iPad By Davis: “HBO GO updated with support for AirPlay multitasking and Game of Thrones extras” plus 13 more

HBO GO updated with support for AirPlay multitasking and Game of Thrones extras
AppGratis pulled for violating App Store guidelines
Intel announces next generation, 20Gbps Thunderbolt
Marvel giving away over 700 free digital comics... again!
Virgin Mobile looks to lure in T-Mobile USA customers with $100 credit
Former Apple ad man thinks the iPhone's naming convention needs to change
Age Ratings Now More Prominent in iPad App Store
How to magnify the screen on your iPhone and iPad using the Zoom feature
Hotel Tonight for iPhone and iPad review
BUDGT for iPhone: track your income and expenses effortlessly and beautifully
Price Drops: Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary for iPad 50% Off this Week
Google Drive iPad App Updated: Faster Loading
Deal of the Day: 32% off BodyGuardz Premium Glass Screen Protector for iPhone 5
Monday Brief: Facebook Home, iOS 7, and a major webOS contest

HBO GO updated with support for AirPlay multitasking and Game of Thrones extras

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 03:46 PM PDT

HBO GO updated with support for AirPlay multitasking and Game of Thrones extras

HBO GO for both iPhone and iPad has been updated with enhanced interactive features for Game of Thrones fans as well as multitasking capabilities for AirPlay. If you're an HBO GO user, this basically means you'll now have the ability to AirPlay content directly from the HBO GO app and it will remain streaming in the background until you stop playback.

You'll obviously need to be an HBO subscriber in order to access content such as full episodes and to take advantage of streaming full episodes. If you already use the app or have an HBO subscription, hit the link below to download the update now.

Free - Download Now

AppGratis pulled for violating App Store guidelines

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 03:39 PM PDT

AppGratis pulled from App Store for violating App Store guidelines

AppGratis, a popular app that used a variety of techniques to promote other apps, has been pulled from the App Store for violating Apple's guidelines. Specifically, clauses 2.25 and 5.6, according to AllThingsD:

2.25 Apps that display Apps other than your own for purchase or promotion in a manner similar to or confusing with the App Store will be rejected.

5.6 Apps cannot use Push Notifications to send advertising, promotions, or direct marketing of any kind.

AppGratis is definitely not the only app available in the App Store that provides recommendations for apps on a paid basis. It's also not the only app shopping app that's been removed in recent months. AppGratis just received a large round of funding so this is no doubt a huge issue for them going forward. Once again, some clarity and consistency from Apple on just what exactly they want to avoid would be welcome.

Did any of you use AppGratis? Did their promotion cause any confusion or cross any lines for you?

Source: AllThingsD

Intel announces next generation, 20Gbps Thunderbolt

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 01:16 PM PDT

Intel announces new version of Thunderbolt

Intel has announced the next generation of its Thunderbolt interface with support for up to 20Gbps throughput, as well as support for 4K. Code-named Falcon Ridge, this new version of Thunderbolt sports some impressive capabilities. According to Engadget

But let's talk about the real news: the next-gen Thunderbolt tech (code-named Falcon Ridge) enables 4K video file transfer and display simultaneously in addition to running at 20 Gbps.

In addition to its impressive output, Falcon Ridge will be compatible with the first-generation ports and connectors. The current version of Thunderbolt, formerly Light Peak, has a maximum throughput of 10Gbps, and has been on various Macs since 2011.

Of particular interest to Mac users -- current Thunderbolt connectors can't support enough bandwidth for a theoretical Retina 27" LED Thunderbolt display. This one could.

Falcon Ridge is expected to start production in 2014.

Source: Engadget

Marvel giving away over 700 free digital comics... again!

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 12:55 PM PDT

Marvel giving away over 700 free digital comics... again!

Marvel has retconned and reissued their big comiXology giveaway, promising the #1 issues of up to 700 digital comics -- for free. To get in on the mighty Marvel giveaway, you need to register between now 11:59pm, April 9. In other words, tomorrow night. According to Marvel:

Starting Thursday, April 11th, 2013, we will begin notifying waves of fans by email to provide redemption instructions and let them know when they can access the Marvel #1 offer.

Don't worry if your email doesn't arrive on April 11th. As long as you signed up by April 9, 2013, you will receive your email soon! We want to make sure we get to all our fans so that they have the best experience possible.

I just completed the sign-up process -- I already had an account thanks to Marvel Unlimited -- and it was really quick. It's also really smart. Giving away a ton of #1 issues is really a giant tease. Almost none of them will be complete stories unto themselves, but they will be introductions and setups to the characters and arcs Marvel hopes you like, and want to read more of.

