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Gmail gets updated on Android, brings Save to Drive option

Sharang Sharma

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May 20, 2014

After becoming the first app to cross 1 billion downloads on the Play Store, Gmail has received an update on Android. The update brings plenty of new features on board. Here’s a glimpse:

Images now show automatically
Set up your Out of Office AutoReply in Settings
Send or download attachments of any type, including documents, PDFs and zip files
(Android 4.3+) Attach multiple files at once
(Android 4.4) Print emails and attachments
Enhanced performance for low-memory devices

However, the biggest change that the update brings is the ability to save files attached with your mails to your Google Drive account, besides having the option to save it in the internal memory. Not only does it help save space on your device, but also makes the saved files accessible through other devices using Drive.

The update also adds support for right to left languages, including Arabic, Hebrew and Persian. Then, the app also now tells why a particular mail was sent to the spam folder. Lastly, the sidebar can be accessed from anywhere, with a simple swipe to the left.

You can pick Gmail for free from the Play Store here.

Facebook’s Snapchat competitor ‘Slingshot’ coming as early as next month

Chetna Chauhan

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May 19, 2014

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Facebook’s Snapchat competitor ‘Slingshot’ coming as early as next month

What do you do when you can’t acquire something even after offering truckload of money? You create its competitor and hope it takes off equally well of course. After Snapchat declined Facebook’s $3 billion offer last, now it seems like the company is developing its own Snapchat like client called “Slingshot”. The app will allow users to send photos and short videos, similar to what Snapchat added recently to its app.

According to the report, the team started working on the app as early as when Snapchat declined Facebook’s offer. Slingshot won’t be integrated with Facebook’s other apps like Messenger and will remain an independent app, much like Instagram. It will also offer a simpler interface than Snapchat, with users tapping on a contact’s profile pic to send a message, that can only be viewed once by the recipient.

Although at this moment it’s not even confirmed if Facebook will even be launching the app or not. We recently saw the company pull Facebook Camera and Poke apps from the Store, so it’s not like everything that Facebook touches, becomes gold.

[via]

WhatsApp pulled from Windows Phone Store due to incompatibility with Windows Phone 8.1

Sharang Sharma

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May 18, 2014

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WhatsApp pulled from Windows Phone Store due to incompatibility with Windows Phone 8.1

WhatsApp has been unfair to Windows Phone users until now in the sense that the Windows Phone version has lagged behind the Android and iOS counterparts. Now, the app has been pulled from the Windows Phone Store altogether and is no longer available. A search on the Store pulls up an error message saying, “We couldn’t find a match. Try a different spelling or search term.”

While the company hasn’t given and exact reason for pulling the app, we suspect it’s been done due to incompatibility with Windows Phone 8.1. The app has issues with the latest version of the OS and while other developers had already been hard at work updating their apps before the update was released, we haven’t seen an update from WhatsApp on Windows Phone in ages.

While existing users shouldn’t face any problem with the app’s removal, it will be an issue for new users. WhatsApp hasn’t given a timeline on when it expects to make the app available again. We just hope it doesn’t take very long.

Truecaller gets updated on all three platforms

Sharang Sharma

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May 18, 2014

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Truecaller is an extremely useful app that helps identify unknown numbers on smartphones, as well as block calls and SMS from these numbers. The app has picked updates on iOS, Android and Windows Phone recently.

The iOS update takes the version number to 4.14. According to the changelog, there’s nothing new except a couple of bug fixes. On Android, the update takes the app to version 4.13. The update reduced the space occupied by the app and improves performance. It also adds support for two new languages, Finnish and Sinhalese.

Lastly, the Windows Phone version, which is the lowest rated among the three and lacks the functionality that the other two versions offer due to lack of CallerID support on the OS has also been updated. The latest update takes the app to version 4.0.7 and like the iOS version, just adds bug fixes.

You can pick the apps in the respective app stores at the links below.

Android

iOS

Windows Phone

Google Maps helps bikers avoid steep hills when planning their route

Sharang Sharma

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May 18, 2014

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Google has added another feature to Google Maps that allows bikers to avoid steep hills while planning their route. The elevation profiles have been added in all 14 countries where Google offers biking directions, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, and the US.

To access the feature, users simply need to search for a route and choose biking directions and the elevation profile will appear on the screen. The card based feature also shows the distance you’ll have to ascend or descend in a graphical representation. Until now, users had to rely on third party software that meshed data with Google Maps to provide similar results.

