iPad Apps / Applications

ESPN is making it real easy for soccer fans to stream and keep updated on the 2014 FIFA World Cup. FIFA fans with a cable subscription will be able to watch and stream all 64 World Cup matches from Brazil. This includes all matches aired on ABC and any ESPN channels. There will also be no pesky blackouts since ESPN has full rights to the event in the U.S..

iOS users can live stream matches to their iPad or iPhone using the free WatchESPN app, and stay updated on all the latest news by downloading ESPN's new World Cup app. The ESPN FC Soccer & World Cup app features full-time and exclusive in-game highlights, breaking news and coverage of all the major club leagues. Fans will also be able to stream matches from the free Watch ABC app.

A few high-profile developers have launched App Santa, a website where you can save up to 60% on award winning apps for Christmas! There are deals on several apps such as 1Password and the popular Tweetbot. You can check out a complete list below.

EA, Disney and Warner Bros. are also holding holiday app sales. Over 40 EA games like The Sims: Medieval and Dead Space are only $0.99 for a limited time, and popular Warner Bros. titles like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic have also been discounted. You can shop for all these deals on the EA, Disney or Warner Bros. section of Apple's App Store.

Random House Digital has released the first official Stephen Hawking's app to the App Store. Stephen Hawking's Snapshots of the Universe is an educational app that teaches "the basic theories that govern our lives on Earth as well as the movement of the stars and planets," according to the official description. The description also states the app is for both "adults and students," but it looks more suited for children.

The app answers the question "how does the universe work?" in eight interactive experiments. Each experiment features a "deeper-dive" text section and video segments to provide a better explanation of each theory. The app also answers other questions such as why planets stay in orbit around stars, why black holes may not actually be black and so on...

Apple has finally released the Apple Store app for the iPad. The Apple Store was originally released for the iPhone in 2010. The app allows iOS users to shop Apple's Online Store directly from their iPhone, iPad or iPad mini.

The iPad version features the ability to use pinch gestures to zoom, browse and compare products, and features high resolution images that take full advantage of the iPad's Retina display. Users are already praising its interface and design, but have also noticed that some features from the iPhone version like EasyPay are missing from the iPad app.

After discounting its Nook Simple Touch to $99, Barnes & Noble launched its new Nook Video app for iOS devices. The app allows users to rent or buy movies and TV shows directly from Barnes and Noble's streaming service, without the need of a subscription. Nook Video also supports UltraViolet movies for users who want to access their digital collections.

The Nook Simple Touch sale and new video app comes after the surprise resignation of Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch, and a 34% drop in revenue due to poor Nook tablet sales. In June, the book retailer announced it would stop making tablets itself, and would start using an unnamed third party to manufacture black-and-white Barnes & Noble-branded e-readers.

Just last week if you were looking for an iPad YouTube app, most likely you ended up opening the site in Safari. Now everything has changed, as Google released an updated YouTube app that is optimized for the iPad and iPhone 5 displays. Now iPad users can enjoy the same features that iPhone owners have had in the stand-alone YouTube app.

The latest YouTube app requires iOS 5.0 or later and can be downloaded for free from the App Store. The app replaces native YouTube support, which Apple removed from iOS devices with the release of iOS 6. Along with optimizing the app for more devices, Google has also added some new features to the official YouTube app.

The New York Times has released an HTML5-powered web app for the iPad. Times readers can access the app by subscribing to a digital subscription package at www.NYTimes.com/Access. iPad users can choose between the Web/Tablet package or All Digital Access package (includes smartphones). Each package is $0.99 a week for the first four weeks and $5.00 a week thereafter.

The app features four ways to access content:

4. All Sections: The full breadth of Times coverage, from breaking news, to video and photography.

3. Today's Paper: In this reading format, users can browse the app like they would the newspaper, with sections organized under print topic headings.

2. Times Wire: A continuous, reverse chronological feed of the latest articles, videos and slide shows published on NYTimes.com.

1. Trending: The Trending section lists the top 25 trending Times articles on Twitter from the past hour. This section functions in conjunction with Cascade, a proprietary data visualization tool developed by The Times Company's Research & Development group, which monitors the sharing of content on Twitter.

The SyFy Channel has added an interactive "second screen" to its iPad app for the premiere of Face Off airing on August 21st. Users can unlock extra content, chat with other fans and get a closer look at key moments by syncing their tablet with certain Syfy shows.

For example, Syfy Sync will automatically detect where you are watching Face Off and deliver exclusive interactive content based on that segment. There is also the obligatory social networking access to Facebook, Twitter and GetGlue. Syfy Sync basically allows you to do everything but watch the show.