Apple May Give You A New iPhone Battery For Free

Is your Kim Kardashian game draining your iPhone battery too quickly? You may be eligible for a replacement from Apple.



In a post on its website, the company announced that it will replace the battery packs for free in some phones sold between September 2012 and January 2013. A flaw in a "very small percentage" of devices sold during that window causes the phones to suddenly lose charge and need to be plugged in frequently. The company started replacing the batteries on Aug. 22.

To find out if you're eligible, Apple has a serial number checker here. The company also said it would refund customers who have already paid to replace faulty batteries.

But, Apple noted, don't get all crazy and think it's going to give you a freebie after you accidentally dropped your phone on the dance floor last weekend. Broken screens and other damages can make it difficult to replace the battery, so even if you're eligible for a replacement, you might be on the hook for other costs, the company said.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request from The Huffington Post for comment on Sunday.

Apple iPhone 6 production affected by screen snag

Suppliers to Apple are scrambling to get enough screens ready for the new iPhone 6 smartphone as the need to redesign a key component disrupted panel production ahead of next month’s expected launch, supply chain sources said.



It’s unclear whether the hiccup could delay the launch or limit the number of phones initially available to consumers, the sources said, as Apple readies larger-screen iPhones for the year-end shopping season amid market share loss to cheaper rivals.

But the issue highlights the risks and challenges that suppliers face to meet Apple’s tough specifications, and comes on the heels of a separate screen technology problem, since resolved, in making thinner screens for the larger iPhone 6 model.

Cupertino, California-based Apple has scheduled a media event for Sept. 9, and many expect it to unveil the new iPhone 6 with both 4.7 inch (11.94 cm) and 5.5 inch (13.97 cm) screens – bigger than the 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5s and 5c.

Two supply chain sources said display panel production suffered a setback after the backlight that helps illuminate the screen had to be revised, putting screen assembly on hold for part of June and July. One said Apple, aiming for the thinnest phone possible, initially wanted to cut back to a single layer of backlight film, instead of the standard two layers, for the 4.7-inch screen, which went into mass production ahead of the 5.5-inch version.

But the new configuration was not bright enough and the backlight was sent back to the drawing board to fit in the extra layer, costing precious time and temporarily idling some screen assembly operations, the source said.

Output is now back on track and suppliers are working flat-out to make up for lost time, the supply chain sources added.

Japan Display Inc, Sharp Corp and South Korea’s LG Display Co Ltd have been selected to make the iPhone 6 screens, the sources said.

Representatives for those three suppliers, and for Apple, declined to comment.

WIDER IMPACT
Apple is known to make tough demands on its parts suppliers for new iPhones and iPads as it competes to create designs, shapes, sizes and features to set it apart and command a premium price in a fiercely competitive gadget market.

This can cause glitches and delays, including screen problems that crimped supplies at last year’s launch of a high-resolution version of Apple’s iPad Mini.

It also highlights the danger for suppliers of depending too heavily on Apple for revenues, creating earnings volatility.

Earlier this month, Japan Display, said to be the lead supplier for the new iPhone panel, said orders for “a large customer” – which analysts said was Apple – arrived as expected, but shipments may be delayed in the July-September quarter.

Japan Display’s reliance on Apple’s cyclical business has spooked some investors. UBS Securities has forecast that Apple will contribute more than a third of the Japanese firm’s total revenue in the year to March 2015. Japan Display’s share price dropped to a 12-week low of 501 yen after first-quarter earnings on Aug. 7 lagged market expectations.

In Taiwan, home to several Apple suppliers and assemblers, export orders grew less than expected in July, even as factories rushed output ahead of new smartphone launches, reflecting the erratic nature of the business.

“Currently, there’s a small shortage in supply of a specialised component for our communication devices,” said a spokesman for Pegatron, which assembles iPhones. “This kind of problem regularly occurs and the impact on production is negligible.”

Supply chain sources had previously said challenges with the new iPhone’s screen in-cell technology, which eliminates one of the layers in the LCD screen to make it thinner, caused a delay in the production of the larger 5.5-inch version. One display industry source said the in-cell issues had now been resolved.

The pressure on Apple for stand-out products has increased as Samsung Electronics Co and, more recently, a clutch of aggressive, lower-cost Chinese producers such as Xiaomi Inc and Lenovo Group Ltd have eroded the U.S. company’s market dominance.

The iPhone 6 unveiling has been widely anticipated to bolster momentum for Apple shares, which have risen by a third, to above $100 each, since the company posted strong first-quarter earnings in late-April.

7 awesome paid iPhone apps that are free right now ($18 value!)

These are paid iPhone and iPad apps that have been made available for free for a limited time by their developers. There is no way to tell how long they will be free. These sales could end an hour from now or a week from now — obviously, the only thing we can guarantee is that they are free at the time this post is published. If you click on a link and see a price listed next to an app instead of the word “free,” it is no longer free. The sale has ended. If you download the app, you will be charged.

Quickipedia

Check out Wikipedia articles in a gorgeous interface that matches Apple’s iOS 7 UI perfectly.

Read Wikipedia in any of over 250 languages faster than you ever thought possible, powered by Spritz!

Using Spritz, Quickipedia will rapidly flash one word at a time at any of over 40 different speeds. This eliminates the need for your eyes to scan the text in order to read efficiently. Spritz provides a reticle at the ideal position in a word to allow your mind to comprehend each word despite seeing it for only a fraction of a second. Read up to 1000 words per minute while maintaining or improving your current comprehension. The average person reads normally at about 250 words per minute, but with Rapid, you will very soon double or triple that speed.

