Sometimes you can't be in a place where you get to see fireworks on the Fourth of July — or like me, you're in a place so foggy all you'll see is some colored clouds. So no matter where you are this Independence Day, get your dose of exploding pyrotechnics with the free Handmarks Fireworks App. Pick one of your own photos as a background (or use one of four preprogrammed images), grab some Read more

Amazon may staunchly stand by its policy of not censoring its Kindle offerings (never mind that one incident), but Apple, however, behaves differently. Developers must go through a review process to get their apps approved; Apple bans certain things that it deems low-quality or inappropriate — like apps that lack usefulness, creativity, or effort, or ones that are too racy. But do you think Read more

Apple has been mostly absent from Twitter save a few accounts and its recent Ping integration, but it has just added an official AppStore account promising followers app spotlights and special deals. .bbpBox29632144217219070 {background:url(http://a3.twimg.com/a/1295646587/images/themes/theme1/bg.png) #f0f0f0;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px Read more

As Apple approached its 10 billionth app download, it announced a large prize for the person who downloads the milestone app: a $10,000 iTunes gift card. Late last week, Apple hit the mark, and when the VP of iTunes tried to contact the winner, Gail Davis of the UK, she thought it was a sales call and hung up the phone. Luckily, an Apple representative was able to reach the winner, who realized Read more

Apple is counting down to its 10 billionth app download, and if you're the lucky user who downloads app No. 10 billion, Apple plans to reward you — with a $10,000 iTunes gift card. The App Store hit its impressive 1 billionth app download in April 2009, just nine months after the store's inception. In the not-quite two years since, the store has grown by leaps and bounds and is now on target Read more

The official Google Voice for iPhone app hit the App Store in November, and now Google has added support for the iPod Touch and iPad, bringing both devices thisclose to standing in for your cell. The new app allows users to send and receive free text messages and initiate calls by designating which phone they'd like to use; Google Voice then rings that phone and connects the call. So, while it's Read more

Apple released a statement outlining its updated rules and guidelines for app developers this week, which relaxed some restrictions on the company's app approval system. It also gave some tips on what not to submit to the app store — Chatroulette and fart apps being two examples. The good news is, this opens up some new opportunities for iOS app developers, including the previously rejected Read more

During last week's presentation, Steve Jobs lauded the successes of iTunes, noting that soon more music will be digitally downloaded via iTunes than purchased on CDs (hence the logo change). But, a new graph comparing the amount of songs downloaded to the amount of apps downloaded from the iTunes store paints a shocking picture; by the end of this year, there will be more app downloads than song Read more