Archived Post

Notable apps and updates, Dec. 3-8

On a regular basis, Apple World Today posts a list of notable new apps or app updates that have been released. They may not necessarily be new, but they’re popular and deserve mention. Here are this week’s picks.

iOS Apps/Updates

Don-Ay: Pet Rescue can now be downloaded from the App Store. A mix of virtual pet simulation/endless runner gameplay built on the world’s first “in-game donation platform.” Every action – including watching an ad or purchasing in-game  items/currency – generates a donation outside of the game. Players all over the globe can now help homeless animals through Best Friends Animal Society as they cuddle, feed, bathe, and groom their virtual pets.

Musiah, an A.I. piano lessons app, has come to the iPad. Previously available for macOS and Windows systems only, the $24.99 tool teaches skills from note reading to rhythm, scales to chords, ear training to memory training, music theory, playing technique,and more.

ArtCollection.io has launched a free inventory management app/platform for art collectors. It’s specifically designed for art collectors to catalogue the pieces they own, the artists they collect, and the galleries they’ve acquired pieces from in the past.

macOS Apps/Updates

The Pixelmator Team has given us Pixelmator Pro 1.2.4, an update to the image editor for the Mac (and one of my favorite utilities).

It sports a modern single-window interface, nondestructive, GPU-powered image editing tools, machine learning-enhanced editing features, and more. Version 1.2.4 adds a redesigned Color Balance adjustment inspired by professional color grading tools, the ability to resize images using different scaling algorithms, two new Automator actions, and more.

Pixelmator Pro costs $29.99 for new users and requires macOS 10.13 or higher. A demo is available for download. Version 1.2.4 is a free update for registered users. 

Eltima Software has released Elmedia Player 7.0, a new version of its universal media player for macOS. The update adds Chromecast support, DLNA streaming to smart TV, 4K video streaming with AirPlay, and more improvements.

The tool supports most commonly used audio and video formats and downloads media from the web. The application features a 10-band audio equalizer, its own volume control, a video tuner for adjusting sharpness, contrast, reducing noise, video aspect ratio change, playback speed adjustment, ability to edit subtitles and much more. 

Elmedia Player requires macOS 10.7 or higher. It costs $9.99 and is available through the Mac App Store in the Video category. There’s also a pro version that costs $19.95 to $39.95, depending on how many computers it will be installed on.

Tension Software has updated Copy Fast, is copying utility for the Mac, to version 1.3. 



It resides in the menu bar as a status menu icon, ready to be used when other apps are also active. After launch it stays always in background. The new version is optimized for macOS 10.14 Mojave. It now works for both White Appearance Mode and Dark Appearance Mode.

Copy Fast 1.3 requires macOS 10.10 or higher. It costs $4.99 and is available at the Tension Software website and the Mac App Store.

Tension Software has updated Calcine, its math calculator for macOS to version 4.4.

It’s an algebra solver in a small stripe window that takes up just a small portion of your Mac’s screen. Version 4.4 offers bug fixes and is optimized for macOS Mojave.

Calcine requires macOS 10.10 or higher. It costs $4.99 and is available from Tension Software or the Mac App Store.

BinaryFruit has rolled out DriveDx 1.8.2, an update to its Mac  solution for SSD and HDD health diagnostics and monitoring. 

The tool measures the overall health of both SSD and HDD drives. Version 1.8.2 offers bug fixes and stability improvements.

DriveDx requires macOS 10.6.8 or newer. Pricing starts at $19.99 for a personal license. A demo is available for download.

Cisdem has upgraded Cisdem Video Converter, a video conversion tool for macOS, to version 3.10. The upgrade adds more than 20 supported sites to its video download function, which can already download videos from over 1,000 sites including YouTube.

Cisdem Video Converter is compatible with macOS 10.9 and higher. It costs $49.99; a demo is available for download.

Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.