Official Twitter app updated with new 'top tweets' feature, smoother animations

It might be all doom and gloom for popular third-party Twitter clients, but at least the official app is getting some love. Twitter's own Android app has been updated to version 3.8 today, with a trio of new features alongside the usual big fixes. First up there's a new "top tweets" feature, which is supposed to make significant tweets from the past pop up when searching for specific topics. (We tried searching for "Election 2012" and "Olympics" to no avail, but Twitter had plenty of tweets to highlight when searching for "grumpy cat," including news of the disgruntled feline's upcoming appearance at SXSW.)

Other additions include the ability to see all replies to tweets in details view, and smoother animations for pull-to-refresh in the "Discover" tab.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Microsoft landed with £486m EU fine in browser-choice row

Microsoft has been landed with a staggering €561m (roughly £486m) fine, after European regulators found the software giant hadn't offered PC owners enough of a choice when it came to their browser.

The fine was handed down by the European Commission, as punishment for neglecting an anti-monopoly settlement from 2009, the New York Times reports. In that settlement the company behind Clippy vowed to offer Windows users a choice of which browser they wanted to use, instead of simply defaulting to its own Internet Explorer.

The result was 2010's browser ballot, which you may have spied yourself if you've started up a new Windows PC in the last couple of years. The ballot offered rival operating systems such as Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple's Safari browser.

The order in which rival browsers would appear on the ballot was a subject of heated debate, but eventually Microsoft plumped for the five most popular Web browsers appearing in random order.

Good stuff, but Microsoft seemingly dropped the ball, with a version of Windows 7 (SP1) not offering users the choice. The company reportedly says it has updated both Windows 7 andWindows 8 to include the ballot, but that hasn't stopped anti-monopoly officials sending the firm a monstrous bill.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser remains popular, though critics say a huge part of that success is because it's been the default software on Windows PCs for a long time.

[Source: CNET]

Microsoft reverses course, says Office 2013 licenses can now be transferred to new PCs

There were plenty of Office users none too pleased with Microsoft's recent decision to tie Office 2013 retail licenses to the PC they were originally installed on, and it looks like the company has been listening to them. Microsoft announced in a blog post today that it's changing the policy, and will now allow users to transfer the license if they get a new PC or the old one fails. The company says that it will update the actual license agreement included with the software in a future release, but makes it clear that the change is effective immediately. Of course, there are still some limitations. You can't transfer the license more than once every 90 days unless there's a hardware failure, and you still can't have the software on more than one computer at the same time. You can find the full text of the new license at the source link.

[Source: Engadget]

iBooks 3.1 brings paid content to iBookstore in Japan

Version 3.1 of iBooks is out today and while it might not bring much in the way of new features for Western users, it's a pretty big deal for book lovers located in Japan. That's because the latest update introduces paid content on the order of hundred of thousands of books -- encompassing novels, manga and more -- something that the country's iBookstore has been without up until this point. Before now, iOS users in Japan have needed to be content with public domain e-books.

In addition to the paid content rollout, the 3.1 update also introduces some improvements when reading Asian language books.

[Source: TUAW]

Wii U System Update Improves Stability, Big Update in April

Nintendo released a brand new system update for the Wii U this morning. The update’s been labeled Version 2.1.3 U, and it’s available through the settings menu within the Wii U UI.

I’ve personally completed the update; a process that only took about 5 minutes, thanks to the ethernet cable and USB dongle duo I’ve recently installed. If you frequent the site, you might remember an article I ran back in December of last year. It was then that I spent a week trying to update my Wii U with no luck. I wound up calling Nintendo and, get this, they told me to move my console closer to my router.

It worked, oddly enough.

Regardless, today’s update is only a minor one. Here’s the full text from Nintendo’s support site:

Version 2.1.3 U available via an Internet connection includes the following improvements:

Further improvements to overall system stability have been made.*

*The previously announced system update, which adds new features and further improvements to the user experience, will be released in April.

