The companion app to Google’s $35 Chromecast dongle received an update today with a handful of improvements and changes. Bumping the app to version 1.11.4116, the update brings several interface tweaks. First off, the devices view of the app has been redesigned with a card-like interface. The devices screen also now lists what backdrop is currently being displayed along with casting status.
Spotify announced yesterday that it would be redesigning its iOS application with support for new features like original video clips and podcasts. A few glimpses of the updated version of the music streaming app were shown off during the announcement, but today a tipster has supplied us with a collection of screenshots from a beta build of the upcoming release.
Below you’ll find a gallery demonstrating the podcast integration, running speed-based tempo detection, and more. Almost every corner of the app has been completely overhauled with a new design. Many of the icons in the older app have been removed in favor of simple text labels, and a host of new features have been added.
Now you can start playing 9to5Mac’s Happy Hour podcast from your Apple Watch
Watch OS 1.0 (and 1.0.1) decidedly omits certain iPhone apps like Podcasts and Reminders from the Apple Watch, leaving third-party apps to fill these spaces for users. Today a new version of Instacast for iPhone was released, adding an Apple Watch app with a Now Playing Glance, playback from notifications, and more as a free addition in the update.
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After being updated with support for Apple Watch last month, the Apple Store app on iOS has been updated today with a pair of highly requested features. With today’s update, which bumps the app to version 3.3, users can now use Touch ID to view orders, access EasyPay receipts, and make reservations at retail locations.
Adobe announced today that it plans to discontinue its Photoshop Touch software for iPhone and iPad as it changes its approach to bringing features from its professional desktop application to mobile platforms. Rather than continuing to develop an all-in-one app that tries to recreate the Photoshop desktop experience on smartphones and tablets, Adobe is fully embracing its recent strategy of releasing multiple apps that each perform specific functions well. Adobe also revealed a preview of one of those new apps coming to replace Photoshop Touch under the name Project Rigel…
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Apple today updated its webpage for its enterprise app solutions to show that a few of the apps have been updated with Apple Watch support. Apple first launched the MobileFirst for iOS solutions last year through a partnership with IBM and most recently added 9 new apps in March bringing the total up to 22 across several industries.
The first three of Apple’s enterprise apps to receive Apple Watch support include: Hospital RN, Field Connect and Incident Aware.
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Twitch announced today that its mobile application now supports video on demand content, a feature that has been requested by fans of the service for quite some time. While the app was previously limited to live streaming, users can now access “highlights and past broadcasts” from all Twitch partners and what Twitch says is a growing list of broadcasters whose videos are HTTP live streaming (HLS)-enabled.
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Apple Watch + Music
We’ve reported extensively on what Apple has in store for its new revamped music service that will come alongside an international expansion of iTunes Radio, and today reports from Russian publication Vedomosti (via Billboard) hint that Russia will be one market Apple is aiming to launch in soon…
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After adding support for a new cross-platform video chat service through its Facebook Messenger mobile apps, Facebook has now announced that the feature is rolling out to all worldwide.
The feature first launched back in April for users on iOS and Android in Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, the UK, the US and Uruguay. Today, Facebook said the feature is now rolled out globally “with the exception of a few countries” that it’s still working on:
Quick update on video calling in Messenger: we’re happy to share we’ve now rolled out the capability globally, with the exception of a few countries we’re still working on improving quality for.
You can check out the new Facebook Messenger video calling feature through the latest versions of the iOS and Android apps.
TLA Systems has brought is popular calculator app to the Apple Watch today through the latest version of PCalc for iPhone. The PCalc Apple Watch app features a fully functional calculator for quickly crunching numbers from your watch — 1985 Casio-style like the similar Calcbot app — and similarly features a clever tip calculator that makes splitting the bill a cinch.
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Following up on Google’s agreement with Twitter to instantly add tweets to web search results, the duo announced today that users on mobile devices will start seeing real-time Twitter results as well. The feature is available in the Google app on iOS or Google’s mobile website, and is expected to make its way to the desktop soon.
60Hz, the TV tracking app we’ve previously covered, has received a massive update to version 4.0 today, introducing a completely redesigned interface and many new features to help you find new shows and keep track of your current library.
While version 3 maintained much of the same functionality as version 2 with a fresh coat of paint on top, the newest release has rethought the entire application completely with great results.
The popular Amazon-owned Audible audiobooks service is the latest app to gain support for Apple’s CarPlay feature. The new version of Audible’s iPhone app released today now will automatically appear on CarPlay head units once installed on your iPhone so you can find and control audiobook playback from your library using the interface optimized for driving. The update includes a long list of other changes as well including:
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Sunrise, the company behind the popular Mac and iOS calendar apps, today launched a new feature called Meet. Meet is not integrated how might expect, though. It’s actually a keyboard designed by Sunrise for quickly scheduling one-to-one meetings.
