When Silvio Rizzi pulled down the Reeder app for iPad after Google Reader’s death, he swore to develop and eventually release a new version. Now, Rizzi has made good on that promise by launching Reeder 2 — a reworking of the older RSS reader that’s compatible with both iPhones and iPads. The app sports a brand-spankin’ new interface that replaces the old browns and sepias with gray, pulls feeds from several sources — including Feedly and Feedbin — and it can now also open links on Google Chrome. Reeder 2’s now available on the App Store, but if you feel iffy shelling out $4.99 for it, you can give the RSS client a whirl by getting the older iPhone version for the low, low price of free.
The boys of summer are about to come home, but that doesn’t make developer Aaron Draczynski’s Google Glass baseball app any less rad. Blue uses geolocation to determine what park you’re at and feeds all manner of ball diamond-data directly into your eye. Whether it’s displaying play-by-play descriptions, who’s on the mound or how fast and what type his last pitch was, sitting in the stands no longer means missing out on the info you’d get from a TV broadcast. While this might seem like it’d be a better tablet or phone app, wearing Glass to a ballgame does have a distinct advantage: it lets you hold more than two $15 beers at a time.
We all know the drill by now, and if you forget there’s usually a warning: please turn your mobile devices off / silent, the movie is starting. For a special Second Screen Live showing of Disney’s The Little Mermaid however, it’s going to be different as moviegoers are encouraged to use their tablets for an augmented experience. Disney has created an iPad app for viewers to download before they get to the theater, which mirrors apps we’ve seen for home viewing with synchronized games, sing-a-longs and trivia. That’s no coincidence, since the movie’s return to theaters is timed ahead of its Blu-ray release on October 1st.
Viewers shouldn’t worry about this encroaching on their Oscar-season previews however, as it’s limited to a monthlong run at the El Capitan in LA starting on the 15th, and limited showings at select other theaters (listed after the break) nationwide starting on the 20th. This is Disney’s first public use of the tech after a trial run last fall alongside Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, which had a response it described as “positive.” For a family movie likely loaded with kids we can see where this might be more enhancement than distraction and maybe even for certain niche midnight screening-type environments — but if anyone whips out a slate at Machete Kills, Her, 12 Years A Slave or Gravity we’re calling the usher.
Apple had two phones and the final iteration of its mobile OS to show off, so it’d be forgiven for letting smaller news slip through the cracks — especially when it’s the termination of an older service. It looks like not many people were in need of Cupertino’s Cards app, which launched alongside the iPhone 4S back in October 2011. In case you forgot, iPhone (or iPad) users could send an ole-fashioned greeting card through the app interface which would then be sent via snail mail. Apple’s official support page confirms that the service is being shuttered, but reminds us that it still has a Hallmark alternative and that we can make “beautiful letterpress cards customized with your photos and text using iPhoto on your Mac.” At $2.99 per greeting in the US (or $4.99 to send it globally) the service wasn’t cheap, so perhaps you’d already resorted to sending your photos and greetings digitally (and for free) on iMessage — Apple publicly launched its messenger app at the very same event.
I can remember growing up back in the 80s, there were plenty of pinball machines in arcades alongside the video games. I was always more interested in video games, but there’s no denying that a noisy pinball machine with flippers and giant ball bearings rolling around is tons of fun. It’s hard to find pinball machines these days, but there are plenty of digital versions of pinball machines available.
If you’re a digital pinball wizard and like Star Wars, a new pack of pinball tables called Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force is coming for a number of gaming systems. The game offers three new Star Wars themed pinball tables to play through. Players will aid Star Wars characters including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca Lando Calrissian, and more. There are also tables themed for bad guys such as Darth Vader.
The new tables will be available for the Xbox, PS3, PS Vita, Nintendo Wii U, iOS, Android, Windows 8, Mac OS, and the Kindle Fire HD later this fall.
Since there aren’t many benchmarking apps for iOS, we totally understand if you resented 3DMark’sAndroid-only release in April. Good thing Futuremark finally launched an iOS counterpart, giving you a way to test hardware and pit the results directly against those of Windows and Android devices. The tool comes with three benchmarking modes that gauge CPU and GPU performance: the basic Ice Storm test, the more demanding Ice Storm Extreme and a new one called Ice Storm Unlimited, which lets you make chip-to-chip comparisons between phones and tablets. 3DMark will work with hardware running iOS 6.0 or higher (except if it’s a 4th-gen iPod touch), but you’ll need at least 174MB of free space. While this’ll surely make a lot of people happy, it’s not the end of the tool’s foray into new platforms — Futuremark plans to unleash a Windows RT version in the future.
Following its recent auto-notification announcement, Foursquare is serving up yet another feature to make finding a spot to nosh even easier while you’re out and about. With its latest update, the social check-in software has added menu search. That’s right, all you have to do is type in a dish, select your current locale and boom: the app dishes out a list of restaurants where that item you’re crazing is on the menu. This works for dietary restrictions too for those who prefer to stick to veggies or follow the gluten-free lifestyle. No word on when you’ll be able to order directly from the app, so stay tuned.
There seems little doubt that much of the Galaxy Gear’s success or failure will hinge on the selection of apps that arrive on smartwatch. Samsung is making a strong push for third-party software (even in the face of limited device storage), courting a big cross section of developers at places like Path and eBay for its wearable. Popular messaging app Snapchat will also be hitting the device in the form of Snapchat Micro. As you’d expect, the app harnesses the Gear’s 1.9-megapixel camera to send self-destructing images. The company’s founder told Techcrunch, “Our team is constantly looking at ways to reduce the time between our experience of a moment and our ability to share it.” Walking around with a camera on your wrist is certainly one way to go about it.
It doesn’t seem like dungeon masters are going to get their hands on the Surfacescape anytime soon, but Brendon Duncan may have an affordable alternative. His 3D Virtual Tabletop app gives you access to digital maps and creature tokens on your mobile device or desktop computer through a browser.
Aside from helping you visualize your adventure, 3D Virtual Tabletop makes it easy to add maps and characters. If you can copy an image, you can import it to the app, although I’m not sure how well its automatic cropping function works. The app will be available on iOS, Android and Kindle devices, as well as through Mac and PC via a web app.
Some of the other neat features of the 3D Virtual Tabletop include saving the setup of the map, status indicators and fog of war. You can try out demo versions of these apps right now. You can use the final version of the app offline, but if you pay $0.99 (USD) a month you’ll have access to its cross-platform feature. That means you and your party members can see and interact on the same map across multiple devices and platforms. Brendan said the app can handle at least 20 simultaneous users on the same virtual tabletop.
Pledge at least $9(USD) on Kickstarter to get a 1 year (or more) subscription to 3D Virtual Tabletop’s online services. When it launches, Brendan will also setup an online market where you can buy more maps and character images. It seems like a convenient alternative to physical maps, especially since its compatible with different devices. But if all of your playmates have access to a PC, you might be better off with Roll20.
If you’re a fan of music who likes the Xbox Music service, Microsoft has really good news for you today. Microsoft has officially released Xbox Music apps for Android and iOS users. In addition to releasing those new applications, Microsoft is also adding free streaming to its Web player. With those renew options Microsoft now […]
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