Features
• Swipe to star articles
• Read in true fullscreen
• Swipe down to dismiss
• Spritz mode or read mode both in fullscreen
• Swipe to rewind/advance
• Jump to any section using table of contents
• Open html version of article for reference
• Select from over 40 speeds
• View time remaining or words remaining
• Retrieve and star random Wikipedia articles
• Seek to any word in the text
• Share any article

This beautifully designed app will give you the smoothest Wikipedia reading experience available anywhere!

Quickipedia is normally $0.99 but it’s free right now.

Download Quickipedia

Daily Goals

Sometimes the gap between having goals and achieving your goals can feel massive. But don’t worry… there’s an app for that.

Daily Goals – Track. Analyze. Succeed.
An ultra simple and colourful app that helps you keep track of your habits.

BUILD HABITS
– Create and track unlimited habits.
– Configure the name, colour, start & end dates, reminder time and schedule for each habit.
– Schedule habits to repeat on specific days of the week or weekly (eg 3 times per week).

STAY MOTIVATED
– Get simple, colourful feedback on your progress by plotting habits of your choice on the history calendar.
– Up to 8 habits can be plotted simultaneously letting you see the big picture.

ANALYZE AND ACHIEVE
– Get insight into your habits with powerful per-habit or overall analysis:
– Per habit analysis types:
+ Current/longest streak per habit
+ % completion last 7/30/365 days per habit
+ completion count per habit last 7/30/365 days
– Overall analysis types:
+ % completion by day/week/month.

DO IT YOUR WAY
– Choose the start day of the week
– Choose when your day ends (handy for night owls)
– Choose between light and dark themes
– Show number of remaining habits on icon badge
– Set a passcode to keep your habits private
– Set a daily reminder to record your progress

FEATURES NOT INCLUDED (YET)
– multiple device sync
– monthly habits

Daily Goals is free for a limited time, down from its typical price of $2.99.

Download Daily Goals

PDF PROvider

If it involves PDF files, this app can do it.

Meet the best-of-breed PDF processor for power users. Scan papers, surf the web and view office documents. Save essential content to Portable Document Format. Easily merge and arrange PDF files. Annotate, sign and share documents on the fly. All with crisp-new iOS 7 look and feel.

In its core, PDF PROvider is the robust convert to Adobe renowned format. Use it to convert Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Pages, Numbers and Keynote files, as well as Web Pages, Maps, Contacts, Photos and other popular content.

With the built-in scanner, internal web browser, Open In command and support for Dropbox storage, PDF PROvider ensures quick access to all your essential documents and major content.

Moreover, you will appreciate advances annotation tools that enable to make comments share thoughts and sign PDF documents.

To organize and store your files, you can take advantage of an innovative file manager that features List and Collection Views. The latter offers an intuitive touch-friendly way to manage documents and perform most frequent operations. Also, you can send PDFs by e-mail, open in other apps and print to the wireless printer.

*Save Web Pages for Offline Reading*

Use PDF PROvider to save blog posts, product listings, bookings, reservations and other web content to PDF and keep for reference at any time. The internal web browser lets do online surfing, convert web pages from different web sources to PDF one by one, into multi-page PDF document.

*Create Content-Rich Digests and Reports*

Merge documents, text, Web Pages, Contacts, Photos and Maps into rich, informative PDF documents, reports and digests. Arrange content by laying out the correct order of the pages.

*Scan and Save to PDF*

Scan paper records and documents into sharp readable images using the built-in scanner. Save digital copies into high-quality PDF files and keep for sharing or back up purposes.

*Make notes and share your thoughts within PDFs*

PDF PROvider offers rich annotating tools. You can add notes, highlight text, insert stamps, shapes, handwriting and other. All annotation tools come with advanced styles and settings.

*Sign Documents*

Use PDF PROvider to sign contracts, agreements and other legal documents and papers. PDF PROvider allows you to select the color of the signature.

Save to PDF and share:
• Pages, Numbers and Keynote documents
• Word, Excel and PowerPoint files
• Photos
• Pictures and Texts from Clipboard
• Contacts
• Web pages
• Maps

With PDF PROvider you can:
• Merge several documents of different formats into single PDF in required order
• Scan paper documents into sharp readable images save them to high quality PDFs
•View web pages
•Annotate and sign PDFs
•Transfer documents from desktop computers
• Copy & Paste notes from the Notes application
• Open documents from Mail and Safari, Box and other cloud storage applications
•Synchronize documents or pictures with your Dropbox account for converting and merging.

PDF PROvider is currently on sale for free, providing big savings compared to the normal $7.99 price tag.

Download PDF PROvider

TouchRetouch HD

Remove blemishes or even people from photos with ease using this nifty iPad app.

TouchRetouch HD is a revolutionary application that lets you remove unwanted content or objects from your photos, using just your finger and iPad. Mark the items you want taken out of the snapshot and hit ‘Go’. That’s all there is to it. Retouching photographs has never been so quick, easy and convenient. Click “…More” to learn why you should download this App today!

You recently got married on a beautiful Caribbean beach. Everything was so perfect. Luckily, you have a lot of memorable snapshots of the crystalline water and white sand backdrop of the ceremony, you and your new spouse silhouetted in the sunset, your guests under a palm tree, that nude sunbather that somehow got included in a shot taken during the exchanging of vows. Yikes!

Before showing your mom those photos, take a minute to remove that accidental guest from an otherwise great picture. Open your TouchRetouch HD app. Using your finger, select the Brush or Lasso tool to mark what you don’t want in the shot, then hit the ‘Go’ button. Okay, you’re done and it’s now safe to share your picture-perfect memories with everybody.

