Google's Blogger for iOS adds iPhone 5 support, more save post options

Regardless of the mobile platform, Google's oftentimes keeping the majority of its apps up to date, and while the iPhone 5's been around for a few months now, it's still nice to see more and more software be optimized for the device. That being said, on-the-go typers will be glad to learn that Blogger for iOS has been on the receiving end of an update today, which, most notably, makes the application friendly with the 4-inch screen found on Apple's flagship handset. Additionally, Blogger now includes native support for the first three generations of the iPad, while other useful features were also added to the blogging app, including handy post options like "Save as Draft," Publish" and "Cancel." The new version is live in the App Store, so go on and tap the source link below if you're looking to improve your powered-by-Google blogging experience.

[Source: Engadget]

YouTube launches Capture iOS app for smartphone shooting straight to the web

You might want to file this under the "why didn't we have this in 2010" category, but Google just announced a new app that'll let you fire off that smartphone camcorder and boot your videos straight to the YouTubes Curiously, the appropriately named YouTube Capture app is only available for iPhone and iPod touch at the moment -- an Android version is set to launch "in the future" -- and it should be hitting the App Store sometime today. You can shoot video directly from within the new tool, then add a caption, select to send links to Google+, Facebook or Twitter, and hit Share to upload it directly to YouTube. You can also select from private, unlisted or public sharing options, depending on your intended audience. That's about it -- a very straightforward addition to Google's app portfolio.

[Source: Engadget]

GoPro lets all Hero3 owners in on iOS, Android fun with updated app, firmware

If you splurged for the $400 GoPro Hero3 Black Edition, you'll be glad to know that it'll finally work with the Android and iOS GoPro apps, thanks to a new update. The Silver and White Edition Hero3 models will now work with Android as well, which didn't support any flavors of that camera when it first came out. You'll want to update the firmware in all three models of the talented shooter before trying to use the app, according to a tweet from the company, which will let you in on all the live preview and remote control goodies we saw earlier. Check the source to see how to grab everything.

[Source: Engadget]

MapsOpener jailbreak tweak sets Google Maps as default maps app

Some iPhone users who’ve tried the new Google Maps already will want to use the app instead of the often criticized Apple Maps. Sadly, Apple doesn’t yet offer a way to make Google Maps the default application, which would allow iOS users to choose which mapping app opens when mapping URLs are clicked or using Siri.

As expected the crafty folks in the jailbreak community have already cooked up a new tweak called MapsOpener that will make Google Maps the default. You can check out the tweak courtesy of Hashbang Productions and available via Cydia’s Big Boss repo.  As we told you earlier this week, jailbreak tweak FullForce will also make Google Maps scale to the iPad’s large screen. Check out MapsOpener demoed below.

 [Source: 9to5Mac]

Dropbox 2.0 launches for iOS with new Photos tab and a streamlined UI

Most of us would call the Dropbox mobile app very utilitarian, built for browsing files and not much else. It's becoming more of a media viewer in its own right with its just-arrived Dropbox 2.0 for iOS users. The cloud storage service gains a dedicated Photos tab that takes advantage of all those automatic uploads from the past few months: the panel organizes photos by the time taken and offers an unintrusive full-screen mode for reliving memories. Hitting the major milestone has also given Dropbox an incentive to rework the interface as a whole, simplifying uploads to specific folders alongside removing the visual clutter. The developer hasn't yet given Android the same treatment, although the company's tendency to keep its major apps on an equal footing suggests it won't be too long before everyone gets a clearer view of their images in the cloud.

[Source: Engadget]

Bing brings new social sidebar to the iPad, helps you see who's been looking for what

Bing's desktop version recently underwent a bit of a makeover and Microsoft has now added its search engine's new social sidebar for the iPad's Safari users. Upon performing a web search, folks will have access to a side pane displaying related results from the likes of Facebook, Foursquare, Klout and Twitter. Supporting both portrait and landscape formatting, the updated design is set to gradually roll out over the next few days. Just in time for you to check out who's going to see The Hobbit in 48fps this weekend when searching for showtimes and theaters.

[Source: Engadget]

Facebook app update on iPhone gets reconstructed timelines, promises faster reminiscing

Right on the heels of an Android update, Facebook's also gave its iOS iteration a similar refresh. According to the short iTunes listing, version 5.3 gives a speed boost to your news feed, with the primary social news page now loading updates quicker. We just updated the app on the iPhone 5 and there's certainly an improvement on news refresh speeds and when scrolling down to grab older updates. The new app also lets you designate which album photos are uploaded to -- a convenient addition if you haven't already automated that whole upload-to-Facebook thing.

