Pebble app updated, brings much needed performance improvements
A quick performance update to the Android’s Pebble app is beginning to push out today. It offers better in app load times and responsiveness, improved Bluetooth connectivity, and the ability to connect to a Pebble when there is no Internet connection.
We normally wouldn’t write about such a small update to an app, but if you’ve ever used the Pebble app store, you’d know that it’s like pulling teeth. For the few minutes we’ve used the updated app store, we haven’t seen the usual 30 second load times to view new watch faces, which is a big step in the right direction. This is a nice update, so go ahead and download it!
Here’s the full changelog to version 2.0.15:
- Improved overall stability
- Improved performance in app load times and responsiveness
- Improved Bluetooth connection reliability, especially for sports and fitness applications
- Support for selecting a Pebble from multiple paired Pebbles
- Ability to connect to a Pebble when there is no internet connection
- Added notifications for firmware updates (when app is foregrounded)
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GoPro’s Android app now connects to your action cam automatically
GoPro’s smartphone apps have been a useful addition to its popular action cams for quite some time, and now the Android version sees a nice update. First, and most importantly, the app now automatically connects to your camera’s WiFi signal on launch, nixing a visit to the settings menu as your first stop. Sharing is easier as well, as those captured stills and videos can now be beamed to Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and other social repositories directly from your mobile device. There’s also an updated UI for those wielding version 4.0 or later of Google’s mobile OS and the ability to have the app set the curated Photo of the Day as your wallpaper. Haven’t been alerted to version 2.4 yet? Well, jump down to the source link to nab the download now.
Filed under: Cameras, Software
Via: Android Police
Source: GoPro (Google Play)
Yahoo Mail for iOS overhaul simplifies correspondence, sprinkles in news
Folks who use Yahoo Mail on their iOS devices will soon notice a significant redesign. The outfit has retooled the offering “with a focus on simplicity” while serving up easy access to news and other info. Along the bottom, the main menu has but three options: Mail, News and Today. Inboxes have swipe gestures for quick sorting and there’s a conversation view for recalling those original messages. That News section is curated based on your personal preferences and Today displays a weather report, stock info, sports scores and more. Haven’t snatched up the new version yet? No worries, you can grab it now in the App Store.
Office for iPad now lets you print documents
Microsoft vowed that Office for iPad users wouldn’t always have to track down a PC just to print their files, and it’s making good on that promise with a slew of app updates. The tablet-sized versions of Excel, PowerPoint and Word now let you make hard copies of documents so long as you have an AirPrint-friendly printer on hand. The move tackles one of the biggest gripes we had with Office when it launched last month; it’s at last possible to skip the computer entirely when producing that class report or family budget.
Printing isn’t the only upgrade in store. Excel now has auto-resizing for columns and rows, while PowerPoint gets Keynote-style guides that help align all the graphics just so for your big presentation. All told, these refinements are huge if the iPad is your productivity center — head over to the App Store source link to start updating.
Filed under: Tablets, Software, Microsoft
Source: Office iPad Blog, App Store
Windows Phone’s music app now lets you start playlists using your voice
When the Windows Phone 8.1 preview rolled out, its music app was underwhelming; you couldn’t use Cortana voice commands for everything, and it was fairly buggy. Both of those gripes are gone now that Microsoft has updated the music client with its latest mobile OS in mind. You can now use voice to do most anything, including starting playlists by name; you no longer have to go hunting for that collection of hot summer jams. Problems with unexpected black screens should also be gone, and interface transitions should be smoother across the board.
This is just a hint of what’s to come, too. Microsoft is promising a series of updates that bring Live Tile support, initial background syncing and more intuitive playback controls. You should see the next upgrade sometime within two weeks, as of this writing. If there’s something you don’t like now, there’s a chance that Redmond will fix it in short order.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft
Via: Xbox Music Team
Source: Windows Phone Store
‘Explore’ tab on Instagram getting more personal, offers less One Direction for all
For the entire time Instagram has existed, there has been one stand-out feature that seems neglected: the Explore tab. Usually filled with photos of One Direction, food, or fashion companies, the Explore tab kept users away rather than inviting them to explore. Thankfully, Instagram is working on it by trying to offer more personalized content.
The revamped Explore tab will now show the top photos and videos ‘liked’ by your friends, rather than the top posts ‘liked’ around the world. It’s a start, definitely, but it’s still difficult to decipher why exactly those photos made it to the tab in the first place. Some stuff can still be tailored to your liking, but for the most part, we’d bet the tab isn’t going to be used any more frequently than it already is.
Let’s hope these changes stick around, and the folks at Instagram keep making improvements!