TouchRetouch HD isn’t just for exotic or wedding photo touch-ups, of course. Use this easy yet ingenious application on any photo, newly snapped on your iDevice or taken from your gallery. Remove those wires that are in the way of an otherwise wonderful view, take banners off of buildings, get rid of people, eliminate spots and other imperfections. All without distorting the final image.

You can even have a little fun with TouchRetouch HD. Take away the bicycle from under your brother and it looks like he’s cycling in mid-air. You can make it look like people are flying, jumping or posed oddly, by removing whatever was supporting them.

Do everything mentioned here and more, in mere seconds without any special equipment.

Check out some of the things that you can do with TouchRetouch HD:
* Remove spots from sky or other backgrounds
* Remove wires from your picture
* Remove banners from the buildings
* Remove human-made objects from nature views (bridges, buildings, tents, ships etc.)
* Remove your shadow from self-made picture
* Remove people from the photo
* Remove ghosts and flare
* Remove surface breaks
* Smoothen and retouch the face
* Create funny pictures: for example, remove parachute and leave the guy flying in the sky

This app is just so versatile! It comes loaded with great features and functions that you’re going to love using and appreciate having, especially in an easy-to-use, portable medium that goes everywhere you do.

Features
* In-app video tutorials
* Unlimited Undo\Redo actions
* Smart image background recovery techniques
* No distortions in final image
* Easy to use interface
* Sending retouched images via e-mail
* Original image resolution

Download TouchRetouch HD now and start creating amazing or funny photos. It’s easy, fun and always ready to edit your images in a tap or two – no matter when, no matter where.

Enjoy your new snapshots!

Normally $0.99, this app is free for just one day. There’s also an iPhone version but it costs $0.99.

Download TouchRetouch HD

iPacking

Packing for a trip will never be painless, but this app will at least take some of the hassle out of the experience.

iPacking is an excellent and funny packed app. The app can help you pack your luggage and handle any type of trip you take. Whether you are going to business trip, taking a vacation, going camping or just a road trip. Even more wonderful was that the app lets you more like packed.

Feature:

- A great “Pack Now” option to help users efficiently complete their packing list, while they use simple and intuitive gestures to navigate through each item.
– A database of over 340 possible travel items, plus the option to add an unlimited number of items.
– A database of various travel templates – such as camping, business trip, and so on – that can be customized to fit each user’s current and future requirements.
-The ability to create an unlimited number of lists and categories to easily manage the packing duties for any kind of trip — whether it’s across the city, or on the other side of the world.
– A handy filter to see items that are packed or unpacked.
– Social integration to share packing lists with family, friends and colleagues via Facebook, Twitter or email, so they can confirm that the packing list is complete.
– An “Unpack All” option for travelers who are essentially repeating the same trip, and want to ensure that they take the same items.
– Show only items that are packed, unpacked, or show them all.
– Edit item number.
– Add the item to a new or existing category.
– Copy List : when you need to create a similar one.
– Easier edit items for rearrange, rename, change the category and move them.
– Print your list directly to a printer.
– Save list as template.

iPacking isn’t only for trips. Create lists for shopping, Todo and other miscellaneous tasks.

This app is a bargain at $1.99, but free is even better.

Download iPacking

Scanner with OCR

This app couldn’t be simpler: Just snap a picture of a document and Scanner with OCR will digitize the text.

OCR Scanner is a very useful application for:

- High school students, college students, Students
– When traveling abroad
– In your everyday life (Recipe, Books, Newspaper, etc.).
– Etc.
————————————————-

OCR Scanner is a combination between Pixels (your pictures) and text (what you will get) by Optical character recognition usually abbreviated to OCR which is the mechanical or electronic conversion of scanned images of handwritten, typewritten or printed text into machine-encoded text.

OCR Scanner is the most elegant and easy way extract text from your pictures. It’s a powerful tool that turns your iPhone into a multi-functional mobile scanner with translation capability.

Snap a photo or choose an existing one from your library and the app will instantly extract your text from the picture.

OCR Scanner turns your physical documents into a digital notes that you can edit, translate or share to many apps.

OCR Scanner just works as advertised. It use an advanced image-processing algorithms to eliminate uneven lighting and shadows and improve contrast. The result is the clearest and most readable scans possible from the iPhone’s camera.

What makes OCR Scanner unique:

- Application Interface
It is clean, agile and focused on your productivity.

- OCR Recognition Language
OCR Scanner supports 32 recognition languages:

ENGLISH
BRAZILIAN
BULGARIAN
BYELORUSSIAN
CHINESE (SIMPLIFIED)
CHINESE (TRADITIONAL)
CATALAN
KOREAN
CROATIAN
CZECH
DANISH
DUTCH
ESTONIAN
FINNISH
FRENCH
GERMAN
GREEK
HUNGARIAN
INDONESIAN
ITALIAN
JAPANESE
LATIN
LATVIAN
LITHUANIAN
MOLDAVIAN
POLISH
PORTUGUESE
ROMANIAN
RUSSIAN
SERBIAN
SLOVAK
SLOVENIAN
SPANISH
SWEDISH
TURKISH
UKRAINIAN

- Picture Adjustment
You can crop your picture to only select the portion of text that you want to extract

- Editing
You can edit the extracted text to add or remove words.

- Sharing
You can share your text to almost all your favorite apps including:

# Email
# SMS
# Facebook
# Twitter
# Pages
# Evernote
# Word
# Pdf
# Doc2Go
# Dropbox
# and many more

REQUIREMENTS

- OCR Scanner requires network connectivity (WiFi or 3G/EDGE).

All processing happens on your iPhone, and the confidentiality of your data is never compromised. There is also no subscription fee.

Normally $1.99, this app is free right now.

