Google today finally updated its slick Google+ mobile client with some much-needed support for iOS 6 and the iPhone 5's four-inch display, so people don't experience the ugly letterboxing. More importantly, the program has received a couple new features that finally make it easy to edit posts on the go. And if you have your own page on the Google+ social network, you can now view, post and comment as your Google+ page...
Apps
Have you seen this Steve Jobs tribute in Gmail app screenshots?
I was a little surprised realizing the blogosphere today reported on a nice little nugget I discovered nearly a month ago, but here it goes. If you visit the iTunes Preview page on the web for Google's Gmail iOS app and check out the screenshots, you will notice a nice tribute to Apple's late CEO Steve Jobs in two screenies. The images depict an email message with the subject line “Your favorite Steve Jobs quotes” and contain the following text in the message body...
Angry Birds get 30 stormy and pig-themed levels
"The Bad Piggies don’t just have a new game", Finnish developer Rovio writes in release notes for the freshly updated Angry Birds. "Now they’ve taken over Angry Birds with 15 of the piggest levels ever". Angry Birds, the game that started the whole birds vs. piggies craze, was updated on the iPhone and iPod touch with 30 new levels, 15 of which are pig-themed in an obvious mash up with Bad Piggies, Rovio's most recent game release that has turned the familiar flinging formula upside down...
Google keeps promise, updates Snapseed with iOS 6 and iPhone 5 support
When Google announced last month it was acquiring Nik Software, the brains behind Snapseed, a popular Photoshop alternative on the iOS platform, Senior Vice President of Engineering Vic Gundotra made a promise on Google+ that "we’re going to continue offering and improving Nik’s high-end tools and plug-ins". The search giant has kept its word as it pushed an update to Snapseed for the iPhone and iPad on the App Store, bringing long-awaited iOS 6 and iPhone 5 compatibility...
Microsoft (again) mentions Office for iOS and Android
We've been receiving vague hints that Microsoft, which is currently busy for the big Windows 8 launch scheduled for October 26, is also working on bringing the Office suite to the iPad. Today, a new report quotes a Microsoft executive as confirming that the software giant is in fact hard at work developing a native Microsoft Office suite for both iOS and Android. The software should hit the two mobile platforms "sometime after March 2013"...
SuperRope climbs its way up my list of top games
The best part of all everlasting iOS games is quick, addicting fun. In addition, easy controls and a lovable list of protagonists are always part of the equation. The Doodle Jumps and Cut the Ropes of the world all have a quick learning curve and endless fun with a little bit of complication.
The newest edition to the clan was launched around a year ago, but was updated earlier this month and has yet to hit primetime. Perhaps, let me be the first to introduce you to SuperRope, the hot new game, that isn't quite new, or hot. Yet...
BBC launches iPlayer Radio streaming app
BBC has previously made available its fine (I'd dare say, the finest) television programming, documentaries and news channels on the iPhone and today the London, United Kingdom-headquartered public service broadcasting corporation revealed a new radio streaming app.
The BBC iPlayer Radio app allows you to stream live shows and download already-broadcast shows. It sports a nice dial interface akin to Apple's Podcast app, letting one quickly scan available shows and enjoy BBC's radio programmes on the go, even if it's limited only to UK residents (there's a way to bypass that)...
iOS 6 no longer lets you gift apps on iOS devices
It's been widely reported that Apple dropped stock YouTube and Google Maps app in iOS 6. I'm not really sure how nobody noticed this before, but it's been reported that Apple did kill another handy feature: the ability to gift apps.
The removal of the gifting capability affects mobile App Store storefronts running on iPhones, iPads and iPod touches as users can still gift apps using desktop iTunes on a Mac or PC. Apple itself confirmed the change and it's unknown when (or if, for that matter) the feature will return to iOS 6...
Camera Awesome hits iPad, Camera+ gains iPhone 5 low-light boost mode
Taptaptap's Camera+ and SmugMug's Camera Awesome are like the two most important photography and image editing apps in my arsenal. Both have been refreshed this morning, but don't let a minor version update fool you as each app enables major enhancements that add help add flair to iPhone photography.
Following in the footsteps of Taptaptap, SmugMug's Camera Awesome has been updated with native iPad support. At the same time, Taptaptap (which recently released CAmera+ for iPad and gave the iPhone version iCloud sync and other new features) has updated Camera+ for iPhone with the cool low-light boost mode Apple debuted on the iPhone 5...
Lockitron lets you lock and unlock your door with your iPhone
Shortly after introducing the App Store in 2008, Apple started running an ad campaign with the tag line "there's an app for that." It produced a series of TV commercials that highlighted iPhone apps that made otherwise arduous tasks, like counting calories and apartment hunting, a lot easier.
But in 2012, apps are doing a lot more than diet tracking and crawling rental property listings. Now they're parking cars, making coffee, and thanks to Apigy's new Lockitron deadbolt cover, they're locking and unlocking doors...
Apple shuts down Chomp web site and iOS app
Apple yesterday quietly shut down both the Chomp web site and the iOS app of same name, also shutting out existing users of the app. Furthermore, Chomp.com now points to Apple.com. The iPhone maker snapped up Chomp for its advanced discovery and recommendation engine back in February.
As first order of business, Apple pulled the Android versionin April. Now an iOS version is also a goner. We've already seen some tweaks to both the App Store search algorithm and layout, some for the worse (just one search result at a time? Seriously, Apple? Seriously?). Perhaps this move indicates plans to finally roll out better app discovery features stemming from that Chomp talent acquisition.
A man can dream, can't he?
Netflix for iPad updated with ‘Just for Kids’ section
Netflix last week updated its iOS app with for the iPhone 5's larger four-inch display and iOS 6. Today, the company announced another update to its iPad app which brings Just for Kids user interface to help parents and their children browse and instantly watch a large selection of kid-friendly TV shows and movies appropriate for kids 12 and under...