The previously announced system update, of course, is the one that Nintendo promised back during a Nintendo Direct presentation a few weeks ago. That update will supposedly speed up UI performance and reduce load times.

We’ll have more on these updates and the Wii U as it comes.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

BBC iPlayer comes to Windows Phone, not quite an app

Do you want the short version or the long version? Short version: iPlayer is coming to Windows Phone.

Still here? Then here's the long version. The BBC today announced that Windows Phone would join iOS, Android and BlackBerry as the latest mobile operating system to support iPlayer, via a dedicated live tile.

That means you'll soon be able to watch catch-up and on-demand TV shows and films from Auntie Beeb on your Windows Phone phone, whether it's running Windows Phone 7.5 software -- like the Nokia Lumia 800 -- or Windows Phone 8 -- like the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8S.

It's not technically an app, but a shortcut that gets its own coloured square, or live tile, leading directly to the iPlayer online player. The launch date is yet to be confirmed. 

iPlayer is already available on iOS, Android and even Blackberry, but they've historically given Windows Phone the cold shoulder, with the Beeb repeatedly denying Microsoft's OS the privilege.  

It seems that the BBC has had a change of heart however, with iPlayer joining big names like Spotify, Twitter and WhatsApp in entering the Windows Phone world. Windows is still lagging a long way behind established app stores like Android's Google Play and Apple's App Store though.

Meanwhile Auntie's online player goes from strength to strength as it continues to expand to new platforms. Last year more than 2.5 million people per month watched or listened online by one device or another.

[Source: CNET]

Google Maps updated with Google contact search, local categories

Google updated its Maps application with several new features that make the app a bit more personal. The biggest change will be in search, which now integrates with your Google contacts. Once you sign in to your Google account with Google Maps, the app will pull in the names and addresses from your contacts. These addresses will appear when you search for your friends or family members by name.

Google also added a new local feature that lets you search for nearby businesses by selecting categories such as restaurants, bars, gas stations and more. It's a quick and easy way to find services that are near to you. Last but not least is a setting that lets you toggle between kilometers or miles for your distance units.

Google Maps for iOS is a universal app that is free for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

[Source: TUAW]

Twitter Killing TweetDeck for iPhone and Android

Twitter will shut down multiple TweetDeck apps to focus on the product's web-based version, the microblogging service announced Monday.

In yet another sign of the battle between social media's two biggest players, Facebook integration will be removed, too.

The announcement was met largely with a chorus of "nooooooooo," "whyyyyyyy" and "gaaaaaaaah" on social media, reflecting TweetDeck's widespread popularity with hardcore Twitter users.

TweetDeck AIR, TweetDeck for iPhone and TweetDeck for Android will be removed from their respective app stores in May, and stop working soon after, according to a TweetDeck blog post.

"To continue to offer a great product that addresses your unique needs, we’re going to focus our development efforts on our modern, web-based versions of TweetDeck," the post says.

TweetDeck is a well-regarded Twitter client that the microblogging network bought in 2011.

Moving forward, TweetDeck's web and Chrome apps will be the first that Twitter enhances with updates and new features, while the Mac and PC apps will continue to evolve as well.

Your final couple months using TweetDeck's AIR, Android and iPhoneversions may not be smooth sailing, either. Those apps will continue to rely on version one of Twitter's API, which will be retired this month. Blackout testing on version one begins March 5, so mobile TweetDeck users will likely begin experiencing outages with their apps on Tuesday.

"In many ways, doubling down on the TweetDeck web experience and discontinuing our app support is a reflection of where our TweetDeck power-users are going," the post reads before later adding: "And for those of you who are inconvenienced by this shift, our sincere apologies."

Is this a pain, or not such a big deal? Give us your take in the comments.

