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iCloud outage takes down backups and photos for some users (updated)
Apple is reporting outages affecting numerous iCloud services, including backups, calendars and photo syncing.
Here's everything Samsung announced at its Unpacked 2020 event
Here are all of the highlights from today's Samsung Unpacked event.
Shazam finally syncs matched tracks across devices
Shazam has a lot more competition from Siri, Cortana and other services, but the music recognition service has tried to stay on top with Google Now integration, faster recognition and other new tricks. The company has just added a feature that seems indispensable, but somehow wasn't available before: syncing across devices. As long as you're logged in to your account, it remembers any songs you identify and lets you see them from the desktop, iOS or other devices.
Dropbox makes syncing your large files faster
Cloud storage service Dropbox has announced a feature called Streaming Sync, which promises to improve the way its platform handles the syncing of large files. Thanks to Streaming Sync, which is part of a revamped desktop client, users will get a major speed boost when syncing any file over 16MB -- up to twice as fast as any regular sync, according to the company. Dropbox notes that it was able to accomplish this by overlapping the upload and download phase of the file synchronization, meaning it can use its servers to push the data to your device, rather than letting your smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop do all the work. Along with Streaming Sync, Dropbox also brought support for four additional languages to the app, as well as the ability to view your most recent account activity via a new notifications menu.
BitTorrent Sync launches API for building decentralized apps, comes to iPad
BitTorrent Sync, the cross-platform tool for sharing files without cloud interference, hasn't managed to shake its beta tag yet, but that isn't slowing anything down. In addition to announcing the service now has more than a million active users monthly, and it's passed over 30 petabytes of data between devices, today sees an update for users and something for developers, too. The general release of version 1.2 is said to improve transfer speeds to up to around 90MB per second. A new native iPad app is out today, and the current iOS version has seen design tweaks and compatibility improvements for iOS 7. Sending and syncing data in other apps using BitTorrent Sync is now possible, and pics and video from your synced folders can be added to a device's camera roll. BitTorrent Sync is also discharging its API to any and all developers today. Just like the service itself, the API doesn't favor any platform, and will allow devs to tinker on all the main computer operating systems, as well as Android and iOS. While it means file-sharing support can be easily shoehorned into other things, the Sync team also imagines entirely new services build off the back of the underlying platform, making use of encrypted data transmission that doesn't rely on any centralized server.
Twitter updates apps with direct message syncing and improved search results
Remember that raucous applause that occurred when the WWDC crowd was told that Notification Center clearings would be synced across devices in iOS 7? If you listen carefully, you'll hear something similar happening today from the Twitter faithful. At long last, the company has updated its litany of apps with support for direct message syncing -- in other words, a DM that you reply to on your Nexus 7 will no longer show as an unread message on your iPhone. All told, seven different programs are seeing an update: Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, twitter.com, mobile.twitter.com and TweetDeck (sorry, Windows Phone users!). For Android, iPhone, iPad and mobile.twitter.com, the outfit's making search result improvements as well; additionally, a new in-app indicator in search results will show you when there are new Tweets for your query. Hit up the links below to download the new wares.
Google Play spruced up in new release, Services app nabs new syncing options
On the eve of Google I/O, Page and Co. have seen fit to polish the Google Play app with a fresh release. Version 4.1.6 of the mobile OS market brings colorful section buttons and improved spacing for "open" and "install" on application pages, along with a new layout for the wishlist feature that displays apps in rows of three. As for Google Play Services, it's received new syncing options for "App Data" and "People Details." Presumably they could relate to contacts, Google+ or even Mountain View's incoming gaming service, but something tells us we'll find out exactly what they do tomorrow. If your handset hasn't received the updated storefront just yet, follow the adjacent source link to install it by hand.
Dropbox announces Sync API for Android and iOS
The lives of devs eager to take advantage of storage in the cloud are about to get a whole lot easier thanks to Dropbox's new Sync API. The tool streamlines the process of integrating with the service, offloading most of the heavy lifting onto Dropbox itself. Now, that's not entirely new, since Dropbox has been open to other app makers for sometime. The big sell here are the actual syncing capabilities. Until now, apps have been able to tap into your online well of files, but syncing has always been a dev-implemented process built on top of the existing APIs. The downloading, storing, change tracking and uploading were all the responsibility of the developer. The Sync API does away with the much of the set up work and allows the creation of apps that simply sync across platforms without any hacking or jury-rigging. Apps can simply ask if you want to sync with Dropbox now and the act of creating and maintaining a folder won't necessitate any further user input (though, it still can if the dev so chooses). The API is available today, and the first program to take advantage of the private in-app Dropbox client, Squarespace Note is awaiting approval before landing in the App Store. For more, check out the blog post at the source. Update: As some of you may have noticed the source link was missing. Sorry for the inconvenience.
