Steve Sande

<p>Here are some of the best free apps, app updates and new apps that have landed in the App Store recently. Today's notable apps include a discount on Fleksy Keyboard, the new Leawo Blu-ray Player and a major update to Workflow. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.</p>

<p><span>Apple <a target="_blank" href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150414005413/en/Apple-Announces-ResearchKit-Today-Medical-Researchers#.VS1s584RWN5" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced today that ResearchKit is now available</a> to researchers and developers. As you may recall, <a target="_blank" href="http://researchkit.github.io" rel="noopener noreferrer">ResearchKit</a> is a software framework that's designed to help doctors, scientists, and other researchers gather data with more frequency and accuracy by using the sensors built into iPhone</span><span>.</span></p>

<p>Apple <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2014/09/09Apple-Announces-Apple-Pay.html">unveiled</a> Apple Pay last year along with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in its September Special event. The mobile payment service launched in October 2014 and has seen increasing usage since its debut. While most people are aware of how Apple Pay works on the surface, there are many details that you don’t discover until you start using the service. One such scenario involves the extremely helpful way Apple handles a credit card that’s been canceled due to fraud. </p>

<p><span>When I receive a phone call from a friend or relative, I like to be able to see at a glance who it is who's calling. To make the process of identification incredibly easy, it's nice to have that contact's face show up on my screen. In today's </span><a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/?category=60-Second+Tips">60-Second Tip</a><span>, I'll show you how to assign photos to your contacts. </span></p>

<p>Apple is officially launching the <a href="http://apple.com/watch">Apple Watch</a> on April 24th with pre-ordering available now online. Customers who sucessfully pre-ordered are waiting for their Watch and thinking about what accessories they will need to complement the device. One major area of concern is whether they will need something to protect the device from scratches and broken screens. In this post, we will examine how fragile the Apple Watch may be and offer ways that you can protect your investment.  Will scratching be a problem?</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">It's that time of year, Apple developers. <a href="https://developer.apple.com/wwdc/">The company has announced that WWDC 2015 will take place from June 8-12 in San Francisco</a>. Apple notes that the event will feature over 100 sessions, and scholarships will be available to students and members of participating STEM programs. </p><p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Developers who want tickets may send two tributes from their districts to compete in an outdoor arena. Once a tribute has been announced, another eligible person of the same gender may volunteer in their stead, though this is very unusual. </p>

<p>We all love Apple, its products and its services. But using our iPhones, our iPads, Macs, iCloud and soon Watch isn't always as smooth as we'd like. So, we want to know:</p><p>What aspect of your digital life is giving you the most trouble right now? </p>

<p>iFixit promptly obtained and [disassembled](https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Retina+Macbook+2015+Teardown/39841) Apple’s new 2015 Retina MacBook following the notebook’s release last week. Not surprisingly, Apple’s latest generation hardware is among the most difficult to service and repair.</p>

<p>Here are some of the best free apps, app updates and new apps that have landed in the App Store recently. Today's notable apps include a discount on 2Do for Mac and iOS, the new Foldify Dinosaurs app and a major update to Topo Maps+ for iOS. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.</p>

<p>It's time to save some of your hard-earned money with our <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/?tag=deals">Daily Deals</a>, featuring exclusive deals for AWT readers, hardware discounts and our own handpicked iOS and OS X sales. All prices are USD and subject to change. Please check prices before you purchase as some deals may expire quickly.</p>

<p><span>This week for the AWT Health Club column we'll take a look at a vital piece of the overall cardiovascular health picture -- blood pressure. Since June of 2011 I have used a </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H43WOAK/appwortod-20/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Withings Blood Pressure Monitor</a><span> (US$129.95, affiliate link) to keep tabs on my blood pressure. My family has a history of high blood pressure, so the Blood Pressure Monitor and the companion </span><a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/health-mate-steps-tracker/id542701020?mt=8" rel="noopener noreferrer">Withings Health Mate app</a><span> (free) have been a great way for me to capture my BP readings on a regular basis for almost four years now.</span></p>

<p>Speaking of frustration, it got the better of us this afternoon and we published a regrettable call for a pro-bono app that would allow iPhone 6 owners to view the site without Safari. That was a mistake, and we apologize.</p>

<p>When the Apple Watch arrives on the wrists of a few users on April 24, there will be a lot of apps available. Apple CEO Tim Cook already noted in an email to employees that “over a thousand” apps have been submitted, and Apple World Today has heard from a number of developers who are working on Watch apps. [Molehill] created one such app for its flagship [Tick] time tracking service that should be on the Apple Watch App Store on launch day, and I had a chance to ask the product team a few questions.</p>

<p><span>I've long since abandoned the Apple TV for a Roku 3 and, more recently, the </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00CX5P8FC/appwortod-20/ref=nosim" rel="noopener noreferrer">Amazon Fire TV</a><span>. Though I am overall happy with the switch, one feature I miss from the Apple TV is AirPlay, AirPlay allows you stream content as well as mirror an iOS device or Mac to an HDTV. Though Roku does not support iOS for mirroring, there is solution for the Fire TV thanks for the folks at Squirrels, who created a version of Reflector for the Fire TV, </span></p>

<p><span>Earlier this week, Apple </span><a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2015/4/8/mac-os-x-yosemite-10103-now-available">released</a><span> the new Photos app for OS X along with OS X 10.10.3. </span><span>Announced last year, Photos is replacing</span><span> Aperture and iPhoto in Apple’s desktop software lineup. The app combines some of the organization abilities of Aperture</span><span> with the</span><span> basic image editing tools borrowed from iOS. </span><span>I</span><span>n today’s 60-second tip, we will show you how to edit an image and apply a filter in Apple’s new Photos app.</span></p>