Tag: software

Microsoft Skydrive for Windows App Gets Update, new Fresh UI

Microsoft has updated the SkyDrive for Windows App with a new user interface.The newest update to SkyDrive for Windows (version 16.4.6003.0710) includes quite a few improvements that are said to bring “performance, reliability, and compatibility.

Apart from that the app, no longer crashes out as it used to, and looks good while it downloads or uploads files. The new status windows allows users to see time and data remaining to be synced. The new SkyDrive logo also seems to be readied for the Windows 8 Metro UI

July 14, 2012
Blackberry App World gets “Upgrade All” Action, All Rejoice

It has been literally years, since the Blackberry App World updates had to be launched one by one. Blackberry users and fans will finally get a reason to rejoice as the latest update to App World introduces a feature that’s been a long time coming: the ability to upgrade all apps at once.

Now you can finally put the frustrating and slow single app list update, which can be really painful if you get more than 5 app updates at once. The latest update to Blackberry App World also brings the ability to view and share lists of installed apps with friends via NFC and adds Finnish language support.

July 14, 2012
Now Download BitTorrent files through your Browser

BitTorrent just announced Torque, a new JavaScript interface that’ll let you download BitTorrent files right from your browser making the process much easier now.

N o more need of pesky desktop clients for torrenting anymore but the possibilities of BitTorrent in the browser don’t just end there. Web Developers will be able to make tools like torrent video streaming, drag and drop file transfer, social sharing and more once Torque is completed. It’s BitTorrent finally modernized for the browser and potentially a lot easier to use. Torque is only in alpha right now but it could lead to a huge shift in Torrents.

July 9, 2012
Google Chrome comes to iOS, iPhone and iPad

While the whole world was skeptical, Google just went ahead and put Chrome mobile on iOS. Both iPad and iPhone users will get the app, either with incognito browsing, syncing and that unique tabbed browsing interface intact.

With the restrictions on the Apple App Store the Chrome webkit will not be allowed on iOS, but either way the download is now live!

[App Store]

June 29, 2012
Developer teases iOS apps running on BlackBerry PlayBook

A developer working on the Playbook has been able to run iOS apps on the BlackBerry PlayBook. The developer likens his project to WINE, which doesn’t do hardware emulation, but rather relies on a custom set of APIs to make the apps boot and run on the Playbook. The dependency of the said port is only possible properly if the app does not rely on Apple’s UIWebView or CoreData frameworks. businesscat2000 the developer, has yet to make the software publicly available, although he’s expressed a bit of interest. It remains to be seen whether this project will ever see the light of day.

check out the demo videos posted by him below.

June 14, 2012
Google working on several Nexus devices for Android 5.0, Tablet in tow

Looks like Google is planning to release a series of Nexus devices this year, including some tablets, on Google Android 5.0. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google is planning to partner with a variety of OEMs (in order to have up to five Pure Google Nexus devices available at once. All of these devices will ship with Android 5.0 Jelly bean

This move is likely to be announced at the next Google I/O conference.

[WSJ]

May 16, 2012
Samsung Galaxy Note/ S2 Get Android 4.0.3 ICS with Touchwiz in India

Samsung has been smart to include India in the list of countries getting the ICS update for their Galaxy Note smartphone. Owners received a surprise notification alert yesterday and were able to download the 318.89MB software update over wifi to enjoy the new Touchwiz on Android 4.0.3.

So if you have a Galaxy S2 or a Galaxy Note hit the updates section to enjoy the new official update.

May 10, 2012
Dropbox adds automatic photo uploads for Windows and Mac : free 500 MB for using it each time

While Google launched Drive Cloud with free 5 GB Data storage, Dropbox does not want to feel left out at the party. Adding new features for existing users, the company today announced a new app to allow automatic photo uploads from your Windows or Mac computer.

Thats not all, Dropbox will also offer upto 3GB free store for using the service, actually 500MB each time you use it to a maximum of 3 GB free.

[Dropbox]

April 28, 2012
Word, PowerPoint and Excel come to Nokia phones with Symbian Belle

Nokia and Microsoft have made the mobile versions of Word, PowerPoint and Excel available to select Symbian Belle handsets. The add-on is given through a free software update to those eligible for the update. If you own a E7, C7, C6-01, X7, Oro, 700, 701 or 603 you can get the apps directly from the Nokia Software Update utility.

