Once upon a Friday evening, as I sat here, email reading,
Over a many quaint and curious letter of reviews implored,
While I perused, nearly napping, all the while my fingers clacking,
Pausing not their steady tapping, tapping on my old keyboard.
“ ‘Tis a slow night,” I muttered, “little use for my keyboard;
Only spam, and nothing more.”

Deep into my malaise drifting, long I sat there, fading, staring
Doubting, seeking apps few mortals ever dared download before;
Then my boredom was disbanded, by the news of an app branded,
A collection handed to a more than willing App Store.
I noticed when I checked the store. And I found, it offered more.

Not content with mere wording, these three stories feature moving,
Not just moving but reacting, with a touch we’ve seen before.
“The Tell-Tale Heart,” said I, “has piqued my interest.
“As has The Oval Portrait and The Masque of the Red Death.
Let’s see if interaction makes them better, better than they were before.”

iPoe, with interactive stories, still is sitting, still is sitting
Lurking in the category for books found on the App Store;
And we all can start the reading of this dark and twisted dreaming.
And the price is of a number that in dollars orbits four ($3.99);
And my goal for this here story has been met with much fervor
Download it from—The App Store!

$2.99

$3.99

iPoe - The Interactive and Illustrated Edgar Allan Poe Collection

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-03-26 :: Category: Entertainment

CloudOn has introduced version 2.0 of their document viewing and editing service, adding several key new features. First, Box has been added as a cloud storage service alongside Dropbox, with plans to add more services in the future, according to CEO Milind Gadekar when I spoke with him about the update recently. Box support should come as a boon to business users looking to take advantage of CloudOn, as according to Chris Yeh, Vice President of Platform at Box, “Over 120,000 businesses and 82% of the Fortune 500 use Box to store, manage and access their business content.”

The other major feature of CloudOn 2.0 is Adobe Reader support for PDFs and any other files that support their viewer, including Photoshop files, and images. The PDF viewer is more extensive than built-in support, including support for features like 3D modeling in PDFs that the iPad’s built-in PDF viewer does not support. This goes along with improvements to streaming performance in the newer version, the ability to open attachments in CloudOn and email attachments directly from the app. Emails will display as being from the same address as the user’s CloudOn account. The free update is available now.

FREE!

CloudOn

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-01-03 :: Category: Productivity

One of the downsides of a landscape dominated by social media is the fact that the noise level is often through the roof. Thousands of links can fly through your feed in minutes, and it’s tough to know what’s important and what’s just fluff one of your friends posted up when drunk. For those of us who don’t have time for the clutter News.me is here to do the heavy lifting for us.

The app scans your Facebook and Twitter feeds and grabs links to articles that seem to be really resonating with your personal community. If you tend to associate with a more gamer-specific crowd then you’ll see a lot of stories revolving around video games; if you lean toward sports then scores and highlights from yesterday’s games will appear onscreen. News.me strives to deliver all the content you care about and nothing you don’t.

The app also supports offline reading so you don’t have to worry about having a signal, as well as displaying what friends are saying about each story on the feed so you can have your finger on the pulse of the conversation. With so much information out there we have to be smart with how we consume it, and News.me seems poised to be one of the best tools out there for doing just that.

FREE!

News.me for iPhone

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-03-01 :: Category: News

Fans of Mashable can now take the megasite with them wherever they go via the new Mashable for iPad app. The app features the site’s full feed of blog stories and news posts, all optimized for viewing on your tablet. Furthermore, posts are also divided into categories, so you can easily sort all the tech articles, business posts, and so on with a simple tap. Furthermore, the app features robust social media options, allowing users to quickly share via Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and the app displays how many times each story has been shared so you can see at a glance what’s making waves on any given day. Last but not least, swiping left or right on an article drills down and provides more specific content, while swiping up or down loads more stories.

Even though Mashable previously launched an iPhone app with somewhat similar features, this new creation is made especially for the iPad and seems to be more feature-rich than its handheld cousin. The interface has also been revamped to appear more attractive and easier to navigate, which users always appreciate. The total package is very nice, and we’re excited to see what new bells and whistles are added in future updates.

FREE!

Mashable for iPad

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2012-03-01 :: Category: News

Following a year long approval battle with Apple over it’s subscription service, Readbility made its App Store debut today. The web-based service that provides users with a stripped-down, clean view of any web article and allows saving for offline reading has been around for several years and is integrated into many apps, but a native iOS version was hard-won.

If you’re familiar with iOS 5’s reader option, now built into Safari, or if one has used apps like Instatpaper and Read It Later, there’s really nothing you haven’t seen before. The app is not as feature-rich as some alternatives, but it’s free, pretty, and handy. The app allows for URL input and minimal web searching, but using any of the browser plug-ins on a computer helps fill the reading list best.

Readibility states on their blog today, “We wanted to create something that makes it as easy as possible to queue up and take web articles anywhere you go on your iPhone or iPad. Our guiding principle was simple: get out of the reader’s way.”

Readability for iOS was born of a collaboration between the Readability team and Teehan+Lax. The typography, from Hoefler & Frere-Jones, looks sharp.

We’ll have a complete review for you soon, but in the mean time if you try it out, please let us know what you think in the comments.

FREE!

Readability™

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-03-01 :: Category: News

I’ll freely admit it, without shame or regret; I’ve written fanfiction before. Not just in my youth (although I don’t consider myself “old” yet), but recently. Like in the past week. Don’t ask, I won’t provide links. Anyway despite being something of a sneer-inducing pastime among certain circles, fanfiction is still a legitimate way to flex those writing muscles. And much like regular old published fiction, it can run the gamut between fantastic and complete trash. For those who enjoy a good yarn regardless of its origins, or for those who are simply curious, there’s FanFiction by PentaLoop.

