ones we found in the last week or so, and if you haven’t checked for updates, go check that update tab and let us know if you caught something we didn’t!
Osfoora
Osfoora has taken the place as my favorite Twitter client (for now anyways). They received an iOS4 update we covered a few weeks back, but this one is even better. It adds full retina display support for the iPhone 4 and boy is it pretty. The whole app got somewhat of a facelift as well. The text really pops and the main menus have been revamped. So if you haven’t updated, go for it, or if you are looking for a Twitter client, Osfoora is definitely one of the best around.
Agendus
Agendus is basically an all-in-one app for all the important information on your phone. It basically intertwines your contacts, calendars, and apps into one native app. If you’ve always wanted something that would do this, Agendus is more than decent. The new version adds iOS4 support as well as a new high res icon.
Reeder
Reeder is one of my favorite RSS clients. If you don’t have one and want a full featured one with Google Reader integration, there’s a good chance Reeder will do what you need it to, and then some. This update adds support for the iPhone 4 retina display. The icon just looks so fancy on my homescreen now, as well as all my articles being incredibly sharp. Good job on this one guys, it’s an awesome update.
AT&T MyWireless
AT&T just pushed through an update to their MyWireless app that adds retina support for the iPhone 4. This app basically allows you to view usage, manage features, and even pay your bill via the app. I’ve been using it to pay my bill for quite a while now. Pretty convenient. If you’re an AT&T customer, go ahead and pick it up, it’s free.
Pano
Pano is an awesome app to stitch together pics on the go. It’ll save them directly in your camera roll. The interface is dead easy to use and once you snap a pic it’ll give you guides to line up your next shot with the previous one. This update fixed several bugs and crashes. Mine was continuously crashing under iOS4 but it doesn’t anymore. If you guys noticed anything different than iOS4 compatibility in this one, let us know!
iOS4 Updated Apps: Osfoora, Agendus, Reeder, AT&T MyWireless, Pano, is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
