Evernote’s Penultimate for iPad now behaves more like a real notebook
Penultimate is supposed to mimic a notebook on your iPad, so it only makes sense that the app’s interface should mirror the pen-and-paper experience as much as possible. Right? Evernote thinks so, as it has released a Penultimate update that gets closer to the real thing. You can swipe from off-screen to turn pages, and you can set a color for every pen width; effectively, you now have a collection of favorite pens. Not all of the updates are meant to simulate analog drawing. Penultimate notes look much nicer when seen from Evernote, and there are improvements to ink rendering, palm recognition and connections with Jot Script pens. The upgraded app still won’t replicate the feel of actual notebooks, but you might not miss them quite so much.
Filed under: Tablets
Via: The Next Web
Source: App Store, Evernote Blog
Ridley Scott is working on a Halo project for Microsoft
Remember that Halo film that wasn’t happening? Microsoft representatives have confirmed that the old rumors are true: a Halo feature is in the works, and it’s being produced by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Alien, Prometheus, Call of Duty Elite: Friday Night Fights). Unfortunately, the confirmation is intentionally vague, offering no other information save for the project’s director (Battlestar Galactica’s Sergio Mimica-Gezzan) and a promise that it won’t overlap with Spielberg’s TV series. It’s described as a “digital feature project,” which implies that the production will end up skip the box office entirely. Well, either that, or Microsoft is just really excited about the kind of cameras it’s using. According to Variety, it could be something similar to the Halo: Forward Unto Dawn short-form episodes. We’ll find out pretty soon, regardless — the project is set for release sometime later this year.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Source: Joystiq
Internet Explorer 11 now looks nicer no matter what device you’re using
With Windows 8.1 updates rolling out on April 8th across all platforms, you didn’t think Microsoft was going to forget its browser, did you? Redmond has unified features on its mobile and desktop Internet Explorer 11 versions, while making it easier to use on different-sized devices. IE 11 for Windows Phone 8.1, in particular, underwent a major overhaul. You can now pin sites to Live Tiles like you can with the full version and sync tabs between devices using OneDrive. Another highly-requested new feature is InPrivate browsing, which leaves no trace of your surfing à la Chrome’s Incognito mode. There’s also a nod to low-bandwidth users with the so-called High Savings data compression mode which loads only the elements you want, reducing data use by 60-80 percent. Finally, Microsoft has introduced voice commands to WP8.1, plus a new reading view that brings a Kindle-like look to articles on your smartphone. Meanwhile, Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 8.1 received more subtle tweaks — check after the break for more.
For the full IE 11 version, Microsoft is trying to make sure users are happy whether they’re using a 7-inch tablet or a 28-inch all-in-one. Depending on the device and whether it has a mouse or touchscreen, the browser will adjust the number tabs of displayed, adapt the type size and permit full-screen or regular browsing. Other changes are mainly for developers, with enhanced debugging and simplified testing for older versions of Internet Explorer — the latter often being a serious pain. Finally, Microsoft revealed FishGL, a new version of its classic aquarium screen that also serves as a 3D WebGL graphics benchmark on Windows 8.1 or Windows Phone 8.1. If you’re raring to grab all of that now, the updates are available for download on Windows 8.1 — otherwise, they’ll be pushed automatically for Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 starting April 8th.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Facebook Messenger for Android lets you pin chats right to your home screen
Facebook’s big-spending CEO presumably has a grand plan for Messenger, now that he’s gone to such great lengths to own WhatsApp. For the time being though, his company is continuing to focus on subtle but useful changes to its homemade apps, with the Android version of Messenger just receiving an update to version 4.0. In line with the last week’s iOS update, one of biggest new features is the ability to bunch your friends into groups and then pin these gatherings to a dedicated Groups tab, so you can quickly bombard the right people all at once. Unlike iOS, however, you can now also add a shortcut to any group or conversation directly from your Android home screen, letting you open up a floating chat head with a single tap, with no need to navigate through the app. That’s the sort of convenience that reminds us why a dedicated Facebook phone was always so unnecessary.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Mobile, Facebook
Source: Google Play Store
‘FTL: Faster Than Light’ Now Available for iPad with New Content [iOS Blog]
Developer Subset Games today released its popular real-time strategy game FTL: Faster Than Light on the iPad, coming roughly a year after the title was released on Mac, PC, and Linux to much acclaim.
The game puts the player in the commanding role of a ship aligned with the Galactic Federation, tasked with getting vital data back to its headquarters. However, rebel ships are persistent in attacking the spacecraft, allowing players to engage in top down combat while maintaining and upgrading their ship with new weapons, crew members, and more.
The award winning PC spaceship simulation game from Subset Games comes to iPad!
Key Features:
– Give orders to your crew, manage ship power distribution and choose weapon targets in the heat of battle.
– Pause the game mid-combat to evaluate your strategy and give orders.
