Watch the new, customizable Windows Phone 8.1 camera app in action (video)
Microsoft didn’t just equip Windows Phone 8.1 with a redesigned notification center and a Siri nemesis called Cortana, it also revamped its stock camera app. While many of the current app’s features remain intact, a video leaked by Unleash The Phones shows that the right side of the interface now features shortcut buttons for single photo, video and burst photo modes. The left side, however, is completely customizable, and a user can easily fill it with up to five shortcuts to settings (flash, lens picker, resolution, ISO among others) of their choice. Curious WP users who want to know how the updated app compares to Nokia’s camera software can watch the video after the jump. Of course, they might only have to wait a bit more to know everything about the OS… and to finally find out if they can install it on their WP8 devices.
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Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Unleash The Phones
VLC’s media player hits Windows 8 in beta form
Let’s say you bought a new laptop and wanted to check out a few videos that you legally downloaded without leaving Windows 8′s touch-focused UI — until now, your options have been pretty limited. If you’re feeling a little adventurous though, the beta version of VLC’s media player that Microsoft News spotted on Redmond’s app store should do the trick. It’s an experimental port of the Windows RT app, however, and as such the application has a few hurdles to clear before it’s ready for prime time. General sluggishness compared to the desktop version and some audio bugs, for instance, are a few issues that may crop up. Developer VideoLAN says that this version isn’t nearly as stable as it should be (it is a beta, after all), but that hasn’t stopped you from downloading its apps before, has it?
VLC for Windows 8 first beta: http://t.co/CxDfE2gfNi
– VideoLAN (@videolan) March 12, 2014
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Via: Microsoft News
Source: Windows Store, Kickstarter
Starbucks app to let you pre-order your coffee later this year
It sucks when you go to Starbucks for a pick-me-up and some guy’s holding up the line with an overly complicated request. Thankfully, the Seattle company’s testing a mobile ordering service in an effort to speed things up. To be clear, when it debuts later this year, you still won’t be able to get coffee delivered, but Bloomberg reports that the service will at least let you order through the Starbucks app before you get to the store. That’s all we know about the upcoming feature, though, as the coffee empire’s keeping mum about its finer details. We still don’t know if the service will take custom requests, but if it does, we hope you tip generously for that fancy $50 Mocha frapp.
Source: Bloomberg
Google Translate for Android now deciphers handwriting in 13 more languages
If you’re an Android user traveling to the Middle East or southern Asia, you’ll likely want to grab a just-released update to Google Translate. The new app expands on a recent iOS upgrade with handwriting recognition for 13 extra languages that mostly come from the above two regions; you can now write in Arabic and Persian as well as Indian dialects like Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. You’ll also find support for Bosnian, Cebuano, Hmong, Maltese, Mongolian and Somali. This isn’t the biggest Google Translate refresh that we’ve seen, but it could make all the difference if you’re visiting Dubai or New Delhi.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Mobile, Google
Via: Android Police
Source: Google Play
Fiverr arrives in gorgeous new Android app experience
The team over at Fiverr have just released a great looking new App for Android which will allow users to browse gigs anytime, anywhere.
If you’re not familiar with Fiverr, it’s a place where talented users offer their services with anything from designing graphic logos to promoting your social account, starting at five bucks!
Fiverr for Android is part of our ongoing commitment to bring you the best Fiverr experience possible. Mobile will continue to be a major priority and this is only the beginning of the great things to come.
Up until now, the mobile experience of Fiverr on Android was pretty bleak and non-enjoyable, but with the dedicated App this is all about to change. You’ll be able to search the marketplace for gigs, and also receive real-time notifications for any messages that are received from your buyers/sellers.
Check out a video of it in action below.
The post Fiverr arrives in gorgeous new Android app experience appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Microsoft’s OneNote may come to the Mac this month
Microsoft’s OneNote app has been available on mobile, Windows and the web for quite some time, but Mac support for the note-taking software has proven elusive… at least, until now. Both The Verge and ZDNet hear that OneNote will be available for free on OS X later this month. Microsoft would also release a free desktop Windows app (the Windows 8-native app is already gratis) to better support its own platform. Both versions would include new features, too, including a Clipper service to save web content and a desktop variant of Office Lens’ document scanning. We’ve reached out to Microsoft to verify the claims. It’s easy to see why the folks in Redmond might expand OneNote’s ecosystem, though. The app is facing stiff competition from Evernote, which is available on most modern platforms — Microsoft would simply be countering a rival.
iOS 7.1 Includes Warning Message About 15-Minute In-App Purchase Window
Along with several visual tweaks, CarPlay support, and Touch ID enhancements, iOS 7.1 also brought some changes to the way in-app purchases work. When making an in-app purchase for the first time after updating, users are notified via a pop-up window that additional in-app purchases can be made for 15 minutes without reentering a password.