Download Scanner with OCR

Vintage+

What would a list of apps be without at least one photo filter app?

◉ WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT
This is an old photo camera, you can select include the old, retro, mottled, wrinkles, scratches, mold lines, leaky, black and white, yellow, film, magic light, 8mm, brightly colored effects, for your photos to create more memories.

◉ ASTONISHING EFFECTS
• 60 models topic black and white Filters
• 50 models unique Retro Effect
• 40 models Flare Effect
• 35 models Vintage Light Effect
• 30 models Film Leaked

◉ DESIGN STEP
First-time users can follow the designer to do so, first choose to apply your photos to black and white or yellowing photograph looks old filter (Filter) save and reopen the photo, and then the second (or more) apply effects such as scratches and spots (Effect) you can get more levels, more natural realistic old photo effect Oh!
More wonderful visual effect waiting for you to personally try! Download it now!

◉ ASTONISHING EFFECTS
Be creative and make experiments, take pictures, edit them, add awesome effects, styles and amazing frames, share your emotions and times of your life with your folks and friends.

◉ NOTES
• We encourage you to try different combinations of filters, so that photos more attractive!
• recommend that you apply the filter after the first save, and then open the saved pictures do multi-level stack, so that the effect better, and properly protect the original photo!

Vintage+ is free for a limited time, on sale from $0.99

Samsung Galaxy Alpha vs iPhone 6

Samsung's freshly-unveiled Galaxy Alpha is a pretty obvious punt at outdoing Apple's premium approach to design.



While it hasn't been revealed yet, rumours have us left with a pretty good idea of what the iPhone 6 will be like. It also appears like it will launch around the same time as the Galaxy Alpha. So, it's time to get comparing.



Design

Until now, Samsung's approach to design has always been 'the more plastic, the better'. This just doesn't cut it in a world where phones like the HTC One M8 or iPhone 5S exist.

Samsung knows this, so has decided to finally incorporate some more premium materials into its design philosophy. Enter the Galaxy Alpha.

The phone is just 6.7mm thick, which puts it right at the top end of slimmest mobile devices out there. It also uses a metallic wraparound, which gives the phone more of a high-end look.

However, Apple looks to be keeping up its tradition of using as much aluminium as possible. The vast deluge of iPhone 6 leaks all point to a super-slim handset with a glass front and a MacBook-style metallic back.

There is also a rumour that the phone will feature a light-up Apple logo just like that found on the firm's laptops, which, while being largely pointless, is a definite design plus point.

While it's a matter of opinion, if the iPhone 6 turns out looking like it does in leaks, then it knocks the Galaxy Alpha out of the park for design.

Hardware

Samsung has included as many cores as possible in the Galaxy Alpha. It comes with either an octo-core processor or a quad-core 2.5GHz unit.

The iPhone will likely stick at a dual-core chip, with some clever GPU tweaks and increased usage of 64-bit technology. The only way we can know the winner here is with a straight up benchmarking test, which we just can't do yet.

Real-world usage rules apply however, which means that the iPhone will probably feel slick in terms of user interface, but that Android's customisation and raw power will put it ahead for those who are more tech-confident.

2GB of RAM in the Galaxy Alpha is more than enough for quite serious multi-tasking. In fact, the only gap we think Samsung has left here against the iPhone is the decision to go for a 720p screen.

If Apple opts to put a higher resolution and larger Retina display in the iPhone 6, then you can be almost certain that it will take the win on the hardware front. Both screens are 4.7 inches.

It's also worth noting that Samsung has used Gorilla Glass for the Galaxy Alpha, whereas Apple will use Sapphire Crystal, a much stronger compound.

Camera

Samsung has incorporated a 12-megapixel unit into the Galaxy Alpha alongside a 2.1-megapixel camera on the front.

Apple already had a corker of a camera with the iPhone 5S. iOS 8 already does a lot to improve its flexibility, so boost the tech for the iPhone 6 and things will at least be on par with what Samsung is doing here.

Rumours point to a 13-megapixel Sony Exmor sensor unit, which would place the iPhone ahead of the Samsung in the sensor race.

Storage

Bizarrely, Samsung made the decision not to include microSD with the Galaxy Alpha, which means you are stuck with the 32GB that the handset ships with.

Apple always offers numerous storage options for its iPhone going up to 64GB, but this time around, there are whispers of a 128GB option. Expect it to be very expensive.

Release date and pricing

On the subject of pricing, neither manufacturer has announced any costs just yet. Apple doesn't like to mess with prices however, so expect the iPhone 6 to cost around £550 off contract.

As for the Samsung, the specifications read more like a mid-tier handset for the Korean manufacturer, so it's possible that it'll be around £350-£400.

As for release date, Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 6 on September 9. Release usually falls two to four weeks later.

Samsung has the phone listed as going on sale at 'the beginning of September', which basically means 'whenever the iPhone 6 doesn't launch'.

Selling an Old iPhone? Here Are Things to Consider

Apple usually announces a new iPhone in September, so it’s not too early to start thinking about your old iPhone.



It has some value. In fact, it may be worth a lot more than you think, even if it is scratched and has a broken screen. You might be able to get over $100 for such a beat-up phone. But the value of the smartphone seems to depend as much on what carrier you use as how much storage (or memory) it has.

You can sell old iPhones — a lot of Android phones, too — to a number of online companies. Gazelle.com, cashforiphones.com, usell.com and icracked.com are just a few of them. Amazon and eBay are also vibrant marketplaces for used iPhones. I don’t know which one offers the best price or which are the most reputable. I don’t have enough used iPhones to do comparison testing.

But looking at the prices offered for the used iPhone 5s may offer some insight into what phone to buy next if you intend to sell it after a few years of use.

