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Instagram Lite reboot squeezes the app into a 2MB package
Instagram Lite has been boiled down to a package that'll take up just 2MB on your phone.
What we know about the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition
Samsung's Galaxy S20 Fan Edition could offer a more affordable flagship in time for the holiday season.
Microsoft teases a 'modern OS' with 'seamless updates'
Microsoft made a nod towards a possible new operating system at Computex in Taipei this week, when corporate vice president of consumer and device sales Nick Parker took to the stage to outline the company's future OS ambitions. While the event would have been a prime opportunity to reveal the much-rumored Windows Lite, no official announcements were made, but the company did discuss -- albeit cryptically -- what's in the pipeline.
Patreon splits its service to cater for different creators
Patreon is rolling out a new price plan structure. Announced today, the new system comprises Patreon Lite, Patreon Pro and Patreon Premium -- three tiers that, according to the company, are designed to better match the needs of creators.
Google tests a version of its Search app for data-lacking locales
Google is testing a lite version of its search app in Indonesia, according to reports from Android Police. The company placed ads on Facebook in the country inviting users to try out the app, which is being called "Search (Test App)" for now. This app and others like it are aimed at users with poor internet connections or limited data and typically take up less space on phones and use less RAM when running.
Microsoft creates a low-data version of Skype for India
Skype's place as the original gangster of internet messengers means that it's never had to watch its weight, until now. Microsoft has put the app on a diet to announce Skype Lite, a slimmed-down messenger designed for countries like India. You'll win no prizes for guessing that the Android app will heavily compress images and video and is intended to work reliably even on India's 2G wireless infrastructure.
Facebook Lite uses less storage and bandwidth for emerging markets
Facebook's regular Android app just uses too much data and storage for devices in developing areas. It also tends to eat up a good bit of pricey data. To remedy those connectivity woes, the folks in Menlo Park announced Facebook Lite: a version of the mobile software that's less than 1MB is size, yet still offers the social networks essential tools. Despite requiring a modet amount of space and time install, even on a slow network, the app still handles News Feed, status updates, photos, notifications and other items users employ on the regular. In addition to this new software, Zuckerberg & Co. are also behind the Internet.org project that's bringing free access to essential services to underdeveloped countries, too. Facebook Lite is rolling out today in Asia, and it's set to hit parts of Africa, Europe and Latin America in "the coming weeks."
Facebook Lite uses less data for developing areas, low-end phones
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been hard at work connecting the world with not only his social network, but with basic internet access, too. In another step towards doing so in developing areas, the folks in Menlo Park are rolling out Facebook Lite: a version of its Android app that's meant to use less data and work well regardless of network speeds. In fact, it's specifically designed for browsing on 2G networks and in locales where connectivity is extremely limited. At less than 1MB, the software makes for a quick install to wrangle messaging, status updates, and other core features that Facebook users employ. According to TechCrunch, Facebook Lite is in the testing phase, and it's only available in Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zimbabwe for the time being. However, the app requires Android 2.2, making it an option for most users -- even those wielding low-end devices. [Photo credit: Arun Sharma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images]
Lavabit alternative MyKolab offering lite version and cloud storage to help you dodge the NSA
Remember Kolab? Groklaw dropped its name as a secure alternative to now-shuttered Lavabit after announcing its own demise. The Swiss company is trying to capitalize on the fresh notoriety, and has announced a lite version of its MyKolab secure email service. It skips the premium version's calendars, tasks and other frills for half the price, about $5.25/month. There's also a new file storage option for premium customers that offers 1GB of cloud space. Uploaded files can not only be viewed, but also attached directly to an email. And, if 1GB isn't enough, you can always buy more storage. The company is located in Switzerland, where it can presumably resist NSA pressure to fall in line -- so, if prefer your email with less PRISM, check the More Coverage link.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: DB42
Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We at Joystiq believe no one deserves to starve, and many indie developers are entitled to a fridge full of tasty, fulfilling media coverage, right here. This week, Tim Scott explains what happens when the robots get sick and tired of picking up your garbage with his Android title, DB42. What's your game called and what's it about?My game is called DB42 and is available for Android phones and tablets. It's about a little service droid named Deeby that knows there's more to life than sorting through trash. He begs and pleads and is finally given permission to show his true worth in the Cynobotic Army's Advanced Robotic Training grounds. There's a catch though! He starts off with his gear stripped and his articulated arm completely disabled. Along the way he picks up upgrades to help him out.These upgrades allow him to scope out his environment, levitate objects, push objects away and teleport between two points. With these abilities, he's then got to use his wits to reach the exit on each level.The game itself is a platformer that takes the form of level challenges. Levels include obstacles like zero-gravity fields, object field suppressors, water hazards, spatial constraints and physics-related puzzles. The lite version of the game has a single stage with 20 training levels and over 20 achievements the player can earn. The full, paid version of the game has five stages, 100 levels and nearly 60 achievements to earn. Some levels are extremely casual. Other levels can be real head scratchers.Sell DB42 in one sentence:If you've never used the words "kick-ass" and "puzzle" in the same sentence, you've never played DB42.