Photo courtesy Flickr, Andy Miah

[Source: Mashable]

WSJ: Apple's App Store climbs towards $25 billion in sales

The Wall Street Journal has posted an article covering the meteoric rise of the App Store, from its inception just a few years ago to its current state of almost $25 billion in annual sales. But while the App Store is growing like crazy, it's also presenting more problems for developers as well: Finding a significant crowd of customers is getting tougher and tougher, and just making a name for yourself in such a huge market isn't always easy.

And it doesn't help that customers are flying through apps extremely quickly. Mobile analytics firm Flurry tells the WSJ that while users do now spend about two hours a day on apps, the apps they use don't stick around for very long. About 63% of the apps in use today weren't used daily a year ago, and most customers focus on about eight apps at a time, according to the research. That makes sense: In such a huge market, with so many apps to try, why focus on just a few?

But it also means that the app market is going to have to mature. The WSJ cites ESPN for shuttering one of its apps while focusing on the more popular Scorecenter utility, and they also mention Shazam, an app that has found all sorts of functionality (and more revenue streams) as it has matured in the App Store. Apple's App Store marketplace has gone from zero to billions in just the past few years, and no one's got an exact road map for where it's headed next.

[Source: TUAW]

YouTube for iOS Updates Adds Send to TV Functionality

YouTube for iOS received a small upgrade this week that essentially turns a user’s device into a controller. Basically, users can now pick which video to watch from within the YouTube appand it’ll start playing through either a Smart TV, Xbox or PS3.

It’s almost like AirPlay; to see how it works, YouTube has a page setup that you can interact with. When you start playing a YouTube video on your device, a small TV icon will appear. Tap on that, and it’ll beam to your TV and resume playing there. From your device you can do things like play or pause, rewind or fast-forward, choose a different video and toggle between your phone and TV.

Additionally, other users can join in with their iOS device to create a playlist of Kid President videos to watch.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

BlackBerry Issues Update for BlackBerry 10 with Battery Life, Camera Improvements

BlackBerry announced on Friday that it published its first update for the company’s newBlackBerry 10 operating system.

Build 10.0.10.85, a 150MB download, includes several enhancements, including improved performance for third-party applications, a fix for Gmail calendars, improved call-log tracking in BlackBerry Hub, camera enhancements for low-light shooting, performance enhancements within the browser for handling video and improved battery life.

BlackBerry Z10 owners can apply the update by navigating to settings > software updates> check for updates.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Yahoo to close 7 products, including BlackBerry app

Yahoo is taking a leaf out of Google's business book, and closing down seven products that aren't bringing home the bacon.

These are: Yahoo App Search, Yahoo Sports IQ, Yahoo Clues, Yahoo Message Boards, Yahoo Updates API, Yahoo Avatars, and the Yahoo app for BlackBerry.

Yahoo announced the closures on its company blog. It said it was regulating its product line-up, and would do so regularly. "The most critical question we ask is whether the experience is truly a daily habit that still resonates for all of you today," Jay Rossiter, Yahoo's executive vice president of Platforms, wrote on the blog.

It's the second batch of products that have been given the heave-ho since Marissa Meyer took over as CEO. Mayer was previously at Google, where "spring cleaning" announcements -- in which it nixes products and services that aren't performing well -- are a regular occurrence.

Mayer also banned Yahoo employees from working from home recently, sparking a debate over whether it was more productive to go to an office every day.

More cuts are on the way, too. Mayer told a conference last month that Yahoo would reduce the number of mobile apps it offers from its current total of between 60 and 75 to a more manageable 12 to 15.

Yahoo's Blackberry app won't be available for download, or be supported, after 1 April. It shows Yahoo doesn't have much faith in the platform, seeing as its apps for other mobile operating systems will continue as they are.

Yahoo Avatars tend to be quite popular, with many using custom avatars on the Yahoo Answers boards. If you want to keep your avatar, you'll have to download it and manually re-upload it as your profile picture.

[Source: CNET]