App Recap: Filter, Hue Menu Bar, TimeBloc and Major App Updates

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In this week's App Recap, we've highlighted productivity app "Filter," utilities app "Hue Menu Bar for Philips Hue," and productivity app "TimeBloc" as three apps that are worth checking out. We've also compiled a list of apps that received major updates this week.

Apps to Check Out

• Filter - Website and App Blocker (Mac, Free) - Filter is an app that lets users organize websites and apps to block into customizable lists that feature a duration or end time set by users. Once the blocker has been started, users will be unable to access the selected websites or apps, which can help reduce distractions and maintain focus. Although free to download, Filter's free version only features a blocking time limited to 10 minutes. The app's subscription, which has no limit on blocking time, is available in both monthly and yearly subscription options priced at $2.99 and $19.99 respectively.


• Hue Menu Bar for Philips Hue (Mac, $3.99) - Hue Menu Bar lets users control Philips Hue lights directly from the menu bar on a Mac. The app's convenient location allows for easy lighting control without the need to open Apple's native Home app. The app also features the ability to switch between multiple Hue Bridges. In just a click, users are able to turn lights on and off, adjust brightness, change light colors for specific lights or entire groups, and more.

• TimeBloc - Daily Planner (iOS, Free) - Productivity app TimeBloc lets users organize daily tasks in a simple manner. TimeBloc's timeline allows users to block their days into events that can be customized with icons and colored tags. Additionally, users can create routines that will seamlessly integrate into the timeline. The app also supports calendar integration, so users can import events directly into the app. TimeBloc is free to download, but advanced notifications, statistics, and the ability to create more than one routine and more than two calendars are limited to subscribers of the app's premium plan that's priced at $26.49 per year.

App Updates

• Adobe Photoshop - Adobe this week updated its Photoshop app for iPad with two features that were previously limited to the desktop version of the software: the refine edge brush and the rotate canvas tool. The refine edge brush enables more precise image selection to achieve realistic selections of objects. The rotate canvas tool allows users to rotate a canvas using a two-finger rotation gesture.


• Amazon Alexa - Amazon this week unveiled a redesigned Alexa app with a new home screen that features an Alexa button at the top of the screen that encourages users to tap the button or say Alexa to invoke the digital assistant. In addition, suggestions on the home screen are based on how customers have used the app and what Amazon services they take advantage of. The update will be rolling out to users worldwide over the course of the month.


• Apple Store - Apple this week updated its Apple Store app with a new "For You" tab that offers easy access to order status, devices, accessory recommendations, services, and more.

Are you using a great new app we've missed? Let us know in the comments and we'll check it out for next week's App Recap. Are you a developer of a unique app you'd like us to consider? Send us a message through our tip line at the top of the page and we'll check it out.

Tag: App Recap

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Playing games with the Google Assistant just got a lot more fun

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American Airlines Offers Free Apple TV+ Streaming as In-Flight Entertainment Option

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Apple has expanded its partnership with American Airlines, as the airline is now offering free Apple TV+ streaming as an in-flight entertainment option (via The Points Guy).


Only select Apple TV+ shows like "The Morning Show," "Dickinson," and "Defending Jacob" are available for in-flight viewing at the current time. An American Airlines representative confirmed to The Points Guy that the airline will rotate content available from Apple TV+ each month.

Apple last year partnered with American Airlines to offer ‌Apple Music‌ streaming on any American Airlines flight in the United States equipped with Viasat satellite technology with no Wi-Fi purchase required. To access the service in-flight, however, an Apple Music subscription is required.

Aside from now being available as an in-flight entertainment option on American Airlines flights, Apple TV‌‌+ is available through the TV app on the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, ‌‌Apple TV‌‌, Mac, select Samsung and LG smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices, as well as online at tv.apple.com.

A full list of ‌‌Apple TV‌‌+ shows both released and in the works can be found in our Apple TV+ content guide.