You'll need the Comics app, or the Marvel-branded version of the same app, to read the comics, and you'll need to register via the link below. Let me know if you sign up, when you get your email, and which comics you plan on grabbing!

Free - Generic version
Free - Marvel version

Source: Marvel

Virgin Mobile looks to lure in T-Mobile USA customers with $100 credit

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 11:14 AM PDT

Virgin Mobile looks to lure in T-Mobile USA customers with 00 credit

Virgin Mobile USA has launched a new campaign, taking aim at T-Mobile USA's new plans, and offering a $100 credit to T-Mobile users who switch. Virgin is hoping that their "Retrain Your Brain" effort will lure T-Mobile's pre-paid users to their network looking for better deals on their plans. Because Sprint, the network behind Virgin's service, is a CDMA network, while T-Mobile is GSM, you will need to get a new phone from Virgin, or bring a compatible phone with you.

One of Virgin's primary arguments for switching from T-Mobile seems to be the speed throttling users experience after they exceed a certain limit. Neither T-Mobile or Virgin charges overage fees for data, but they do reduce data speeds after a user reaches their limit. While T-Mobile reduces speed down to 2G quality, Virgin claims to reduce speed to 3G quality. T-Mobile also gives users the option to pay for unlimited high-speed data, while Virgin users are limited to 2.5GB per month on all plans.

Virgin claims that customers will have access to LTE speeds, and while this is true for some users, Virgin uses Sprint's network to power its service. Sprint's LTE network rollout is still in its early stages and very few locations receive LTE service compared to Verizon and AT&T. Virgin customers using the iPhone will also be out of luck, as the latest model that Virgin offers is the 4S, and there is, as of yet, no time frame for the release of the iPhone 5 for Virgin. For its part, T-Mobile only started its LTE rollout two weeks ago, so there coverage area is the smallest of all four major US carriers.

Source: Virgin Mobile USA

Former Apple ad man thinks the iPhone's naming convention needs to change

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 11:01 AM PDT

Does Apple's naming scheme for iPhone need to change?

Since 2008 Apple has introduced a new iPhone design one year and then followed it up with an S-variant the next. iPhone 3G was followed by iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 was followed by iPhone 4S. It's gotten to the point where many people are already assuming the next iPhone will be the iPhone 5S. Almost a month ago Rene wrote an article examining whether this iPhone 5S assumption could become a problem for Apple, and pointed out some ways Apple might already be moving to solve that problem. Now Apple's former ad guru, Ken Segall -- who was responsible for naming the iMac -- has shared some of his own thoughts on the matter:

More important, tacking an S onto the existing model number sends a rather weak message. It says that this is our "off-year" product, with only modest improvements. If holding off on the big number change achieved some great result, I might think otherwise.

I've talked to a lot of people who say they wait for the new model, or they wait for the S upgrade, but don't buy both. Is that really a problem, though? Is there any evidence to suggest Apple really intends for most people to buy every model, rather than just the next new model after their (typically 2 year) contract expires? If you go from iPhone 4 to iPhone 5, or iPhone 4S to iPhone 5S, what exactly is Apple losing out on?

Source: Ken Segall

Age Ratings Now More Prominent in iPad App Store

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:35 AM PDT

Last week Apple made some minor adjustments to the layout of iPad and iOS App Store pages. One of the more notable changes is in the way that age ratings for apps are presented – they've been made a little more prominent.

Age rating details are now displayed much higher up on the App Store window for individual apps – just below the app title and developer name. This follows closely on another recent update that made it easier to see which apps offer In-App purchases.

Now both of these bits of information – age rating and the indicator for apps with In-App purchase – are right up in the top section of the app window.

These changes should be good news for many iPad and iOS App Store users, and especially for parents.

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How to enable the Zoom feature on iPhone and iPad

Launch the Settings app from the Home screen of your iPhone or iPad
Tap on General.
Scroll down towards the bottom of the page and tap on Accessibility.
Now tap on the Zoom option.
Turn the toggle next to the Zoom option to the On position.

How to use the Zoom feature on iPhone and iPad

The Zoom feature on iPhone and iPad can remain on at all times but only be activated when you'd like it to which is what makes it so great. If only one person in your household needs it, they can easily activate it without having to consistently turn it on and off while others can just use it without.

Once you've enabled the Zoom feature in settings, simply double tap anywhere on the screen with three fingers in order to activate it. To move around the screen, simply drag three fingers around to move where you'd like. Tapping on apps will be business as usual. You'll just need to use three fingers in order to scroll around pages.

If you've got any other Zoom tips, be sure to leave them in the comments below!

Hotel Tonight for iPhone and iPad review

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:03 AM PDT

Hotel Tonight is an iPhone and iPad app that offers awesome last-minute deals on hotels in 12 countries and over 80 destinations. It features a gorgeous design that does a great job of showing off the amenities of the hotels.

