Apps and Updates

1,647 'Apps and Updates' stories June 2013 - May 2014

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Klout now available on Android, makes it even easier to track your social standing

Chance Miller May 19 2014 - 5:09 pm PT

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Klout, the service that puts a numerical value on the your social network presence, finally released an Android app today after entirely too long of a wait. Klout gives users the ability so share content that relates to them and their audience. Then, you can track your success by viewing your Klout Score. Klout analyzes your social history and offers suggestions as to what it thinks you should be posting about in order to raise your Klout Score.

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New AllCast apps ready stream photos, music and videos from your Android device

Mark Hearn May 19 2014 - 1:07 pm PT

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Earlier this month, ClockworkMod previewed an app that would let Fire TV users stream a video’s soundtrack through their Android device, allowing them to watch content with a private audio feed. Today, the company has officially released this new software to Google Play, along with an updated AllCast app. When paired together, users can cast pictures, videos and music from their Android devices to their TV via a smorgasbord of platforms, including OUYA, Fire TV, Roku, Xbox 360 and even Apple TV. If you’re looking to add to some new weapons to your media streaming arsenal, these two free apps are definitely worth the storage space.

Apps and Updates

Yahoo Mail for Android updated w/ integrated news, sports, weather, Flickr, & search

Jordan Kahn May 16 2014 - 9:12 am PT

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After releasing similar features for its iOS app, Yahoo today updated its Yahoo Mail for Android app with number of its other services like news and weather integrated into the experience. That includes new one tap access to news, weather, sports, stocks and the ability to search the web and Flickr directly from within the Yahoo Mail app.

Rather than the new tab UI it introduced on iOS, Android users will be able to swipe between the various new features:
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Google Now updated with bill pay reminder

Mark Hearn May 15 2014 - 4:43 pm PT

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Google Now has been updated with a slick new feature that will remind you to pay your bills based on emails in your Gmail inbox. Notifications cards will display a bill’s payee, amount owed, due date and an option to display the email that the information came from. It’s not clear how many bill collectors are supported at this time, however Google Now gets payee information by scanning emails in your Gmail account, so you’ll need to have some type of online correspondence set up with the companies that you wish to pay.

Google Now features typically roll out silently, so there shouldn’t be any update prompts, however it never hurts to make sure that your device is rocking the latest version of the Google Search app.

(via Android Police)

Google Play Store updated with interface tweaks, PayPal billing support

Chance Miller May 15 2014 - 3:41 pm PT

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Earlier this afternoon Google announced that it was making several improvements to the billing capabilities of the Play Store, and now the company has updated the entire Play Store app to go along with it. Pushing the version number to 4.8.19, the update adds a few interface tweaks to the app, in addition to the billing capabilities previously announced.

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Foursquare’s new check-in focused app “Swarm” hits Play Store

Zac Hall May 15 2014 - 9:35 am PT

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As we mentioned earlier this month, Foursquare plans to split its mobile app in half as it introduces a new app called Swarm that will soon be the only place to check-in to locations using Foursquare’s service. Foursquare will instead focus its main app on reviews and location discovery and plans to remove check-in functionality later this year. Check-ins, mayorships, location sharing, and other social features will instead be focused in Swarm going forward.

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Google Maps’ ‘quick facts’ wants to be your virtual tour guide

Mark Hearn May 15 2014 - 7:27 am PT

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Google Maps has just been blessed with a nifty new feature that inserts info cards loaded with snippets of info from Mountain View’s Knowledge Graph. A pop-out window called “quick facts” spews out details about popular tourist attractions from around the word, including places like the temples of Angkor. Google’s new virtual tour guide is currently limited to Maps’ desktop software, however we expect the outfit’s mobile app to catch up soon. Too bad Clark Griswold didn’t have access to this type of tech while on his way to Wally World.

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Flappy Bird will return in August w/ multiplayer, won’t be as fun

Jordan Kahn May 14 2014 - 3:26 pm PT

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After removing the hit game Flappy Bird from back in February, the developer confirmed today that the game will make a return in August.

Developer Dong Nguygen confirmed the return date today to CNBC’s Kelly Evans and also claimed that the game would be less addictive, which was originally the main reason he cited for removing the app earlier this year. In addition, the game will also apparently include a multiplayer when making its return.

At its most popular, the original Flappy Bird game was reportedly making as much as $50,000 a day revenue. It didn’t take long for other developers to make clones of the game in order to capitalize on the game’s popularity and many of them remain in the top charts for gaming.

Popular iOS game Monument Valley arrives on Google Play for $3.99

Jonathan Kizer May 14 2014 - 9:37 am PT

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC1jHHF_Wjo?list=UUadEYJR8MgdLjzmFDuMuzeQ]

Monument Valley, a popular and critically-acclaimed game that was released recently on iOS, is now available for Android devices. The game, available today for $3.99, features beautiful graphics and an interesting storyline.

