Apple picker With another Saturday comes App Week - your weekly roundup of developer news, new apps and games, important updates, and last but not least, discounts in the App Store and beyond.
News from the world of applications
Carmageddon Coming to iOS (1/7)
Almost everyone knows the racing game in which you have to complete the track in a certain time. In brutal races, you not only have to complete the track, but also gain valuable time by smashing opponents' cars or even running over pedestrians. The classic of the 90s and the turn of the new millennium has a total of three titles and thanks to the successful collection on Kickstarter the Stainless Games studio is preparing the fourth sequel. Since more funds were raised than the company needed for development, the new Carmagedon will also be released for iOS. What's more, the first day will be free on the App Store. You can watch the following trailer as a taster.
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Source: TUAW.com
OmniGroup advises how to sync instead of MobileMe (4/7)
On June 30 of this year, Apple will definitively close the MobileMe service, so the OmniGroup development team advises users of their OmniFocus application who still use MobileMe for synchronization, where to go. OmniGroup on its website lists several alternatives (English), through which OmniFocus can be synchronized between individual devices. You can also find it on the website instruction, how to change settings directly in the application.
Source: TUAW.com
Google bought the mobile office suite Quickoffice and Meebo (5/7)
Google has announced the acquisition of the leading mobile office suite Quickoffice, which exists for both iOS and Android. However, the Mountain View company hasn't said what it plans to do with Quickoffice, so we can only speculate. There are more options, but it is quite likely that Google could integrate the features from Quickoffice into its Google Docs service. Then the question will be whether the Quickoffice package as such for iOS or Android will end completely, or whether Google will continue to develop it.
In addition, Google did not end with the acquisition of Quickoffice, as it also announced the acquisition of Meeba, a cloud IM startup. As early as May, there was information that the price of Meeba was around 100 million dollars, but for how much Google finally bought it, it was not specified. At least Google said Meeba employees will join the Google+ team, with the California-based company most interested in social media publishing tools.
Source: CultOfAndroid.com, TheVerge.com
Angry Birds Space Hits 100 Million Downloads in 76 Days (6/7)
As unbelievable as it sounds, in two and a half months, the latest installment of "Angry Birds" has been downloaded a hundred million times. Angry Birds Space they are the fastest growing game in history. They were downloaded by 10 million players just three days after launch, and five times as many after 35 days. Rovio, a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy, is now experiencing golden times. In May, AngriyBirds' imaginary download counter crossed the one billion mark, while in December of last year it showed "only" 648 million. However, it must be noted that Rovio decided to go the route of separate applications for iPhone and iPad, which certainly increased the number of downloads.
Source: macstories.net
Sparrow is also coming to iPad (6/7)
On the Mac, Sparrow is a big competitor for the built-in e-mail client, it is slowly settling on the iPhone, where it also brought a lot of innovations, and soon we will also see a version for the iPad. The developers have already created page with the inscription "We are preparing something big" where you can enter your e-mail. That way, you'll be among the first to know when Sparrow for iPad is ready.
Source: CultOfMac.com
Facebook launched the expected App Center (7/7)
As previously announced, Facebook has officially launched its App Center. It is mainly used for discovering new applications. All 600 currently present include some form of integration with Facebook, which is probably a requirement for them to appear in the App Center.
The new section is located in the left panel on mobile devices and in the web interface, however Facebook App Center is gradually releasing it, so it is possible that you will not see it yet. Don't think of the new section as an alternative store as much as a catalog. After clicking on the download link, the App Store will open with the given application, from where you can then download it to your device.
Source: 9to5Mac.com
New maps from Google will be a challenge for Apple (7/7)
Google made a big splash this week, introducing new features for its maps. One of them is the so-called "fly-over" mode, in which you find yourself above the given area. The attraction is the plasticity of objects and terrain on the map, which makes Google run away from the competition by a considerable distance. The plastic view will eventually be available in the Google Earth app for iOS as well. The second, no less interesting function is rather the music of the future - Street View in the field. It sounds a little crazy, but Google has designed a backpack with a battery, a tripod and an omnidirectional camera, and it is about to map the world beyond the reach of asphalt.
