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Today London-based Pixelmator Team announced the release of version 2.2 of its image editing Mac app, Pixelmator, that offers more than 100 new features and improvements over its predecessor. Dubbed “Blueberry,” Pixelmator offers improved shape tools and palettes, new move and selection tools, and a new light leak effect among many other changes and additions.

We’re excited to deliver even more, easy-to-use, advanced features to our Pixelmator fans and continue to create the best and most enjoyable image editing experience,” said Saulius Dailide of the Pixelmator Team. “With new state-of-the-art Smart Shape Tools, people can fully enhance their images, create logos, Web layouts, posters, and much more, all easier than ever before.

Here’s just one of a few videos highlighting a new feature in Pixelmator 2.2 (you can find more along with tutorials on the company’s YouTube channel):

Pixelmator was first released in 2007 and debuted in the Mac App Store in 2011, when it was selected by Apple as the Mac App of the Year. At the time of this post, it has over 2,200 ratings with an average of 4.5 stars.

Pixelmator currently costs $14.99, a price point it’s been at since November 2012. In today’s announcement, this is described as a promotional price, which makes it sound like it will increase soon. Pixelmator debuted in the Mac App Store at $29.99 and even spent a few months at $59.99 in 2011. If you’re even remotely interested in Pixelmator you should buy it now since $14.99 is probably as cheap as it’s going to get. I purchased Pixelmator for personal use when it was $29.99 and it’s been worth every penny and I prefer it by a wide margin over Adobe’s Photoshop Elements for its ease of use and overall value.

• $1499Buy Now
  Graphics & Design
  

  Pixelmator

  Last Changed:

  2 weeks ago

  Rating:

  5.00 (195)

  Version:

  2.2

  Mac OS

  Pixelmator is an inspiring, easy-to-use, beautifully designed image editor built to help you create stunning new images and edit your existing photos. Pixelmator takes full advantage of the latest...

If you’re a runner or cyclist and the lucky owner of a Pebble smartwatch, today’s announcement by RunKeeper should make you happy. RunKeeper version 3.3 was released today and it includes support for the Pebble smartwatch to display your current pace and distance stats so you can keep your precious iPhone tucked away safely while you’re out getting your fitness on.

The Pebble smartwatch made headlines last year when its funding campaign on Kickstarter blew past its original goal to hit $10 million. Following some manufacturing delays, Pebble smartwatches began shipping to Kickstarter backers in January just after the Pebble Smartwatch manager app debuted in the App Store.

Here’s a promotional video RunKeeper created to show the app in action with the Pebble:

RunKeeper has been a mainstay in the App Store since 2010 with over 19,000 ratings and an average of 4.5 stars to date. If you run or cycle and want to keep track of your workouts, fitness goals, and more, RunKeeper is worth a look, especially if you own a Pebble smartwatch.

• FreeBuy Now
  Healthcare & Fitness
  

  RunKeeper - GPS Track Running...

  Last Changed:

  1 week ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (301)

  Version:

  3.3.1

  iOS iPhone

  Join the more than 17 million people who are using RunKeeper to turn their phone into a personal trainer in their pocket! Track your runs, walks, bike rides, hikes, and more using the GPS in your...

Following the announcement last month that Google will be shutting down its Google Reader RSS service in July, developer Silvio Rizzi promised updates to his popular Reeder app earlier this month to make it usable after the shutdown and dropped the prices of the Mac and iPad versions to $0 until these updates hit. The first of these updates has arrived for the iPhone version of Reeder with the addition of Feedbin support and the ability for the app to act as a standalone RSS reader.

Feedbin is a paid RSS service that works similarly to Google Reader. But if you don’t want to pony up the $2.00 per month to get a Feedbin account, you can just use Reeder as a standalone RSS reader. If you take the latter route, you can add your subscriptions manually or import your existing subscriptions from your Google Reader account. Easy peasy.

The Mac and iPad versions of Reeder are still free and will remain so until Rizzi releases updates to them that add the same new features that just made it the iPhone version so get to downloading them now if you haven’t already. The iPhone version of Reeder is just $2.99 and it’s an excellent app to stay on top of your RSS feeds while on the go.

