Tag: IOS 7 »

Packing Pro unpacks a new update that brings support for iOS 7 with both design and functionality. It also adds AirPrint, which allows users to print through a wireless connection. It was a big update, so make sure to check it out! It also includes improved email and print formatting!

It's time to take some more photographs! Well, it's always time to take a good photo. Anyway, Instagram updated its app with a new design and performance enhancements for iOS 7. So head on over to the app store and give it an updatin'!

Humanist allows you to help determine the character of any person and what kind of influence this person has on you. It also features a calendar that provides details on your day-to-day physical, psychological, and intellectual characteristics, along with information about anyone else that you may be dealing with on any particular day.

Humanist also comes with a new 2.0 version that features an iOS 7-styled redesign. So, check it out and see just how well it helps you with your everyday relationships with people.

Foodspotting, the visual guide to finding good food, gets a new design that goes along with the iOS 7 look. It also features additional updates that includes the ability to suggest edits to places, a new smart search to find dishes by place or category, and the ability to find dishes anywhere in the world. So get to it, food spotters!

Tuaw reports that there is a new study out that finds iOS outranking Android, Windows, and BlackBerry phones in user satisfaction. The graph shows iOS 6 and 7 beating out the other three competitors in a study that includes four main categories: cognitive load, efficiency, customization, and user experience friction. The results are based on a study by Pfeiffer.

Screens - Control Your Computer Remotely is the app that lets users connect to their PC from anywhere in the world. It's been updated with a cleaner user interface that is influenced by the iOS7 design. This update creates more room for content and makes it easier to connect to computers that are nearby.

WeatherPro comes storming in with a new update that has been optimized for iOS7, giving the app a new design that features a flatter visual presentation and borderless buttons. Also, users who are familiar with the app will notice that the content is updated just before the usual access periods, so I guess it has new lightning quick speeds! Breeze on by the App Store to check it out!

Blur. is an app that transforms regular pictures into blurred out backgrounds, and its been updated to fit the feel of iOS7. So, if you like things to be a little blurry, check out the new iOS7 update and give your images a blurred view!

Minus negates its old interface and comes out with a new iOS 7 inspired design. The update also allows for faster chatting and browsing, which is definitely not a negative in my book! Now get back to chatting with friends and sharing those photos with people you know from all over the world.

Perhaps the biggest addition to iOS 7 is the new Control Center, which makes common setting toggles available from anywhere with a simple gesture. Here's how to use it and to configure its options.

To call up Command Center, just swipe up from the bottom of the screen, like you would swipe from the top to open up Notification Center. This works from the lock screen as well.

Many of the controls that were available by double-tapping and swiping left-to-right in previous iOS versions are available here. The new multitasking bar has no actual controls.

The top row of commands from left to right toggles Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb, and Orientation Lock. The first four can now be toggled from any app, instead of having to open up Setting to specifically toggle the features. Below that is the brightness dial. Auto-brightness toggling is sadly not yet available from Command Center, which would be a handy toggle for saving battery life, like disabling Bluetooth is.

Below the brightness toggle is the music and volume controls. These are expanded from the standard music controls in iOS 6 and earlier, in that there's more than just play/pause buttons. It's possible to see track name, artist, album, and current play time, with the ability to seek to a different time. Of course, reverse/pause/forward buttons are available, with the forward and reverse commands changing to jump 15 seconds commands when Podcasts is playing a track.

The AirDrop setting allows you to toggle whether AirDrop, the new feature for sharing content from apps with other local users, is disabled, enabled for contacts only, or enabled for everyone nearby. This will enable both wi-fi and Bluetooth if they are disabled. The text will be black when disabled, and will turn white when enabled, and will display which setting is enabled when there's not an AirPlay receiver nearby. This is the other option on this row, and it allows for audio, video, and/or mirroring playback to AirPlay receivers on the same network.

The bottom row has quick shortcuts to four built-in features. On the left: Flashlight, meaning that it's time to dump that flashlight app for good. Second from left is a shortcut to the Timer in the Clock app. This means setting an alarm is just an additional tap away. Second from right is Calculator, and on the right is Camera. This makes these features easier than ever to activate.

Settings has a Control Center section, but there's only two toggles: Access on Lock Screen and Access Within Apps. The former configures whether Control Center can be accessed from the lock screen, and the latter whether it can be accessed within apps. For some intense games, this may be a good setting to have, but much like Notification Center a quick inadvertent swipe will not open it up, it will just call up an arrow to swipe to open it up, so it shouldn't open unless by the user's volition. Still, that's why this setting exists!

Control Center makes using an iOS device more convenient as many toggles are now available without switching apps. Settings just might feel lonely without all that attention now!

New iPhone? New apps? You Need Our Know-How!

Each week brings with it a wealth of new apps, but, we'll admit, some weeks are just more exciting than others. Such is the case with this week, with its iPhone 5s and 5c announcements coupled with the long-awaited release of iOS 7. Be sure to catch up on our continuous coverage by checking in at our iOS 7 hub. And if you want more app reviews than you can shake a stick at, be sure to hit our Reviews Archive.

