Diorama – a very simple tilt shift app for Windows Phone
Diorama is a relatively new Windows Phone photography app that hopes to appeal to your need for quick and simple solutions. The app creates a tilt shift effect to your images by blurring portions of the top and bottom areas of a photograph. The result can make the images of large images look more like model dioramas
The Windows Phone app also has the ability to adjust an image’s color saturation and has an in-house camera app to capture new images to use with the tilt shift effect. In tinkering with Diorama over the past few days, while there is room for improvement, the app comes across as a simple and quick way to create unique photos.
VLC for Windows Phone updated with partial hardware decoding and more
The VLC media player for Windows Phone was updated today to version 1.2.0. While there’s no official change log, a Twitter post from the app’s development team at VideoLAN says it has “numerous improvements and partial hardware decoding.”
Grab this Lightning car charger today while it’s 50% off the regular price!
Dressed in a brilliant white with chrome accents, this lightning car charger plugs into your vehicle’s DC outlet and features an extra USB port on the other end for charging another device as well as your lightning-compatible iPhone or iPad. Available today for only $14.95
BBM Protected now supports iOS and Android for more secure messaging
BlackBerry is now offering its BBM Protected services to iOS and Android devices. This will allow those smartphone owners to access a more secure enterprise-based version of its BBM messaging service.
BBM Protected now supports the iPhone for more secure messaging
BlackBerry is now offering its BBM Protected services for the iPhone. This will allow smartphone owners to access a more secure enterprise-based version of its BBM messaging service.
Here’s how BlackBerry describes the new BBM service :
BBM Protected offers an enterprise-grade secure instant messaging service with all the features of a consumer IM app, the hardening of on-premise security together with the convenience of a cloud service. All messages are encrypted using keys generated by the communicating mobile devices themselves. This BlackBerry innovation effectively prevents ‘man in the middle’ hacker attacks, providing greater security than competing encryption schemes, and earning BBM Protected FIPS 140-2 validation by the U.S. Department of Defense.
With the announcement this week, organizations using BBM Protected can now let their employees chat securely using BBM Protected to non-BBM Protected workers at other companies, or customers. The result: instant federation and bulletproof security for messaging communications with partners outside of your enterprise.
BBM Protected is available through an extra subscription service via BES, from BlackBerry, but they are also offering a 30-day free trial. The iPhone version works with IOS 6.0 or higher and with BBM 2.6 or higher.
- Free – Download now
Source: BlackBerry
New Apple TV will reportedly debut in June with an App Store and Siri
Apple once again rumored to revamp Apple TV, this time for WWDC in June.
The specs are pretty much the same as previous reports — a modern chipset, an App Store, HomeKit, and Siri. Which makes sense given the last update was March, 2012 and Apple has updated a lot of their core technologies since then. John Paczkowski, writing for BuzzFeed:
As for the new Apple TV box itself, expect an updated design and new innards: the company’s latest A8 system-on-chip — or a variant of it: a dramatic increase in on-board storage to accommodate app downloads — well beyond the 8GB in the current device; and an improved operating system that will support Siri voice control Apple TV, and enable it remotely for a selection of Homekit-enabled home automation devices.
It’s all in line with what Rene wrote earlier this week on the future of Apple TV. (Though there’s no indication “Apple TV Direct” has gotten any traction.)
Apple has been reported to be making some big moves in TV recently. The company will be the exclusive launch partner of HBO Now, the standalone streaming service from HBO, and they have been said to be working on their own subscription TV service to debut this fall.
The new Apple TV has been rumored for launch several times over the last couple of years, hopefully this time’s the charm.
Tubecast is now a Universal App for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone
Tubecast for Windows Phone is one of our top YouTube apps. But not only can it handle various levels of playback quality it can also ‘cast your videos from your phone to your Xbox One, DLNA device, Chromecast or Apple TV (and soon Roku). That feature is super handy when you want to share a video with the room and not have to type on the TV.
Today, we are super excited to announce that the Windows 8.1 version of the app is now live in the Windows Store!
The developer behind the app, Stephane, tells us he spent “5 months doing the migration from Silverlight to WinRT, was not easy at all” to make it a universal app. Now that the job is done though, things are smooth sailing. Heck, it is even Windows 10-ready.
Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff may not be updated anymore for Windows and Windows Phone
A post on the official Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff Twitter account indicates that the popular free-to-play game may no longer be updated for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone. This development follows a number of reported issues with the game that have yet to be addressed.
Best iPhone apps to help you plan the perfect wedding
Need help planning your wedding? These iPhone apps are sure to help you plan the perfect day you’ll never forget!
Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, for both you and your partner. For most of us that also means a ton of things to get done between now and then. That’s why I’ve gathered together the very best iPhone apps to help make planning your wedding as stress free as possible. From finding the perfect dress to picking a venue and everything in between, we’ve got you covered!
1. Appy Couple
For getting the word out
The first thing you have to do is let people know the good news! Appy Couple is an easy and elegant way to design your perfect wedding website right from your iPhone. From sharing your story to keeping guests updated about events, Appy Couple does it all.
- Free – Download Now
2. The Knot Wedding Planner
For tracking all the details
The Knot is a gorgeously designed wedding planner that does everything from track guests, give vendor suggestions, and lays out a task list so you know what has to be done. There’s also an inspired section that can help you come up with great ideas for everything from cakes to table decorations and more.
- Free – Download Now
3. WeddingHappy
Planning for the most detail oriented couple
WeddingHappy is another planner just like The Knot, so you don’t need both. However, WeddingHappy is very much chart, graph, and task oriented. If you like to keep track of even the tiniest of details, WeddingHappy may be a better choice for you and your partner. You can even export and plan with others for an additional $5 in-app purchase.
- Free with IAP – Download Now
4. Wedding Party
To share all your guests photos and memories
If you want as many photographs to remember your special day as possible, and who doesn’t, Wedding Party lets your friends and family join in on the fun. Share all the photos from your event in one place with everyone. Afterwards, you can even upload one batch to Facebook if you’d like.
- Free – Download Now
5. Wedding LookBook
For help finding a dress, wedding rings, and more
Every bride wants to find the perfect dress and Wedding LookBook by The Knot pulls in tons of collections for all over. You can also browse wedding bands and other items you may need for your big day.
- Free – Download Now
6. RightGift
Your one stop gift registry
Wedding registries can take up a lot of time. RightGift helps you create one registry to rule them all. With a huge barcode database, you can add items across hundreds of stores all in one place. When your guests purchase items, your registry is updated, leaving much less room for error and duplicate gift purchases.
- Free – Download Now
7. Pinterest
For everything in between
Pinterest may not be a wedding specific app but it’s one of the biggest databases of creative projects in the world. From table coverings to cake ideas to bachelorette party ideas, you’ll find it all and then some. Seriously, search Pinterest for whatever you’re looking for and I can almost guarantee you won’t come up empty handed, ever.
- Free – Download Now
Your favorite wedding planning apps?
If you recently planned a wedding with the help of your iPhone, or are currently in the process, let me know in the comments what apps you found to be the most helpful and why!
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More details revealed about Cortana and reading mode in ‘Project Spartan’
More details, along with some leaked screenshots, have been posted showing off more of “Project Spartan”, the code name for Microsoft’s next web browser that will be included in Windows 10 for PCs and smartphones.

















