sharing
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Nintendo debuts 3DS screenshot sharing tool in Japan
Nintendo has released a web tool for use in the 3DS' internet browser, which allows the user to share screenshots from compatible games on Twitter and Tumblr. So far, only Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Tomodachi Collection: New Life work with the service – our friends at Engadget attempted to upload a picture taken with the 3DS' camera and were given an error about "incompatible software."No indication from Nintendo that a westernized version of the utility is in the works, but the Japanese tool still works on this side of the globe, provided you can either read Japanese, or have a lot patience and spare time. Folks interested in investigating should point their 3DS browsers to i.nintendo.net.
Rdio brings new sharing options to iOS app, no longer confined to Facebook and Twitter
It hasn't been all that long since the last update to Rdio's iOS app, but the music streaming service is back with yet another revision today that offers some new features and minor tweaks. The big addition is a change to the way you can share music: instead of simply sharing to Facebook or Twitter (something still available through a refreshed UI), you can now share songs or albums directly with other Rdio users. That feature's already available in Rdio's web interface and desktop apps, but hasn't yet made its way to the company's Android or Windows Phone apps. Apart from that, you can only expect some promised UI improvements elsewhere and the usual bug fixes.
Pocket apps updated with Send to Friend sharing and push notifications
In celebration of its one-year anniversary, Pocket has updated its Android, iOS, Mac and web apps with a new Send to Friend option. This feature allows you to pass content directly to friends along with a comment and highlighted quote from the article being shared. The app kicks out an email to anyone receiving your reading recommendations, and sends an optional push notification to folks already on the Pocket bandwagon. In addition, the updated share menu creates shortcuts for recently used social networks and contacts, which makes it easier to keep your cohorts up to date with your daily web habits. If you're ready to overrun your friends' inboxes with clips of Engadget editors forgetting to chew their food, head on over to your app store of choice to grab the update.
SugarSync gets a fresh, new UI and improved search in version 4
SugarSync, which allows you to share your documents, photos, music and other files between computers and mobile devices, has updated its iOS app to version 4.0. The new version features a major redesign which, as you can see above, looks quick slick and functional. In addition to the new app-wide interface, there are two big, new features. Cloud search is a system-wide search that allows you to find files sync'd by SugarSync, no matter which computer or device they happen to be on. And the new "Open In" feature allows you to take photos, videos and other documents from other apps on your mobile device, and open them up inside SugarSync's folders, where you can share them off to anywhere else. SugarSync's a great app that's gotten even better with this update. It's a free download from the App Store, and while you can pay for more storage if you like, everyone using the app gets 5 GB of storage for free. [via Engadget]
Microsoft makes Bing image search more social with one-click sharing to Pinterest
Companies know how important it is to make their products as friendly as can be with third-party social websites, and Microsoft, for one, has done a pretty fantastic job at making sure the team behind Bing's doing exactly that. To wit, the Surface maker is, as of today, also starting to cater to the Pinterest crowd, announcing that it's now allowing users of the recently redesigned site to share Bing image search findings via a simple click -- assuming you're logged in, naturally. The new sharing feature might seem like a rather minor one on paper, but for avid Pinners, it'll certainly come in handy as they can keep their precious boards stocked up with a little less effort. And, well, you know what that means: more cats.
Bump removes ability to share iTunes tracks in latest update
We see tons of app updates come through the App Store every single day, but it's very rare that one of those updates removes functionality rather than adds it. The latest update for Bump for iPhone does exactly that, unfortunately. Bump is an app that came out very early in the App Store's life, and its core feature was that you could "bump" with another iPhone user to share contacts. Over the years, Bump has added more and more sharing features, to the point where it can now share files, work with Dropbox and even connect up with a Mac directly. Last year, the company added the ability to "share" music from phone to phone, basically by sharing the song's information, and then by looking that song up on the target phone across YouTube and iTunes. But that feature no longer works, as per the app's latest update. It could be that Apple didn't like music being "shared" across phones without their standard cut being paid, or it could be that Bump just didn't think the code was working as well as it should. At any rate, you can't share music in Bump any longer. The good news is that if you have a version of Bump that will share music, you can simply keep that version by not upgrading to the new one, and you can also keep the functionality. You can even drag the app out of your iTunes library (if you've installed it from an iTunes client), and save it elsewhere, in case you ever accidentally upgrade. True, this one feature may not justify having to remember not to upgrade the app every time (and you'll miss out on any future Bump features), but if it's something you depend on, there are ways to keep it active.
