8Stream, the popular third-party Twitch streaming game video app that we included in a recent feature on similar apps, received an update today to version 3.0. The update turns 8Stream into a true universal app for both Windows Phone and Windows 8.1.

If you own a Surface Pro 2 or Surface Pro 3 and have been looking to utilize the device to draw a bit more, you will definitely want to check this deal out. The folks behind the powerful creative application Mischief have extended an offer to Surface Pro users for 20% off the application until March 16th.

Apple has issued an apology for the ongoing, wide-spread service outage affecting many of the company’s online stores, including the iTunes Store and the iOS and Mac App Stores.

The outage, which began just before 5 a.m. EDT, also hit iCloud account and sign in, as well as iCloud Mail, though service seems to have been restored to both of those. In a comment to iMore, an Apple spokesperson says that the company is working to fix the problem, which was caused by a DNS error.

We apologize to our customers experiencing problems with iTunes and other services this morning. The cause was an internal DNS error at Apple. We’re working to make all of the services available to customers as soon as possible, and we thank everyone for their patience.

The disruption, which Apple says currently affects all users, prevents people from downloading or purchasing content from the iTunes Store, App Store, iBooks Store, and Mac App Store.

Subscribers to the MixRadio streaming service have been receiving emails today informing them that Line Corporation will take over all of the personal data and contracts for the service when it closes its acquisition with current owner Microsoft.

After first announcing plans for a beta test a few months ago, the team behind the Onyu contact management app have launched its Windows Phone version to the general public this week.

Apple’s Jony Ive and Marc Newson will be opening the first Condé Nast International Luxury Conference in Florence, Italy.

Ive and Newson will appear at the opening of the conference in conversation with the event’s host, Suzy Menkes, international editor of Vogue, a Condé Nast magazine. The pair will discuss their work together, as well as what defines luxury in the 21st century, according to Vogue:

“Apple is now a powerful part of the luxury industry,” Menkes said today. “The iPhone, iPad, and the forthcoming Apple Watch are in direct competition with handbags, timepieces and high-end accessories. I want Jony Ive to tell the conference delegates where 21st century luxury is headed.”

Ive and Newson are long-time friends, who previously worked together on the Product (RED) Mac Pro. Newson joined Apple in September 2014, though he is still able to pursue projects outside of the company.

The Condé Nast International Luxury Conference will take place in April.

Source: Vogue

This year I set out with a goal of attempting to organize things in my life and at the top of that list was taking care of bills more appropriately. I switched everything over to online billing and thought the email reminders of when my bills were due might actually help but given the amount of email I get in the run of the day, they just ended up getting lost and forgotten about, especially utility bills such as power and water considering they only get sent out every two months where I live.

Not wanting to give up, I decided to look for some BlackBerry apps to help me out and recently came across Screaming Energy, which dubs itself as a Energy Bill Management Tool in Blackberry World. The app is fairly new, having only been released back in February, so I’ve yet to utilize it fully but the set up of it all was enough to impress me so it only seems fitting that I share it here on CrackBerry.

Read More »

Microsoft is launching a contest for members of its Windows Insider program that will give 10 of them a chance to visit the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

After 11 hours, the outage affecting several of Apple’s online services, including the iTunes Store and iOS and Mac App Stores, has ended.

The service disruption began just before 5 a.m. EDT Wednesday morning, and customers found themselves unable to purchase or download items from iTunes, the App Store, or the iBooks Store. The outage also disrupted iCloud sign in and Mail, though most iCloud services remained unaffected.

Apple apologized for the outage, saying that it was due to a DNS issue. Apple’s system status page now reads all-clear, with the issues apparently resolved a little after 4 p.m. EDT.

Source: Apple

Could you use an easier way of selecting colors to use in upcoming design projects? Download Skala Color 2.0 for the Mac. It’s free.

Skala Color 2.0 is the latest Mac software offering from Bjango, makers of iStat Menus. Among the changes in this release is improved support for OS X Yosemite.

Skala Color is a compact and feature-rich OS X color picker that works with a huge variety of formats, covering everything you’re likely to need for web, iOS, Android, and OS X development — Hex, CSS RGBA, CSS HSLA, UIColor, NSColor and more.

Skala Color automatically recognises colors copied to the clipboard, presenting them as a swatch that can be applied with a single click.

The new release sports a darker interface, fixes bugs and more.

• Free – Download now