Diptic PDQ

Conveniently fitting into the iOS 7 aesthetic that we’re all growing to quite like, Diptic PDQ lives up to its name by being a Pretty Dang Quick photo collage creation app. It’ll prove immensely useful to those who want to create a collage out of their photos and don’t have much time to do so. Distinctly speedy to use, Diptic PDQ dispenses with any bells and whistles that really aren’t needed; immediately requesting the photos that the user wants to import (as well as offering options to take images directly through the iOS device’s camera). Users are then able to drag and drop the photos into their respective places on the layout. There are 35 layouts in all, and each are the kind of template that one would actually use rather than the kind that are too wacky to be practical. --Jennifer Allen

Angry Birds Star Wars II

There once was a man named George Lucas who decided he wasn’t prosperous enough. In search of never-ending wealth, he released three new films in his storied Star Wars franchise. After eventually completing his quest for riches and fortune, Lucas licensed out the rights for his films to Rovio, the brains behind the Angry Birds franchise. And thus a glorious gaming baby was born in the form of Angry Birds Star Wars II. Can this entry make just as big of a splash as the first installment, or have the days of Force-wielding fowl long since passed? Marketing professionals go an entire lifetime dreaming of working with a single brand that even remotely has the clout of a singular Star Wars or Angry Birds. Melding these two juggernauts together is a cross-promotional fantasy that has probably sold an iOS game or two… million. Taking a whack at the more recent trilogy is the aim of the sequel and this time around Rovio has ambitions of pulling out all of the stops. --Blake Grundman

Marvin

Previously quite the hit for iPad-owning reading fans, Marvin has made its way to the iPhone ably demonstrating just what a great eBook reader the device can be. For those who enjoy reading on the move, Marvin should be a firm choice for a while to come. The app is immediately simple to use. Relying upon DRM-free EPUB books, it comes with a selection of great classics such as “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” “Crime and Punishment,” and many more. Importing others is just as simple, done via iTunes, Dropbox, or a Calibre plugin. Tutorials for doing such things are located via Safari rather than built into the app, but fortunately it’s all quite straightforward. --Jennifer Allen

Double Dragon

Double Dragon celebrated its 25th anniversary with an updated iPhone version, but has it managed to hold on to everything that has made it such a legendary franchise in the process? I was happy to see that the classic visuals, 80′s soundtrack, and damsel-in-distress story were all still present and cheesier than ever before. In terms of the game screen, the amount of buttons is deceptively simple. Although there may only be one directional button and four attack buttons there is an impressive array of moves available as laid out in the command list. Uppercuts, flying knees, head-butts, and special attacks all go towards keeping gameplay varied and particularly challenging to master (especially when it comes to initiating juggling). Let’s not forget the infamous weapons either. Barrels, whips, and steel pipes are all available to pick up and wield against the never-ending parade of thugs. --Lee Hamlet

Other 148Apps Network Sites

If you are looking for the best reviews of Android apps, just head right over to AndroidRundown. Here are just some of the reviews served up this week:

AndroidRundown

Monster Match

A lot of games find it hard to stick to one ‘type’ nowadays. It seems that every game is of type X though has Y components. It’s not enough to find one solid game mechanic, it seems the trick is to mix several together. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I’m happy to say that Monster Match‘s attempt at mixing Pokemon and Connect 4 has worked a charm. The premise, as with most good games, is simple. You have a board which is full of coloured gems. You need to swipe at these gems connecting 2 or more of the same color. The more you connect, the better. Better how? Let me explain. --Matt Parker

Quad Drawer

The past few renditions of the Android devices have had a lot more memory to store apps. The problem is, we can add more stuff to the phone because we have more space, so we do. When we have a hundred or more apps on our devices, it can take some time to find the right app to open. Quad Drawer is a great solution for most people to help find apps faster. After it’s downloaded, Quad Drawer will run a check to find all of the apps on the device. Once it does, finding an app is super easy. The apps are found by simply typing in the name of the application. While this may sound pretty simple, the majority of phones and other Android devices out there do not have a feature like this. --Trevor Dobrygoski

Infectonator Hot Chase

Infectonator Hot Chase has a tough legacy to follow. The original Infectonator was an insane stew with zombies, tactics, humor and originality. This game only has zombies. Being worse than Infectonator still counts as a praise, although I’d much rather have original gameplay extended. But oh, well, maybe we’ll see that later. Infectonator Hot Chase is still fun, though. If you played Dead Ahead, then it’s easy to understand the concept of this game: it’s the same as Dead Ahead, but the heroes are zombies, not the survivals. The main zombie is running constantly to the right, just as the still-surviving humans do. He is also steering automatically to the bottom of the road, while pressing at the screen makes him strafe to the top. The player’s task is to “catch” the humans as the main zombie runs past them, and infect them. The freshly-infected start running alongside the main zombie, and help infect more people, or pick up gold and power-ups. The zombie slows and loses health over time, both of which can be replenished by eating people, or picking power-ups. When the main zombie dies, the gold he picked up is added to the bank, and can be spent to upgrade himself, or special mutations that temporarily imbue him with new powers. --Tony Kuzmin

And finally, this week Pocket Gamer reviews Infinity Blade III and Angry Birds Star Wars II, charts the history of Grand Theft Auto on handhelds, goes hands-on with Pokemon X & Y, investigates FIFA 14's in-app purchases, and celebrates iOS 7's best and hidden features. Check out the Pocket Gamer Weekly Wrap-Up for all of this and more.

djay 2 enhances its spins with iOS 7, adding new user interface elements and enhanced audio features that allow users to use djay 2 to connect with other apps. The update also adds exclusive artist packs which is a collection of 12 audio and vocal samples that can be loaded and played during live performances. These packs include a beat kit from DJ Qbert and classic west coast sounds from Snoop Dogg.