• $299Buy Now
  News
  

  Reeder

  Last Changed:

  4 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (34)

  Version:

  3.1

  iOS iPhone

  RSS reader and client for Feedbin, Fever, Readability and Google Reader. - Feedbin syncing (optional, paid account required, see feedbin.me) - Fever syncing (optional, paid web app required, see...

• FreeBuy Now
  News
  

  Reeder for iPad

  Last Changed:

  7 weeks ago

  Rating:

  3.50 (240)

  Version:

  1.5.7

  iOS iPad

  Google Reader Client. - Syncs with Google Reader - Browse by feed or folders - Manage starred items, notes - Mark as unread - Image caching - State saving - Slider control for list entries: ...

• FreeBuy Now
  News
  

  Reeder

  Last Changed:

  7 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.00 (365)

  Version:

  1.2

  Mac OS

  Google Reader Client. ★ Syncs with Google Reader. ★ Full Readability (readability.com) integration (see Preferences → General) ★ Customizable interface (see Preferences → Appearance) ★...

Google Now, a personal assistant service that first debuted for Android devices last year, has arrived for the iPhone and iPad through an update to the Google Search app.

Google Now provides users with relevant information based on individual search history, Gmail account contents, and current location. This information, including local weather and traffic details, upcoming appointments, events, and birthdays, flight statuses, and more, is shown to users unprompted in the form of virtual cards in the main view in Google Search.

Here’s a promotional video showing how Google Now works within the Google Search app:

Google Search is free to download and requires iOS 5.0 or later on an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. To use Google Now, you’ll need to log in with your Google account since that’s how Google accesses your information to populate what Google Now shows you.

I like what Google Now can do but it’s not as robust as it could be (more thanks to Apple and its limitations on what apps are allowed to do than any failure on Google’s part). And it’s a little bit creepy as well.

Google Now lacks any sort of push notification option so you have to open the app to see what Google Now has to tell you. Google Search isn’t an app I use regularly so opening it just to see this information isn’t particularly appealing to me. Also, though I’ve had a Gmail account for years now and I know that part of the terms of service I agreed to when opening it states that Google will essentially read through my emails, it feels a little creepy that Google will “snoop” through my email, contacts, and calendar, and parse through my Google searches to bring me all of this information.

This aside, Google Now could be incredibly useful to those who make full use of Google’s suite of services. Now if only Apple would let Google and other developers integrate apps more closely with iOS so getting this kind of information is seamless and more fluid…

• FreeBuy Now
  Reference
  

  Google Search

  Last Changed:

  3 weeks ago

  Rating:

  3.00 (1621)

  Version:

  3.0.0

  iOS Universal

  Search faster and easier with the latest Search app from Google. Get just the right information at just the right time with Google Now. Search hands­free with enhanced Voice Search. Answers before...

Orchestra’s mail management app, Mailbox, debuted in the App Store in February and while it impressed many, there was a long virtual line before most people could actually use it. Yesterday, Orchestra announced that the virtual line to use the app has been eliminated.

Good news! Mailbox is now available without having to wait in line. After 10 weeks of around-the-clock hard work, our engineering team has scaled the Mailbox service to deliver over 100 million messages per day (and growing). We believe we can now confidently handle new users as they sign up, so we’ve pulled down the reservation system.

If you missed the hubbub around Mailbox, the app lets you manage your email inbox with gestures to re-order, delete, archive, and even snooze your emails for later handling. Here’s the promo video so you can see it in action:

It works only with Gmail accounts at the moment and the app is free to download and use. I was able to start using Mailbox a couple of weeks or so after it was released and while I like the concept, it doesn’t help me be more productive for work though if it gets the ability to handle IMAP accounts outside of Gmail, I’d definitely use it for my personal email.

If you’ve been waiting patiently to give Mailbox a whirl or are just hearing about it for the first time, now is the time to get it. If you’re already using Mailbox, you’ll be happy to know that it got some smarter snooze options, interface improvements, and bug fixes in version 1.2.0 that was released earlier this week.

• FreeBuy Now
  Productivity
  

  Mailbox

  Last Changed:

  3 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (4921)

  Version:

  1.2.1

  iOS iPhone

  The fast, fun mobile inbox that puts email in its place.   Note: Currently for Gmail only. Other email platforms coming soon. Mailbox is a completely redesigned inbox that makes email light,...

