Briefly: Audible 2.0, Instant 2.0, Tweetbot 1.2
updated 05:18 pm EST, Wed February 20, 2013
Audible adds iPad support, overhauls interface
Audible, the audiobook service and website now owned by Amazon, has re-launched its iOS app with new support for iPad and a refreshed user interface that redesigns the use of space on the iPhone and iPad. The new 2.0 version (free) adds the ability to download up to three hours' worth of audiobooks over a 3G/LTE connection, and it is now easier to hide or show completed books. The app offers Audible's 100,000-plus catalog of books, and now features the ability to switch between reading a book on the Kindle app and changing to the audio version using WhisperSync for Voice.
ThinkTime brings Instant 2.0 Polaroid app to OS X
Arguably the original "filtered" photo effect, shooting a picture with a Polaroid Instant camera gave images a very distinct look. The new upgrade to the Instant app for Mac ($5) brings the photo-fx program to version 2.0. The program recreates the Polaroid experience, as digital images that are dropped on the program "develop" slowly, complete with the Polaroid border. The new version adds support for Retina display Macs, adjustable grain and blur effects, new border effects, changeable camera "bodies" and a redesigned filter settings panel. The app requires OS X 10.6 or later and is available through the Mac App Store. An iOS version for iPad ($2) and iPhone ($1) is also available.
Tweetbot outs mandatory update, adds Vine, Flickr support
Tapbots is now offering Tweetbot version 1.2 ($20) of its pro-level Twitter client that features support for multiple timelines, windows and columns -- along with Retina graphics, filters, compatibility with multiple offline reading services and more. The new version is a mandatory upgrade due to changes in Twitter's API -- users must upgrade by March 5 as previous versions will break after that date. A significant number of bugs were addressed in the new release, and new options for menubar icon and dock badges were added. Custom notifications on a user-by-user case are available, as is support for reordering accounts, uploading animated gifs, MP4 and image drag-and-drop and thumbnail support for Flickr and Vine.