The message also points to an existing option in the Settings menu that allows users to require a password with every in-app purchase.
First uncovered by AppleInsider, the new message is likely the result of an agreement between Apple and the Federal Trade Commission, which required the company to implement measures to obtain express consent from consumers before billing them for an in-app purchase.
According to the consent decree that was initially signed in January, Apple had until March 31 to make the necessary changes, which may or may not be completed with the inclusion of the new message that requires users to acknowledge the possibility of additional in-app purchases.
While the pop-up is new, Apple has always had a 15-minute purchase window allowing additional in-app purchases to be made without reentering a password, a policy that landed the company in hot water in 2011 after parental complaints about children over-spending in apps sparked the FTC’s interest.
Apple made some changes to in-app purchases following the complaints, requiring a separate password entry specifically for in-app purchases, but the company was still forced by the FTC to to provide full refunds to parents whose children purchased unauthorized in-app items.
In addition to implementing the required changes to the App Store, Apple will refund approximately $32 million to parents.
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Appmethod lets you code native Android, iOS and desktop apps simultaneously (hands-on)
With different requirements and countless other incompatibilities, building applications for multiple platforms can be a tremendous chore. Embarcadero Technologies is setting out to simplify that process a bit with Appmethod, a multi-device development platform that lets you create apps for Android, iOS, Mac and Windows simultaneously. The WYSIWYG tool lets you drag and drop buttons, connectors, databases and other design elements into one emulated platform, then easily duplicate the app onto another.
Reps suggest starting out on the platform that’s most important to you. From there, you can easily migrate to another operating system, be that Android, iOS, Mac, Windows or even Google Glass. You should be able to sign up for Appmethod beginning on March 18th. Prices range from $299 per developer, per platform, per year for firms with up to five users, to $999 with the same pricing structure if you’re planning to work alongside six or more devs. Check out our SXSW hands-on video below to see the IDE in action.
Filed under: Software
Apple Considering Standalone iTunes Radio App for iOS 8
Following its introduction at WWDC 2013, Apple’s iTunes Radio music streaming service launched alongside iOS 7 in September of last year. The service is available within iTunes on the desktop and the Music app for iOS, allowing users create channels based on artists, genres or songs. To bring attention to the service and increase engagement, Apple may be spinning off iTunes Radio into its own app in iOS 8, according to a report by 9to5Mac.
As a standalone application, users will be able to more quickly access iTunes Radio. Psychologically for users, iTunes Radio will be its own app competing with the likes of the Pandora, Spotify, and iHeartRadio apps found on the App Store. The benefit for Apple, however, is that iTunes Radio will be pre-installed. The interface for the standalone iTunes Radio application is said to be nearly identical to the one found inside of the iOS Music app and its Home screen icon is a terrestrial radio graphic atop a red background.
Apple originally wanted to launch iTunes Radio as a standalone app alongside iOS 6, but those plans allegedly fell through when licensing negotiations with major music labels hit a snag. As envisioned for iOS 8, the new standalone iTunes Radio reportedly would be similar to the current Music app version, continuing to offer Featured Stations and include a browsable music history. iOS users would maintain their ability to create and manage their music channels as well as purchase individual tracks.
Despite being buried within the iOS Music app, iTunes Radio continues to grow in popularity. A recent report from Edison Research and Statista places iTunes Radio as the third most popular music streaming service in the United States, edging out Spotify to land behind market leaders Pandora and iHeartRadio. The breakout of iTunes Radio into its own app in iOS 8 could further boost usage of the service.
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Tinder wants to verify celebrities so you know they’re really into you
Tinder, the iOS and Android app that matches people by how close they are from one another, has a celebrity problem. While signing up to a dating app is probably the last thing you’d expect any privacy-conscious alphabet-lister to consider, Tinder already counts a few famous faces amongst its millions of users (Ashton Kutcher and Lindsay Lohan reportedly are fans), but they aren’t racking up matches because people believe their profiles are fake. According to Hollywood Reporter, the mobile startup wants to remove all doubt from that equation by introducing a verification system for celebrity users that could use Twitter-style checkmarks to signify that an actor, actress or musician (etc) is who they say they are. Tinder CEO Sean Rad also says that the company could drop the requirement for stars to sign up using Facebook, where they’d have to use their real name instead of an alias, allowing them “to enter Tinder in a different way.” We don’t yet know when the new system will be implemented, but if it does lure famous users to the service, you never know, you could only be five right-swipes away from Kevin Bacon.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: Hollywood Reporter
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