Until the third of all good things - Google maps will be offline. You simply select the viewport you want to save for later use. The disadvantage, or rather the unfinished business of this function, is the impossibility of zooming the background down to street level. Offline maps will only be available for Android devices. Everything described above is certainly a big challenge for Apple, which is supposed to come up with its solution in the upcoming iOS 6.
Source: MacWorld.com
[do action=”infobox-2″]Don't forget to also read the article about gaming news for iOS and Mac from E3[/to]
New applications
Reflection and AirParrot now also for Windows
The Mac applications Reflection and AirParrot also got their Windows version. Both offer work with the AirPlay protocol, while AirParrot can stream an image from a Mac to an Apple TV, Reflection can receive a stream and turn a Mac into an Apple TV. Apple is also planning AirPlay for Mac in the upcoming OS X Mountain Lion, so AirParrot will only be useful to users who for some reason choose not to update their system.
However, you won't find AirPlay in any form on Windows, so developers have decided to port their applications to the Windows platform as well. To implement it, they had to use several third-party frameworks and codecs, as Microsoft does not offer such a wide range of tools as Apple, however, it worked and both applications can be purchased for the competing operating system. The prices remained the same, you can buy AirParrot for $ 14,99, Reflection for $ 19,99.
vjay allows you to DJ for video
Studio Algoriddim, which is behind the successful application djay, released a new project called vjay. This application allows you to mix music videos instead of music. It processes a pair of videos including sound in real time, allows you to add effects, transitions, scratching, and can work separately with audio and video. Due to the demands on the hardware, which must process everything in real time, the application is only intended for iPads of the second and third generation.
You can stream the mixed video live using AirPlay, or record it in the app and then save it to your library. In addition, the app works with the iDJ Live Controller accessory, which includes two classic reels and various controllers, taking mixing to a whole new level. You can find the application in the App Store at a price of €7,99.
[button color=red link=http://itunes.apple.com/cz/app/vjay/id523713724 target=”“]vjay – €7,99[/button]
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CheatSheet - keyboard shortcuts under control
The new CheatSheet application, which appeared in the Mac App Store, appears to be completely undemanding, but very useful. It is available for free and it can only do one thing - if you hold down the CMD key for a long time, a window will pop up showing all the keyboard shortcuts of the currently active application. After invoking this panel, you can activate shortcuts either by using the given combination or by clicking on an item in the list.
[button color=red link=http://itunes.apple.com/app/id529456740 target=““]Cheatsheet - Free[/button]
Favs - "favorites" even on iPhone
After the success of the application Favs for Mac developers decided to allow users to manage their favorite items from various social networks on the iPhone as well. The principle of the application is very simple - you log in to all the services you use, and Favs automatically downloads all the posts, items or links you marked as favorites on the given network. So you have everything in one place and you don't have to search for each service separately. All well-known services are supported, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram or Flickr.
[button color=red link=http://itunes.apple.com/cz/app/favs/id436962003 target=”“]Favs – €2,39[/button]
OmniPlan for iPad
OmniGroup's development team has fulfilled its commitment to migrate all of its core and premium apps to iPad within two years. After OmniOutliner, OmniGraphSketcher and OmniFocus, the application for planning and managing projects OmniPlan is now coming to the iPad. It brings many elements from the Mac version to the mobile adaptation. OmniPlan is a very comprehensive and advanced application, as is usual with OmniGroup software, and it is also duly appreciated. OmniPlan can be downloaded from the App Store for 39,99 euros.
[button color=red link=http://itunes.apple.com/cz/app/omniplan/id459271912 target=”“]OmniPlan – €39,99[/button]
Color Splash Studio is also coming to iPhone
The most popular application for Mac that allows you to color edit your photos has also arrived on the iPhone and is now on sale for €0,79. As already mentioned, the application mainly allows you to change the color of the entire photo or only its individual areas, as well as, for example, add various effects and perform various common image adjustments. The fact that the very popular Instagram, FX Photo Studio and other great applications of this type are integrated into the Color Splash Studio application is certainly positive.