[Source: Engadget]

Amazon Instant Video streaming app now available for iPhone and iPod touch

iPad owners have had access since early August, and at long last, iPod touch and iPhone users can say "Us too." The second major reason to crack open the App Store today has just surfaced, with Amazon confirming that its Instant Video app is now available for two of Apple's more bantam iOS products. Much like the iPad version, this one provides access to over 30,000 titles from Prime Instant Video available to Prime members for no extra cost, while the roaming public at large can tap into some 140,000 titles at various price points. To watch movies or TV episodes from Amazon Instant Video on iPhone and iPod touch, customers can simply search for the content they've already rented or purchased from Amazon Instant Video, and the company's also throwing in "Your Watchlist" and "Your Video Library" features, too.

[Source: Engadget]

Flickr for iOS gets a major overhaul

Just like Marissa Mayer promised, Yahoo has revamped its Flickr app for iOS to bring it back in line with the oh-so-social modern era. Whereas the Android app was updated back in August, the iPhone version has had only minor improvements over the last few years and was starting to look seriously dusty compared to the competition. In terms of individual features, the new app doesn't do much that various other third-party apps can't do already, but it does bunch them all into one polished package that is happy to work across multiple networks. In addition to Flickr, for instance, you can readily share your snaps with Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. You might also dig the camera app, which separates exposure and focus points to give you more creative control over your images -- and yes, there are the obligatory filters too. The app is live on the App Store right now.

[Source: Engadget]

Pandora Radio now fully live in Australia and New Zealand, complete with iOS and Android apps

Folks that call Australia and New Zealand home aren't exactly strangers to the internet-based radio goods Pandora has to offer -- however, these have been very limited to the public, with the tunes only being available on the desktop and on a trial basis. As of today, though, things are about to change for those living in Oz and Kiwiland, as Pandora announced via blog post that its new-era radio stations are now "fully live" in both countries, making this the first time the service has been available in its entirety outside of the US. Naturally, this means users in Australia and New Zealand can also start enjoying the Pandora Radio Android and iOS applications, both of which are up for download now from Google Play and the App Store, respectively.

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft confirms 'a delay in approval' of updated SkyDrive app for iOS

Feisty, no? Following a report from The Next Web, Microsoft has confirmed to us that there is indeed a hangup in moving the updated SkyDrive app into the App Store. For those unaware, it was reported that Microsoft and Apple were deadlocked in discussions due to the former's decision to allow users to buy more storage from within the app. In other words, Apple's trying to maintain its controversial 30 percent in-app revenue split, while Microsoft is arguing that some users may end up buying more storage through the iOS app, but then make a switch to Android or Windows Phone. Apple's stance is that users who did such a thing would forever entitle it to 30 percent of the revenue, while Microsoft clearly sees things differently. Today, a Microsoft spokesperson gave us the following quote on the matter:

"Similar to the experiences of some other companies, we are experiencing a delay in approval of our updated SkyDrive for iOS. We are in contact with Apple regarding the matter and hope to come to a resolution. We will provide additional information as it becomes available."

While it doesn't say much, it doesn't outright deny the allegations -- something you'd think a company of Microsoft's size would be quick to dismiss if there wasn't a shred of truth to it. Hopefully the two parties can sort things out, but honestly, we'd suggest the Windows Phone team put the whole "add proper Gmail and Google Suite integration to WP8" thing above this little squabble.

[Source: Engadget]

Instagram for iOS gets a newly reworked camera, delves into recent photo history

Instagram knows it can't stay still just because it's under Facebook's wing. Accordingly, a new iOS update has delivered a (quite frankly welcome) remake of the camera and editing interfaces. While snapping photos, there's a more stylized interface with an optional grid to perfect that rule-of-thirds composition, if you like keeping shots neat and tidy. The app makes a greater effort to acknowledge past photos, too: everyone sees the most recent camera roll photo, while iPhone 5 owners' extra screen real estate gives them a new camera roll image picker to sift through their archives. Android users don't get the tweaked layout at this stage, but they do share the same obligatory new image filter, Willow. Check the source links for a fresh coat of paint on a day-to-day app.

[Source: Engadget]