SkyDrive gains selective syncing and right-click sharing on the desktop, searching on mobile (video)
Microsoft's SkyDrive is now one of the centerpieces of the company's desktop and mobile platforms, but its relative newness has denied us some of the fine-grained control we've taken for granted from services like Dropbox. The cloud storage service just resolved two of those common power user gripes in one fell swoop through an update to the desktop client. To start, it's at last possible to limit SkyDrive syncing on Macs and Windows PCs just to specific folders -- that poor tablet won't reach its breaking point when someone creates a 5GB home video on the family desktop. Windows users alone see the second update, which integrates SkyDrive with right-click contextual menus for much faster sharing. Mobile customers aren't left out with the refresh, either. Both Android and Windows Phone 8 SkyDrive users get a long-due file search as well as the option to shrink photos when they go online. Updates for the four update platforms are available at the source link, although they should push out on their own over the next two days for those who aren't in a hurry.
Microsoft adds WP8 app to Windows Store just in time for launch
If you're aiming to get your hands on one of the many Windows Phone 8 devices launching later today, it would be nice to be able to sync it with your Windows 8 PC, no? Redmond has you covered in the nick of time, as it's just released the free Windows Phone app to its Windows Store. That'll let you get music, photos, or video over to your computer and back, use Windows 8 apps to share things like searches, automatically save photos or videos taken with your phone to your PC and check your phone's storage to see how it's being used. It'll also let allow you to download phone apps and learn more about your device, while pulling off a trick we've saw first with Apple, then WP7 -- letting you track down your smartphone if it goes missing. You can grab it at the source, then all you'll need is a WP8 (or 7.8) handset -- so stay tuned for our liveblog at 10:00 am PST / 1:00 pm EST to see when that might happen.
Ubuntu One reaches Mac in beta, completes the cloud storage circle
For all of the many directions Ubuntu One's cloud storage has gone, it hasn't headed the Mac's way. Official clients have been the province of Linux devotees (naturally, Ubuntu is recommended) and their Windows friends across the aisle. A newly available Mac beta puts all three major desktop platforms on an even keel, very literally -- the OS X port is almost identical to what you'd get in Linux or Windows, including a few rough points where other interface concepts clash. Still, the Ubuntu One test build has a handy Mac-specific menu bar item, and it's one of the few cloud options that will natively support both the Ubuntu box in your den and the MacBook Pro in your bag. Grab your copy at the source link if you can deal with a few unfinished elements.
Box Accelerator may triple cloud upload speeds versus its rivals, comes to syncing apps soon (video)
Upstream speeds are frequently the bottlenecks for cloud storage: an entire company might be held back waiting for that last presentation video to go online before the big meeting. Box wants much more parity through Accelerator, a custom infrastructure that should make uploads hum. It uses Amazon's EC2 for help, but the real magic comes through a mix of Box's own network and special prioritization. Accelerator goes beyond just location to factor in the browser, OS and other criteria that could affect a data packet's journey. The company claims through outside studies that its average 7MB/s speeds make it the upload king by a wide margin, to the tune of 2.7 times its fastest worldwide rival and 3.1 times any of its American counterparts. Peak speeds are up to 10 times faster than before, if you go by the company's word. Most of the focus is on corporate customers and speeding up access near the provider's ten global access points, but Box is planning both to ramp up performance in more areas and bring Accelerator to the company's syncing platforms in the near future -- an obvious lure for would-be Dropbox customers.
Windows Phone companion surfaces for Windows 8, could take over syncing duties
It's tough to ignore that the Zune era at Microsoft is quickly winding to a close. That doesn't mean you'll necessarily be out of options for syncing a Windows Phone's contents by the time the Zune desktop app fades away, however. A tip to The Verge has shown a companion app for Windows 8 users that will reportedly load the first time a Windows Phone 8 device syncs up, giving a fully Metro-friendly place to transfer any media. Windows 7 would get its own parallel, just in case some of us aren't willing or able to upgrade our PCs in concert. The replacement desktop apps could be available at about the same time as the Windows Phone 8 launch, if the claims are at all accurate -- which might leave less than two months before one more vestige of Microsoft's MP3 player days goes away.