Before going on, may I just stop and say I am not suggesting you buy a new phone. Use the phone you have as long as you can, as you would a car or a refrigerator. There are few good reasons to replace a phone every year or two.

O.K., now on to the observations. First, the phone’s color doesn’t seem to matter a whit.

Memory does matter, but not the way you might think. It makes sense to buy a phone with as much memory as you can afford, since it soon becomes packed with memory-hogging apps, magazines, emails, messages and photos. But if you think in terms of resale, you get the best return on a phone with the smallest amount of memory.

Apple sells its base 16 gigabyte 5s phone for $200 and then doubles the memory and bumps the price up $100. But the additional memory does nothing for the resale value, according to a number of resale sites. (I used data from gazelle.com as a representative example.) Your best return is the base 16GB memory phone, but in every case the value of the 64 GB phone drops.

What matters most is the carrier providing the service. Verizon iPhones have the best resale value. A 16GB phone can actually be worth 62.5 percent more than you paid for it (if you bought your phone with a contract). An AT&T phone does almost as well; its 16GB phone can be worth 40 percent more. (All values were computed using an undinged phone.)

Sad, sad Sprint. A phone on that carrier loses value in all cases.

The phones retain and even gain value because they can be sold to people in the United States where Verizon and AT&T are the most popular networks, or overseas where the phones are compatible with a country’s system of cell towers.

Cracked screens can be replaced and light scratches buffed out. But remember, if you monogrammed your phone or had your name printed on it, sorry. No one, anywhere, thinks it is cool to own that phone.

Five iPhone Podcast Apps Compared: Which One Is Right for You?

Podcasts are a great way to catch up with the latest news, hear some amazing stories and learn more about your favorite topics.

Choosing a good podcast app can help, but finding the right one can be overwhelming, so to help you out, here’s a comparison of five apps for the iPhone.

Apple Podcasts

Price and compatibility: Free; iOS 7.0 or later
Apple has its own Podcasts app, so I figured it would be a good place to start. It’s available for download in the iTunes store, but the app will come preloaded on iOS devices starting this fall, with the release of iOS 8.

Podcasts makes finding and adding podcasts easy enough. Using the toolbar at the bottom, you can peruse iTunes’s Featured list and Top Charts, or you can manually search for a program by name. Under the My Stations tab, you can organize podcasts around custom themes. For example, I created one for sports and entertainment. And all your stations and subscriptions can be synced across multiple iOS devices via iCloud. The player is pretty basic, but offers features like a sleep timer, various playback speeds and 15-second forward and rewind.

But compared to the other apps I tested, Podcasts falls short in numerous areas. For one, the interface is a bit clunky and counterintuitive. For example, I found it confusing that while I could adjust some settings within the app, I then had to go to the iPhone’s general settings to adjust other preferences, like whether or not to allow cellular downloads.

There were also download errors, and syncing between my iTunes desktop client and iPhone 5 didn’t always work. Other users have had problems, too, and Podcasts currently has a measly one-and-a-half star rating (out of five) from iTunes users. Apple recently acquired Swell, a Pandora-like service for talk radio; the company won’t comment on how it plans to fold the Swell team into the company, but one can hope its efforts will be put toward improving the Podcasts app.

Castro

Price and compatibility: $3.99; iOS 7.0 or later
Castro is built for the casual listener, and not for those who want to micro-manage their podcasts.

One of the best parts of the app is its attractive and intuitive interface. From the main page, you can access your shows in one of two ways. Castro displays a list of all the shows that you are subscribed to, and you can tap each one to access a full list of episodes and settings for that particular show. Alternatively, you tab over to Episodes to see all your various podcasts organized by publish date. With a single tap of a button, you can also access the Settings menu, where you can set your preference for things like playback speed and data usage, using simple tools.

But while the minimalistic approach to the design works well, Castro is a little too bare-bones in the features department. I can understand leaving out support for things like playlists, but I desperately missed having a way to discover new podcasts. Currently, the only way to add podcasts in Castro is to manually search for them or import them from other apps.

But Castro’s co-creator Padraig O Cinnede told me that they are planning to add a discovery feature in the future, along with support for video podcasts and syncing across multiple devices.

Downcast

Price and compatibility: $2.99; iOS 6 or later, Mac OS X 10.8 or later
Downcast may not be the most visually striking podcast app, but it offers a good user experience and a robust feature set. Out of all the apps I tested, it was my favorite.

Like Apple’s Podcasts, there’s a toolbar along the bottom that helps you navigate through all your various options. You can add podcasts manually or select from a list of top shows by category. Downcast also supports playlists and iCloud sync.

I like that the player displays show notes as you listen to a podcast, and has easy, one-touch buttons to rewind or fast-forward the episode in different time intervals. The app is also designed so that it’s easy to see the status of a podcast (unplayed, partially played, downloaded or available for stream, and so forth). But one of the most impressive things about Downcast is the breadth of options for customization.

You can tweak everything from how and where new episodes should be downloaded to which episodes should be deleted. This deep level of customization won’t be for everyone, but I found it quite useful for managing my list of shows. I also appreciated that this could all be done within the app, and without having to go through too many menus.

Pocket Casts

Price and compatibility: $3.99; iOS 7.0 or later, Android 4.0 or later
Pocket Casts is another app that’s good for users who want more control over their podcasts. It offers automatic downloads, and syncing and backup across multiple devices (including Android). It even lets you customize the point at which a podcast starts playing, in case you want to skip over a show’s standard intro.

Design-wise, it’s more attractive than Downcast. The section for adding podcasts is filled with colorful artwork from the various shows. The creators of the app, Shifty Jelly, have even made it so that the color of the player controls will change to match the podcast’s artwork.