Source: TechCrunch
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eBay’s new mobile apps are all about you
eBay’s mobile apps just got a little more personal. The company refreshed its offerings for the iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Phone 8 today, unveiling a new look for the apps that’s customized to your habits. The highlight of the update is a new “My Feed” section on the home screen which populates with large photos of items you’ve indicated you want (like this epic collection of 125 Goat books). It looks a lot like Pinterest, with updated imagery that makes you feel a little more like you’re shopping for high-end antiques rather than crap someone found in grandma’s attic.
If you’d prefer to bid on a “Stylish Lion Mane” for your pooch from the mobile web, you’re in luck. Those accessing the site from their phone or desktop browser will also get the new personalized feed. The update isn’t quite live yet, but will launch with the ability to list items for sale from your phone as well as respond to offers and browse through Daily Deals. Because bargains like this $5 unisex toilet bag don’t come along everyday.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Windows Phone Store, iTunes, Google Play
IFTTT Android App lands on Google Play Store! Get ready for some unique Android related recipes
IFTTT fans! It’s a great day for us. IFTTT has released their official Android app on the Google Play Store. IFTTT or If This Then That is a free service that lets you connect various web applications together through simple conditional statements.
IFTTT Android App
Users can create unlimited ‘recipes’ from nearly 100 different web services including social networks, cloud storage products, sharing services, sports score providers and Android as well as iOS related channels, etc. IFTTT has been praised by a lot of tech experts and publications such as Forbes, Time, Wired and the NYTimes.
IFTTT Android App Screenshot
You can use it to duplicate files between Dropbox and Google Drive or send a text to yourself when it is going to rain. IFTTT for Android allows adding even more Android related channels such as location, SMS, notifications, calls and photos. You can use these new channels in collaboration with other already existing web services to create your custom recipe as per your need. It would be great if IFTTT works in collaboration with Tasker, yet another Android app which makes possible condition based results.
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ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('’);
//]]>
IFTTT brings its recipe-based app automation to Android
iOS users have been privy to IFTTT’s (If This Then That) formulaic behaviors for automating app tasks on their mobile devices. Well as of today, the Android faithful can get in on the action too. The outfit’s software is now available in Google Play, bringing with it photo, call, notification, SMS, location and device settings channels specific to Google’s OS. What does that mean for you? Well, you can tweak the setup to have your ringtone silenced when you connect to the office WiFi, automatically set your latest Instagram snapshot as your device’s wallpaper and get a push notification if you’ll need an umbrella tomorrow. Selecting all of those “recipes” can take some time, so we’ll let you hop to it via the source link down below.
Source: IFTTT (Google Play)
Opera’s Coast iPhone browser is a speed dial for your favorite sites
Last year Opera introduced Coast, a simple mobile browser designed specifically for the iPad, and today it brought the same unique experience to the iPhone. Coast is a little different than Chrome or Safari, and streamlines browsing by organizing shortcuts to sites on menu pages like they’re apps. Think of it like your phone’s home screen, except exclusively for the internet. It’s intentionally pretty barebones, and doesn’t have much besides those site icons — so no address bar or back button. While the stripped down browser may sound a bit restricting at first, we’ve been testing the iPhone app for a few days and have found it makes getting to your favorite sites a lot easier.
The app comes preloaded with shortcuts to a few popular sites like Gmail and YouTube, but gets much more useful once you start adding your own must-view pages (we hear Engadget is pretty awesome). Instead of using a traditional address bar, swiping down from the top of your home screen launches a blank page where you can type a topic. As you input letters, Coast starts to suggest sites you might want to check out using colorful tiles. Our search for “phones” for instance, quickly brought up several popular mobile pubs. The app tries to steer you towards sites, but you can perform an old-fashioned search result page as well. If you see a page you like, you can tap on the icon to launch it, or press and hold to pin it to one of three menu pages. It’s a simple process that makes it easy to create the ultimate collection of news sites or cat grooming blogs. Everything can be synced using iCloud, so you’ll have the same bookmarks on your iPad as well.
While the experience is pretty limited, Coast does have a few tricks up its sleeve. Inside launched pages you can press and hold to share a story with a friend or take a screenshot. If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can save a photo from the web to use as a background image throughout the app. Open tabs are also handled a little differently than you might be used to. Pages you’ve previously visited are displayed in a format reminiscent of Apple’s multitasking feature rather than a list, with full screens you can swipe to. We found seeing the whole site made navigating back in time a lot easier. When you’re done with something for good, it can be closed just like an iOS app, by swiping it off the top of the page. Everything is super fast and responsive, probably thanks to the browser’s stripped down nature.
If you’re used to something like Safari and typing in URLs everyday, Coast’s simple interface and shortcuts can be a bit jarring at first. After using the app for a while, however, we noticed how few mobile sites we actually go to on regular basis. Once you’ve come to terms with that fact, a speed dial for your faves makes a ton of sense. Overall, we found the app makes it easier to get to the places you love faster — earning Coast a permanent place on our home screen. Curious to give it a try for yourself? You can snag the app for iPhone and iPad now from the App Store.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Apple
Source: iTunes
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