Mark/Space Welcome Home eases us into new Nokia Lumias, lifts the burden of app hunting
So you just bought a Nokia Lumia 900 and are wondering how on Earth you'll get all your old phone's data over to that new Windows Phone. Nokia and Mark/Space have you covered with a new, Lumia-tuned Welcome Home to Windows Phone app. The Mac- and Windows-based utility goes beyond just shuffling calendars, contacts and media; if you're jumping ship from Android, a BlackBerry or an iPhone, it will scan apps linked to the outgoing hardware and offer QR codes to download either direct or close-enough equivalents for the Windows Phone world. Fresh Lumia owners might appreciate the price more than anything -- unlike the Android porting tool, the Lumia version is a free treat just for joining the Nokia flock. It's available today, but we have a feeling that most of the demand will come after September 5th.
Adobe Revel 1.5 released with new UI, text captions and auto-syncing albums
Adobe's cloud-based photo storage and editing app has been enjoying its new name since it hopped off the Carousel, and now it's appreciating a feature bump too. Version 1.5 has just hit the virtual shelves of the Mac and iTunes stores, complete with a new UI and the option to log in using Facebook or Google accounts. Functionality wise, the update adds text captioning for your snaps and the ability to create albums which auto-sync across your devices and can be shared with others via the web. Alright, so the update isn't revolutionizing the service, but we're sure those that currently subscribe are reveling in it.
Microsoft gives a tease of Office for Windows Phone 8, talks up Office 2013 integration
Microsoft may have told us a lot about Windows Phone 8 in June, but it left out much of what the Office component's update would entail. Thankfully, Partner Group program lead John Jendrezak has volunteered to let us peek under the hood, including our first real glimpse of the new Office Hub. The app's connection to Office 2013 is more than the skin deep looks you see here: Office documents will sync more seamlessly from desktop to phone, and it's implied that the reading position sync from the desktop version will extend to the mobile realm as well. Many mysteries still remain as to what's exactly different in the more pocketable version of Office. There's more about the new work suite's communion with the cloud at the source link, however, so dig in if an offline Office feels like a prison.
Nokia Air promo surfaces, teases what could have been
In some alternate timeline, droves of Nokia fans are enjoying seamless cloud syncing on Symbian handsets. Here on Earth-One, however, we'll have to settle for watching a leaked preview of the syncing service that never was. The Nokia Air promo (after the break) promises a service that lets you "experience everywhere" by serving your devices from the ever-present cloud. "Apps don't require downloading, installing or updating," the narrator boasts, explaining that updates, notification, apps and other content are delivered directly from the cloud to all of your devices. Sound familiar? Don't get too excited though, between Nokia's commitment to Redmond and the ancient Engadget post we spied in the demo's feed, this project was probably scrapped.
Apple shows off iCloud integration in Mountain Lion
Tim Cook is currently demoing iCloud's integration in Mountain Lion onstage at the WWDC Keynote in San Francisco. iCloud, Apple's cloud sync service, has been a big hit on iOS already, with 125 million iCloud users registered and using the service currently. On Mountain Lion, iCloud will come in the form of Document syncing, which Cook showed took only a few seconds to sync a document from his iPad to a MacBook Pro. Reminders, Messages, and Notes are all being synced across iCloud as well, and presumably will work just as smoothly as they work currently. Safari browsing history and bookmarks will also get synced, and even tab views can be synced between devices, so you can view tabs on your MacBook Pro, and then take those exact browser tabs over to your iPad or iPhone. It all looks great. We should hear an official date for Mountain Lion soon, perhaps even later on today.
Google Chrome 19 Stable arrives, shares live tabs across your computers and phones (video)
Google first teased live tab syncing in Chrome 19 beta, and it's now available for all of us who tread the safer path of Stable releases. If you weren't living on the bleeding edge for long enough to try the syncing early, you'll be glad to know that it lets you see and quickly sync all the tabs that are open on any device signed into your Google account. That includes your phone or tablet, if you've got Android 4.0 and the Chrome for Android beta loaded up. Like with the beta, though, you'll have to cool your jets if you were hoping to get live syncing right away: Chrome 19 Stable is pushing automatically over the next few days, but tab syncing will take weeks to be ready for everybody.
Apple may be prepping iCloud upgrade, photo-sharing features
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple plans to announce an update to its iCloud service at the WWDC in June. The revamp will include new photo-sharing features that will also allow users to comment on images -- bringing a little social flavor to the data syncing service. The personal media syncing is also going to expand to support videos, allowing you to quickly upload clips from your phone and have them appear on your computer. If that weren't enough, the same sources also claim that Apple is building out a syncing service for Notes and Reminders, which will debut alongside iOS 6, as previous leaks have indicated. Obviously none of this is concrete, but it certainly sounds as if Apple is planning to put some serious effort into making iCloud succeed where MobileMe failed. Such a dramatic upgrade might also help explain the trickle of tips we've been receiving this morning that iCloud's email service is down.
