A few months ago, I took a look at Monthly, a budget tracker that kept track of your expenses on a broad level. While I lauded Monthly for being a stripped-down planner, its simplicity left room for other apps to aid in expense tracking.
For a more detailed experience regarding multiple budgets, there’s Pennies. Instead of inputting every bit of money you earn and spend, Pennies is meant to keep tabs on specific spending habits, like video game purchases. Through the user setting an allowance and logging your purchases, Pennies can set you on a course toward responsible spending.
A mainstay in iPhone photography, Camera+ was left without an update for over half a year – until today. With version 8.0, developers tap tap tap bring together new camera features and deep iOS integration, including:
Slow shutter with “ultra-low” ISO, with shutter speeds up to 30 seconds in manual mode and customizable ISO range
Import options for the last photo taken or a whole “moment” from Photos
Importing from Notification Center Widget, which brings a way to quickly bring a photo to Camera+’s lightbox without the need for launching an app
An action extension in the iOS Share Sheet, for sending a photo to Camera+ from “most apps” to start the editing process
The What’s New section, an all-new, in-detail summary of everything involved in the latest releases of Camera+.
Merged with the functionality presented in the previous seven versions, Camera+ 8 is the next great chapter in the app’s story – and, by the way, one that is free for current owners.
It’s a scene I’ve been a part of too many times: standing up in front of a group of people, I stumble through a speech while asking myself why I hadn’t prepared more. You may know how it feels – discomfort, regret, and even fear.
Ummo, described by the developer as “your personal speech coach,” is here to make the process significantly more comfortable by providing key data on your presentation. Paired with a feature that annoys you every time you use a filler word, the functionality of Ummo is enough to make you wish you had it sooner.
Ipsum, an app released today from developer Sam Ghobril, is a journaling app with a twist. Instead of fiddling with titles, formatting, and tags, you’ll simply type – like you would in iMessage – and Ipsum will log what you write. Other than the text, the only other piece of information in the timeline is the date an entry is written.
Sam said in a Medium post that he built Ipsum as a chat-only journaling system because he wanted users to “feel okay writing down even the smallest of thoughts.”
I’ve spent some time with Ipsum and am pleasantly surprised. It’s ridiculously easy to use, so much so that it made me afraid I was missing something else entirely. But no – all you have to do is type your thoughts, hit send, and they are in Ipsum for as long as you use the app.
If you’re looking for a new journaling experience, Ipsum should definitely be on your radar. You can pick it up in the App Store (iPhone only) for $1.99.
Continuing the yearly tradition, Apple’s Back to School sale launched today on Apple.com and in stores. Along with the usual education discounts of $50 for Macs and $20 for iPads, Apple is also including a pair of Beats wireless headphones with every order of either a Mac, iPad Pro, or iPhone.
On the Mac side, buyers have a choice from the selection of Beats Solo2 Wireless On-Ear headphones in 11 colors. Unfortunately, selecting a pair during the checkout process doesn’t display the color in the picture along the side, so make sure to check out how the colors look before choosing.
For both iPad Pro and iPhone, an order comes with one pair of Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless headphones or the equivalent value to be put toward a pair of Solo2 Wireless Headphones. The Powerbeats2 headphones come in 7 options.
If you’ll be taking advantage of this promotion, note that the cost of the Beats will be reflected on the total until checkout. After completing the process, Apple will deduct the price and it will reflect as savings.
This year’s Back to School sale started noticeably earlier than last year’s promotional period – which took place from July 23 to September 18 – and I have to wonder if this promotion is Apple looking to introduce wireless headphones to more people ahead of the iPhone 7 launch. If the iPhone 7 does indeed ship without a headphone jack, this promotion will be a great way to familiarize the public with Bluetooth headphones.
For more information on the discount, head over the the promotion page here.
Update: According to multiple redditors in this thread, Apple will honor the deal even if the computer was purchased within two weeks before the promotion’s launch. Although many people have been able to snag the headphones, be wary – Apple hasn’t released an official policy on this.
My phone sat locked when “Clarity” by Zedd played through my headphones. But like on so many other occasions, I decided that I was done listening to the song far before its end. I picked up my phone and, with a quick flick to the right, moved to the next song.
The functionality comes from Swysh, a $0.99 app to completely alter the way you interact with your music. I’ve been listening to my music with Swysh for the past week, and what I’ve found leaves me satisfied, albeit with some caveats.