Tags: American Airlines, Apple TV Plus

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Bought a Chromebook released after July 2017? You’ve got Stadia Pro free for three months

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Unreleased iPod Touch with Mac Pro Glossy Black Finish Shared Online

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Twitter user @DongleBookPro has today posted images of what seems to be a first-generation iPod Touch prototype with a 2013 Mac Pro-style glossy black finish.



The Twitter user claims that the iPod Touch prototype pictured has "the same coating as the 2013 Mac Pro." Had the finish been selected for the final product, it would have been the first metallic glossy black finish to be shipped on an Apple device.

The glossy black ‌Mac Pro‌ was announced at WWDC in 2013, with a radical cylindrical re-design. The design proved to be highly divisive, and the device has often been unofficially identified as the "trashcan" ‌Mac Pro‌.

The first-generation iPod touch was released in September 2007. This prototype device, with no Apple logo on the rear, appears to vary considerably from the final released product. It retains the same plastic cut-out in the top-left corner, 30-pin connector, and lock button. Apple ultimately chose a mirror finish, which was similar to other iPods available at the time. The final mirror finish was criticized for its susceptibility to scratches.



Apple's glossy black finishes have similarly been criticized for durability. Apple warned users that its glossy Jet Black iPhone 7 would see "fine micro-abrasions" with use and instructed concerned customers to use a case, but no similar warning was given about other ‌iPhone‌ 7 colors.

Apple has experimented with glossy black finishes a number of times, such as on the ‌iPhone‌ 3G, Jet Black ‌iPhone‌ 7, and Space Black Apple Watch, in addition to the 2013 ‌Mac Pro‌. The only remaining Apple device sold in glossy black is the Space Black ‌Apple Watch‌ in stainless steel or titanium.

@DongleBookPro regularly posts images of unreleased Apple devices and prototypes.

Related Roundup: iPod touch

Buyer's Guide: iPod Touch (Don't Buy)

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Apple Asks UK Retail Landlords for 50% Rent Cut Despite Record Sales

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Apple has asked landlords of its retail stores in the UK for a 50 percent cut to rent, reports The Sunday Times.



If landlords agree to cut rent by up to 50 percent and offer a "rent-free period" of an undisclosed duration, Apple is supposedly offering a considerable lease extension in return. The proposal is understood to relate to stores with several years left to run on their leases, meaning that landlords are not faced with making an immediate decision.

The tactic has reportedly caused "consternation" among property owners. In spite of all Apple retail locations being forced to shut due to the global situation, Apple reported a record $59.7 billion sales increase in the second quarter of 2020 and said that, while stores where closed, online demand for its products was "phenomenal."

The logic behind the request is based on a desire to bring Apple rent rates into line with other UK retailers, many of which have benefited from lower rents as landlords struggled to keep shopping centers occupied. Apple operates 38 retail locations in the UK, all of which shut in recent months. All UK stores have now reopened.

‌Apple retail‌ outlets are among the most profitable in the industry and their popularity means that landlords tend to be desperate to keep them as a tenant. Apple declined to comment to the The Sunday Times.

Tags: thesundaytimes.co.uk, United Kingdom, Apple retail

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Apple Removes Nearly 30,000 Apps From China App Store

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Apple on Saturday removed nearly 30,000 apps from its Chinese App Store due to the apps lacking an official license from local regulators, reports Reuters.


The report, which cites data from research firm Qimai, says that 90% of the apps removed were games. The report also mentions that over 2,500 additional apps were removed from the China App Store over the first week of July.

Apple in February gave app developers an initial June 30 deadline to prove they had a license for their games, and the company last month froze updates for thousands of iOS mobile games lacking an official license.

Apple on July 8 reportedly warned developers of app removals should their apps not meet regulatory requirements.

Apple sent a reminder to game developers July 8 about its plans for the removal if they didn’t meet regulatory requirements for payments by the end of the month, Qimai said, citing an email from the iPhone maker.

The removal of apps lacking official licenses is said to come from increasing government pressure on Apple to comply with local regulations that have been in place since 2016.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: China

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