BMW and Mini cars add iOS integration for Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody and TuneIn
BMW hasn't been quite as aggressive in pushing smartphone app integration as American counterparts like Ford or GM, but it certainly knows how to make up for lost time: the Munich automaker just greenlit tie-ins with the iOS apps from Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody and TuneIn. Plug in a device and it will be possible to wield the apps' respective audiobook, location sharing, subscription music and live streaming radio services from a BMW Apps-capable BMW or Mini, with an interface optimized for the center stack. Each of the developers will need to update their app to make everything click, which we're told may take weeks. There still shouldn't be much wait before fans of Teutonic (and British) rides can get lost while streaming favorite songs -- and tell everyone just how far they went off-course.
Facebook sharing comes to Netflix users in the US
Netflix has made clear its intention to bring Facebook integration to users in the United States (following similar moves elsewhere), and now -- after clearing some legislative hurdles -- it's finally rolling out the feature. That will let users link their Facebook account to their Netflix account and automatically share what they watch with others, although sharing will be limited to Netflix by default -- Facebook sharing needs to be enabled in the "Social Settings" on the Netflix website. Naturally, once enabled, that sharing is also enabled across your various Netflix-ready devices, letting you see what individual friends have been watching (and letting them see what you've been watching, although you can choose to not share specific titles). Netflix also notes that its social features "will evolve with new capabilities being tested regularly," and that upcoming tests include the ability to let members "explicitly share their favorite titles on Facebook and discuss with their friends." You can find a short video from Netflix explaining the feature after the break.
Daily iPhone App: Horizon puts a weather report in a calendar app
Horizon is an interesting little app that comes from a very simple idea: To combine your weather report and your calendar in one place. That may not sound like a big innovation, but it's actually not a bad one. Horizon's simple and straightforward design (put together by a young developer named Kyle Rosenbluth) makes browsing through your upcoming schedule very easy, and matching up outside temperatures and weather with what you're doing is more helpful than not. You can use Horizon as its own calendar app, or sync it up with any of your other shared calendars, including any you have available over iCloud. And you can grab weather from anywhere (Horizon will automatically pull in temperature readings based on your calendar event's location and time), and tweak just how the time and temperature are displayed. There's also a "night mode," which is useful both as a visual indicator of how late it is, and for opening the app up in the dark to check your next day's schedule. Horizon is a really impressive app -- it takes a few good ideas, and then really polishes them to a nice shine. Rosenbluth has put a lot of thought into that initial premise of combining the weather and your calendar, and it shows. Horizon Calendar is available in the App Store right now for US$0.99.
Watch the PS4's Killzone Shadow Fall, shared direct from the console to Facebook (video)
This is what it's all about, right? Live on-stage at the PS4's launch event, we saw some Killzone Shadow Fall game footage shared directly to Facebook... which we then proceeded to grab the extract code for and added after the break. Warning: it may involve explosions. Check out our liveblog of Sony's event to get the latest news as it happens.
SugarSync 2.0 completed, offers drag-and-drop sharing and a new Android app
SugarSync 2.0 has been in the oven for awhile, having gone into beta last year, but it's now fully baked. The finished version offers the promised extra-simple sharing and syncing, with drag-and-drop transfers to the cloud, contacts and Dropbox-style public links. A virtual drive and cloud search simply things, too. Both desktop and web apps get more of a consistent look, and the Android app has been given its promised overhaul both for the new features as well as to offer uploads and syncing from an SD card. Android, Mac and Windows users can update at their leisure; iOS users will have to wait a few weeks, although both new and old versions can coexist until everyone is on the same page.
Posterous closing on April 30th to focus on Twitter
It's almost inevitable as breathing: a tech powerhouse acquires a clever yet small startup solely for its talent or technology, and lets any leftover services wither away. Posterous' decision to shut down following its 2012 acquisition by Twitter is very nearly a textbook example. The 4-year-old firm will close its Posterous Spaces service on April 30th to shift all of its attention to Twitter, giving customers just over two months to back up their content. There is an unusual twist to this seemingly predictable story, however. Those still using Spaces will have a place to go -- along with Squarespace and Wordpress import tools, Posterous founders Brett Gibson and Garry Tan are planning to launch Posthaven as a (not entirely intentional) refuge. Diehards will still have reason to mourn the end of an era, but the closure at least won't be the end to their creations.
