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Apple fixes 'terms and conditions' iOS bug that blocked app downloads
If you're one of the people who has been unable to install new apps or download updates from Apple's iOS App Store, don't worry. A fix is on the way. Apple has issued a server-side fix to address a bug that has prevented people from completing downloads, according to a report from AppleInsider. Users who have experienced the issue have been presented with a prompt regarding new terms and conditions but are not able to clear the notification no matter how many times they attempt to agree to the changes.
EyeEm's new Open Edit feature shows you how photos get edited
When it comes to photo sharing apps there are plenty of options available that will allow you to filter and modify your images. Companies have to set themselves apart. EyeEm's new 5.0 update for its mobile app isn't just looking to give you options for editing your photos, it wants to teach you how to do it. With the new Open Edit feature, app users can see exactly how other photographers achieved their final photo, including what filters edits were used. This allows budding photographers to learn how changing various parameters impact their photos. Once they've seen the photo's settings they can then transfer those same settings onto a photo of their own to see what changes it makes. Each filter is added one at a time via animation so you can see each layer evolve. Currently this feature is exclusive to iOS but the Android app will be updated in the near future. Currently the Open Edit feature is only available on a limited number of photographs in the app. As time goes on more photos will be added to the feature, until ultimately it will be available for everyone who wants to use it. EyeEm has told TUAW that before the feature is introduced for use on the general public's photos they will add opt out options for users. If you don't want to show people how your photos are made you won't have to. You can find the new EyeEm app right now in the iTunes store for free.
Google makes a few changes to its Drive apps on iOS and Android
You know that thing where you try and get as much work done as you can before the end of the year? Tie up loose ends so that you can start the new year with a clean slate? That seems to be the mindset over at Google: After adding Office-file conversion in Gmail, the company has issued a handful of miscellaneous updates to its Drive apps for both iOS and Android. Basically, the sort of stuff they had probably been meaning to get around to for a while, but didn't until now. In any case, here's what's on tap. If you're an Android user, you'll find that you can now search for files from within the Google search app, even by using the "OK Google" voice command. Essentially, then, you can get to your files without actually having to open the Drive app first.
Evernote adds private sharing link options and auto reminder alarms
Evernote has worked hard to build itself into a perfect document and note-taking service whether you're a casual user or a business pro. It can already keep track of your recipes, contacts, or notes, scan your business cards, take pictures, record voice memos, and create to-do lists. Still, what have they done for us lately? The answer is new privacy and reminder options. This week's update to Evernote's iOS app adds new privacy options for sharing documents with another user. Now, when given the option of sending either a private link or a public link, public links can be shared, while private links can only be viewed by people who are granted access to a particular notebook. For those of you who use the app for reminders, this latest update removes an extra step in your quest to stay on time. Now when you add a reminder in Evernote it automatically sets an alarm for you based on the reminder's launch time. As always, you can find the updated version of Evernote as a free download in the iTunes Store.
SoundCloud for iPhone gets a beautiful complete overhaul
If you've never explored SoundCloud today would be a great time to start. The groundbreaking music sharing service has been exploding in popularity with independent artists over the last few years thanks to its powerful discovery and sharing tools. Today the service's iOS app has received a complete overhaul, making it one of the most beautiful, and functional music apps available. Users will immediately notice the visual experience has been dramatically improved. Soundcloud's new design is beautiful, with a focus on album art that many music apps ignore. Along with this facelift the controls have been optimized for mobile. During playback tapping anywhere will play or pause a song, while swiping will skip tracks for you. To skip ahead in a track simply slide your finger along the wave form. It's simple, and the large wave form graphics makes finding the exact moment your looking for in a song easy. Soundcloud's navigation menus have also gotten a fresh coat of paint. The new home screen is focused on music discovery, allowing users to search through trending artists, tracks, and genres. Each artist's page shows their full profile, from tracks to other artists they've liked. Nothing is hidden behind sub menus that force you to know where to look to discover new music. Any tracks or playlists you've personally liked are stored under the "You" tab making easier than ever to quickly find the song you want. Finally the app's search has been improved to add the ability to play a track directly from the search page rather than having to jump back and forth between sections of the app. Sadly the update has removed the app's ability to record and post audio directly from your phone, but it's a minor inconvenience in the long run. Soundcloud does recommend that you read this tutorial before you download the new app if you currently have audio recordings you haven't uploaded yet. You can download Soundcloud for iOS for free right now in the iTunes store.