At its I/O keynote earlier today, Google announced that it would venture further into messaging and video calling with two new apps: Allo and Duo. A familiar combination of text messaging and video chat, the two will provide a new way to chat with friends and obtain useful information within Google’s ecoystem.
The apps, which will be released this summer, will come to both Android and iOS, directly challenging the latter’s own iMessage and FaceTime services. Although Google did not put a strict release date on Duo or Allo, it did offer a sneak peak of what’s next.
Allo
Drawing inspiration from iMessage, Slack, and Google’s own Inbox, Allo looks to enrich the messaging experience by providing contextual information in a typical conversational format.
Based on your phone number, Allo will use your contacts to create a conversation. In many ways, Allo is a familiar messaging app, promoting back-and-forth conversation and displaying the responding status of the other party. However, Google has added a few features to make conversing easier and smarter.
Smart Reply
Mirroring Inbox, Allo supports Google’s Smart Reply system, a feature that scans the conversation and presents pre-written responses for your choosing. This can be anything from a simple “Hello!” to a response to a dinner request and, more impressively, a comment on a photo. Google claims that Smart Reply can identify the context of the action in a picture and suggest responses based on what it’s seen. As with much of Google’s software, the service will learn how you interact and adjust its replies based on your language patterns.
Google’s Assistant
Within a conversation, Google will present relevant search results based on the information you type. If, for example, you wanted to suggest to your friend that you should get coffee, the assistant would display an option to perform a search for coffee shops nearby.
After selecting the search, the assistant will insert options in a carousel with rating and distance. Choosing one of the shops would provide the opportunity to call, make a reservation, and so on. This isn’t limited to restaurants, of course, and Google said that it will be working with developers to bring tailored results straight into your conversation.
The assistant also works by itself, using natural language processing to perform actions like searching the web or getting the day’s schedule. One example from the keynote involved asking the assistant in a private conversation the result of the user’s favorite team, returning the latest result for Real Madrid.
Miscellaneous
Allo provides a simple way to send and draw on pictures – when sending an image, a pencil icon can be selected to write on the image. This was only demoed for a few seconds, so it’ll be interesting to see the customization options this features.
Also included is “WhisperShout,” a method for adjusting the text size to fit the desired message. By tapping and holding on the send button, users can slide a finger up or down to change the size of the message.
Incognito mode also makes an appearance in Allo, providing “end-to-end encryption and discreet notifications” for conversations. According to Open Whisper Systems, the company is partnering with Google to use their Signal Protocol technology, a “modern, open source, strong encyrption protocol for asynchronous messaging systems.” Incognito mode is not on by default, it seems, but it’s a welcome feature for those desiring more privacy.
Duo
Along with text messaging, Google also showed Duo, a video messaging service akin to Skype or FaceTime. Essentially, it’s much of the same story: a video call between two people through their phone numbers. Google claims Duo will show video in “crisp HD video” (up to 720p) and will switch between cellular and WiFi when it deems necessary. It also claims that video quality will adjust based on connection, ensuring that it’s still possible to continue the call.
The biggest differentiator between Duo and its competitors is what Google calls Knock Knock. With Knock Knock, the caller’s video stream will start before the video is accepted, meaning that the receiver is able to see the other party before picking up. Once the call is accepted, the video call will start between the two.
Without a firm launch date, Google is left with the task of providing information along the way to keep potential users interested. So far, it seems that both Allo and Duo are contenders in their respective categories; unfortunately, all we have of the apps today are the few screenshots, GIFs, and a blog post. In the coming months, it’d be nice to see a beta release from Google to get a better understanding how Allo and Duo work.
We’ve all been there – a dead phone and an expectant person wondering why we haven’t responded. Without any battery, there’s not really a solution to the problem, as the most common communication apps people use are inaccessible.
Battery Share from developer Terry Demco makes this issue one of the past by introducing a simple way to communicate battery life between friends. Although it takes some effort to set up, the results are well worth both the app’s $0.99 price and the setup time needed.
For a game to improve on its predecessors, it has to do something that none have done before it. This can be a tricky task, however – adding or eliminating one thing can be cause for uproar.
INKS is a game of pinball, but in a way that completely breaks the mold. Its improvement on the classic pinball game genre is evident and revolutionary enough to demand attention.
