Apprtize

Google Messenger gets updated, allows you to set contact colors

-

December 5, 2014

Google Messenger was introduced along with Android Lollipop only recently and Google is already pushing the first major update to the app. The update allows you to choose colors for individual contacts. Earlier, this was done automatically.

To change a contact’s color, simply go to “People and Options” button from the overflow menu and select the desired color for that contact.

The update also brings some other UI changes related to Material Design. The animations seem to have been improved after the original ones were reported to be causing a significant lag.

Users who haven’t given Google Messenger a try till now can pick it up for free from the Play Store link below. The app is supported on devices running Android 4.1 and above.

Google Messenger – Play Store

Classic title Pocket Tanks lands on Windows Phone

Sachin Sharma

-

December 5, 2014

0

Popular classic title Pocket Tanks has landed on the Windows Phone Store. Developed by Michael P. Welch of BlitWise Productions, Pocket Tanks was first released for the PC way back in 2001, and more recently on Android and iOS.

Features:

– Large scrolling battlefields
– WiFi real-time matches on a local network
– Online, turn based play. Battle your friends around the world at your own pace.

Pocket Tanks has a simple aim to wreak havoc on you opponent’s tank that’s on the other side of the hill. Not only does the ammunition damage tanks, but also changes the topography of the terrain significantly. After each round of fire, player is awarded points based on the damage sustained by enemy tank. At the end of 10 turns, the player with the highest points wins.

The game is available as a free download with 35 weapons, with support for Wi-Fi real time matches on a local network and online turn-based matches. The deluxe version on the other hand comes with a $4.99 price tag and offers the following extra features:

– 105 brand new weapons (140 total with all free packs)
– Jump Jets for moving your tank around
– Bouncy Dirt for creating reflective terrain
– Digger for tunneling your tank underground
– Support for weapon expansion packs, both paid and FREE!

Grab Pocket Tanks from the Windows Phone Store at the link below.

Pocket Tanks – Windows Phone

Telltale’s Game of Thrones lands on iOS for $4.99

Sharang Sharma

-

December 4, 2014

0

The day is finally here, when many fans of R.R. Martin’s work will be able to feel what it is like to be a civilian in Westeros. As promised, Telltale has released Game of Thrones on the Apple App Store. Game of Thrones is a six part episodic game series set in the world of HBO’s TV show of the same name (which is of course based on the books). Only the first episode called Ice from Fire is currently available to play and further episodes will be added in the future.

Game of Thrones follows the story of House Forrester, a family loyal to the Starks of Winterfell. Caught up in the events surrounding the War of the Five Kings, they fight to survive in the war ravaged lands.

Game of thrones is compatible on iPhone 5 and above, as well as on iPad 3 and above. It comes from the same developers who’ve made critically acclaimed games like The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead. The early reviews are already out and throw heaps of praises at Telltale’s work. Grab it from the App Store for $4.99. The purchase offers only the first episode and subsequent episodes can be bought for $4.99 each.

Game of Thrones – iOS

Candy Crush Saga coming to Windows Phone at last

Sharang Sharma

-

December 4, 2014

0

While Microsoft has been successful in bringing a number of high profile apps to Windows Phone in the last year or so, a good number of titles are still missing from the Store including the extremely popular game Candy Crush Saga from King. However, it seems it won’t be the case for long, since we’ve got news from two different sources, hinting that Candy Crush Saga will indeed be hitting Windows Phone soon.

The first source is a Microsoft employee. Yann de Canson, an Apps Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft France, Tweeted, “Vous aimez les bonbons ? vous allez adorer ce qui arrive sur #windowsphone !!! ;)” For our non French readers, this translates to, “Do you like candy? You will love what happens on #windowsphone !!!”

Along with this, Verge’s senior editor Tom Warren has posted a video of Candy Crush running on a Lumia 635 (implying it will work on devices with 512MB RAM as well). This only means that sooner or later, the game will be making its way to the hearts of millions of Windows Phone users around the world. Are our readers excited, or is it simply too late to care anymore? Sound off in the comments below.

[Source: 1, 2]

Truecaller surpasses 100 million users, updates its Android app

Android
News

Sharang Sharma

-

December 4, 2014

0

Truecaller has announced that its total userbase across all platforms has collectively crosses the 100 million mark. Reportedly, the app doubled the daily new users in less than 3 months. Almost half of those users are from India, with 600,000 new additions from the country adding to the total number of 45 million.

Along with breaking this news, Truecaller has also updated its Android app to version 5.0. The udpate brings a refreshed design to the app along with the new ‘suggested contacts’ feature. The app can now help you figure out whom to call based on your call history, time and location. Say, you call your spouse everyday at 3:00 from your office, Truecaller will offer suggestion for the contact around that time and location. It will learn on your dialing behavior so you won’t have to scroll through unnecessary lists. The update also brings integrated phonebook that not only displays your contacts’ numbers, but also link to their social accounts, email address etc.

Lastly, users will now be able to look up for contacts in Truecallers repository. The features have been currently rolled out on the Android version and should be brought to iOS and Windows Phone early next year.

In case you haven’t downloaded the app already, you can get Truecaller from Android here.

Google News and Weather updated to version 2.2 with a dark theme, searchable news and more

Android
News

Sharang Sharma

-

December 4, 2014

0

After getting a long overdue update in August, Google has pushed another major update to the News and Weather app on Android. The update takes the app to version 2.2 and brings multiple new features.

In terms of visual changes, News and Weather gets a new dark theme, preferably for times when you’re using the app in a dark environment. The app has also been updated with Material Design animations including hamburger flip, overflow waves, and drop-down refresh spinner. The app has also been given new weather charts with a new design.

