LinkedIn ovehauls its iPhone app in version 6.0

The universal iOS LinkedIn app has been updated to version 6.0. The update brings a dramatic overhaul to the iPhone app, plus bug fixes and improved performance on the iPad.

According to the LinkedIn Blog, the iPhone app has a new interface, which makes using the app a lot easier to navigate and interact with. Now users can invite, follow, like, share and comment on content directly from the update stream, which is now the center of the app.

One particular new feature adds shortcuts to the new navigation area, accessed with a swipe to the right from the main homepage. This makes it quicker to get to certain features of LinkedIn, like connections or who's viewed your profile.

Finally, the app allows users to follow Influencers, and has added Dutch and Norwegian language support.

To celebrate the launch of the new app, LinkedIn has put together a video demonstrating the iPhone app in action. TheLinkedIn app is available now as a free download from the iOS App Store.

[Source: TUAW]

YouTube App for iOS Now Supports Live Streaming

Google on Monday updated its Youtube app for iOS to version 1.3, which allows users to watch live streams right from their mobile device. Many users might be asking themselves where this was over the weekend, when YouTube was streaming Coachella, but better late than never. Right? There’s always next year, and plenty of other events this year when the new functionality will come in handy.

In addition to the headlining feature, the updated YouTube app also introduces minor fixes, including a My Subscriptions feed and support for queuing up videos for TV playback. Of course, the typical performance enhancements are also included in the update, too.

Ever since YouTube was booted from iOS, the app hasn’t exactly been a favorite standalone offering. And while there are alternatives out there, Google is at least slowly unraveling an experience on a par to what it offers on Android.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Skype 2.5 update for Windows Phone 8 sheds the preview label

Despite steadily advancing in version numbers, Skype for Windows Phone 8 has remained in a preview state for the past few months. It's time for the app to enter the big leagues with its 2.5 update. The release is the first to drop the preview tag, mostly by fixing notable bugs with both video geometry as well as crashes when signing in with a Microsoft account. Frequent chatters may like that message notifications for Messenger friends are now active by default. There is one word of warning for HTC 8X owners: they'll need the latest firmware to avoid a flaw that silences the microphone. Provided that's no obstacle, though, we'd suggest swinging by the Windows Phone Store if you're at all interested in Microsoft's official mobile VoIP suite.

[Source: Engadget]

Vine now lets you embed your 6-second clips on Websites

Viners rejoice -- you can now embed your 6-second mini-movie masterpieces on Websites. The Twitter-owned service has just added the functionality, itannounced in a blog post.

If you want to give your movies a home on a site, you'll just have to enter some simple code. You can choose from three sizes: 320px, 480px, or 600px. Choosing the "simple" option will embed just the video, while the "postcard" one will retain the clip's original format, complete with text description and location.

Or you can embed your clip using the iOS app, which has just been updated to include the feature. Tap the ellipses in the bottom-right corner, then "Share this post", then "Embed". It might not work on all sites though, so best check before you start shouting about it too much.

Head to our US cousins' site and you'll see our very own Ken German's brief retrospective of old mobile phones. It's like a sped-up shuffle down memory lane.

Vine launched a couple of months ago, but is still only for iOS. Hopefully us Android users will get a version soon. It's been a massive hit though, with 6-second clips springing up everywhere. The new Wolverine film even had its very own trailer on the service. At least it didn't give away the whole story, like a lot of trailers.

If you fancy seeing what people are making vids of, a site called Vinepeek will give you a glimpse. It's pretty addictive viewing, though I don't want to be held responsible if anyone posts anything not safe for work. Viewer discretion is advised, as they used to say at the start ofWorld's Scariest Police Chases.

[Source: CNET]

Temple Run Finally Available On Windows Phone

Temple Run, one of the most popular endless runners around, is finally arriving for Windows Phone—months after Microsoft promised the game would launch. Better late than never, even though Temple Run 2 is already available for iOS and Android.

It may not seem like a huge deal, but getting a big title like this will do well to push theWindows Phone platform forward. However, it certainly doesn’t do fans of devices running WP8 any favors when big name titles—Temple Run 2, for instance—don’t launch simultaneously, or shortly after, for Microsoft’s mobile OS. Temple Run will have to tide WP owners over for now.

Windows Phone is getting a handful of other titles as well, including Gravity Guy 2, Chaos Rings, 6th Planet, Propel Man, Orcs Must Survive, Ruzzle, Fling Theory and Drift Mania Championship 2. Microsoft said the games will roll out during the week, so if any of them tickle your fancy, keep checking the marketplace to see if they’re live.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Gmail for iOS Updated with Ability to Swipe Between Messages

Google has updated its Gmail app to version 2.1, adding swipe controls that allow users to navigate backwards and forwards through emails without returning to the inbox. 

Edit mode is now initiated when a message in the inbox is selected, allowing users to quickly organize emails into folders and add labels from the action bar at the top of the screen.

-Swipe left or right to move between messages without returning to the inbox. 

-Take action on multiple messages more quickly: Selecting a message in the inbox now enables edit mode. Once in edit mode, tap on messages to select them and then choose to archive, delete, or more, from the new actions bar. You may select Cancel at any time to leave edit mode. 