'RIFT Lite' announced, makes first 20 levels free to all [Updated]
Trion Worlds has just announced that its fantasy MMO RIFT, which released to wide acclaim just 11 months ago, will today launch an introductory version of the game known as RIFT Lite. Similar to Warhammer Online's Endless Trial and World of Warcraft's Starter Edition, RIFT Lite will allow "anyone with a Trion account to experience the game's first 20 levels at no cost and with no playtime restrictions." Players will be able to access the capital cities as well as Terminus, Mathosia, Freemarch, and Silverwood, all the way up to level 20 and on any server, for the low, low cost of zero dollars. In the press release, RIFT Executive Producer Scott Hartsman, who told fans last November that Trion had "absolutely no plans whatsoever" to turn RIFT F2P, stated that his company believes "a Lite edition with no time limit is the best way for players to see what an amazing experience RIFT continues to be." Diet RIFT launches today in conjunction with the latest patch, Carnival of the Ascended, which brings player weddings, dungeon overhauls, and PvP tweaks to Telara. [Update: The official RIFT Lite website has now gone live.]
Addon Spotlight: Distribute right with LootCouncil Lite
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week, loot without the numbers and randomness. One of the areas of addons that I haven't touched on in this column with any real depth is loot addons. It's not because loot addons are not important or necessary but because my past experience with loot addons were never impressive or positive. The first guild that I was a part of that actually used an addon based loot system put their stock in EPGP, a loot system based on effort and gear points. To me, EPGP was a convoluted mess at times; the addon would bug out, and it all just left a nasty taste in my mouth. Plus, I had come from a guild loot culture developed around the famous "don't be a jerk" system, in which people would make judgment calls based on who really needed items over others. This worked 90% of the time. I've steered away from loot addons because of my poor experience with EPGP, much as I originally strayed away from an Addon Spotlight on Tidy Plates because of my bad experience with that addon. Granted, that wasn't Tidy Plate's fault in the least, but my own addon configuration problems. Suffice to say, I'm giving loot addons another shot, mostly because the guild I am currently raiding with uses LootCouncil Lite -- and I've fallen in love.
Instapaper's free version goes on extended hiatus, dev explains why
Marco Arment has an interesting writeup on his blog about his iOS app Instapaper (and, of course, the web service that runs behind it). Arment says on his blog that he's quietly been removing the free version of the app from the App Store, and that's resulted in a surprising effect: sales of the full app have actually increased. Because of this, Arment says he's rethinking a free version completely, and may not bother ever bringing it back to the App Store. Traditionally, free or "lite" app versions are very helpful -- they give users a taste of what the app does without any overhead costs to them but the time to download, and they can raise awareness of an app in certain situations. Of course, the drawbacks are that a free app doesn't make any money, and it can often be a drain on resources, requiring extra development time or support. That's where Arment says his problem comes in -- the free app isn't really worth it, doesn't convert to paid as he'd like it to, and perhaps most interesting, actually causes some "image problems." A lot of free users don't realize that the free version has a limited featureset, so they aren't even seeing what the full Instapaper app can do. Moreover, the reviews for the free app (drawing from a pool of users who haven't invested anything in the app, and can "download and dump" but still review it) are noticeably worse than those for the paid version. The whole post is intriguing, and it really goes against some of the conventional wisdom on free versions of apps. Of course, I think games are different than Arment's service, but it's true -- while a free app will likely grab you a larger audience than just putting out a paid version, it still may not be the best thing for a specific app to do. Instapaper Free is gone for now, says Arment, and it may not be back at all.
TUAW's Daily App: Civilization Revolution Lite
Apple has launched a new "Try Before You Buy" section in the App Store, and while it's a poor excuse for an "official" demo system (it's basically just a collection of free apps with full versions to purchase later), there is some good stuff to find in there, like this one. Today we're passing on the casual games for something a little deeper. Civilization Revolution is a somewhat pared-down version of the awesome strategy game, but it's still got the empire building, trading, and various battles that you'll find in the main series. This lite version is great -- all it does is keep you from saving, so if you have the time to run up a full campaign, you can. The app was popular when it first released, so you may already have it, but if you haven't tried it yet, now's the time to give it a look. It'd also be nice on the "Try Before You Buy" section to at least have links to the full apps -- you can usually find those by clicking on the "More iPhone apps by..." section of the App Store, but if Apple is specifically promoting demos, shouldn't they also promote the full apps. Anyway, the full version of Civ Rev is currently $6.99 on the App Store. That's much cheaper than the versions on any other system, so if you try the demo and really enjoy it, feel free to get the full app for the total experience. And if you like Civ Rev, do yourself a favor and head back to the main game -- Civ 4 is an excellent title as well, and the new version looks great, too.