That said, I didn’t find it quite as streamlined or intuitive as Downcast. For example, the app supports playlists, but they’re called Filters. I didn’t realize this until I started playing around with the feature (although I did appreciate that you can differentiate playlists with different colors and icons). Also, the Settings icon for individual podcasts was so small that I completely missed them the first time around.

It’s still a well-performing app, but it requires more of a learning curve than Downcast.

Overcast

Price: Free with limited features, $4.99 for full version; iOS 7 or later
Overcast was built by Marco Arment, the creator of the read-it-later app Instapaper. The paid version offers more advanced features like cellular downloads, variable playback speeds, unlimited playlists and more. But for my tests, I tried the free version as an alternative to Apple’s native app.

You can search for shows by name or URL, or you can import them from another app. Arment also curates a small list of recommendations based on categories such as tech, comedy and pop culture. Plus, you can get podcast suggestions from people you follow on Twitter, though they also must be Overcast users. Admittedly, I missed having access to iTunes’s vast catalog of podcasts, but there were other times that I liked Overcast better.

There’s a beauty to the app’s simplicity. From a podcast page, I was able to access unplayed episodes, past episodes and settings — without having to dig through multiple menus. There were also no performance issues.

If you’re just getting into podcasts and want a basic player, I’d recommend giving Overcast a try (it’s free, after all). And for those who want more bells and whistles, Downcast definitely has it dialed in.

4 awesome paid iPhone apps you can download for free right now

These are paid iPhone and iPad apps that have been made available for free for a limited time by their developers. There is no way to tell how long they will be free. These sales could end an hour from now or a week from now — obviously, the only thing we can guarantee is that they are free at the time this post is published. If you click on a link and see a price listed next to an app instead of the word “free,” it is no longer free. The sale has ended. If you download the app, you will be charged.

With that disclosure out of the way, here are four paid iPhone apps that have just gone free on Wednesday.

Notifyr

Notifyr is a terrific app that will let you pair your iPhone with your Mac to give you your iPhone notifications right on your laptop or desktop computer.

Notifyr shows all your incoming notifications from your iPhone on your Mac.

With Notifyr, you’ll never miss a notification again: you can keep your phone in your pocket and still know what’s going on. You can read your incoming WhatsApp messages, see who’s following you on Instagram or read any of the other kind of notifications from any app on your iPhone. It’s also possible to mute notifications from any app you like.

Once paired, you’ll never need to open the app on your phone again. When the connection gets lost, Notifyr will automatically reconnect to your phone once it becomes available again.

Because Notifyr uses Bluetooth Low Energy, you can keep using Notifyr all day without it draining your battery.

Notifyr, which normally costs $3,99, will be “free every other day for 7 days starting the 6th of August,” its developers say.

WriteRight

As its name suggests, WriteRight is an app whose sole goal is to help you be a better writer on your iOS device by giving you a ton of suggested synonyms and antonyms so that you don’t use the same boring old words again and again. This could be particularly helpful for BGR writers so that we don’t use the words “awesome,” “amazing,” “gorgeous” and “killer” too much in our sensational headlines.

WriteRight is the best writing app with countless synonyms, antonyms and phraseology for iPad, iPad Mini and iPhone, built upon Markdown. It makes smart replacements preserving conjugation, gender and number.

WHAT’S UNIQUE ABOUT WRITERIGHT?

WriteRight offers you synonyms or antonyms together with phraseology.

WriteRight recognizes conjugated words, either feminine or plural, or in different tenses and persons in the case of verbs.

WriteRight replaces words with their conjugated synonym counterparts, matching gender and number, person and tense.

WriteRight is capable of identifying and replacing not only single words, but multiple-word expressions, phrasal verbs, adjectivals, adverbials and prepositional phrases, even in their conjugated forms.

WriteRight normally costs $2.99 but you can now get it for free for an undetermined amount of time.

Timeless: The Multiple Countdown Timer & Stopwatch with Style

Simply put, Timeless wants to be the only stopwatch app you’ll ever need, as it will allow you to set up multiple countdown timers for different events and activities.

Timeless is a countdown timer and stopwatch application that combines a very simple and fast interface with powerful features like multiple timers, labeling, gesture based controls, Focus mode and colour themes.

A list of features that you’ll love:

* UP TO 60% FASTER (NEW) We’ve completely re-engineered core parts of the app to make it even faster to load and handle your timers.

* UPDATED FRESH NEW DESIGN (NEW) Timeless has been redesigned to look and feel even better!

* COUNTDOWN SECONDS (NEW) You can now set seconds for your timers

* FAST & EASY THEME PICKER (NEW) Use a different colour theme for each timer

* STOPWATCH & COUNTDOWN TIMER Timeless works both as stopwatch and a countdown timer!

* MULTIPLE TIMERS Timeless lets you run up to ten timers simultaneously. Just swipe left to add a new one!

* LABELS ON TIMERS You can add a label on each timer so that you know which timer is up.

* PRESET TIMER DURATIONS Timeless saves the timers you setup so that you can create presets for quick access.

* THEMES Choose from a variety of carefully crafted color themes to match your style or the occasion. More coming soon!

* INTUITIVE GESTURE CONTROLS Timeless allows you to use simple gestures as shortcuts to simple tasks like:
– Start/stop each timer by double tapping on the screen
– Swipe left to add a new timer
– Shake to reset the current timer
– Swipe left or right to navigate though timers

* MULTIPLE TIMERS VIEW Rotate clockwise for an overview of all your timers. Start or stop each one you like in a single tap or change their order.