“We are very excited about the design and audio enhancements introduced to iOS 7,” said Karim Morsy, CEO of Algoriddim. “With iOS 7, djay 2 can now easily connect with other apps using Inter-App Audio, making it an open and flexible tool for musicians and DJs. The new modern design elements of iOS 7 integrate beautifully with our award winning interface making this the most polished version of djay ever.”

Vimeo received its new iOS 7 update, which adds the ability for users to upload their videos directly to Vimeo with one simple touch. The update also added instant playback of the most recent Watch Later videos, even when users are offline. They are able to control the number of videos that get stored on their devices depending on storage space.

"We are proud that iOS 7 users can now instantly upload videos directly to Vimeo from their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, and can't wait for our users to try it out," said Nick Alt, Vimeo's Vice President of Mobile + Connected TV, in a press release. "In addition, we're excited to be first to market with an app that allows for the instant playback of videos, even if they're not connected to the Internet - a feature that gives our members a taste of where we're headed with iOS 7."

High Voltage Software has recently released a new update for Le Vamp that you must install if you plan to update to iOS 7. In addition, the new update also adds charms and curses to tweak your gameplay experience, as well as clothing.

The adorable little vampire runner has gnawed his way into many iOS gamers' hearts, but if you want to avoid losing all of your progress you're going to want to grab this update before you switch to the new OS. If you have no plans to flatten your interface or use some of those handy-dandy new features (helooooo Control Center!) you can get by without it. However, don't say we didn't warn you!

With the release of iOS 7, we reached out to Denys Zhadanov from Readdle to discuss how the massive changes in iOS 7 front end and back end impact an app-focused company like Readdle.

148Apps: How do you feel about the change in look and overall design of iOS 7? Was it taken far enough? Too far?

Denys Zhadanov (DZ): It's interesting how the feeling towards iOS 7 evolved with time. Say, when it was announced I was more than excited about it. Especially I enjoyed the layering concept of content, controls and background. iOS 7 is definitely fresh, juicy, and bright. However, this excitement then changed radically because of some design exaggerations. Sometimes I felt that Apple has decided to do something new for the sake of it, rather than making something better. Apple is brilliant at managing our expectations and emotions towards their products. They did put an effort in emphasizing what's important in iOS 7, that's why after 2 months of active usage I have to say that I really enjoy it. The GM version is way different from the first beta. It's finished, complete, and consistent. It'll be interesting to see the adoption rates, but I think it'll be the highest in Apple's history.

148Apps: Have you come across any issues with iOS 7 as a developer?
DZ: Readdle apps are well-known for design and user experience. Flat design gives a very limited set of elements to differentiate your product from others. That said, it's much harder to create iOS 7 app that stands out. Since no-one ever created apps for iOS 7 before, there are no benchmarks. So the main issue for us was to understand how iOS 7 app should look like, how to provide the best experience and how to differentiate Readdle apps from thousands of copycats.

148Apps: How do you expect iOS 7 to affect your apps, if at all? Do you feel rushed to change all of your apps to match the style of iOS 7?

DZ: Since we have 7 major apps, we had to rush in order to submit the updates in time. It is vital to update apps according to the new guidelines and iOS 7 design principles. iOS 6 apps look alienated on the new operating system. iOS 7 affected our app to a great extent. Not only did we have to create a new design, but also follow the logic behind iOS 7 - fast, simple, minimalistic principles. In fact, sometimes we had to create 3 different version of the app and then chose which one to iterate. That felt like creating a new app for the unknown market. Did we feel rushed? Last 3 weeks we've been working 14 hours per day with no weekends.

148Apps: What new features of iOS7 are you most excited about taking advantage of in your apps? Is there anything you are able to do with iOS 7 that you were never able to do before?
DZ: Background download is the most exciting feature! It will allow our apps to automatically sync documents on the iPad or iPhone with any cloud service (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc). So you'll always have your files on hands.

Many thanks to Mr. Zhadanov for his time.

About Denys Zhadanov, Marketing Director, Readdle

Holds a Masters Degree in Business and Management from Aston University. BGS lifetime member.
Spent the last 5 years of his life transforming Readdle from a "garage start-up" into a leading iOS company that creates productivity and business apps. 

As of now, Readdle is a team of 45 based in Ukraine. 7 major product were downloaded more than 13 million times. 

Entrepreneurial type, who works much, sleeps less, and enjoys what he is doing. Avid snowboarder. Believes in spicy food, people, and disruptive technologies.