applications

Apple is not only kicking Google Maps to the curb, it's also removing the stock YouTube app with the release of iOS 6. YouTube responded by releasing its own standalone app in the App Store on Tuesday. YouTube fans can either download the new app, or keep their old stock app by ignoring iOS 6 when it's released.

The new YouTube app brings an improved channel guide where users can swipe left or right to navigate their subscribed channels, better search tools that give suggestions while you type, and the ability to share videos on Google+, Facebook, Twitter or via text. YouTube promises the new app will give YouTube users a better mobile experience than the old stock app.

Version 5.0 of the iPhone and iPad Facebook app has finally landed in the app store! Facebook has rebuilt the app from the ground up making it much faster. The app now launches immediately and the news feed and photos load a lot more quickly.

The new app allows you to easily scroll through your news feed without having to refresh, and now features notification banners for recent posts. The app doesn't look any different, but you will immediately feel the changes the first time you use it. Facebook did not add the must asked for "Share" button featured on the web version.

The makers of Tweetbot reassured their users that Twitter's new rules for developers won't affect Tweetbot for Mac or iOS devices.

Twitter made it harder for third party clients by announcing stricter guidelines about how the Twitter API is used. Paul Haddad broke down the API changes and what the mean to Tweetbot on the Tapbots blog.

Haddad said Twitter's required authentication on every API endpoint won't affect Tweetbot, and could possibly be helpful.

"The new rate limits that are part of the v1.1 API will likely end up being a good thing, instead of having a fixed block calls that can be made across the entire API the limits will be based on specific actions. We actually expect this to minimize the chances of being stuck in 'Twitter Jail'."

The 2012 fantasy football apps are finally hitting the App Store in anticipation of the upcoming NFL season. Here is a list of five apps that can help your draft and manage your fantasy football team. All of the apps listed support both the iPhone and iPad.

RotoWire Fantasy Football Draft Kit 2012 ($4.99 - iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) - You can't have a fantasy football league without a draft, and no decent fantasy football owner would be caught dead without a cheat sheet on draft day. The RotoWire Fantasy Football Draft Kit replaces the old pen and paper technique by automatically adjusting to fit your league settings. This is great app for keeping track of your draft and managing your picks on the fly. It's also cheaper than those old fantasy football magazines we used to buy.

Features include: A cheat sheet that ranks players based on projected stats for 2012 using your league's settings, the ability to manually rank players to your preference, a Watchlist for sleeper picks, easily keep track of who has been drafted, quick player search and more.

The New Yorker is giving away a free digital copy of its August 13 & 20, 2012 issue to anyone who downloads their new iPhone app launched on Tuesday. Users who download the app for free can buy future single issues or subscribe to a monthly or yearly membership.

The iPhone version features an exclusive introduction to The New Yorker app by Lena Dunham and Jon Hamm, social networking sharing, a weekly slide show of all the current issue’s cartoons, plus more. The new app also makes downloading individual issues a little lighter than before. iPad users were forced to download well over 100MB per issue, while this week's iPhone edition is only 23MB to download.