Instead of a boring list of locations with just text and maybe thumbnails, Hotel Tonight features long strips of beautiful photos to represent each location, and when you tap on a location, the list of available hotels are displayed as little stacks of photos.

When viewing a hotel, a collage of photos of the destination are displayed. You can scroll around indefinitely to view all the photos in different sizes, or tap on an image to view them full screen.

I recommend not browsing through Hotel Tonight unless you're actually in need of a hotel; otherwise, be warned that you may fall prey of the gorgeous presentation and plan a last minute getaway.

The good

Gorgeous design
Exclusive low prices on incredible hotels
Same-day, fast and easy bookings until 2am
Great deals each night in a growing list of cities
Book for multiple nights
Deal selection is limited so they can negotiate with hotels to get you the best rates possible
24/7 real-person customer support via phone or email.

The bad

Crashes often

The bottom line

If you're planning a last minute trip somewhere, Hotel Tonight is a fantastic app for booking your hotel. They have a good range of average to upscale hotels to fit any budget.

Free - Download now

BUDGT for iPhone: track your income and expenses effortlessly and beautifully

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 08:58 AM PDT

BUDGT for iPhone review

There are lots of finance apps available in the App Store and probably half of those deal with handling income and expenses. BUDGT for iPhone is no exception but does things a little differently than apps like PageOnce which require you to physically link your accounts for the app to pull information in. There's no need for this with BUDGT. Just enter your income and expenses and BUDGT will take care of the rest.

BUDGT will begin by asking you to add your income and expenses into the app. You can do this by entering an amount and toggling the plus and minus sign to change from income or expense. There's also another toggle so you can change expenses or income from recurring each month or one time. For example, if you get a check from mom for your birthday, you can add this in as income but just change it from recurring to one time only. This way it won't carry over to the next month.

After you've set up all your income and expenses that are fixed for the month, you're ready to start using BUDGT on a daily basis. Basically, BUDGT will take what's left over after your fixed bills and create a daily budget that is divided up between all the days of the month for you. This way you know when you're exceeding your budget and when you're under. You can also toggle an overlflow setting under options which will let BUDGT automatically carry over any money you have left at the end of the month to the new month.

You'll be able to add as many categories as you'd like for income and expenses. The nice thing about BUDGT is how easy and quick it is to add expenses on the go. Simply type in the amount and then choose a category. It'll automatically add the expense for today. If you need to go back in time, just tap the date in the top bar and you'll see a list of days you can scroll through. Tap on the date you need to add or edit something for and you'll be zipped to that date.

BUDGT uses a series of pie charts in order to show you what you have remaining for the month. Tapping on larger pie charts will give you a breakdown for the month as to what you've spent money on. If you're trying to cut back on eating out, listing all your food expenses appropriately will allow you to track exactly what you're spending on eating out and become more conscious of how often you're doing it. This would obviously be the case for any expense category.

The good

Great interface that's easy to navigate and quick to find information within
Adding expenses isn't a daunting task anymore
Support for overflow budget to automatically be added to the following month
Travel mode lets you add a factor for foreign currencies while in different countries
No need to enter personal bank account information like you have to with apps like PageOnce and Mint

The bad

Doesn't support account import, some users prefer it this way while others with many transactions may actually prefer it
Initial set up can be a little daunting if you have a lot of fixed expenses
No way to change the default budget

The bottom line

BUDGT for iPhone is one of the easiest budget apps to use that I've ever tried out. Everything from the interface to how you interact with the app is very well thought out. For users that don't feel comfortable handing over their banking information and credit card information to a third party app, BUDGT is a great option. On the flip side, if you've got a lot of transactions on a regular basis, using an app like BUDGT could become a task.

At only $0.99 and no month fees, it's a great find and one that many users could easily train themselves to get used to using on an ongoing basis. If you're trying to better monitor your expenses, BUDGT may be a great app for beginners or those who want something simpler than many of the other income and expense apps out there.

$0.99 - Download Now

Price Drops: Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary for iPad 50% Off this Week

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 08:39 AM PDT

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary for iPad and iPhone is on sale this week at a full 50% off. It's available for $14.99 – down from its standard $29.99 – as a special offer until April 15.

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (OALD) is a popular and acclaimed print title and an excellent resource for students and writers. Here's a slice of its App Store intro:

Improve your English language skills with the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Understand what words mean. Learn how to say them. Know how to use them.
The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (OALD) is a world best-seller. It is now available as an app, with the full A-Z dictionary, real voice (not text to speech) audio, and My View to customize your screen. It has been developed by the same editors from Oxford University Press who created the printed dictionary, working together with...

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