Givit makes video editing, sharing easier
Every year at Macworld/iWorld I see another great video application for iOS. Last year one of the Best of Show winners was Game Your Video, a nifty app for adding effects to video. While I enjoyed the app, it wasn't very straightforward, and editing wasn't a great experience. Givit, on the other hand, almost nails the simplicity of finding and adding those moments you capture to a cohesive timeline and gives you some worthwhile sharing options (in other words: Not just Facebook). In fact, the full name is Givit Video Highlighter. That's pretty much what it is, but there are some power tools lurking under the surface. First, you can take whatever video you want using your iDevice. Next, you bring in your clips and find the moments you want, and select what are called "highlights" -- which then pop into a small timeline (although the metaphor is not emphasized, as it is more familiar to video editors). I was impressed at how easy it was to find clips and add them to the timeline. There are a few video effects possible, like speeding up and slowing down video, and tricks like "instant replay" will loop a certain number of times while also adding slow-motion. I'm told there may be more effects later, but if you shoot family or sports videos, Givit is already a powerful option. Unlike Vine, there isn't really a specific time limit. A person at the booth said "they could be 30 minutes" but I didn't get a hard limit on the time. For now, Givit is a bit limited to streamlining editing, adding some effects if you wish, and putting some music into the video. I'm told they are adding titles and the ability to import images soon. The sharing and collaboration features are outstanding, however. While I didn't get a chance to try them out here at Macworld, the team behind Givit has some experience working on the Flip cameras which had sharing tools built in (after they were purchased and subsumed by Cisco). Of course you have your standard Facebook, YouTube and Twitter sharing. Givit supports cards on Twitter, which makes for a more pleasant experience. But Givit also provides a private sharing option. Just upload your video to Givit and you'll get an email which you can send to others. Anyone wanting to view the video will need to set up a free account, but it's not a bad option for sharing family videos. Even better, via the web interface you can connect Givit to your Dropbox or SkyDrive account. You can then drop video clips there, open them up in the app and edit the videos. This collaborative video editing on iOS is a wonderful idea, and I'm not aware of another app which does it this well. If you're shooting video at one location and need to quickly get it to your editor at another location, this may the easiest thing to use to get the job done. If you happen to upload more than 5 GB, Givit has a premium storage offering at just under US$30 a year. Like Flickr, if you are a power user this will be a great and relatively cheap option. Givit isn't perfect, as I found the UI could use just a bit more polish and style. But Givit has two great things going for it: It is one of the easiest video editing apps I've ever seen, and collaborative editing is a powerful tool for content creators. As a free app to try and use, I suggest giving it a spin.
Pocket for iOS gets native sharing to Facebook, simpler option to delete articles
Good news are in for those who are avid users of Read it Later Pocket on iOS, as the handy application's been updated with some social tools and a few UI improvements. For starters, version 4.3 now allows readers to share content directly to Facebook (Sina Weibo, too) without ever having to leave the app, while a "Delete" option was added to the Archive button in order to make it easier for folks to trash any article. Pocket also announced it beefed up the text preferences in the article viewer by including an increased font size, as well as noting that it's taken care of some known Evernote-related bugs, among others. The Pocket refresh can be downloaded now from the App Store link below, or, what's likely the easier route, folks could just grab it straight from their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
Nikon rebrands and simplifies its cloud photo storage as Image Space
Not many of us would say Nikon's MyPicturetown caught on as an online image service -- that name certainly didn't help much. The camera maker is hoping to spark some new life this month with the relaunch of its photo cloud as Nikon Image Space. Thankfully, it's a lot more than a more elegant title, as Nikon is promising a simpler interface as well as tighter integration with social networks like Facebook and Twitter. All access is free, although the level of service depends on loyalty: just 2GB of space is available to anyone, while those who want a more tightly controlled 20GB account will need to prove they own a Nikon camera. Photographers willing to give the reborn service a chance will have to wait until the Image Space launch on January 28th, but those already onside with MyPicturetown will have their photos transferred for free.