Apple today updated Final Cut Pro X to version 10.2.1 with bug fixes and improvements. Apple’s release notes say that this update fixes a bug that would cause Final Cut Pro to quit at launch on some Macs. Support for Panasonic AVCAAM video at 25P and 30P rates has been restored, while Apple also says that dragging through the Timeline view is now more accurate. This 10.2.1 update follows up on the significant 10.2 update from April, which added 3D title support, new editing features, and support for several new cameras and video formats. Today’s minor update is the first to Final Cut since its pioneer Randy Ubillos retired from Apple.
Following the release of HBO’s new HBO Now app for its $14.99/month standalone streaming service, today the company updated its main HBO GO app with a similar, long-awaited redesign.
Here’s what HBO GO looked like prior to today’s update (left) next to the new design (right):
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With the HealthDash app, an alternative dashboard for Apple’s own Health app, Apple Watch users can view more health and fitness data points captured from Apple’s HealthKit platform, as well as a history of stats, right on their wrist.
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Google is today rolling out updates to its Google Docs and Slides mobile apps bringing the ability to insert images directly from the app on both phones and tablets.
With the update, iPhone and iPad users will be able to access their camera roll or snap a new photo to insert directly into a document or Slides presentation.
In addition, the update includes quicker access to make basic edits in Slides by allowing users to enter crop mode by double tapping any image in a presentation.
Google notes that both of the new features will work in offline mode.
The updated Docs and Slides apps should be hitting the App Store today.
Facebook has launched a new feature in its official iOS client called “Instant Articles,” the company announced today. The feature will allow web publishers to create versions of their stories optimized for display inside the Facebook app. As suggested by the name, these optimized articles are designed to load instantly and provide a more native-feeling experience.
The articles are built using some of the same user interface elements and concepts first introduced in the alternative Facebook client, Paper, such as large images that scroll as you tilt your phone, and in-line videos that automatically start playing.
New elements added specifically for Instant Articles include audio captions on photos and the ability to like or comment on specific sections of the article rather than the entire thing. Facebook says publishers will still have full control over content and monetization, and loading a story as an Instant Article will still count the same as clicking a link in the browser in terms of traffic tracking.
Only a handful of publishers will be able to take advantage of Instant Articles at launch, including NBC, The New York Times, BuzzFeed, and National Geographic. Only a select few articles from those publishers will be available in this format for now.
Instant Articles is rolling out in the Facebook for iPhone application now.
Google today has released its first application for the Apple Watch in the form of an update to its iOS Google News & Weather app. Launched last fall, Google News & Weather iOS populates local weather and news headlines. On the Apple Watch, based on the screenshots from iTunes, the application pretty much serves the same purpose. Like other Apple Watch apps based on WatchKit, this new Google application does not appear to be anything special. The screenshots display a bland, text-filled application that is light on functionality…
FiftyThree’s drawing iPad app Paper has so far been pitched as a creative drawing tool, but the company now thinks it might have appeal for business presentations too. The latest version adds a Diagram tool that lets you create objects like shapes, arrows and lines, which the app keeps neat and tidy while retaining the hand-drawn look.
Think Kit is here! Now Paper gives you the power to create diagrams, charts, and wireframes at the speed of thought. Think Kit adds three new tools—Diagram, Cut, and Fill. Powered by the Intention Engine™, Think Kit helps you quickly create powerful, personable graphics to express any idea, and continue seamlessly into your favorite presentation app.
Your roughly-drawn shapes get turned into neat versions automatically when the Diagram tool is selected, and you can drag shapes to move or duplicate them. A Smart Fill function lets you add color, keeping it constrained to your shapes …
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Apple subsidiary FileMaker today introduced version 14, the first major update since 2013, of its popular iOS and Mac-based platform, which includes the FileMaker Pro, Go, and Server software suites. This new version focuses on separate enhancements for speed across the different software versions, with the Mac and Windows applications gaining improved features for productivity, and the iOS Go apps for iPad and iPhone receiving end-to-end redesigns for iOS 8. Below, we break down the most significant new features for the Pro, Go, and Server versions.
Twitter this evening has updated its popular live streaming app Periscope to version 1.0.4 with a handful of new features and bug fixes. Announced in post on Medium, the update adds the ability to change your profile a picture, a feature that for some reason has not been there since launch. A variety of other new features are also included…
Flickr has made a significant update to its iOS app, revamping the look to mimic that of your iPhone’s Camera Roll and bringing the auto-upload feature added back in 2013 front-and-center. When you first run the app, it immediately asks if you want to automatically upload every photo you take. If you say yes, photos are set to private, so you won’t be sharing them with the world.
With Flickr offering 1TB of free storage, and a typical iPhone photo coming in at around 2.5Mb, that gives you capacity in the order of half a million photos …
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