* SINGLE TIMER VIEW (“Focus Mode”) Rotate counter-clockwise to view a large version of the running timer. This mode prevents the phone from locking so that you can easily check the timer’s progress.

* NOTIFICATION CENTER INTEGRATION Never miss a notification. Timeless runs in the background and when a timer expires, it notifies you through the iOS notification center.

* RUNNING TIMERS BADGE A little badge on the app’s icon lets you know how many timers are currently running.

* SOUND EFFECTS THAT ENHANCE ACCESSIBILITY Sound effects make the app even more friendly and fun to use! Each sound has been carefully selected to match each interaction so that you can practically use the app without even looking at the screen.

* NOTIFICATIONS SOUNDS Choose from a list of carefully selected audio notifications. More coming soon!

Countless normally costs $0.99 but is now free for an undetermined amount of time.

Cavesweeper

And finally, we have Cavesweeper, a fun little game that mixes the classic formula of Minesweeper with the thrills of playing a dungeon-crawling RPG. The setup is very familiar but instead of watching out for mines as you click on tiles, you’re watching out for scary monsters that are lurking in the depths.

Reveal the soul gems of monsters in this addictive puzzle game inspired by Minesweeper, NetHack, and Diablo. Fight your way through the deadly cavern, defeating enemies, finding loot, and meeting crazy characters who will assist you on your quest. When you play Cavesweeper, no two games will ever be the same!

Compete on 6 Game Center leaderboards and conquer 40 achievements in this value-jammed game. Cavesweeper features NO in-app purchase and NO advertisements.

Cavesweeper normally costs $1.99 but is now free for an undetermined amount of time.

‘Titanium force’: New luxury Putin iPhone to cost over $3,300

The digital age of patriotism got another look with Italian luxury brand launching a new titanium iPhone bearing the image of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. It comes after limited edition golden ‘Putinphones’ sold out in one day.

Supporters of Vladimir Putin or those who are just looking to stand out will soon be able to buy the new titanium CAVIAR iPhone 5S Ti Supremo Putin –for the price of just $3,318 (119,000 rubles).

The phone was designed by the Perla Penna jewellery house, with a total of 499 titanium phones made.

Why titanium? It is “the hardest, most pure metal in the world,” which reflects the “indomitable force, unyielding will and steadfastness of Russia’s leader,” the company’s press release explains.

The specialty item follows the successful release of the limited line of golden iPhones bearing Putin’s image, with 44 phones selling out in one day in July.

As compared to the previous edition, the titanium iPhone features a more complex design. In addition to Putin’s image on the back of the phone, there will also be an engraving of Russia’s Kremlin.

The jeweller made significant strides to improve the engravings by implementing an old technique known as guilloche, which is mainly used in watchmaking.

Even though the new phone has not been released yet, customers can place preorders on the model, the company said.

Perla Penna also manufactures phones with engravings of Leonardo de Vinci, Mohammed Ali, and Steve Jobs.

Apple Stores to finally begin iPhone 5s display replacements on August 4th

Apple will finally begin offering iPhone 5s screen replacements in its official U.S. and Canada retail stores in the coming days, according to several sources. Apple Store Genius Bars are said to have begun taking delivery of large quantities of iPhone 5s screens for the repair program. The crucial service’s debut is currently scheduled for Monday, August 4th. This upcoming rollout will mark an official launch as a few stores in the U.S. have piloted iPhone 5s screen repairs over the past several months. Apple officially rolled out iPhone 5c screen repairs in January, and it began replacing other iPhone 5c and 5s parts late in 2013. The screen replacements will cost approximately $150 per repair, and this is more affordable than the $269 price of completely replacing a broken iPhone 5s.

Why Apple’s iPhone 6 should launch on September 12th

While some reports say the next-gen iPhones will be launched on September 19th – not to mention that some retailers already offer pre-order options of the iPhone 6, despite the fact that it doesn’t yet exist – Business Insider has a different take on when the iPhone 6 should be released.

The publication says that since Tim Cook took over the CEO position from Steve Jobs, Apple always launched an iPhone two days after the operating system version made alongside that model was released for earlier devices. And the latest iOS version was released to users exactly 100 days after being unveiled at that year’s WWDC edition.

That’s why Apple may launch iOS 8 on September 10th (a Wednesday) and the iPhone 6 on September 12th (a Friday).

iOS was introduced on June 11th, released 100 days later (on Wednesday, September 19th) and followed two days later, on a Friday, by the iPhone 5. iOS 7 was unveiled on June 10th, released 100 days later on September 18th (again a Wednesday), and followed by the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c on September 20th, also a Friday – Apple almost always launches new iPhones on a Friday.

This year, Apple unveiled iOS 8 on June 2nd at WWDC. By applying the same math, September 12th comes up as the potential launch date for the iPhone 6.

Unless the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s launches were simple coincidences – launching 102 days after their respective iOS version were unveiled – Apple could follow a similar pattern this year with the new iPhone 6 models.

5 awesome paid iPhone and iPad apps that are free for a limited time

Did you miss out on any of the awesome paid iPhone and iPad apps we’ve shared with you over the past few days that have gone on sale for free for a limited time? Don’t worry… we’ve got five more for you today. Supporting developers by paying for good apps is very important, but it’s difficult to resist a good sale every now and then. So get your iPhones and iPads ready, and be sure to download anything that looks appealing as soon as possible because these sales could end soon.

These are paid iPhone and iPad apps that have been made available for free for a limited time by their developers. There is no way to tell how long they will be free. These sales could end an hour from now or a week from now — obviously, the only thing we can guarantee is that they are free at the time this post is published. If you click on a link and see a price listed next to an app instead of the word “free,” it is no longer free. The sale has ended. If you download the app, you will be charged.

