Cycloramic is the new app which uses your iPhone’s vibration and sensors to rotate itself and take a 360-degree video. It’s amazing to see in action—and Woz loves it so much that a video he shot using it has appeared on Facebook. More »
Snapchat, the sexting app of choice recently cloned by Facebook, might not be as private as you think. BuzzFeed reports that video files sent using the app are actually not deleted from the phone immediately—meaning they can be copied onto a computer and watched over and over. More »
It shouldn’t be a surprise by now that mobile devices, including tablets, have been seen as the perfect gift to give to family, friends and loved ones during the holiday season. Every year, there’s an increase in iOS and Android devices activated on Christmas Day, but this year broke records as there were more iOS and Android devices activated in history.
A report published by analytics firm Flurry took iOS and Android device activations from December 1st to the 20th and compared that data to activations of those devices on Christmas Day. Between December 1st and December 20th, four million iOS and Android devices were activated a day. On December 25th, a whopping 17.4 million devices were activated, which is a 332% increase. The previous record was set last year at 6.8 million activations, which was easily doubled this year.
Tablets also seems to have been the gift of choice this year as 51% of iOS and Android activations were tablets with the other 49% giving smartphones for Christmas. It’s good to know the tablet my grandmother received this Christmas Day has influenced Flurry’s statistics, even though she’s currently only using the thing to play Slotomania.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google Names Its Best Android Apps For 2012, African-Designed Smartphone & Tablet Launched,
Last week we told you about Auxo, the reinvented app switcher that was originally just a concept and a thought, but it turned into a reality thanks to a determined developer. Finally, the jailbreak tweak is now available for iOS 6 devices for $1.99, which is certainly a small price to pay for a much better alternative to Apple’s default app switcher.
Unlike Apple’s stock app switcher, Auxo shows you live previews of apps you have running, and you can use swipe gestures to close apps individually or multiple apps at once. The tweak also comes with an enhanced music player that gives you basic controls and even the ability to view album artwork. There are also toggles for various settings, like WiFi and Airplane Mode.
However, the tweak only works with iOS 6 devices currently, but the team behind Auxo have promised that a version for iOS 5 will be released next week. The tweak is also iPhone-only right now, but an iPad version is coming in early 2013, which will be particularly great for viewing the live app tiles on the iPad’s larger screen. We’re looking forward to seeing how that looks.
Sadly, we’re still waiting on an iOS 6 jailbreak that works on all compatible devices, let alone an untethered option, which is what most users are waiting for. So, Auxo probably won’t see a lot of action until an iOS 5 version becomes available, and we can only imagine what kind of attention the tweak wil get once it’s available on most iOS devices.
Auxo app switcher for iOS 6 now available in Cydia is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
2012 ended with quite a bang, and while the world didn’t end as we expected, we got to see so many awesome iOS apps come to fruition this year. It was a big year for Google, and a lot of independent developers stepped up to make not only good apps, but great apps. We decided to gather up all of the iOS apps that released throughout the past 12 months and provide you with 10 of our favorites. It wasn’t an easy task to narrow it down to just 10, though — there were a lot of amazing apps that just barely missed the cut, but we think we have a solid list here. So, without further adieu, here are our choices for the best iOS apps of 2012.
Google Docs, the company’s own cloud-based office suite, was pretty rad, but they completely overhauled the service by renaming it Google Drive and turning it into a full-fledged cloud storage solution. They made it even better by introducing an iOS app that now features full editing capabilities, as well as the ability to make changes offline. It makes the service not only a top-notch cloud-based office suite, but also an awesome cloud storage service that’s capable of taking on Dropbox, SugarSync, and the rest of the cloud-storage gang.
Chrome is an awesome browser for the desktop, but the company replicated the app and brought it to iOS over the summer. It includes most of the same great features as the desktop version, including the omnibar that allows for instant searches, pre-fetched pages, and swipe gestures to manage and close tabs. You can also sync bookmarks, history, open tabs, and even saved passwords for web pages across devices that also have Chrome running. Essentially, it’s a feature-packed app, and it’s even better when you already use Chrome on your desktop. Read our full review to learn more.
To-do list apps are a dime a dozen nowadays, with a only few that really stand out. Clear is just one of them. It has an insanely minimalist interface, and while there’s not much to look at (other than a to-do list), swipe, pull and pinch gestures are what make the app really shine. Tasks are arranged on top of one another and the more important task are toward the top in red, while low-priority tasks are given a cooler color the further down they are. There’s no buttons whatsoever — everything is done through gestures, and tasks are limited to 30 characters, forcing you to make your lists straightforward and to the point. Check out our full review of Clear to learn more about it.
If you use OS X, you most likely take advantage of iPhoto to organize and manage your photo collection. For iOS, though, there was really no good app that had the capabilities of iPhoto on the Mac — the built-in Photos app was the next best thing. However, Apple finally released iPhoto for iOS earlier in the year, and it allows you to browse, edit, and share photos on your mobile device, all from a good-looking and intuitive interface. There’s also a lot of quality effects and features that you can take advantage of right in the app, including adding captions for photo journals, adding vignettes, and use a variety of “brushes” to repair or adjust photos. Read our full review of the app to learn more.
If there was one app that felt like it was saving us from a sinking ship, it was Google Maps for iPhone. Many iOS 6 users who loathed Apple’s own maps offering looked to Google for a ring buoy to grab onto. Luckily the company delivered in only a few short months after the release of iOS 6, and while we didn’t have anything to complain about with either apps in our comparison, you can’t go wrong with Google’s extensive database and super-detailed maps. Check out our full review of Google Maps for iPhone to learn more.