New section of the App Store lets you Try Before You Buy
Apple seems to be taking a step towards trying to combat app piracy, while making App Store customers happier about their purchases. A new section in the App Store touts the free, "Lite" versions of many popular apps. These versions have been around for a while and have always been free, but this is the first time that Apple has marketed the apps directly. Not only is there a whole new section called "Free on the App Store," but the Lite versions of popular are now listed in a "Try Before You Buy" area. The idea is that if you try out an app and like it, you'll be more likely to purchase the app, and once it's purchased, less likely to try to get a refund from Apple and the developer. There are 98 free titles listed in the new section, including Lite versions of Angry Birds, Labyrinth 2, CoPilot Live Directions, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, and DigiDrummer. [via 9to5Mac]
iPhone's App Store 'Try Before You Buy' section isn't exactly what you're hoping for
We love Android's 24-hour app return policy, so when we heard about Apple opening a "Try Before You Buy" section in the App Store, we grabbed the closest iDevice in our proximity to see what exactly was up. Only, it isn't exactly what we expected given the name. Located under Features -> Free on the App Store, the new section serves only to highlight the free / "lite" edition of apps with premium older siblings. A smart and organized section, sure, but the for-pay programs without a demo will still be a risk your iTunes account will have to take. Them's the breaks; might as well add it to your personal iOS 5 wishlist alongside widgets and a new notification system.
KFC sponsors Backbreaker Football's lite iPhone version
Developer NaturalMotion has signed a deal with restaurant chain KFC to brand the free "lite" version of its Backbreaker Football game for the iPhone. For a month, the sponsored title will offer up 10 new waves to play through, as well as a special "Chicken Dance" touchdown celebration, all courtesy of the Colonel's own marketing budget. The full version of the game (which contains more gameplay modes and the chance to customize your characters) is also on sale for 99 cents on the App Store. So, whether you just try a bite or go all-in, you can start hitting torsos even harder than the Double Down does.
TUAW's Daily App: Squareball
Squareball is a weird one; it's probably best described as a platforming game, except that you move the platforms rather than the jumper. The main character is a little white ball (or square in this case -- the game has a retro blocky pixel aesthetic) that constantly floats from top to bottom on the screen, and you can slide (or tilt, according to whatever option you choose) the actual stage around the ball, moving it through various nooks and crannies while trying to "collect" colored blocks. The concept is tough to explain, but once you see it in action, you'll understand right away. The goal is to move the stage at the right time in order to keep the ball bouncing around where you want it. It's actually really fun, despite the simplicity, and over the 20 various stages, there are some pretty clever puzzles. The game also has OpenFeint integration, and the 8-bit music is pretty catchy as well. It's a good deal for only 99 cents. There's also a lite version to try out if you just want to see how it works. I can't see anyone really disliking the game, but it is fairly simple. Still, at just a buck, it's worth a purchase just to have it to pick up and play when you need a mindless little reflex game.
TUAW's Daily App: Expenditure
Expenditure is another great-looking app found via the excellent Well-Placed Pixels blog. It's an expense tracker -- you can add transactions into the app with just a few taps (and even attach a photo, note, or category to each debit or credit), and then browse your collected budget. Obviously, you could use it to just see how much you're spending each month, but it can also be used for things like traveling (the app will automatically calculate currencies for you) or keeping track of business expenses. It's not a super full-featured business application, but it will do the basics smoothly and beautifully. You can find it on the App Store for US$1.99, and as an iTunes commenter points out, using it will probably save you the $2 you spend on it. There is a lite version that only allows eight transactions (enough to see the app in action, though not enough to actually put it to use), so if you're not sure about spending a couple of bucks, you can check it out that way as well. Excellent app -- the functionality is a little limited (by design -- the developers just wanted a simple expense tracker), but the great aesthetic and design elements make up for the simplicity.
Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies gets Lite version on App Store
Are you on the fence about whether or not you should pick up the cumbersomely titled Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies for your Apple-branded mobile device? First of all, fence straddling is dangerous. Get down from there! Also, there's no reason to be all wishy-washy anymore, as a free "Lite" version of the game has recently become available on the App Store. Zombies Lite allows players to mow down three rounds of oncoming Nazombies in a single-player match, or two waves of the undead in a multiplayer match before coming to an abrupt end. That may come off as a little unsatisfying, but hey -- 'tis better to have murdered zombies and lost than to have never murdered zombies at all. %Gallery-78313%