Of course, bikers are going to find the feature extremely useful in the countries where it has been rolled out. The sad part is that the feature is only available for the web version of Google Maps and hasn’t been rolled out for the smartphone apps yet. Although, that would eventually happen, we’re expecting.

[via]

Facebook now allows you to save posts for when you have internet available

Shivendra Pal

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May 18, 2014

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Facebook now allows you to save posts for when you have internet available

Facebook has recently been updated on Android and iOS and the update adds a rather useful feature on both the platforms. Whenever you find yourself in an area of low network reception, or one where no internet access is available and create a new post using the Facebook app on Android and iOS, the post will get saved and will be published once your phone gets access to internet.

There’s also more added to the app. Here are the changelogs:

Android

Create posts even when your connection is weak or you’re in airplane mode, and they’ll be shared once your connection gets strong enough
Improvements for reliability and speed

iOS

Review what your post will look like and choose whether to remove any suggested links before sharing what you’re reading, watching or listening to
Create posts even when your connection is weak or you’re in airplane mode, and they’ll be shared once your connection gets strong enough
Improvements to make News Feed load faster, especially on older phones and tablets

The iOS has received another feature that now allows you to review your posts before sharing them. You can remove any suggested links before sharing. Also, the app has been optimized to run better on older iPhones and iPads.

Grab the apps at the links below.

Apple App Store

Google Play Store

Haunted House from Atari debuts on App Store, fills with nostalgia

Chetna Chauhan

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May 17, 2014

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While not all of us are old enough to have lived through the golden age of gaming of the mid 80’s, you might remember Atari’s Haunted House that defined the survival horror genre. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, Atari’s bringing Haunted House to iOS to let you experience the same thrill and fear. Although Atari claims that the new game is based on the old old classic, they look nothing alike. Here’s what the game description reads:

Sprint your way through tricky obstacles.
Avoid scary Spiders, Scorpions, Bats, Vampires and more.
Evade deadly traps including crumbling platforms, falling spikes and more.
Collect hearts, skull coins and urns to replenish your health, raise your score and level up your character.
Pick-up cool boosts to acquire special abilities.

The best part is that the game is free and can be picked for both iPhone and iPad. It seems like a decent game that is worth trying out if you have the time.

App Store Link

Flappy Bird to return with multiplayer, but less addiction

Games
News

Sharang Sharma

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May 17, 2014

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Whatever might be the real reason, Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen blamed the game’s addiction as the reason for pulling down the game from the stores, which he thinks was ruining people’s life. However, the overnight star developer will be bringing back the game soon (as many would have expected and what he also mentioned in an interview before). This time around he’ll also be adding multiplayer to the game.

Not only that, but this time the game will also be less addictive. What that exactly means, only Nguyen would know. We just hope the game is as exciting (if not better) as the original version.

The game would make a comeback sometime in August. What remains to be seen of the hype around it would be still enough to fill Nguyen’s coffers with cash.

In the mean time you can find plenty of clones to keep you busy. They come with all varieties with all sorts of weird names, including Flappy Turd.

[via]

Temple Run 2 arrives for 512MB RAM devices on Windows Phone

Sharang Sharma

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May 15, 2014

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Although Windows Phone handsets with 512MB RAM have been the most popular of the lot, some of the most popular apps have thus far eluded them. Temple Run 2 was one such game that was released back in December. Today, the game has finally landed for handsets with 512MB RAM, including the extremely popular Nokia Lumia 520.

We know it’s a little late, given that the game has been lost the euphoria around it. Also, it’s not hard to find plenty of endless runner on the Windows Phone Store. Nonetheless, this should be a great news for millions of fans eagerly awaiting for the game on their handsets. Of course, it’s still free and comes with Xbox Live integration that makes the deal even sweeter.

So what are you waiting for? Go grab Temple Run 2 from the Windows Phone Store here. Users who already have the game will also find version 1.9.1.0 waiting for them to be updated in the Store.

Monument Valley lands on Android after garnering success on iOS

Shivendra Pal

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May 15, 2014

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For a $3.99 game, Monument Valley has become an extremely popular game on iOS, clocking in over half a million downloads in over a month. The good news is that the game is also now available on the Play Store for the same price.

Monument Valley is a puzzle adventure. The aim of the game is to guide princess Ida through a world with an architecture of impossible geometry by managing camera angles to create paths that are optical illusions. The game is presented in isometric view and features multiple levels, each with a different central mechanic. You move the princess by moving platforms and pillar animals, and creating bridges.

The game has been well received even by the critics. For four bucks you get the entire package, without any in-app purchases. You can grab the app on Play Store here, or can scan the QR below.