Fantastical is probably one of the best calendar apps you can get for your Mac, and it just recently released on the iPhone. The mobile version is just as solid as the OS X version, and it features an intuitive interface, as well as incredibly fast natural language input. The app’s interface relies mostly on swipes. It starts off by giving you the day’s events, and swiping to the right will advance the calendar one day, while swiping down will give you a quick glance at the full month. Swiping down again will result in going back to the day view. And of course, it integrates with all sorts of different calendar services, like Google Calendar, iCal, and even Facebook.
Just like with Google Maps, Apple ousted its built-in YouTube app in iOS 6. However, that didn’t stop Google from releasing a native YouTube app that turned out to be even better than Apple’s previous built-in offering. This time around, the app comes with voice search and a redesigned user interface that makes navigation way easier, as well as a slide-out sidebar that provides quick access to settings and playlists. Avid viral-video viewers can finally watch Gangnam Style just one more time while on the go.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with iOS’s default Reminders app, but why settle when you can get so much more? Checkmark offers location-based reminders that are far more easier to set up than Apple’s offering. In just three taps, you can create reminders that notify you when you get home, arrive at work, or pass by the grocery store. And just for good measure, Checkmark also includes normal reminders that will alert you of important tasks at a specified time.
One of the best music-streaming services arrived on the iPad earlier this year, and it came with an interface that we fell in love with immediately. Spotify for iPad is only available to Premium subscribers, but users will certainly get their money’s worth. The app sports a “Now Playing” screen with huge cover art, and also features gapless playback and crossfading abilities. It also allows you to search for songs and playlists right from the main screen without having to tab around or even stop a song that’s currently playing. Check out our full review of the app to learn more.
As with iOS 6’s Reminders app, the official Twitter app isn’t horrible, but Tweetbot offers a few more features and greatly takes advantage of swipe gestures. Essentially, Tweetbot does what any other Twitter client can do, but it does it extremely well. The apps includes quick access to all of your essential feeds, like replies, mentions, and favorites, and it offers quick customization options. However, one of the most-used features that users will enjoy is the ability to tap on a tweet and instantly have a selection of actions to choose from. Check out our review of Tweetbot for iPad to learn more about it.
The best iOS apps of 2012 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Not everybody has the available floor space or audiophilic conviction for 9.1 surround sound—sometimes just a sound bar or even headphones may suffice. With the wall of sound-producing devices that LG just unveiled, finding a system to match your situation should be a cinch—even if it is 9.1 surround. More »
More than a few of us are getting phones and tablets as gifts this year, and Gameloft wants to be there the moment we’re hunting for new apps to feed our devices. Accordingly, the developer has slashed the price on many of its recent games to 99 cents during the holidays, even including better-known titles like Asphalt 7 and Dark Knight Rises. Not surprisingly, the discounting doesn’t include Modern Combat 4 and a few other releases — there have to be profit-makers left somewhere, after all — but it’s a huge break for those who want a few starter titles and aren’t concerned about always having the latest and greatest. Both Android and iOS gamers can splurge at the source links.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Tablets, Mobile
Via: Android Police
Source: App Store, Google Play
The game Six Guns has been updated this week by its developers at gameloft to include not only alternate-dimension shoot-em-up scenarios galore, but online multiplayer action as well. This game is completely free to download and play both offline and online and connects to Gameloft LIVE! as well as Facebook – and you can invite all your best buddies to shoot along with you – or at you!
This game has been out for some time as a single-player game with a plotline or two – but who needs that when you can blast your way through the past with your buddies all across the web?! It’s time to make with the Multiplayer Achievements and the brand new death-bringer in the Submachine Gun as well – thats the SMG for you fans of Age of Zombies, one of the most hilarious chibi-shooters on the market (from Halfbrick studios).
For those of you that’ve been seeking out the best of the best in Wild West shooting games, you may very well have come across the game Bladeslinger – in its pre-release Android form or on the iPad (in iTunes for free as well). That game is exceedingly similar to this one save for the game mechanics being slightly closer to Infinity Blade while Six Guns is closer to Grand Theft Auto. In Six Guns you’re able to hop aboard a horse and do a ride-by-shooting with your pistol – same thing, right?
You’re using a now-standard set of controls with this game which includes a trigger in the lower right-hand corner, a left-hand side movement joystick which appears wherever you set your thumb down, and a look-around joystick that appears wherever your thumb hits outside of the trigger on the right side of the screen. You’ve also got a button to call a horse, another button to do a duck and roll, and several buttons above your main viewing area that link to places like the main menu.
The gameplay is solid, the game is fun, and all of the cash Gameloft brings in from the project goes through two places: advertisements and in-game purchases. If you find yourself addicted to the game, you can purchase larger guns and more fabulous and flamboyant clothing for real money. As it stands, you can still get by in any random multi-player game without getting massacred even with your standard gear. Don’t worry about those with giant pocketbooks quite yet – perhaps when the game catches on more heavily. For now the free model is a good ol’ free-for-all for you and yours, top to bottom!
Gameloft’s Six Guns Multi-player Old West Shooter Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Third-party apps have started to become the best-in-class in iOS. This is good for third-party developers, users, and in the short-term, Apple. It gives third-parties, like Google, additional exposure and revenue. It provides better apps for users on iOS devices. And it helps sell more iOS devices for Apple. In the long-term, however, it may not work out so well for Apple. More »
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