News and Weather also gets searchable news, and curated stories from the user’s favorite outlets. Grab the app from the Play Store at the link below.

Google News and Weather – Play Store

[Source]

BBM finally gets Message Retraction and Timed Messages on Windows Phone

Promil Bhardwaj

-

December 4, 2014

0

A month after BlackBerry introduced Message Retraction and Times Messages feature on BBM for iOS and Android, the features are now rolling out to the Windows Phone version of the app.

Changelog for version 2.0.0.14:

Stickers: Stickers are a great way to add some more fun to your BBM chats. Not all sticker packs listed are available to beta, but we have a few specific freebies for you to use in your testing:

Gilbert’s Tale
CosCat
BBM Characters
BBM things you do
Say it with flowers
BBM Stickers
Timed Messages: Set how long contacts have access to messages and pictures shared in a chat.

Message Retraction: ‘Retract’ a message to remove it from your BBM chat.

Fixes: This new version is fully loaded with many great fixes for some of the most reported concerns:

BBM crashes when tapping on a profile on HTC devices
BBM is slow to launch
BBM stuck on set-up screen on Nokia devices
Retract Message tooltip does not appear even after exchanging a few messages.

Message Retraction allows users to recall a sent message. Messages that can be recalled must be in a one-on-one conversation and should not contain any images. On the other hand, Timed Messages are similar to those sent on Snapchat, just that the sender can choose how long the message can remain on the recipient’s phone. Users will also be notified if the recipient of the message tries to take a screenshot of such a message. Both these features are free for now, but BlackBerry plans to charge for them in the future.

Besides these two changes, the update adds new stickers and a couple of bug fixes and improvements. Grab BBM for free from the Windows Phone Store link below.

BBM – Windows Phone Store

SEGA’s Sonic Dash lands on Windows Phone

Sharang Sharma

-

December 4, 2014

0

Another endless run has made its way on to the Windows Phone Store. This time it’s SEGA’s Sonic Dash that has been available on Android and iOS for over an year now. Nonetheless, it’s a welcome addition.

Features:

SONIC…
The world famous Sonic the Hedgehog stars in his first endless running game – how far can you go?

…DASH!
Unleash Sonic’s incredible dash move that allows you to run at insane speed and destroy everything in your path!

AMAZING ABILITIES
Utilise Sonic’s powers to dodge hazards, jump over barriers and speed around loop de loops. Plus defeat enemies using Sonic’s devastating homing attack!

STUNNING GRAPHICS
Sonic’s beautifully detailed world comes to life on mobile and tablet – never has an endless runner looked so good!

MULTIPLE CHARACTERS
Choose to play as one of Sonic’s friends, including Tails, Shadow and Knuckles.

EPIC BOSS BATTLES
For a limited time only face off against one of the nastiest and most evil enemies ever – Zazz from Sonic Lost World. As one of the most dangerous members of the devastating Deadly Six, you must use all of Sonic’s agility and abilities to rise against Zazz and take him down before it’s too late!

POWERUPS
Unlock, win or buy ingenious power-ups to help you run further. Including head starts, shields, ring magnets and unique score boosters!

KEEP ON RUNNING
Get more rewards the more you play! Level up your score multiplier by completing unique missions, or win amazing prizes including Red Star Rings & additional characters by completing Daily Challenges and playing the Daily Spin.

Not unlike other games in the genre, the game puts you up with the task of jumping, dashing and spinning along the way and put up the maximum score. The game features the iconic character Sonic the Hedgehog along with Tails, Shadow and Knuckles.

Sonic Dash is free to download and can be picked from the Windows Phone Store at the link below.

Sonic Dash – Windows Phone

Twitter introduces Instagram style filters on its official app

Sharang Sharma

-

December 3, 2014

0

It’s been two years since Twitter first introduced filters for photos and now the micro blogging website is taking a leaf out of Instagram. The clumsy 3×3 grid display has been replaced by a row of adjustable filters. Tapping on these filters allows you to change their intensity and get the best possible image.

Earlier, trying to add a filter to an image on Twitter opened up 9 thumbnails on the screen with a preview of each filter in these thumbnails. The new filters aren’t all that different from Instagram ones. You can choose from Radiant, Positive, Warm, Breeze, Glow, Golden, Fame and Stark.

The new design is certainly welcome, but it seems to have been copied exactly from Instagram, which is kind of disappointing. The update is ready to be downloaded on Android and iOS. Windows Phone users have unfortunately been kept in the dark. Download the app from the source links below.

Twitter – Android

Twitter – iOS

[Source]

Mozilla has Firefox for iOS in works

iOS
News

Sharang Sharma

-

December 3, 2014

0

While Firefox fans on iOS have been demanding a version of their favourite browser on the platform for quite some time now, until now Mozilla hasn’t shown any interest in releasing a port. However, a recent Tweet from Firefox’s release manager Lukas Blakk hinted at a possibility that Mozilla is indeed working on a port for iOS.

The Tweet mentioned quite clearly saying, “We need to be where our users are so we’re going to get Firefox on iOS”. Another Tweet from Mozilla’s ‎Manager of Data Science, Matthew Ruttley was equally enthusiastic. Mozilla has kept away from iOS all these years since it cannot use its own web engines on iOS. Other browsers on the platform have either been using Apple’s own rendering engines, or have outside server render the image before sending it to the phone.

With the massed already having been shifted to mobile, Mozilla has probably understood that it cannot ignore such a big crowd and still stay relevant in the market. Hopefully, we won’t have to use the above image in the coming months.

[Source: 1, 2]