Apple has updated Logic Pro X for Mac to version 10.2.3 and added new audio features and design improvements to the pro audio editing software. The update also has a focus on Chinese instruments much like recent GarageBand updates. Retina display users will appreciate hi-res support for seven more plug-ins, and the update delivers the usual performance improvements as well.

As for the Chinese focus, Logic Pro X now includes three new Chinese instrument patches: pipa, erhu, and percussion. Like GarageBand, Logic also includes more than 300 Chinese instrument loops for dropping into your own mixes.

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Two new interesting watchOS apps are out this week that could add some usefulness to the Apple Watch. Cardiogram uses the heart rate sensor to provide your heart rate history directly on your watch, and Zepp Golf Swing Analyzer turns your watch into a game coach.

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Snapchat’s latest update brings some new and more easily understandable iconography to the app alongside changes to the Stories and Discover view. The update today puts a heavy focus on the Discover view within Snapchat, making ignoring it nigh near impossible. The Discover feed is now directly below a user’s personal stories and above their friend’s stories in a small card carousel view.

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Starting today, it’s now possible to share photos and videos directly to Instagram on iOS without having to first launch the app. Instagram version 8.2 includes an iOS extension that lets you share both photos and videos from Photos and other iOS apps directly to Instagram. The feature also lets you write a caption to accompany the photo or video, but filters and other editing features will still require launching the full app.

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Yahoo is today launching a Yahoo Sports app for Apple TV that lets users access free sports news, live streams, and video highlights that the service already offers via an iOS app and across other platforms.

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Facebook announced today that it is adding over 1,500 new emoji to Facebook Messenger. The company made the announcement on the Messenger Facebook page, explaining that the new emoji bring a lot more diversity to the service.

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The team behind Pixelmator has today released yet another free update to its Mac photo editor, Pixelmator version 3.5 ($29.99 in the Mac App Store). Alongside the usual round of performance improvements and bug fixes, the app includes a few handy new end-user features. There’s a smarter Auto Selection tool and a brand new Magnetic Selection tool to accurately and quickly cutout objects from a scene in a photograph. There’s also a brand new Retouch extension for the native OS X Photos app, integrating refined brush-style edits into iCloud Photo Library. Video demo after the break …

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You may be familiar with Parallels for its virtual machine software that lets you run Windows alongside OS X on a Mac, but the company also offers a service and mobile app called Parallels Access that lets you remote into your Mac and Windows VM from other devices. Parallels Access for iOS is updating to version 3.1 today with enhancements for Apple’s latest iPhones and iPads plus new features for all users.

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Uber competitor Lyft is adding a new level of convenience to catching a ride from an app on your iPhone. Starting today, Lyft is testing scheduled pickup times so you can arrange a car to pick you up before the moment you need it. Passengers will be able to set pickup times up to 24 hours ahead of time from the Lyft app.

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After recently launching on the iPad, Airmail is back today with a free 3.0 update to the Mac version. The latest version adds a long list of features and improvements including smart folders for sorting out your email easier, VIP support for marking specific contacts, and much more.

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Adobe has been steadily introducing free creative tools that let iPhone and iPad users tell stories through text, photos, and videos, and today that effort is coming to the web with the all-new Adobe Spark. In addition to launching the free web app, Adobe is updating a few of its existing iOS apps with new names as they now serve as companions to the web service.

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TermHere is a new app available on the Mac App Store that serves as a Finder extension. Once enabled, right-clicking inside of the Finder will present a new shortcut to jump to a Terminal window pointed to the current working directory.

TermHere may feature a straightforward premise, but it’s very nice to have if you’re a developer or avid Terminal user. Watch our brief hands-on video inside to see it in action.
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Siri may be the default voice assistant on iPhones and iPads, but it can easily be beat when it comes to speed and third-party service integration. SoundHound’s new voice command and Hands-Free mode on iOS highlights this. Starting today, SoundHound can activate its music recognition feature instantly with the ‘OK Hound’ command, plus the app integrates with Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and other services to add to what’s possible.

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Apple today has updated GarageBand for Mac and iOS to “celebrate the rich history of Chinese music.” The update for both platforms includes a variety of new sounds and instruments that cater towards the Chinese music industry. The update brings GarageBand for iOS to version 2.1.1 and GarageBand for OS X to version 10.1.2.

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While earlier reports claimed Twitter was considering ditching the 140-character limit altogether, Bloomberg offers up some more details on Twitter’s plans for the limitation. According to the report, Twitter will soon stop counting photos and links towards the 140-character limit as a way to encourage people to add more media to their tweets.

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