Daily Update for October 31, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
World of Tanks Assistant app adds achievements and more
The fact that World of Tanks has an app is nothing new; World of Tanks Assistant came on the scene last February. What is new, however, is what the app can now do. Wargaming has released version 1.5.1, an update that includes a completely overhauled interface, new in-game achievements, and an increased amount of game-related information. Players can also use it to compare personal statistics with those of other players and clans. World of Tanks Assistant is available for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone mobile devices and can be acquired for free from at Google Play and Appstore. For a look at these updates, check out the video after the cut. [Source: Wargaming press release]
Evernote adds shortcuts, related notes and Skitch support for iOS apps
Good news, note hoarders. Evernote has released a new major update that brings new Shortcut and Skitch features to the already powerful app. Shortcuts works as a sort of Favorites, giving users quick assess to their most commonly used tags, notebooks and notes. Worry not multiple-device users, your shortcuts sync across platforms, meaning you'll never be without your list. The second major feature is integration with Skitch, an already popular service owned by Evernote, used for marking up images and PDF files. Now you can annotate and doodle to your heart's content by simply pressing the Skitch icon in your menu bar. This feature requires that you already have the Skitch app installed on your iOS device. Premium users also get a new Related Notes feature that does exactly what it sounds like. At the bottom of each note the service suggests other notes that share tags and themes with what you're currently viewing. Regardless of whether you pay or simply live off the free service, the latest from Evernote is worth finding your way over to the update screen. If you still haven't downloaded the service, you can grab it from iTunes here.
Apple's Movie Trailers app adds Fandango ticket purchasing
Apple has released a new update for its Movie Trailers app. The update brings a number of features that are sure to please movie fans. Users are now able to purchase movie tickets in the app, with purchases routed through Fandango. Apple enabled ticket purchasing through Siri and Fandango earlier this year, so this is a welcome addition. Playback on the app has also been improved. Now when selecting a trailer, you can choose between SD and HD video playback. For viewers who switch between their data plan and WiFi networks regularly when using their phones for streaming, this is a nice feature. Sometimes you want to watch a trailer but the connection just isn't there for full HD. In addition, the speed in which a video begins playing has been improved, along with the standard "additional improvements" that come with every app update. You can find the updated Movie Trailers app in the App Store.
Pinterest adds notifications, search suggestions to Android and iOS apps
Today Pinterest announced an update to its Android and iOS apps, bringing some key features from the desktop site to your smartphone or tablet. First up is the addition of notifications: now you can view all your comments and mentions via push notifications or within the app. You'll also be able to mention friends -- using the ever-popular @ symbol -- on your mobile device. Finally, Pinterest has added suggested search terms to help speed up your queries, and it will reflect searches done on your PC as well as on your handset. Nab the download for your OS of choice via the links below.
Chrome for Android update brings Google browser to Intel-powered smartphones
While the Motorola RAZR i hasn't yet hit stores, when it does, it'll now be able to tap into the Chrome Mobile app, following its latest update. We're putting the Intel-powered Android 4.0 phone through the review wringer right now, but have already noticed the lack of Chrome browser support. Due to the way Intel x86-based devices run apps, the browser required some adjustments, which are now complete. At the moment, the only existing phone that officially runs Android 4.0 on a Medfield processor is the incoming RAZR i, but now any future Intel smartphones will also get the full Chrome experience -- and Motorola gets to keep its promise of preinstalling the browser on its new devices.
Dropbox iOS app update adds sharing to Facebook and Twitter, tacks on AirPrint for good measure
On the heels of the preview of its Jelly Bean-flavored Android app, Dropbox has updated its iOS software for mobile devices as well. This time around, the cloud storage outfit threw in sharing directly to Facebook and Twitter. Simply select your social media outlet of choice from the menu and proceed to type the appropriate message. A link to the file will then get comfortable on your timeline once you post the update. If you need to keep matters a bit more private, you can include the info in a Facebook message as well. For those looking to print directly from their cloud libraries, AirPrint support is also included in this version (1.5.5). If you haven't snagged the update just yet, the iTunes link below will lend a hand with said task.