Downloader for Soundcloud

Soundcloud is home to all the music you could ever want to listen to, and this nifty app will let you download it and play it all for free. Happy hunting.

Simple and easy app to listen your favorite SoundCloud tracks even when you are offline. Create playlists and save tracks to listen to them later. No login required.

Downloader for Soundcloud is normally $1.99 but it’s free if you move quickly.

Download Downloader for Soundcloud

Swipesight

Swipesight is a photo editor that includes filters much like the ones you’ve seen in a million other iOS photo editors, but there’s a twist: This app lets you browse your photos will a filter applied to all of them, and then you can save the ones you like.

1. Choose a filter effect.

2. Start browsing all your photos with the filter effect applied.

3. Save or share the photo you like.

Hope you will enjoy it.

Normally $1.99, Swipesight is free right now for a limited time.

Download Swipesight

Actions for iPad

This awesome iPad-only app will become your command center for controlling anything and everything on a Windows or OS X PC.

Actions transforms your device in a smart and customizable controller for your Mac or PC, revolutionizing the axioms of computer interaction.

Drop the uneffective experience of navigating menus or learning always new and abstruse shortcuts, touch your workflow and keep focus on your task.

With Actions your most used commands are always at reach, in the form of a button, and the right ones are automatically served to you in the right context.
Change app from you iPad or computer and you will always get the right set of actions for your current application.

Compose your own sets for any software using the many action types available, such as shortcuts, system or media commands, snippets and much more. Customize them with different colors and icons. (+900!)
Love the easy way? Load entire sets or single software actions from the many presets available.

Actions covers universal and professional needs. It can both improve your workflow with hi-end software and day to day activities involving email clients and browsers; or even idly control iTunes or Vlc remotely from the warm side of your couch.

Embrace the new and step into the future of computer interaction.

Compose your palette choosing from a wide variety of actions:
• hotkeys
• system commands
• media controls
• windows handling
• launch webpages
• create email templates
• text snippets

MAIN FEATURES
• Mac & Win compatibility
• Wi-fi syncing with auto-reconnection
• Works in landscape and portrait
• Organize your actions in Sets and Subsets
• Highly customizable (Sizes, Colors & Icons)
• 900 icons to choose from for your touchpads
• Multitouch gestures for most used actions
• Automatic set switching
• Target actions to a specific app
• Backup and exchange your sets with your friends
• Dropbox Sync
• Built in presets for the most popular applications, such as:

Ableton Live, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Indesign, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, Aperture, Evernote, Excel, Internet Explorer, Final Cut, Finder, Firefox, Garageband, Chrome, iCal, iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, Keynote, Logic Pro, Mail, Notes, Numbers, Outlook, Pages, Pixelmator, Powerpoint, Reeder, Reminders, Safari, TextEdit, Vlc, Word, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Media Player

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Not all listed presets are available for both Mac and Windows platforms

Requirements:
- Mac OS X Snow Leopard/Lion/Mountain Lion
- Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8 beta support (running iTunes)
- iPad and computer must be on the same Wi-Fi network

All of that great functionality typically costs $3.99, but this cool app is free right now.

Download Actions for iPad

Filterloop Pro

Are you looking for cool retro photo filters for pictures on your iPhone or iPad? Look no further.

Filterloop has everything you need to create a stunning photo, while keeping the interface simple and uncluttered. This hand-picked selection of tasteful filters and analog film effects is your new little photo-editing secret!

Each skillfully crafted photo filter is designed not to change but to enhance the look of your images. Mixing and matching the original and signature filters allows for a virtually endless number of possible combinations, producing amazing results every time you use the app. Add some grainy film textures, colorful light leaks or other natural elements to emulate real-life film shots. Fine tune your photo to perfection with the help of image adjustment tools.

Go bold and experiment with each new pic or figure out your own perfect effects formula – it’s up to you to decide how you use Filterloop!

Features:

* 18 original + 14 premium photo filters
* Signature pack including 28 unique filters created by professional photographers
* Over 100 analog film textures, grain, and light leaks
* Mix&match effects to discover amazing filter loops!
* Adjustment tools including contrast, sharpness, saturation, and brightness
* In-built camera: take a photo and edit it right away
* Rectangular or square camera mode
* Instantly post to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter or export pics to other apps

Filterloop Pro is normally a $0.99 download but right now it’s free.

Download Filterloop Pro

Altimeter GPS Hike Tracker

This great hike tracker puts all of the information you need front and center. It really is a must-have for hiking enthusiasts.

Get your elevation, climb rate and much more, wherever you are!

Retina Display graphics for iPhone 4-4s, 5, 5S ,5C

Features included
- Imperial and Metric unit settings.
- Altiude calibrate refresh button.
- GPS accuracy indicator.
- GPS distance accuracy indicator.

Track information
- Time elapsed.
- Distance.
- Average speed.
- Max speed.
- Altitude.

Tracking
- Speed tracking in mph or km/h based on MPH or KM/H mode.
- Distance tracking in miles or kilometers based on MPH or KM/H mode.
- Time tracking.
- Tracking location on map.
- Ability to turn tracking off/on.
- Longitude, latitude coordinates.

Map integration
- Satellite maps mode.
- Hybrid maps mode.
- Standard maps mode.
- Tracking location changes trajectory.

Compass
- Shows device real-time orientation to magnetic fields.
- Ability to switch between true and magnetic North.
- Location coordinates (longitude, latitude).
- Course

Share
- Start, end points, coordinates link email sending
- Map screenshot email sending
- SMS your location link

This great app is a bargain at $1.99 but you can get it for free if you act fast.

Download Altimeter GPS Hike Tracker