Apps

Mailbox, the Gmail-based iOS email client that encourages a tidy inbox, was updated on Wednesday with native support for Apple's iPad lineup.

Sirius XM Internet Radio's iOS app has been updated with the time-shifting capabilities promised in the Satellite 2.0 platform earlier this year, a feature already available on Slacker's radio service. The app lets you go back in time up to five hours to listen to earlier programming on any channel, and its DVR-like capabilities also let you restart in-progress shows and songs as well as pause live radio. You can also fast forward and rewind through previously aired programming and set alerts for...

There are times when Instagram's 18 filters don't seem like enough. The app was designed to make your photos look good with as little effort as possible, but after more than three years of Sutro, Mayfair, and Lo-Fi, Instagram's filters can feel heavy-handed and limiting. So today, Instagram is finally letting you adjust the strength of each filter you use, and also debuting ten new photo-editing tools to help you manicure your photos in much greater detail....

It was an interesting week for apps. Shazam and Flickr got a whole new look, and a new video app brought filters and pro-effects for mobile video editing. What's more, Google's Ingress received a huge upgrade, and the final version of Opera made its way to Android. Curious about what all these apps look like? Check out the hands-on video, above, featuring our favorite apps from this past week. Did you find a new app that didn't make the list? Be sure to tell us about your favorites in the comments.

Comixology has updated its Comics iOS app to take full advantage of the Retina display found on Apple's new iPad. Version 3.1 introduces a new high-definition digital comic format dubbed "CMX-HD" that offers a remarkably sharp reading experience to owners of the tablet. Just a select number of comics are currently available in the Retina-optimized format, but Comixology CTO Marc Goldberg promises the company will be filling out its catalog "over the next few months." But what about file sizes? Will iPad...

Facebook might be preparing its own Snapchat competitor dubbed Slingshot, but that’s not stopping the social networking giant from adding some similar features to its popular Messenger app. A new update this week brings instant video sending to Facebook Messenger, an option to shoot and send 15-second video messages. Facebook Messenger has long supported photo sharing and a Skype-powered video calling service on the web, but this is the first time its more than one billion users can start sending...

Apple’s built-in Calendar app for iPhone is fine, but I prefer Fantastical, a $5 alternative from Flexibits. Because the app can access your iPhone’s calendars, it essentially offers complete integration with any calendaring system your iPhone can use or sync with—including iCloud, Google, Yahoo, and Exchange calendars. I reviewed the app in November of last year, awarding it four mice....

The Android and iPhone app Bump has been updated to extend single-touch photo-sharing beyond phones to include your computer as well. From within the free app, select the photos you want to transfer then head over to bu.mp and tap your spacebar with your device to initiate the transfer. The files will then pop up on your browser where you can download or share them with friends. No additional PC software is required, although you'll need to use Chrome, Firefox, or Safari with location tracking enabled...

Yo.

For authors who want to use their own home equipment to narrate an audio version of their own books, or if you want to record your kids reading their favorite stories for posterity, you can do it with a microphone, and iPad and GarageBand.

Viber is a fairly well-regarded and free cross-platform VoIP and chat app, and the company just pushed out a new update that brings some useful new features for Apple and Google's mobile platforms. Chief among those is a new, revamped voice engine, though it seems like only iOS users will be able to take advantage of that for now. However, both platforms will be able to take advantage of group text chat features and photos for the contact list. Viber also mentioned that it is "hard at work" to add...

Apple on Thursday unveiled a slight tweak to its iOS App Store by breaking out notable game updates into a new "Best New Updates" section, exposing users to recent refreshes of top-selling titles.

Computers are a great way to keep all your data in one place—and none more so than the myriad notes you may take throughout your life. Things like your family’s health history, your interactions with clients and contractors, or even just details about that upcoming family trip are—in principle—easy to jot down into a text file using nothing more than the free tools that come with most modern operating systems....

In a very special late night edition of your weekly iPhone apptacular: Apps that make things that are already good—FM radio, video games, shopping, spouses, the city you live in—a little bit better. Priceless Picks: Don't let the advertising-crap-app appearance of Priceless Picks turn you off—this free download, branded all over with Mastercard, is great. It combines loads of data collected from a number of sources, including user submissions and Amazon's Mechanical Turk army, to give wide-ranging...

Do you need another messaging app? One that does GIFs? Sure, why not! You have room on page 10 of your “chat apps” folder of your iPhone, right? Great! Introducing the latest contender vying for the messaging app throne: Dasher, a new social app backed by $1.25 million in seed funding from Lerer Ventures, Venrock and other angel investors.Founded late last year, Dasher was…

Everybody's favorite photo-sharing (and photo-disappearing) app just got a slick makeover in the App Store. Snapchat rolled out version 5.0, dubbed "Banquo," on Wednesday for iPhones. It boasts a slew of speed and design enhancements, including swipe navigation, double-tap to reply, an improved friend finder and in-app profiles.

I'm not a solitaire fan, but I think that a computing platform is not complete until it has a solid solitaire app. Especially the multitouch iPad. Solitaire Classics HD is the perfect solitaire for iPad. It looks and plays beautifully. That's what really makes this game: The really pretty graphics coupled with the way you play it, throwing cards to their positions with a simple finger gesture. It feels as close as real cards as the iPad could feel. Solitaire Classics HD includes normal and hard versions...

I have fond memories of waking up Saturday morning, pouring myself a bowl of Marshmallow Mateys (because Count Chocula was out of season), and plunking down on the couch to watch my favorite cartoons. And then, when the cereal was…

A new photo-sharing network is changing the way healthcare professionals interact and learn from one another. It's not for those with weak stomachs. Figure 1, an app created in Canada, is essentially a medical version of Instagram; it allows doctors to share images with the medical community, as well as bookmark and comment on them. Many of the images often contain graphic material.

Apple's iMovie iPhone app has received an update in honor of iOS 4.1 being released. It's now compatible with the new iPod Touch, allows you to split video clips, and more: • Compatible with iPod touch (4th generation). • Ability to split video clips. • Automatic music looping when video extends beyond music track. • Scrub to preview clips in Video Browser. • In-app Tips page that illustrates how to use key features. • Updated Photos Browser with newest images at top. • Mute badge to...

Happy July 4! While you’ve probably got plans with friends and family — or a date with a BBQ — appmakers are hoping you’ll have a bit of time for iOS gaming over the holiday, too. I’ve written before about…

It’s time for another grab bag, selected from the many questions I get from readers. In this week’s column, I look at some questions about font size in iTunes (spoiler: your options are limited), identifying music file types in iTunes, finding which tracks iTunes has lost track of (spoiler: there’s an easy way), and moving podcasts to another Mac....

Well, weren't you a good boy and/or girl this year! That iPad's going to be your favorite new toy no matter what, but here's how to squeeze the most out of it from day one. I'll assume you've successfully removed the iPad from its box, yes? Good. You're a natural! Now trot on over to your computer and plug it in with that fancy 30-pin connector (also, don't lose that connector—it's proprietary to Apple). Once you're hooked up, iTunes will walk you through the registration process. It's pretty...

If you have an iPhone, you should download Overcast, the new podcast app from Instapaper creator and Tumblr co-founder Marco Arment. Podcast clients are a crowded category, of course, and it's harder than ever to stand out now that Apple offers its own free solution. But Overcast sets itself apart with thoughtful design, original features, and smart ideas — and it costs nothing to check out....

India’s Times Internet has launched the premium version of its music streaming service Gaana (known as Gaana+) on Android, and also updated the free version to 2.0 on the mobile platform....