The app currently supports fanfiction.net, and already sports an ever-growing library of thousands of tales. Users can search for specific subjects, keep track of what they’ve been reading, and even mark their favorites in order to come back to them any time they want. It’s pretty much akin to a typical eBook app, only it deals exclusively with fanfiction. Which is kinda cool, really.

FanFiction is sitting in the App Store, just waiting to be downloaded. For free, no less. Whether for legitimate interest or the desire to read something akin to a literary train wreck, I think it’s worth a look.

FREE!

FanFiction - Best Harry Potter, Twilight and Manga stories.

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-08-19 :: Category: Books

There are many out there who believe that the current mobile explosion will save the dying news industry. Newspaper and magazine publishers have been loving Apple’s Newsstand App for the increased visibility it gives their content. Now Google has released a rival, more Flipboard-esque, mobile reader of their own, Google Currents.

Google Currents offers optimized, magazine-style versions of articles from Forbes, TechCrunch, Saveur, Popular Science, Good, 500px, Fast Company and more. Google Reader subscriptions are also used to provide users content from the blogs and feeds they follow. Popular, trending stories are collected from all of these sources and given special placement with photos, slideshows, videos, live-maps and social streams intact.

Users can also save articles for “high speed offline reading”, share them, and sync them across all of their devices. Content scales to fit whatever sized screen a phone or tablet may have. Google Currents is available now for free and is compatible with iPhones and iPads.

FREE!

Google Currents

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-12-08 :: Category: News

PressReader attempts to give users an excellent way to ingest their Newspaper subscriptions from around the world. Its first iteration was bold, if not a bit wonky in delivery and style. Customers dug the idea, but were a bit split when it came to the execution of the app itself.

PressReader 2.2 has been released. This update features a fresh new look and a slew of changes poised to make users old and new extremely excited. Champion among them, in this news reader’s opinion, is the much smoother navigation. Reading news quickly, effortlessly and effectively is what makes the iOS and tablet era a thrilling one. In fact, one probably wouldn’t be too hard pressed to argue that stuttering scrolling is a major detriment to news and reading apps that could otherwise be incredible.

According to the release that accompanied the update to PressReader, users can expect smoother operation, faster navigation, simplified downloading and delivery of newspapers.

Additionally:

Faster zooming in graphics mode

Ability to wirelessly print full pages and individual articles to AirPrint-enabled printers

Improved message format when sharing an article via Facebook

New Library Shelf view that mimics a traditional newsstand

Improved navigation using section and page slider

Ability to automatically remove publications after 60 days (users can still choose to automatically remove issues after 3, 7, 14, and 30 days, or choose not to automatically remove old publications).

Simplified automatic delivery of newspapers

Ability to exclude downloaded publications when backing up via iTunes

Numerous performance and stability improvements to enhance the browsing experience

As an aside, while the app may be free, the newspaper subscriptions are not. PressReader was designed to complement the PressDisplay service previously available. PressDisplay is the service you subscribe to in order to actively read and download newspapers in PressReader for your iOS device.

See the app in motion below.

FREE!

PressReader

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-10-20 :: Category: News

Joining the swathe of apps updated for iPhone 4, Phantom Fish has enhanced its Byline newsreader app to make use of the iPhone 4’s Retina display. The app also takes advantage of multitasking in iOS4.

Byline takes news from sites listed in your Google Reader account and makes them available on your iPhone using their RSS feeds. The app allows users to view pages without an internet connection with its offline browsing feature and syncs with your Google Reader account so that your news is always up-to-date. The app is also compatible with Twitter, Instapaper and Read It Later.

Version 3.2 is available now on the App Store and brings high-resolution graphics for optimum viewing on the iPhone 4’s Retina Display and uses multitasking to complete syncing and caching of feeds in the background.

Byline is available for free with advertising or at $4.99 for the advertising-free version.

FREE!

Byline (Universal)

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-06-04 :: Category: News

Reeder is one of the better looking and functioning Google Reader enabled RSS readers for the iPhone. We got word last week that the currently in-development iPad version is getting closer to release. In addition, the developer posted a few screen shots for us to take a look at.

From the looks of the preview screens, Reeder is going to be as gorgeous and innovative on the iPad as it is on the iPhone. We don’t know if Reeder for the iPad will be released as a separate app or as an Universal update to the iPhone version yet. Definitely one to keep an eye out for though.

 

Hit the jump for more screen shots from the upcoming Reeder for iPad.

Continue reading Sneak Peek at Reeder for the iPad »

It began with a Disney Store pilot program where staff would ring out customers via an iPod Touch. A system that was so successful Apple rolled the handhelds into all of their retail stores replacing their well weathered Windows CE-based EasyPay system. Recent reports are indicating Apple is even considering opening this up to widespread commercial use. While great for large retail businesses, the EasyPay Touch units are simply too bulky and overpowered to really be useful for all of the small businesses out there.

Thus the Square is born! A company brought to life by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, has created a adapter for reading “payment cards from any device with an audio input jack, including your mobile phone,” as stated on their website. Still in beta testing, the Square is expected to launch sometime in early 2010. They certainly aren’t the only ones eyeing this highly untapped and potentially very profitable market though.

Morphie, the company which has been mainly focused battery packs for the iPhone, is the newest player to the game and they are certainly going to be steep competition. Released today was information on a Credit Card Reader which will be specifically designed for the iPhone/iPod Touch that will be accompanied by its own specially made app to run it. Details are still sketchy right now with more being promised at CES 2010 but based on the mockups alone its already creating a stir in the community. Make sure to check back early and often next week for our coverage of CES and hopefully more info on this guy.