If you’re a Word user, you’ll appreciate the fact that with Word mobile, you can save or send documents while preserving tables, SmartArt and charts, or the pinch/zoom functionality to easily view and edit documents.

In PowerPoint mobile, you can edit presentation texts and speaker notes, or use the Outline view to quickly browse through slides. With Excel mobile, you can create charts, or insert formulae and view rich data and charts from anywhere.

Another really convenient feature of Office Mobile is that it gives you a single view to documents – whether they’re stored on your phone as files, as email attachments, or on your company SharePoint site.

If you are waiting to get the newer version of Nokia Devices, they might just come preloaded with MS Office goodness.

[Nokia Conversations]

April 11, 2012
Evernote for Android app brings Customizable Widgets and Voice to text.

All this Siri business has led to an evolution of the voice dictation on mobile phones. With more and more developers adding to the speech to text frenzy. Evernote is the next major app to bring the Speech to Text engine into their Android App, with a catch that only devices with Android 4.0 or above will be able to access said feature.

The new Widgets are full of tweak-able features that allow you to customize color, buttons and exactly which notes appear in the large widget.A new feature called Quick Snapshot also allows you to save captures to your account.

[Evernote]

March 30, 2012
Android 4.0.4 for Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S pushed out

Users of the Samsung Nexus S and those who bought the Galaxy Nexus will start to see a new light at the end of the tunnel as the update for Android 4.0.4 ICS is being pushed to these devices. Also owners of the Motorola Xoom (Wifi – only) will also start to see a similar update for their tablets.

The Nexus S users who missed the 4.0 update before Google pulled it due to major concerns, will also be directly able o update to Android 4.0.4.

March 30, 2012
Messages Beta available for Mac OS X Lion

If you heard about the recent launch of the new OS X Mountain Lion from Apple, you would have heard of their iMessage client for Mac – messages. The folks at cupertino have seeded a beta download for all those on Mac Lion to preview and test out the upcoming Messages on OS X Mountain Lion. Hit the link below to begin the download if you are already on Lion.

[Apple]

February 17, 2012
Ubuntu’s First Bug Report

Let it not be said that the open source community does not have a sense of humor. As many of you may know, all bugs that are found in Ubuntu are reported to launchpad’s bug tracker. We were quite surprised to find this nugget as the first ever Ubuntu bug report:

[box border=”full”]

Bug Description

Microsoft has a majority market share in the new desktop PC marketplace.
This is a bug, which Ubuntu is designed to fix.

Non-free software is holding back innovation in the IT industry, restricting access to IT to a small part of the world’s population and limiting the ability of software developers to reach their full potential, globally. This bug is widely evident in the PC industry.

Steps to repeat:

1. Visit a local PC store.

What happens:
2. Observe that a majority of PCs for sale have non-free software pre-installed.
3. Observe very few PCs with Ubuntu and free software pre-installed.

What should happen:
1. A majority of the PCs for sale should include only free software like Ubuntu.
2. Ubuntu should be marketed in a way such that its amazing features and benefits would be apparent and known by all.
3. The system shall become more and more user friendly as time passes.

[/box]

January 19, 2012
Nokia acquires mobile OS Smarterphone

Nokia is playing around with a lot of operating systems on its plate. Symbian, MeeGo, Series 60 and not to forget WindowsPhone. The company has now gone and acquired the mobile OS known as Smarterphone. Ferd Capital has sold Smarterphone AS to Nokia, back in November 2011. The company claims that it makes ultra-smart mobile operating system software for featurephones, enabling users to get a smartphone-like experience on “affordable hardware.”

No official plans for the utilization of the OS have been given out by either Ferd Capital or Nokia. Butm an OS like this would do brilliantly in developing countries like India, where feature phones are still the most selling handsets.

[Ferd Capital]

January 7, 2012
Windows 8 Reset and Refresh options shown off!

Windows 8 is becoming more and more like the mobile counterpart. Windows 8 will offer a pair of similar features; ‘Reset your PC’ will allow you to remove all personal data, apps, and settings from the PC, and reinstall Windows, while ‘Refresh your PC’ enables your to keep all personal data, Metro style apps, and important settings from the PC, and reinstall Windows. This seems very convenient, especially for those who have often been bugged by crowded and laggy machines.

[MSDN]

January 6, 2012