Entertainment

A good pair of headphones can go a long way toward enhancing our listening experience on our iDevices and immersing us in the sound. And if you've checked out some of the more popular headphones on the market, you know it's easy to spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of awesome-sounding, high-quality headphones. But that doesn't mean all the good headphones out there will cost you an arm and a leg. In fact, for less than $35, you can get a great-sounding pair of headphones, even if they aren't name brand models.

New apps are arriving in the App Store at such a rapid pace it can be a real challenge to find the stellar entries. This week we'll take a look at a handful of newly released, noteworthy apps worthy of special mention.

1. The Loop (Free)

This new subscription-based magazine is the brainchild of longtime Apple journalist and reporter Jim Dalrymple. He will publish The Loop magazine twice a month, and it will cost $1.99 per month. The Loop magazine app is not just a spin-off of the Loop’s website online. This stand-alone app will feature articles written by some of the great authors in the field of Apple journalism, with all if the articles being written exclusively for the magazine.

While Dalrymple doesn't officially work for Apple, it's safe to say he has his finger on the pulse of the company. 

I've written about Sculpteo before, which lets you order custom 3D printed cases and accessories from its app. But its latest effort takes its capabilities a step further, which lets you create virtual works of art and then order real-life equivalents!

The app, Let's Create! Pottery HD ($4.99) is a partnership of Sculpteo with Infinite Dreams, letting you create artwork and generate it in 3D.

Let's Create! Pottery stands on its own as a fun, beautifully-designed app, which my kids have used for some time. 

Historically, ABC has led the way in making its content available through on-demand streaming, via its website and mobile apps. However, until now, that content was delayed 12–24 hours after the original broadcast. That's about to change if you live in New York City or Philadelphia. According to The New York Times, ABC will release an update this week to ABC Player (free) that will include a "Live" button. Tap that button, and you'll be able to live-stream the programming from the local ABC affiliate stations in those two cities. However, as with other streaming apps such as HBO Go, you won't be able to live-stream the program unless you subscribe to cable or satellite TV and first log into your account. The feature, according to the Times, will be available in six additional cities this summer. And ABC is in talks with affiliates in 200 other cities to offer live streaming in those cities.