Apps

The iPad gets a bad rap as a device designed specifically for consumption. After all, its main purpose is to keep you connected to the world. Despite that, the iPad has risen up as a creativity tool and serves as an integral part in many people's toolkit. To get an idea of when these devices are being used, we talked with a cadre of creative types to find out not just how they're using iPads to make things, but why. Despite early claims that the iPad was primarily a consumption device, app developers...

iPhones. iPads. Android. We've updated all of our essential apps lists to include a few forgotten favorites, some long awaited arrivals and, as always, even more amazing apps. Check them out! If you want to jump to see the best apps in a specific platform, click here: The end of the month is here, and that means it's time to do a little housekeeping on our list of the absolute best iPhone apps. Who made the cut? Facebook Camera: Facebook gave us a clue as to why it made that billion dollar Instagram...

The videos your contacts are sharing on Facebook, combined with the latest tweets and reminders for your friends’ birthdays, all on one screen: Video curation app Stevie puts a whole lot of information on one screen without feeling too busy.

Do you want to buy a gift card for the Apple Store or for iTunes? Or maybe an Amazon card would be better. It all depends on what the gift recipient is likely to buy. We break down your options.

This holiday season, you've plugged that very important hole in your life — the one between your smartphone and your computer. Whether it's the 9.7-inch iPad or the new 7.9-inch iPad mini, you're now in possession of a device that not only has a great screen and a fast processor, but one that gains you access into one of the best app stores on the planet. The iOS App Store has an incredible number of great apps and games, but the best ones can be hard to find among the huge selection. Of course you...

If you were lucky enough to receive a new iPad for the holidays this year, we hope you have fun exploring what the tablet has to offer. By now you've probably acquainted yourself with the built-in apps on your iPad, so you may want to reach outside the sandbox for more interesting fare. The App Store, which you can access on your iPad or via iTunes on your computer, features more than 750,000 downloadable apps. If there’s something you want to do on your iPad, chances are good you can find a tool for it...

Move over, Mickey Mouse. A new app helps users create cartoon versions of themselves and their friends. Called iMadeFace, the free app lets you transform your mug in just a few minutes by using its built-in templates. Nearly every part of your face is customizable with a swipe, making it easy to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. To get started, tell the app whether you're trying to create a male or female cartoon.

Walt Disney Co. is said to be working on a new live streaming television app for its broadcast network ABC that will make content available to cable and satellite subscribers.

Warm weather means shedding your layers, which ignites the great debate on tanning. On one hand, you're probably feeling pretty pasty from hibernating all winter. Studies have shown how dangerous tanning can be, and sunless tanners can be expensive and difficult to apply. What's a self conscious person to do? A swipe of your iPhone will give you the confidence boost in pictures with a little bronzer. Embrace your outer Casper and still get the sunkissed look in photos.

Summer is here, and you know what that means? Movies. Lots and lots of over-the-top, cheesy summer action movies. It the best time of the year if you’re into popular movies, and Apple’s iTunes Movie Trailers app is one of the best way to get acquainted with all of them....

Can’t be bothered to type something you want to search for? Snaplay is a reverse image search app that lets you snap a photo of a piece of media to retrieve associated music and videos which can then be viewed within the app. Its creators, London developer D&A, describe it as a ‘Shazam for images’.

It can be tough to keep up with all the new apps released every week. But you're in luck -- Mashable takes care of that for you, creating a roundup each weekend of our favorite new and updated apps. This week, Disney released an app that puts 52 of its movies in the palm of your hand, while a newly launched app called Toon Hero lets you create your own animations without any training.

When you ask kids about their favorite things, sustainable energy probably doesn't top the list. But a new movement and mobile platform called mPowering Action might change that. The app is designed to inspire, empower and motivate a generation of global citizens to take positive action around the world.

Sony has released an official PlayStation app for Android and iOS devices. The app gives access to the PlayStation Network from tablet and smartphone, and allows you to chat to friends, receive game alerts, and buy games from the PlayStation Store before pushing them to your PlayStation 4 to download and install while you're away from your console....

Eleven days earlier than expected, Apple on Sunday gave away the first freebie as part of its "12 Days of Gifts" app promotion, which will offer almost two weeks' worth of free apps, songs and other digital content to users over the holiday season.

Spuul, the video streaming service focused on Bollywood and other content from India, has introduced syncing to its iOS app, allowing users to watch content offline. This brings the iOS app in line with the Android version, which received the feature last October....

Netflix has just introduced a new standalone mobile application called “OITNA” (or “Orange is the New App,” ha ha) which, if you haven’t guessed it, is an effort to promote the network’s original show “Orange is the New Black,” now available in a binge-worthy Season 2. OITNA is essentially a photo-sharing application, which lets you…

This week's app highlights include a new look for StumbleUpon, an ephemeral messaging app from Microsoft and a revamped emoji keyboard for iOS 8.

This year's SXSW festival in Austin, Tex., will feature more than a thousand iBeacon transmitters onsite, allowing attendees to receive timely, location-specific messages and the ability to connect with others.

Vine, the six-second looping video app from Twitter, has today announced an update that will let users find even more people to follow on the social network. Previously, users could hook in their Twitter and Address Book to find their friends on the app. But with the new update, users will be able to venture outside their friend group and Twitter network to find folks on Vine who post…

Ted Cruz wants your phonebook and he's willing to give you meaningless points to get it. The campaign for the would-be Republican presidential candidate has gamified its official app, offering users "actions points" (we don't know why they weren't called "Cruz coins") as rewards for a range of tasks. Getting friends to download the app nets you 25 AP, sharing Cruz's tax plan on social media gets you 50 AP, and donating money earns you 200 AP. But the big bucks, according to a report from NPR, are saved...

Just like the Super Bowl, Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl has become a tradition in my household. Every single year we’re treated to the most fluffy, cuddle-up-to-ity pups of all time. This year, Puppy Bowl XII will be broadcast partially in 360 degree video. Long live virtual reality. It will feature 84 puppies from 44 rescues across the United States and will represent…

So if you're eating lunch, maybe hold off on watching this first-person video of the Valravn. I'm a person with a delicate tummy, and I confess that, even from the safe confines of my desk, looking over the edge of this roller coaster made me a tad bit nauseous....

Perhaps hinting at the update's imminent launch, people using the iOS 10.2 beta can now find a section on the App Store dedicated to apps which support single sign-on for their cable, satellite, or internet TV streaming services.

Kicking off this week’s must-have apps roundup is a stunning new weather app called Solar, which boasts a simple, intuitive user interface and a no frills approach that doesn’t suffocate you with information you’re not interested in. There’s also a great new drawing and animation app from Disney that you and your kids will love; a great new photography app that adds bokeh light effects to your photos; and updates to Google Earth and Yelp.