You can get the photo into the application in many classic ways, including, for example, by importing it from Facebook. You can print your work immediately thanks to AirPrint technology. Users can also conveniently share via well-known social networks and display on Flickr.
[button color=red link=http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/color-splash-studio/id472280975 target=”“]Colorsplash Studio - €0,79[/button]
Important update
Osfoora 1.2 brings live streaming to Mac
Osfoora Twitter Client for Mac (Review <a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1932/8043/files/200721_ODSTOUPENI_BEZ_UDANI_DUVODU__EN.pdf?v=1595428404" data-gt-href-en="https://en.notsofunnyany.com/">here</a>) brought an interesting update to version 1.2, the main novelty of which is support for so-called live streaming, which is available in the official Twitter client. Live streaming means your Timeline will be updated instantly when a new tweet appears. Osfoora also got a new icon with the last update, the birdhouse is the work of Jean-Marc Denis.
Osfoora 1.2 is available for download in the Mac App Store for 3,99 EUR.
Foursquare 5.0 with a brand new interface
The fifth version of the popular application of the geolocation social network Foursquare brings a completely redesigned design and interface. Moving individual elements should enable faster "check-in". The Explore section, which is used to search for interesting places in your vicinity in several categories, has been completely redesigned. The focus is on popular places, businesses visited by your friends, and locations based on your previous postings. On the contrary, the Radar function is now hidden in the depth of the application.
Foursquare 5.0 is free for download in the App Store.
Instapaper and geolocation
The popular application Instapaper, which can save articles from the Internet for later reading without the additional need for an Internet connection, was criticized for the absence of automatic synchronizations in the background. There are few things more frustrating than when you're on a plane or on the subway and realize to your horror that you forgot to sync all your saved articles. Your articles were already on the Instapaper server because you saved them on another device, but your iPhone or iPad did not respond to the articles itself. Fortunately, these problems are a thing of the past thanks to the new app version 4.2.2. You will no longer need to launch Instapaper to load new articles. Everything will happen automatically, even if the application is not running.
Instapaper also offers the option to choose in the settings certain locations in which this separate synchronization will occur. So you can set your device to detect whether you have saved a new article only at your home, office or, for example, your favorite coffee shop. This feature is also useful when using Instapaper's social features and will allow you to see what others are reading in certain places. Of course, the new update also fixes some bugs.
Tip of the Week
VIAM - a puzzle game for iOS
A new VIAM game has appeared on the App Store, boasting in its description that it is probably the hardest game in the entire store. I can confirm these words with a clear conscience. VIAM is a really interesting puzzle game that, despite the relatively small number of levels (24), will keep your brain busy for a long time. In VIAM, you learn with each level - you learn how the individual elements that you have on the playing field work, while your task is to get the blue wheel to the end of the "race track" in the yellow-green field. VIAM is downloadable for 0,79 EUR in a universal version for iPhone and iPad.
[button color=red link=http://itunes.apple.com/cz/app/viam/id524965098 target=”“]VIAM – €0,79[/button]
Current discounts
- Area 51 Defense Pro HD (App Store) – Free
- Zombie Gunship (App Store) – Free
- Luxor Evolved HD (App Store) – 0,79 €
- Textgrabber (App Store) – 0,79 €
- Notes Plus (App Store) – 2,99 €
- Favs (Mac App Store) – 3,99 €
- Trickster (Mac App Store) – 3,99 €
- Crusader Kings II (Steam) – 19,99 €
- India Humble Bundle (Mac Bundle) – As much as you want
- Productive Macs Bundle (Mac Bundle) – $ 39,99
- The Mac Productivity Bundle (Mac Bundle) – $ 50
- MacUpdate June 2012 Bundle (Mac Bundle) – $ 49,99
You can always find current discounts in the right panel on the main page.
We already know what will happen and Meebo, in a month Google will shut it down. Great. Buy something again, boys, for liquidation... :(
in a month? It doesn't work for me now. I switched to imo instant messenger. you can also connect Skype there, but it runs entirely in the browser window. it cannot be downloaded as an extra application. but they also have an iphone app..