In Monument Valley you will manipulate impossible architecture and guide a silent princess through a stunningly beautiful world.

Monument Valley is a surreal exploration through fantastical architecture and impossible geometry. Guide the silent princess Ida through mysterious monuments, uncovering hidden paths, unfolding optical illusions and outsmarting the enigmatic Crow People.

While somewhat expensive for an Android game, Monument Valley is well worth the cost. It’s one of the best games I”ve played on a mobile device in the past year. My only complaint is that it’s relatively short — hopefully now that the game is available on both major platforms, the developers can start adding additional levels.

Apps and Updates

Google Calendar adds Hebrew calendar dates

Jordan Kahn May 14 2014 - 8:34 am PT

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Google announced today that it’s added a Hebrew calendar to Google Calendar that will allow users to display Hebrew calendar dates and holidays next to Gregorian dates:

If you use the Gregorian calendar, it seems like Jewish holidays fall on different dates every year. That’s because Jewish holidays follow the Hebrew calendar, a lunisolar calendar used by many Hebrew speakers around the world that bases its months on lunar cycles and its years on solar cycles.

The feature is available starting today to users on the web. You can enable it by navigating to Settings, General, Alternate calendar and selecting “Hebrew calendar.”

Plex for Android gains support for automatic photo uploads

Mike Beasley May 13 2014 - 11:54 am PT

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Mobile media player Plex for Android has been updated today with support for automatic photo uploads from the camera roll. The feature requires a subscription to the Plex Pass service. The updated app allows users to automatically upload all photos from the camera roll to the Plex library for access on other devices…

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LG’s Lifeband Touch and Heart Rate Earphones get physical with Android and iOS on May 18th

Mark Hearn May 13 2014 - 7:51 am PT

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Many believe that healthy wearable tech is the wave of the future and LG definitely wants its piece of the ~~pie~~ granola bar. Today, the South Korean electronics maker announced its new Heart Rate Earphones and Lifeband Touch fitness band. While the former reminds us of a recent internet fib, we assure you that it’s the real deal. LG’s new earphones are designed to do more than crank out tunes during your spin class. These over-the-ear buds are loaded with sensors that track your heart rate by measuring blood flow signals in your ears. They can be used with a compatible smartphone via Bluetooth, however LG would prefer that you use them with its Lifeband Touch.

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Google reportedly testing redesigned desktop version of Gmail

Mark Hearn May 10 2014 - 9:55 am PT

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As we predicted last month, screenshots of a redesigned Gmail Android app loaded with new features hit the web. Not stopping at its mobile mailbox, new images of an overhauled desktop version of Gmail have surfaced and they look very similar to what we saw a few short weeks ago.

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Google Search results now include NBA video recaps, other leagues on the way

Jordan Kahn May 9 2014 - 7:01 am PT

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The next time you’re looking for a score or recap of a recent NBA game, you’ll find a much smoother experience directly from the Google Search page. Google noted last night that it’s starting to display high-quality video clips from NBA games next to sports scores for related queries (as pictured above).

The new embedded videos play directly on the Google Search page without sending the user to YouTube and appear to becoming directly from the NBA’s official YouTube channel. You can check out an example of the new feature here.

Google says that it plans on adding other leagues in addition to the NBA in the future.

Google Drive update officially removes document editing

Mark Hearn May 8 2014 - 3:07 pm PT

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We knew it was coming and now it’s here. Today, Google rolled out a new version of Drive for Android that removes document editing from the cloud-storage application. This change in direction is an immediate follow up to Google’s new trio of productivity apps that released last month. If you still haven’t picked up Docs and Sheets, the updated version of Drive will now display a view-only version of documents and will prompt you to install Google’s new standalone apps for editing options. Although some users will need to download three apps, document editing can now be done offline, so that’s a plus.

Yahoo launches its News Digest app on Android, adds international & Canadian editions

Jordan Kahn May 8 2014 - 7:12 am PT

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Following confirmation during an interview with Marissa Mayer at the TechCrunch Disrupt event this week, a version of Yahoo’s popular News Digest app is now available to Android users. Yahoo made the announcement on its blog today where it also noted that new international and Canadian editions of the app have arrived.

Mayer noted in the interview this week that News Digest was one of the company’s mobile apps that its most proud of. The app, which offers users a daily dose of news in a concise format, has been experiencing impressive engagement among users on iOS since launching last year.