– Upgrade your ship and unlock new ones with the help of seven diverse alien races.
– Hundreds of text based encounters will force you to make tough decisions.
– Each play-through will feature different enemies, events, and results to your decisions. No two play-throughs will be quite the same.
– Permadeath means when you die, there’s no coming back. The constant threat of defeat adds importance and tension to every action.
The iPad version of the game also includes the FTL: Advanced Edition expansion, which offers new ship systems, events, weapons, drones, equipment, enemy types, levels and more in addition to user interface improvements.
Our sister site TouchArcade reviewed the game, regarding the iPad version of FTL as the “definitive version”, crediting the title’s touch controls and regarding them as more intuitive compared to a traditional mouse and keyboard control scheme. Overall, the title was noted as the perfect “play while you do something else game” and given a five star rating. The full review is well worth checking out, as is a video walkthrough of FTL which can be seen below.
FTL: Faster Than Light for the iPad is available for $9.99 on the App Store. [Direct Link]
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Canonical shutters Dropbox competitor Ubuntu One
Canonical announced plans today to shut down its Dropbox competitor Ubuntu One, a move that will also signal the end of its streaming music service. “If we offer a service, we want it to compete on a global scale,” CEO Jane Silber noted in a blog post. “For Ubuntu One to continue to do that would require more investment than we are willing to make.” Rather than compete with other cloud services that routinely offer substantial amounts of free storage, the company has instead decided to focus efforts on its operating system. Storage and music are no longer available for purchase from the Ubuntu One Store starting today. Existing customers can use the service until June 1st, while stored content will be available to download through July 30th. Annual subscribers, meanwhile, can expect a prorated refund soon.
Filed under: Internet, Software
Source: Canonical Blog
TomTom’s new GPS watches track your heart rate without a chest strap
Now that smartwatches have built-in heart rate monitors, it’s not enough for GPS watch makers to require a chest strap for the same feature — they’ve got to step up. TomTom, at least, is ready. It just revealed the Runner Cardio and Multi-Sport Cardio, both of which improve on the original Runner watch by combining position-based exercise tracking with an integrated optical heart rate sensor. The new wristwear lets you train based on intensity, ranging from low-tempo warmups to full-on sprints. If that’s the kind of fitness monitoring you’ve been craving, you can pre-order the Runner Cardio and Multi-Sport Cardio for £250 ($416) and £280 ($466) respectively.
Via: CNET
Source: TomTom (1), (2), (3)
‘Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff’ Coming to iPhone and iPad April 10 [iOS Blog]
At a launch event in Los Angeles tonight, Fox and development house TinyCo officially revealed that its upcoming title Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff is set to launch a week from now. First revealed last month, the game is centered around the town of Quahog, with gamers helping Peter Griffin and the rest of the town’s residents rebuild their city after a destructive fight between Peter and Ernie The Giant Chicken.
In addition to featuring all the voice actors from the series, the game features new animations along with stories and jokes from writers at Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door Productions. Much like EA’s The Simpsons: Tapped Out, the game will be a free-to-play title that includes optional in-app purchases.
Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff will be available for the iPhone and iPad on April 10.
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Comic Book Wednesdays come to Google Play with single issues from DC
Google Play Books and DC Entertainment are showing off their super friendship once again, but, this time, for readers who’d rather consume comics in bite-sized portions. As of today, you can grab single issues from the publisher directly from Mountain View’s media market. To celebrate, there’s even a sale on the likes of Aquaman and Adventure Comics for $0.99 an issue, while a handful of others including Batman and Green Arrow are under $3 apiece. As the senior vice president of DC’s Vertigo label has told CNET, its Google customers were happy but kept asking for single issues. As a result, the outfit beefed up its back-end to accommodate the weekly storefront schedule, and now you should have new issues 52 times a year. See? Further proof that if you really want a company to do something, all you have to do is ask politely.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google
Source: CNET
Skype for Windows Phone 8.1 easily jumps from voice to video and works with Cortana
Now that the Windows Phone 8.1 and Cortana announcements are out of the way, Skype’s spilling the details on its upcoming app refresh for Microsoft’s new mobile platform. The upgraded Skype app for WP 8.1 will feature a new button that you can press to turn a regular phone call into a Skype video chat. It’s similar to that FaceTime option iOS users see when they make calls, though obviously, Skype’s version will only work if you have the other person’s account details.
That’s not all, though — Skype will now also come with Cortana (the platform’s Siri-like voice assistant) integration. This gives you the power to instantly launch convos by hitting the search icon and saying: “Skype, get [someone’s name] on video.” Other than that, the Microsoft-owned outfit is updating its Windows 8.1 and RT app, as well, so you can finally pin it to the taskbar and make it accessible on both Start and desktop screens. Unfortunately, the updated app might not be available as soon as WP 8.1 launches, but Skype says it should be out in the coming months.
Filed under: Internet, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Skype
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