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10 great apps that are optimized for the iPhone 6 Retina HD display

iPhone 6 Retina HD display

Apple is renowned for paying extreme attention to user experience, so when their new lines of phones featuring bigger screens came out in September, it was just a matter of time before apps started being optimized to take advantage of this change. The difference in resolution is quite notable, the iPhone 6 coming with a resolution of 750 by 1334 pixels and a 4.7 inches screen, and the iPhone 6 Plus boasting a resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels and a 5.5 inches screen, whereas the previous generation of iPhones (iPhone 5, 5C and 5S) came with a 4 inch display with a resolution of 640 by 1336 pixels. There are several apps that are already on the bandwagon with the new resolutions – here are the top 10 picks.

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Google Maps 2.0 for iOS brings iPad support, indoor maps, and more

Google Maps 2.0 iOS

This evening Google released Google Maps 2.0 for iOS, and with it comes a bunch of new features, including full iPad support. That's a welcome change to owners of Apple's tablets, but the new Google Maps brings a bunch more with it.

Enhanced turn-by-turn navigation now includes live traffic updates and incident reports. When you are looking for something specific, Google Maps now drills down into popular categories like restaurants, playing, shopping, and sleeping. Google now owns Zagat, and as such, Zagat ratings are included and listed within the results. Google Offers also gets integrated into Maps, showing you results that have deals as well.

What may be seen as the coolest addition to the Google Maps app is the inclusion for indoor mapping. That means that you can now launch Google Maps to get indoor directions at places like malls, airports, bus and train stations, and more.

You can download Google Maps 2.0 for iOS now from the App Store.

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Tempo Smart Calendar app adds life context to your appointments

Tempo calendar app

We gave up on the native iOS calendar app in favor of Fantastical months ago, but Tempo Smart Calendar is here to challenge for the throne. What makes Tempo so special? Well, it's made by SRI, the same group that invented Siri…yep, the same Siri that Apple later acquired. What Tempo does is pull in information from your calendar, contact list, email, and services like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Foursquare. Using all of that data, it's able to pull in and give contextual data on all your calendar entries, including things like nearby parking, and the ability to send everyone else a message that you'll be late, right from within the app. Wanna wish your Facebook friends a "happy birthday" automatically? Tempo can handle that, too. Check the video out after the break, it does a great job of explaining it all.

You can download Tempo for free, right now, but you may have a challenge logging in once you have it. Tempo servers are being crushed under heavy load right now (a massive fail) and thousands are being left out in the cold currently.

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Redbox Instant for iOS goes live in App Store, furthers competition with Netflix

RedBox Instant iOS app (2)    Redbox Instant iOS app

It appears that Netflix has some new competition in the form of a Redbox and Verizon partnership. Today they're slowly rolling out their content streaming alternative to the masses. For $8 per month, Redbox Instant will have unlimited streaming and four DVD rentals; $9 if users opt for the Blu-ray option. As part of the launch, Redbox Instant has released their universal app for iOS that works on iDevices. To date, it is a mystery what contracts the Redbox and Verizon partnership has with studios with regards to content.

For those brave early adopters out there, y'all have the chance to get in on the Redbox Instant action by signing up on their private beta via their website.

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Read More | Redbox Instant

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Facebook 5.0 for iOS brings amazing speed boost

Facebook 5.0 app

Facebook has (finally!) released its updated iOS app that's been rewritten from the ground-up in native iOS dev code. That means that instead of being HTML5 based (and super-slow,) it's now twice as fast. There are other visual tweaks, but they're relatively subdued. You can scroll faster in the News Feed, pictures are a bit larger, there are nicer animations, and Timeline profile pages can now be viewed on the iPad app. All nice, but make no mistake about it, the star here is the fantastic speed of the app. You can download Facebook 5.0 for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch now, for free on the App Store.

Read More | Facebook 5.0 for iPhone

Gallery: Facebook 5.0 for iOS brings amazing speed boost


Instagram 3.0 introduces Photo Map feature

Instagram 3.0 photo maps

Instagram 3.0 was released today, and with it comes a host of new features and bug fixes. One of the major additions is the Photo Map, which makes it easy to find images that have been geo-tagged to specific locations. Users will find a new Photo Map section in their profiles that will allow them to see their own images overlayed on a map as well. Other features include infinite scrolling on photo feeds, redesigned profile and upload screens, and other performance improvements. Grab Instagram 3.0 now from the App Store or Google Play for free. Check out a video explaining it all after the break.

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Gallery: Instagram 3.0 introduces Photo Map feature


Tiny Wings 2 set to arrive on July 12

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Games, App Updates, $0.99,

Tiny Wings 2 teaser

The sequel to one of the most popular iOS games of all time, Tiny Wings, is set to hit the App Store in just six days. Yep--on July 12th, Tiny Wings 2 will be available for download, and to get you hyped, developer Andreas Illiger has put together the homemade teaser trailer that you'll find after the break. Unfortunately, the video doesn't give any hints as to new gameplay mechanics or other features, or even if this will be an update to the existing app, or a new, separate game altogether. Still, we won't have to wait long to get the answer--Tiny Wings 2 arrives in under a week.

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Angry Birds Space is now available to download!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Games, iPad Apps, New Apps, Videos, $0.99,

Hey, all you Angry Birds lovers out there. We know that it's been a while since a new version has dropped, and that you've probably moved on to Draw Something, but it's time for you to take a another look, because Angry Birds Space is now available on multiple platforms. Space? Yes. The confines of the gravitational pull of the Earth no longer apply here, so your birds can get their space physics on while trying to destroy evil pigs. Here are the links to grab your copy:

Hit us with your thoughts in the comments. Oh, and if you're wondering what the heck the birds are doing in space in the first place, the video above should do a fine job at explaining that one.

Gallery: Angry Birds Space is now available to download!


Rate everything with Oink, the latest from Kevin Rose

Oink, the service started by Kevin Rose's new incubator, Milk, is now live. You can download the companion app, Oink Builder, on the App Store now for free. Oink allows you to rank and rate the things around you. Unlike other services, like Yelp, that have you rate places, Oink is about rating the things inside the places, rather than the places themselves. Hit the video above to see what we mean.

Gallery: Rate everything with Oink, the latest from Kevin Rose


The AppTapper iPad 2 giveaway!

iPad 2 Giveaway

Wanna win a 32 GB Apple iPad 2? We'll we've got a few to give away to our readers across our network of Gear Live sites, and today we're starting the contest here on AppTapper. We've teamed up with Vonage to offer the giveaway of the iPad 2 (or a $700 Apple gift card, if you prefer) along with $15 in iTunes credit that can be used with the new Vonage Time to Call app (App Store link). We've got a few ways for you to enter, allowing up to four entries per person.

Doing the above gets you in, and is the only mandatory step. However, you can earn additional entries by doing things like commenting on this post, and hitting the Facebook "Like" button as well. Use our entry widget to monitor and confirm your entries.



Timeframe: The contest ends on September 2nd, 2011. A winner chosen using Rafflecopter.
Eligibility: The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada.
Prize: The one winner will receive a 32 GB Apple iPad 2 (or a $700 Apple Gift Card) and $15 iTunes credit.

Gallery: The AppTapper iPad 2 giveaway!


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