Adobe says goodbye to its Photoshop Touch app, hello to Project Rigel
Adobe’s been keen on new mobile apps as of late, but today it announced the end of the road for one of its more popular pieces of software. As of next week, Photoshop Touch will no longer be available in iTunes, Google Play and other app libraries and the creative software company will not push new updates. Photoshop Touch was a bit of a tough sell at $10, especially when the new round of apps began rolling out for free. The last major update to Touch came in late 2012, and and in the time since, Adobe announced Photoshop Mix alongside its Ink and Slide drawing accessories. And there’s a mobile version of Lightroom now, too. With its big mobile push, the company has focused on a stable of apps dedicated to specific tasks, rather than an all-in-one solution like Photoshop Touch.
The eulogy for the aforementioned app was accompanied by a look at what’s next for editing photos on the go. Codenamed Project Rigel, Adobe’s plans for image retouching on a mobile device extends to massive 50-megapixel images. I’d surmise those stills would be accessed from a Creative Cloud library, but details are scarce at the moment. In the demo above, edits look quite smooth, but we’ll have to wait until we can put the final version through its paces before offering more detailed observations. While many of the new apps still aren’t available for Android, Adobe says its developing for that mobile OS, so here’s to hoping tools available to iOS users will see a wider rollout soon.
Filed under: Software
Source: Adobe
Spotify automatically selects tunes to match the pace of your run
The addition of video and podcasts is great, but Spotify is looking to enhance workouts, too. Selecting the perfect tracks to match your run will be quite easy, now that the app now measures your pace and picks tunes in a matter of seconds. What’s more, the Spotify Running feature will play nice with fitness apps like Nike+ and RunKeeper later this year, so you can keep tabs on progress while easily soundtracking that 5K. If you prefer to peruse options the old fashioned way, there’s a collection of curated playlists built for a range of speeds. The streaming service already teamed up with Adidas to bring a similar feature to the shoe maker’s Go app, so it makes sense that the tool would eventually end up in the primary streaming software, too. Spotify Running is part of a massive update that’s available in the US, UK, Germany and Sweden starting today.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Internet, Software
Source: Spotify
Fetch’s shopping app puts a smarter concierge on your wrist
Talking into a smartwatch still isn’t the most socially acceptable thing to do, but a pair of startups is hell-bent on at least making it worthwhile. Fetch and Expect Labs — a personal shopping service and a purveyor of a voice-driven AI, respectively — have teamed up to make shopping on your Apple Watch a little less tedious with an improved concierge that works from your wrist.
Back in the day (i.e. last year), Fetch was best known for using a crew of humans to respond to messages sent from the app. If you wanted to buy, say, a sweet messenger bag someone was rocking in SoHo, you could snap a photo, send it along, and someone would eventually respond with the cheapest, most appropriate listing they could find. With Expect Labs’ voice recognition and analytical chops now being baked into the existing iOS/Apple Watch app, though, those requests can be chopped up and acted on more quickly. The end result? A faster first wave of hits, and a less headache-inducing shopping experience (they hope).
Let’s say you’re itching to laze under the sun in some far-off locale. You’ll be able to ask your Apple Watch to book you on the first flight to Bangkok next Thursday, and Expect Lab’s thoughtful back-end will dig up a handful of suitable flight options. From there, those results will get passed along to Fetch’s crew of shopping concierges so they can ferret out the best option and send it back home to you for approval. Well, eventually, anyway. Fetch and Mindmeld are talking up a partnership today, but a spokesperson confirmed that the actual functionality won’t go live for another few months (hopefully in time for a last minute summer holiday). And if you’re one of the countless multitudes who don’t — or won’t — wear an Apple Watch? No worries: The feature will find its way to Fetch’s Android app, too, though you’ll have to pay Fetch $10 a month on any platform for the privilege.
Filed under: Mobile
Mercedes-Benz has an Apple Watch app, too
Apple Watch apps aren’t all about sorting payments and getting notifications. There are plenty that play nice with your car, too. Following the likes of BMW and Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz announced its own software for the wearable that provides walking directions to and from where the car is parked. Using the MB Companion app, Mercedes owners can also search for driving directions from the Apple Watch or and iPhone before they even sit down in the driver’s seat. As you might expect, info like fuel level, range, maintenance codes and and odometer readings can be swiped through on your wrist, too. When it arrives this fall, the app will work with Mercedes-Benz C-Class and S-Class vehicles that sport the Command Online tech, and support for other models is said to follow after launch.
Filed under: Transportation, Wearables
Via: Autoblog
Source: Daimler
Microsoft’s new Hyperlapse Beta app lets you create beautiful time-lapse videos on Android
Microsoft has just released its Hyperlapse Mobile application to Android, but only as a beta version. The app, which is now available on Android, Windows Phone and on the desktop, allows you to create super smooth time-lapse videos with ease.
Normally, speeding up videos seems like an easy way to make your content much more exciting, but that only accentuates each and every shake and stumble your smartphone camera happens to capture. But with Hyperlapse Mobile, you can capture video and convert it into a sped up, smooth piece of footage at speeds ranging from normal time up to a 32x speed up.
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There’s a lot of interesting technology behind this app, and here’s a small glimpse from Microsoft:
Rather than stitching together various pieces of frames, (Neel Joshi, a researcher in Microsoft Research’s Graphics group) created technology that looks for entire frames that have the most overlap with each other. Instead of just arbitrarily choosing every 10th frame, for example, the system might pick out the first, 12th, 18th and 29th frame.
The application lets you record footage and upload previous videos you’ve taken with your smartphone’s camera. If you’d like to upload additional footage that’s not kept on your smartphone, you can download the Hyperlapse Pro preview app for the desktop.