Amazon Kindle Mac app update adds gesture features and visually richer Kindle book support
Amazon has refreshed its Kindle app to include support for swiping and other gesture navigation features for Macs running Lion OS X or higher. It will now display Kindle's new Format 8 books, allowing for more complicated formatting, HTML5 support, pop-up text, embedded fonts and other visual accoutrements to spice up your Mac-based reading. The update also adds Japanese language support alongside the typical pile of bug fixes and tweaks. You can download the new reader from the Mac App Store now, right at the source link below.
ooVoo updates its iOS and Android apps to support four-way video calls
First ooVoo opened up four-way video chats on Facebook, and now the video calling service is doing the same for its Android and iOS apps. The company just updates both applications so that you can view up to four video streams at once, though you can carry on text chats with as many as 12 people. That's true of both platforms, though the Android version is admittedly getting a few more changes. The newest version of the app brings deeper integration with Google services, plugging into the native Android address book to show missed calls, as well as a list of which friends are available to chat. To that end, Android users get not just the app, but also a widget that displays these tidbits at a glance. Rounding out the list of improvements, the updates introduce push notifications as well as the ability to text chat in the middle of a video call. %Gallery-162942%
Evernote updates Android app with new tablet UI, swipe navigation
Evernote is incrementally adding functionality to its Android app, most recently bringing a new swipe-friendly interface with an update this May. Today the app steps up to version 4.1, and it includes a new UI for tablets that matches the interface on phones, complete with a streamlined list view and swipe interactions, such as for making the note list full-screen. Both phone and tablet users can now create sub-lists, and Evernote included the requisite bug fixes and performance tweaks as well. Check out the latest version for yourself by nabbing the free download on Google Play.
Sony launches web store for e-Books, Android app also gets refresh
Sony has decided to join the web-based shopping party, launching an online reader store for its e-inked devices and companion apps. Any e-Books purchased will arrive ready-to-read on the Reader app or other suitably wireless device, with titles also working on any Adobe DRM-supported apps and devices. Sony's Reader app has benefited from a UI redesign, the addition of a landscape view and improved stability. Hit up the source to grab the update -- before your phone tells you to.
ooVoo opens up 12-way chat on Facebook and the iPad, gives other apps a facelift
If there's some video chat corollary to Moore's Law, ooVoo is adhering to it. Almost a year to the day after announcing six-way calls, the company is expanding its offerings to include 12-way chats on both Facebook and ooVoo's iPad app. It would seem that on FB, at least, that means true 12-way, face-to-face conversations -- an obvious one-up to Facebook's native video calling app, which is powered by Skype. On the iPad, however, that 12-way claim comes with a substantial quid pro quo: while you can partake in chat with 12 people at once, you can only view up to four people's streams at a time. Moving on, folks using ooVoo on Android or the iPhone will notice some UI tweaks starting today, while people plugged into the desktop version will be treated to a more drastic overhaul. Rounding out the list of newsy bits, the ability to record and upload video chats to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter is now free. You can get your update on now at ooVoo.com, the Apple App Store or Google Play, and we've got one last screen shot after the break to help illustrate what's on tap.
Evernote updates Mac and iOS apps, makes it harder to forget those chores
Evernote provides many a forgetful soul with a much-needed digital crutch, and the less-forgetful minds behind it have just dished out a couple of updates. Mac users get a new "Card View," which replaces the thumbnail view (with cards, instead of thumbs obviously) and offers up more info at a glance, with some options to customize the view. For those that are a little more lengthy with their prose, the introduction of word- and character-count for each note may also be a welcome addition, as well as a few other minor functional tweaks. If your Apple is a little smaller, then you might notice a few updates also. The Note Editor in the iOS version has had a redesign, with easy access to attachment options and text styling. Again, there are other small improvements too, such as simplified checkboxes for when adding things like "click on the source link to get more info."
Skype iOS apps hit v4.0: improved stability, minor UI tweaks in tow
Everyone's favorite VoIP service, Skype, has rolled out a fresh update to its iPhone / iPod Touch and iPad clients. First off, the Microsoft-owned outfit added a revamped login screen to both iOS applications, and now offers the ability to move your vid preview around the screen -- much like FaceTime does. To go along with the new pair of features, Skype's changelog also notes the app will now automatically restart after a sudden crash, while other undisclosed enhancements were made to improve the overall UI, stability and accessibility. Of note, Skype v4 requires folks to be running iOS 4.3 or later. So, those of you keeping that Cupertino OS current can hit either of the iTunes links below to get the goods, or grab it from the App Store on your device.
Foursquare adds NFC to its BlackBerry app, hopes you'll touch base
Hot on the heels of a recent update for its Twitter app, BlackBerry users can now grab a refreshed version of everyone's favorite check-in network. While there's no news of the beleaguered phone manufacturer offering up free Butterfingers (yet), the geographical social app has cranked up the app's load speeds and also transplants its notifications to your BlackBerry inbox. It's all looking to be a pretty tasty NFC carrot to dangle in front of BlackBerry World attendees later this week in Orlando. If you're Florida-bound (and even if you're not), you can grab the update from the source below.