Earlier this month, Facebook announced a new interface for select Android devoices dubbed ‘Facebook Home’. The interface puts the focus on interactions with your Facebook friends, featuring images and updates from your Facebook stream and the ability to chat from anywhere without needing to open a specific app. Today, Facebook updated its iPhone and iPad app to incorporate some of these new features.

Version 6.0 of Facebook hit the App Store this afternoon. One of the most notable features of Facebook Home is “chat heads,” which are tiny head shots used to represent your friends. On the iPhone and iPad, chat heads pop up when you receive a new message in the Facebook app and they remain on your screen even as you navigate around the app. Tapping on a chat head brings up a chat window over whatever else you’re browsing in the app.

Also new are stickers to spice up your chats with cute images. In the description of what’s new in version 6.0, Facebook notes that both chat heads and stickers will be rolled out to users “over the next few weeks” so don’t get discouraged if you don’t have these new features yet. I downloaded the update today and have the chat heads feature but I don’t see any of the new stickers yet.

If your’e curious about this whole Facebook Home thing, check out Facebook’s promo video embedded below. Note that the video shows Facebook Home on Android devices but it will still give you an idea of how chat heads work.

• FreeBuy Now
  Social Networking
  

  Facebook

  Last Changed:

  1 week ago

  Rating:

  3.50 (11400)

  Version:

  6.1.1

  iOS Universal

  Keeping up with friends is faster than ever. • See what friends are up to • Share updates, photos and videos • Get notified when friends like and comment on your posts • Text, chat and have...

T-Mobile USA began offering pre-orders for the iPhone 5 today prior to the official launch of the device on its network on April 12. T-Mobile is offering some unique payment plans for Apple’s flagship smartphone along with some straightforward and competitively-priced plans compared to other US carriers.

If you’re tempted to switch to T-Mobile but want to check out its network coverage where you live, work, or travel compared to your current carrier, check out Two Steps Beyond’s Coverage app. Coverage just got updated to version 2013.4 and now includes T-Mobile’s LTE and 1900 MHz networks so you can see just how well a shiny, new, unlocked iPhone 5 will work for you.

The great feature about Coverage is that you can choose to view the coverage maps of multiple carriers at once so you can truly do a comparison if you’re looking to switch networks. Of course, coverage maps aren’t always accurately indicative of the quality of the call and data coverage you’ll actually experience in a given area, but it’s a good start that can help you with the decision to switch.

Coverage costs $2.99 and is compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad and requires iOS 5.0 or later. Two Steps Beyond has been very good about updating the app regularly to reflect the most recent carrier coverage maps so you can rest assured you’re seeing the latest data.

• $299Buy Now
  Navigation
  

  Coverage?

  Last Changed:

  7 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (54)

  Version:

  2013.4

  iOS Universal

  The only app that directly overlays and compares carrier coverage maps! Perfect for travelers - research where you're covered across the USA! ** Follow our Facebook page to get update alerts:...

App Cubby’s Launch Center Pro, which is one of my most-used apps, got a major update late last week and it’s now on sale for 40% off for a limited time, bringing its price down to $2.99 from $4.99.

Launch Center Pro is a productivity app that can help you complete common tasks you do with your iPhone more quickly. For example, you can set up Launch Center Pro to open Instagram and go right to the camera tab so you can quickly capture an image. Or, you can define an action to call or text message your spouse with a single tap.

Launch Center Pro works using URL schemes to interact with other apps. Think of URL schemes as a way for Launch Center Pro to open another app and go to a specific action, like a browser bookmark to your favorite page within a website. Not all apps work with Launch Center Pro out of the gate, though – an app’s developer must incorporate URL schemes into their app so that Launch Center Pro can use these “hooks” to open the app and carry out actions within it. For a bit more on how Launch Center Pro works and how I have it set up on my iPhone, see this article.

In version 1.1, which hit the App Store late last week, several actions can now be completed right within the app. For example, you can now draft a text message right within Launch Center Pro and it will be sent without switching you over to the Messages app. The same goes for emails as well.