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll get where in terms of the new editions in each country:
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Amazon for Android updated with new icon, Single Sign On feature, bug fixes

Chance Miller May 7 2014 - 2:55 pm PT

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Amazon this afternoon has rolled out an update to its official Android app that includes several minor new features and bug fixes. Most notably, the update adds the Single Sign On feature to Amazon’s entire suite of app. This means that if you log into your account through the Amazon app, you’ll automatically be signed in to the company’s other apps, such as Kindle, Amazon Appstore, and Amazon MP3.

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Google Wallet update for Android and iOS introduces multiple accounts and performance fixes

Mark Hearn May 7 2014 - 1:24 pm PT

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Not stopping at its Camera app, Google has also rolled out an update for its Android and iOS Wallet apps. While both versions aren’t identical, the biggest standout of today’s software releases is the ability to use multiple Google accounts from within Wallet’s Android app. To accommodate this new addition, Mountain View has made a few adjustments to the payment software’s UI. User accounts are accessible via a pull-down panel on the upper left-hand corner of the app, along with a slide-out section for your list of cards and bank accounts. Rounding things out is the ability to receive package shipment updates on purchases made with Wallet.

iOS users rocking Google’s mobile payment system are being treated to unidentified enhancements to the app’s loyalty programs and orders features, along with some token performance fixes. If you haven’t updated Wallet yet, you can pull down this new software from your mobile platform’s respective source link below.

(via Google Play, iTunes)

OneDrive for Android updated with improved sharing and organization features

Mark Hearn May 6 2014 - 2:08 pm PT

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If you’re using your Android device to moonlight on Drive with Microsoft’s OneDrive, your infidelity just got a little easier. Today, the folks in Redmond released version 2.5 of its cloud storage app for Android. Users can now share files and folders via invite, link or by sending files to another app. If that’s not enough, you can select multiple files to download at the same time, while moving and sorting individual folders as needed. Head on over to Google Play to take this update for a spin and don’t worry, your secret is safe with us.

Google Maps for Android updated with lane guidance, improved offline maps, Uber integration

Zac Hall May 6 2014 - 9:22 am PT

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Google announced on its blog today a big update coming to Google Maps on both Android and iOS including integration with Uber.
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Apps and Updates

Tumblr now lets your customize your blog theme in its Android app

Jordan Kahn May 6 2014 - 7:10 am PT

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Tumblr today released an updated version of its app for Android that allows users for the first time to customize the look and design of their blog directly from within the app. While you could always post and edit content to your blog from the app, the update means you’ll now be able to also edit your blog’s theme— change colors, fonts, pictures, etc— through the mobile app.

You now have total control over how your blog looks in the app. Colors, fonts, pictures, whatever—however you want to look, you can look that way. Download this thing and make your blog look amazing already.

You’ll be able to make changes to layout, color, font, etc through a WYSIWYG-style UI similar to on the web and also view a live preview of the changes before going live.

The update is available now on Google Play.

Google Now will alert you when nearby shops have products you’ve been searching for

Mark Hearn May 5 2014 - 2:40 pm PT

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If you find yourself constantly searching the web for new toys, you’re really gonna dig Google Now’s newest trick. As a follow up to a recent update that helps you locate stores while cruising the mall, this new software push takes things to another level. Starting today, Google Now will display a product information card whenever you’re near a shop that carries an item that you’ve been searching for online.

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T-Mobile is again offering free MLB At Bat access to customers

Jordan Kahn May 5 2014 - 6:03 am PT

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Like it did last year after inking a partnership with Major League Baseball, T-Mobile is once again offering free access to the MLB At Bat apps on iOS and Android. Tmonews points us to official confirmation from a T-Mobile support employee:

“UPDATE: As the official sponsor of Major League Baseball, we will be offering MLB At Bat 14 to our customers for free starting May 1 through the entire regular season! With our unlimited data and nationwide 4G LTE, you can enjoy all the great features MLB’s At Bat has to offer!”

That’s instead of paying for one of several MLB subscriptions that grants access to the app starting at $2.99 monthly or $20 for the entire season. There’s no word from T-Mobile with the official details yet, but we’d imagine customers will get access to all the live games and content apart from premium features available to $115/per year MLB.TV Premium subscription.

The MLB At Bat app is available for iOS and Android now.

Google Drive to drop document editing in favor of standalone apps

Mark Hearn May 4 2014 - 12:08 am PT

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Google’s new take on Docs and Sheets might be the first of many changes for the company’s Drive platform. The folks at Android Police managed to get their hands on a new, unreleased version of Drive and it appears to be missing editing functionality for sheets and documents. If you attempt to open a document while in Drive, it’ll display a view-only version of the item and will prompt you to install Google’s new standalone word processing app. We understand that this change might be frustrating for some users, but unbundling these apps lets people pick and choose the software that they want to use. It also gives Google a chance to focus on each app individually, which will hopefully result in a better user experience for each platform. Our fingers are crossed.

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