Bump adds support for sharing files via Dropbox
I remember Bump from its early days on the App Store, when it was one of the first "contact sharing" apps with a unique gimmick: where you simply "bumped" your iPhone to someone else's to share contact information. Since then, however, Bump has been steadily upgrading its app, adding lots of other sharing functionality. And the app's latest update adds even more: In addition to sharing any files stored on your iOS device (functionality that was added in the 3.5 update), the latest update (3.5.3) adds the ability to share any files sitting on your Dropbox. All you need to do is hook up your Dropbox account, choose which files you'd like to share and bump away. Obviously, there are loads of ways to share Dropbox files already, but if you and a friend happen to both have Bump, that's one more thing you can do with it. There's an impressive amount of functionality they're putting into that app. Bump is still a free download on the App Store.
President Obama signs Video Privacy Protection bill, now Netflix can share to Facebook
Netflix has been lobbying hard for changes to a law that it believed barred it from sharing the videos users watch on social media services, and now the law has changed. After H.R. 6671 passed through Congress last year without objection, President Barack Obama signed it into law today. As it previously existed, the Video Privacy Protection Act would have required users to approve sharing of each title watched in writing. The amendment removes that restriction, and should see the Facebook features already on Netflix internationally available in the US, soon. Hit the source link to read the bill itself, whether you're increasingly wary of the reach of social media, or an Open Graph addict.
Dropbox buys photo aggregation and sharing service Snapjoy
Snapjoy announced today that it has been purchased by cloud storage firm Dropbox. Snapjoy is a startup focused on aggregating photos from various sharing services -- such as Picasa, Flickr and Instagram -- and devices, providing users access to them in one place via a web interface and iOS app. As a result of the buyout, signups for Snapjoy's service are now closed, but the iPhone app remains available on the App Store and the company says current users can still access their accounts. Specifics of Snapjoy's future plans haven't been divulged, but the company says it will share more details in the coming weeks and "leverage the technology and scale of [Dropbox's] platform" to provide "an incredible photo experience to over 100 million people." [Via TechCrunch]
Dropbox for iOS updated to version 2.0 with all-new design
Dropbox is our filesharing workhorse of choice around these parts, and the company has just updated its iOS app (for iPhone and iPad, of course) to version 2.0. The update is a big one, featuring an all-new (and "shiny," according to the release notes) design, as well as a new Photos tab, for organizing and updating your photos. Dropbox has been working on the photos functionality of the service on iOS for a while now -- even before this, you could set up your mobile photos to automatically sync and share across the service, so this tab shows that the company believes photo sharing is even more important. Plus, the new design looks great. Just like the old design, it stays out of your way and just lets you have access to your most important files, but there are a few colorful touches that make the experience better. The app is of course free on the App Store, and Dropbox's core service is free to use, with more storage and options available for a fee. Dropbox is a great app and a great service, and version 2.0 makes the iOS experience that much better.
Audiobus claims to mix audio sources on your iOS device
We've seen before that iOS can be very powerful in terms of producing audio, but there's one big drawback, and it's that iPhones and iPads are still only designed to be used for one task at a time. If you want to do more than one task at a time (like combining beats with a synth, or processing and recording vocals), you're either out of luck, or you have to find an app that does both. Until now, apparently. Audiobus is a brand new app for iOS that purports to have solved this problem, and will combine audio sources and actions across multiple apps somehow. That means that with Audiobus, you can play synths in one app, play drums in another, and record them all together in a third. There are a few catches, not surprisingly. The first is that each app you use must be Audiobus compatible -- you can't just combine any app's output with any other, sadly. But there's a solid list of Audiobus apps available already, and presumably adding the compatibility in isn't too hard. Second, of course, using multiple apps at the same time can push the processor a little bit, so Audiobus recommends you use newer devices, in order to get as much power as possible. But otherwise, this sounds like a nifty suggestion for the apps listed as compatible. Audiobus is available now for $9.99. I think this is probably the next area where Apple can grow with an official solution. Obviously, Apple has wanted to keep iOS devices targeted towards one task at a time, but if third parties start creating other ways for apps to connect, Apple may get pressured to release more and more options for sharing information across multiple apps.
