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Xbox SmartGlass, Curiosity, Tweetbot, Sparkling Maps, Rockmelt, more

Xbox SmartGlass: Microsoft updated its My Xbox LIVE app for iPhone and iPad last night, renaming the app “Xbox SmartGlass” and introducing a number of new features. The app now works as the full fledged second screen “SmartGlass” experience for Xbox that Microsoft originally unveiled for Windows 8 devices.

Xbox SmartGlass lets you:
• Navigate your Xbox 360 with swipe and tap
• Use your phone’s keyboard to type to your Xbox 360
• Browse the Internet on your Xbox 360 with full keyboard and zooming
• Play, pause, fast forward, rewind, and stop videos and music on your Xbox 360
• Search the full Xbox catalog of music, video, and games
• Enjoy rich, interactive experiences from select game and entertainment content creators
• Track and compare your achievements with your Xbox friends
• Change up your 3D avatar
• Message your Xbox friends
• Edit your Xbox profile

Sparkling Maps version 1.1: Apple has decided to accept an update to Sparkling Maps that brings “vastly improved turn by turn navigation” and “better StreetView” powered by Google data. According to its developers,”This is now the first available app on Apple devices that offers streetview and turn by turn navigation on google maps data.”

Curiosity – what’s inside the cube: Developer of the Fable series Peter Molyneux is out with an interesting cross-platform title that is also now available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. The game consists of users tapping away at a giant cube made up of billions of smaller cubes. Nobody knows what’s inside (unsold copies of Fable?), but users will work together across platforms to find out the mystery inside of the cube.

Deep in the centre of the cube is something life-changingly amazing, but only the first person to reach the centre will discover what’s inside.

Tweetbot for Mac version 1.0.1: The Tweetbot Mac App Store app was just updated with a ton of new features, fixes, and improvements. Included in the update is support for “Reading list as a Read Later service” on 10.8 and up, the ability to disable Streaming from within preferences, as well as better keyboard support in “people searcher”. You can also now navigate the timeline using the jk keys. A full list of what’s new is below: 

– added support for Reading list as a Read Later service (10.8+ only)
– added jk navigation support in timeline
– added ability to disable Streaming in Preferences
– improved keyboard support in people searcher
– fixed an issue where timeline would scroll down to tweets that were already read
– fixed streaming on accounts with > 1500 followers
– fixed many other reported issues and crashers

Rockmelt version 2.0.2: Rockmelt, an innovative new browser app released for iPad earlier this month, is receiving a huge update today. The app has been climbing the App Store charts, and today’s update addresses much of the feedback it has received from users. Included is faster search and navigation, bigger images, and much, much more:

★ See everything you are following from your profile (just tap on the number)
★ Unfollowing a source will immediately remove their tiles from your stream
★ Following a new source will add their tiles to your stream on next refresh
★ View who and what your friends are following from their profile pages
★ Searching now filters on people and sources, in addition to showing web search results
★ We’re cropping fewer images so your stream will look even more beautiful
★ Radically faster search & navigation
★ Faster reader view opening
★ More reliable web page loading
★ Smoother scrolling
★ Crash & bug fixes

ColorStrokes HD: ColorStrokes makes its way to iPad today with the release of the HD version of the popular iPhone app:

Made with love for your iPad and shiny new iPad Mini! Take advantage of amazing iPad screen & superb Colorstrokes features to create rocking color splash photos in few taps.

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Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.