MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

When Snapchat launched a video update last week, AllThingsD reported that Facebook was planning on releasing its own photo and video sharing app to compete with Snapchat. Facebook’s new standalone app, Facebook Poke, was released today, expanding on Facebook's original "poke" concept. After connecting to Facebook Poke with a Facebook account, users can take a video or photo, write a message,...

The Wall Street Journal is now offering in-app subscriptions on the App Store, and has added its newspaper to Apple's Newsstand automatic subscription delivery service, reports All Things D.The move is worth noting because up until now the Journal was one of the highest-profile print publishers that wasn’t selling app access via Apple. Earlier this year, Time Inc., which had been the most...

The IMDb app is one of the most popular apps on iOS, with the Internet Movie Database yesterday noting in a press release that its iOS app has been downloaded 25 million times. Along with the milestone comes a redesigned Version 3.0 of the IMDb iPad app, with the goal being to focus on discovery features and allow users to see more content. The iPhone version has also received a few more features ...

Zell Interactive's Joypad Game Controller was originally released in mid–2011. As a standalone app, it turned the iPhone into a wireless virtual controller for several Mac and iPad games.Unfortunately, finding games that worked with the iPhone app was a pain, requiring gamers to visit the Joypad website for a list or to stumble across a compatible app on the App Store.That changed this week,...

Last year, Signal Snowboards made a board with an embedded iPad to honor Steve Jobs. This year, the guys have made a custom snowboard that can charge an iPhone on the slopes, thanks to a top sheet made of thin solar panels from PowerFilm Solar.The board isn't for sale, but Signal's Marc Wierenga told MacRumors that the panels are extremely durable and the company has some ideas to incorporate...

Kickstarter project POP, a portable power station, has been shut down by Apple, after the Cupertino-based company refused to license its Lightning charger to Edison Junior, the design lab behind the product.POP, which was tagged by the creators as "The Intersection of Charging and Design" aimed to combine a variety of charging cables into one product, including the Lightning connector, Apple's...

MyScript Calculator from Vision Objects has been available on Android devices for several months now, but as of today, the math app that lets users handwrite mathematical expressions is available for iPhone and iPad as well (via Mac4Ever).Instead of typing equations into the app, MyScript Calculator accepts written input. Write out an equation with a finger or stylus and the app reads the...

Rockmelt first launched its iPad app in October, providing an endless stream of personalized content from an array of sources in a tiled, Pinterest-style layout. The company today brought the same experience to the iPhone, with its newly updated universal app.Like the iPad version, the app on the iPhone features a tiled design, but adds new gestures that have been implemented to make reading...

Crescent Moon Games' much anticipated RPG, Ravensword: Shadowlands was released tonight, after years of development. Shadowlands is the followup to the original 2009 Ravensword game and it features the same open-world gameplay of the first title. Ravensword: Shadowlands is an exciting iOS release because of the enormity of the game world, the impressive scenery, and the immersive gameplay. Our ...

Although ESPN's popular ScoreCenter app for iPad recently received a refresh including a visual makeover, the iPhone version had remained the same and continued to lack support for the taller iPhone 5 display for nearly three months after the device's debut. That changed today as ESPN released a completely redesigned app that takes cues from the iPad version. ESPN released the following statement ...

A couple of weeks after showing off Pudding Monsters for the first time, Cut the Rope creator ZeptoLab has now released the new title in the App Store. The puzzle game involves sticking blocks of desserts together to create larger and larger dessert monsters. The Pudding Monsters are on a mission to save their friends from the cold-hearted fridge owner! Growing into an ULTIMATE MEGA MONSTER...

The popular blogging service Tumblr has updated its iOS app to work natively on iPad. The popular blogging platform had previously been designed only for the iPhone, only working in 2x-mode on the iPad. iPad support isn't the only addition, as the app now has an "Explore" tab to search other Tumblr blogs as well as landscape support for the iPad version.What's New in Version 3.2.3- Now...

Redbox Instant by Verizon went live today, allowing people to sign up for a private beta to use the streaming service. Interested users can enter an email address to receive a code that will provide eventual access to Redbox Instant on the computer or on a mobile device, using the accompanying Redbox Instant iOS app, which was released today for the iPad and the iPhone. Redbox's video...

Our sister site TouchArcade is continuing its new promotion called "Free Play" in which they work with developers to offer highly rated games for free. The latest offering is the arcade-style space combat game Arc Squadron. Arc Squadron from developer Psyonix is an arcade-style space combat game built using the Unreal Engine, so it's definitely a visual showpiece title. Beyond its great...

CNET reports on a research note from RBC Capital Markets analyst Doug Freedman claiming that Apple appears to be accelerating its plans for the second-generation iPad mini, although it remains unclear when Apple is looking to launch the device.RBC Capital Markets analyst Doug Freedman -- who is in China visiting chip companies this week -- offered this ambiguous Apple note: "iPad Mini Gen-2:...

With Apple's change to the Lightning dock connector for the iPhone 5 and its other mobile devices, customers have been struggling to find dock solutions compatible with the new standard. Users started with several workarounds and do-it-yourself mods, but gradually unofficial docks and some more official workarounds have appeared to meet customer demand. One new entrant with some unique...

In line with a report from earlier this month, Eastman Kodak today announced that it has reached a deal to sell its portfolio of digital imaging patents to a consortium of 12 companies organized by patent holding firms Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation for $525 million.Under the agreements, Kodak will receive approximately $525 million, a portion of which will be paid by 12 intellectual...

Clear, which was designed by Impending and Realmac Software, took the app world by storm when it was released, thanks to an innovative gesture-based interface and simple list making tools. The team that made Clear is working on another app, one that looks just as promising. This time, though, productivity isn't the goal. Instead, the two companies have dreamed up a new virtual pet simulation...