Since the Android app is only in beta for now, you can only use Hyperlapse on the following devices:
- Samsung Galaxy S5, S6, S6 Edge and Note 4
- Nexus 5, 6 and 9
- HTC One M8 and M9
- Sony Xperia Z3
Want to try it out for yourself? First you’ll need to join the Microsoft Hyperlapse Mobile for Android preview Google+ community. After that, head to this site to become a tester. Lastly, head on over to the Google Play Store to download the application. Be sure to let us know how you like the app!
CBS All Access app gets Chromecast support (Update: Fox and FXNow, too)
CBS All Access was already available for folks who fancy Roku devices, and now the television streaming app plays nice with Chromecast. The network updated both the Android and iOS versions to beam shows like Big Bang Theory, The Good Wife and NCIS to your TV via Google’s $35 dongle. If you’ll recall, the CBS subscription service offers on-demand streaming for $6 a month, and users in select locales (like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia — to name a few) can access live TV, too. And that list of local affiliates is expanding on the regular. Prefer to log in from your computer? Using Chrome and Google Cast browser extension, you can send the show you’re watching to Chromecast from there as well. As far as the mobile software goes, you’ll want to be sure to grab the latest versions from iTunes and Google Play in order to make it work with the living room accessory.
Update: CBS isn’t the only one adding Chromecast support to its streaming apps today. Fox updated the FOX Now and FXNow software for both iOS and Android to deliver the same functionality there. That tacks on Google’s compact streamer to a list of supported devices that includes Roku, Xbox, Apple TV and more. Not to be left out, HGTV added casting support, too.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile
Source: Google
Sunrise calendar app tweaks your keyboard for easy scheduling
If you’re as big a fan of the Sunrise calendar app as the folks at Microsoft, scheduling meetings just got a lot easier. There’s a new feature called Meet that adds a tab to your device’s keyboard offering quick and easy access to your availability. Not only can you immediately see what time slots you have free without navigating elsewhere, but you can select a handful of options to send to your colleagues, friends and family. Once they decide what works best, Sunrise automatically schedules the event for you. And it even works for folks who aren’t using the app. All of that means that you’ll save a significant amount of time inputting dates and swiping through multiple apps. Itchin’ to give it a go? Both the Android and iOS versions have been updated with the new tool, so you can start thinking about what you’ll do with all of that extra time.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile
Via: The Next Web
Source: Sunrise
Google delivers news headlines to your Apple Watch
If you were gutsy enough to buy an Apple Watch on launch, you’ve likely been asking a common question: where are the Watch-savvy Google apps? Well, one of them is finally here… although it’s probably not the one you want. The search firm has updated Google News & Weather with support for Apple’s wearable, so you now have a quick way to scan major headlines from your wrist. It’s definitely convenient, although these tidbits take a while to load and don’t include the “weather” part of the iOS app. However, the real question is when the Google apps that you’re likely to use will show up. It’d be great to dictate Hangouts messages or triage an overflowing Gmail inbox.
Filed under: Wearables, Internet, Mobile, Google
Via: ZDNet
Source: App Store
Uber and other app-hailing services become legal in the Philippines
Uber has finally caught a break in the Philippines. It’s no secret that the company’s dealing with a bunch of issues, from sexual assault complaints to resistance by local taxi businesses and permit problems with governments across the globe. But in the Asian archipelago, the ride-sharing service is now completely legal, after operating without formal regulations for almost a year. In fact, the Philippine transportation department has created a whole new classification for Uber called Transportation Network Vehicle Service (TNVS). That category recognizes all app-based transportation services, which means rivals like Lyft can launch in the country with zero issues.
The classification comes with a number of requirements: every car should have a GPS device and should be no older than seven-years-old. Also, the government will only formally recognize Asian Utility Vehicles (AUV), Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV), vans or other similar vehicles. According to Uber exec David Plouffe, the Philippines is the “first country to create a national dedicated framework for ridesharing.” As Wired noted, though, it’s much easier for the company to get nationwide approval in a country where local governments don’t have as much as power as they do in the US.
That said, Uber in the Philippines is quite different from what you might be used to. A number of its vehicles are owned by operators and not the drivers themselves, so it works more like a taxi than a ride-sharing service in some instances. Further, it’s not exactly available everywhere, even if it’s already legal. Since the Philippines has a thriving means of public transpo called “jeepneys,” Uber is mostly confined to big metros like Manila, where its routing algorithms are no match for the horrible, horrible traffic.
[Image credit: TENGKU BAHAR / Getty]
Filed under: Transportation
Via: Wired
London’s ‘Boris bikes’ get an app for paying and planning rides
Using one of London’s “Boris bikes” isn’t as simple as, say, taking the Underground or catching a bus. You have to find a docking station with an available bike, work out your journey time and how much you’ll be charged, and then find another drop-off point that’s close to your destination and not already full. To make the process a little simpler, Santander and Transport for London (TfL) are launching an app for iOS and Android. You can use it to find your nearest docking station, check how many bikes are available and pay for your next ride. Once you’ve selected a 24-hour or annual pass, a unique release code will be sent to your phone, which can then be used to unlock a two-wheeler.
To give you some peace of mind, the app will log exactly when you took out the bike — which could prove useful, because even with a 24-hour pass, TfL will charge you extra for rides that last more than 30 minutes. The app can also help you plan your journey, hopefully avoiding any nasty charges, confirm when you’ve returned a bike, and offer a breakdown of recent hires and how much you’ve spent. We’re still waiting for the scheme to support Oyster cards and contactless payments, but this is definitely a start.
[Image Credit: Steve Bardens/ Getty Images for Santander]
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Santander Cycles (iOS), (Android)
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