-And of course: performance improvements and bug fixes.

[Source: MacRumors]

Google+ for iOS gets photo editing, filters in update

The new version of Google+ for iOS brings the sort of "retro" filters popularized by competing social networking apps like Instagram. Users can also rotate and crop their photos before sharing them to their Google+ accounts. 

The improved photo editing options are likely an outgrowth of Google's acquisition of Snapseed, an image editing application with iterations across both PC and mobile platforms.

The update also brings a new profile design, notifications tray, and the ability to control the volume of posts displayed in a user's stream from individual circles and communities. Users can also filter search results by the most relevant or most recent and send friends invitations to communities. 

Version 4.3.0 of Google+ for iOS is available as a free download in the App Store. The 28.6MB download is compatible with iPhones, iPads, and iPods running iOS 5.1 or later.

[Source: AppleInsider]

Evernote 5 hits Android with revamped camera, shortcuts and tweaked UI

Evernote has finally brought its Android client up to par with its iOS counterpart, pushing it to version five. The update, which just hit the Play store, includes a mild face lift that offers more contrast between notes and other UI elements, as well as a few new icons with a bit more depth and detail. The visual tweaks aren't particularly exciting, though. What has us rushing for the update button are all the new features, like the completely revamped camera interface. You can now take several images and add them all to a note in one shot. While a dedicated "page" camera helps you get the best results when snapping photos of hand-written missives by boosting contrast and removing shadows. Of course, the company thinks that feature works particularly well when paired with its branded Moleskin notebooks, but those are purely optional. The results from the couple of quick snapshots we took were bright clear and as legible as could be expected. Unfortunately there are continued issues with Evernote's text recognition, which tends to be slow for non-premium users.

[Source: Engadget]

Facebook Messenger Updated with Voice Calls in UK

Facebook recently released a new version of its Messenger application in the United Kingdom. The update offers voice calls and voice messages, two features that have been available to U.S. users since the middle of January. The application is available for several platforms, including Android and iOS, although the iOS version is reportedly the only one with the added voice call support right now.

Facebook appears to be chasing Skype with the new VoIP services, although we’ll need to see the feature rolled out across the globe before it even starts to look like a real competitor in the space. The application is free and is available from the iTunes App Store now.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Walmart extends iPhone scan-and-checkout feature

Walmart is expanding its Scan & Go checkout feature to over 200 stores, up from the current 70, according to Reuters. Scan & Go allows Walmart shoppers to scan items in the store with the Walmart iPhone app and then pay for them at self-checkout terminals.

The pilot program began in Arkansas stores in September 2012. According to Retuers, new markets that will feature Scan & Go inlcude Denver, Colorado; Phoenix, Arizona; Omaha, Nebraska; Dallas and Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Wyoming; Bozeman, Montana; Seattle, Washington; San Jose, California; and Portland, Oregon.

It's important to note that Scan & Go does not allow a user to pay for items through the iPhone app. From the Reuter's report: "Shoppers scan bar codes on items they want to buy, using the Walmart app on their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to keep track of the planned purchases and the total cost. Then they pay at a self-checkout screen, bypassing the typical registers."

[Source: TUAW]

Google Now for iOS? Promo video appears, removed

Users of Android's recent editions have been exposed to Google Now, the "before you know you need it" search tool.

Google Now tries to look ahead at your schedule and physical location to let you quickly access the most relevant results -- traffic for your commute, flight schedules for your trips, local restaurant recommendations and the like. G-Now uses a card metaphor to pop the necessary info right onto your device screen with minimal intervention.

While Siri can handle quite a few of those search chores on iOS, she's not exactly the anticipatory type. SRI's recent Tempo calendar app gives you some of the same halo of savvy around your schedule, but you have to get cleared first (Tempo still has a waiting list several thousand users long).Google's own Field Trip app delivers location-based tidbits (local art, attractions, restaurants and more) as you move around, but it's not integrated into the main search tool.

There may be changes afoot. Engadget unearthed a promotional animated clip that seems to preview a version of Google Now for iOS; the original video appeared on YouTube and has since been removed. In style, content and narration the clip is entirely in line with Google's original promo for the Android launch of Google Now, which lends quite a bit of weight on the authentic side of the scale.

[Source: TUAW - Click here to read the full story]

Gmail's mobile web interface now looks just like the app

I use Gmail pretty much exclusively for my incoming email, with three or four different accounts that redirect to my always online, easily accessible, and seemingly bottomless inbox. I thought the app the company recently released with a brand-new look was pretty impressive, and apparently so did the web designers at Google: They have just switched the mobile website to make it look just like the official Gmail app.

Unfortunately, the changes haven't proliferated to my corner of the web, but the screenshots of the new design look great -- nice and clean, with just a few important bits of color to keep your incoming messages straight. This version is also available on Gmail Offline, says Google, though strangely enough it hasn't made its way to the official Android client yet. I find a certain irony in the fact that the web interface is catching up to the official app interface, especially considering how the iOS app environment started as a series of web apps.

And who knows -- maybe the desktop web interface will see some of these changes soon. I'm used to the way it works now, but I'd be up for some tweaks and twists if they help unify the platform.

[Source: TUAW]