The full list of what’s new in 1.1 is as follows:

• In-app messaging actions — group messaging and preset text
• In-app email actions — attach last photo taken or attach photo from the clipboard
• Clipboard actions — place text on clipboard, place last photo on clipboard, convert text on clipboard, and x-callback-url support
• Expanded Text Expander support — snippets can now be expanded automatically while launching an action
• New Tweet action — tweet last photo taken
• Reorganized Action Composer
• Bug fixes and other enhancements

I use Launch Center Pro multiple times every single day and highly recommend it to automate common tasks you do regularly. Buy it now while it’s on sale. If you already have it, now is also a good time to gift it to someone else to save yourself a little scratch and share a bit of app joy at the same time.

• $399Buy Now
  Productivity
  

  Launch Center Pro

  Last Changed:

  3 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.00 (98)

  Version:

  1.1

  iOS iPhone

  🎥 Check out the demo video: http://appcubby.com Launch actions, not just apps! It’s like speed dial, but for more than just phone calls! Launch Center Pro creates lightning quick shortcuts to...

Fantastical, the calendar utility developed by Flexibits that debuted in the App Store in November, has received a major update. Fantastical 1.1 offers time zone support, multiple alerts for events, improved calendar navigation, and my favorite feature ever – the ability to enable a badge on the app’s icon to display the current date.

The full list of what’s new is as follows:

• Multiple alerts when creating events
• Time zone support
• Duplicate or move events (tap and hold an event in the event list)
• Go to a specific date (tap and hold the red title bar)
• Event list is now scrollable when using the calendar
• Today’s timed events dim after the event has ended
• Copied text containing event info can automatically be made into an event
• Added setting to highlight weekends
• Added setting to show empty days on the DayTicker
• Added setting to display the number of today’s remaining events or date on the app icon badge
• State restoration (iOS 6 only)
• A staggering number of other improvements, parser enhancements, and bug fixes

To recap a bit, Fantastical lets you use natural language to create calendar events. So if you type (or speak if you have a dictation-capable iPhone) “Lunch with Mom at 1 on Saturday,” Fantastical will parse this accordingly to create an event named “Lunch with Mom” at 1:00 pm on Saturday. It’s very easy to use and far simpler than navigating through the several screens required to create an event like this in the stock Calendar app.

In my review of Fantastical, I mentioned my reliance on the iPhone’s stock Calendar app with its display of the current date on the icon. Apple doesn’t allow third-party developers to do this and I’d mentioned that a work-around would be to use a push notification badge on the icon to show the current date. I must not have been alone in that request and Flexibits heard it enough that they implemented it in this update. This feature is optional if you don’t need or want it, or you could instead choose to use the icon badge to show the number of remaining events for the current day.

Fantastical for iPhone is on sale in celebration of this update, down to $3.99 from its regular price of $4.99. Fantastical has remained on my iPhone’s home screen ever since it was released and this update only makes it more useful.

• $499Buy Now
  Productivity
  

  Fantastical

  Last Changed:

  1 week ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (20)

  Version:

  1.1.2

  iOS iPhone

  ** GET THE CALENDAR APP EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT ** Fantastical is the fastest and friendliest calendar app. Just type in "Lunch with John in Cupertino on Friday" and Fantastical...

South by Southwest, the annual festivals for music, film, and emerging technology kick off on March 8 in Austin, Texas. The festivals feature hundreds of performances and events that draw thousands of attendees, making navigation a challenge. Fortunately, South by Southwest offers SXSW Go, a universal app that offers the full schedule of events for all of the festivals along with a map and much more.

SXSW Go will let you build your own schedule of events to attend at the festivals, placing selected events on your calendar with reminders to alert you before each event starts. The app can also use the iPhone’s GPS receiver to locate you and guide you to events (switching you to the built-in Maps app for directions).

SXSW Go also lets you share your schedule with others, find other attendees who have elected to share their schedules, and even post pictures to the official SXSW Flickr group.

SXSW Go is free to download and has been updated several times this year already in preparation for the festivals this month. I’ve never attended SXSW myself, but I’ve heard it’s incredibly fun and that many of the events can be hard to find and crowded. If SXSW Go can make it easier to locate events and get to them early, downloading it is a no-brainer unless you like living on the edge.

• FreeBuy Now
  Entertainment
  

  SXSW® GO – Official 2013...

  Last Changed:

  12 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.00 (103)

  Version:

  3.1.1

  iOS Universal

  SXSW GO® is the official mobile app for getting the most out of attending SXSW 2013. The app allows you to view/build/share your schedule, network with other Attendees, navigate the trade show, stay...