February, 2013 - Softonic English

Snapchat video for Android makes its way to a stable release

A few weeks ago, Snapchat introduced a video recording feature in beta for Android users. iOS users have been enjoying this feature for months and now its finally included in the stable release of Snapchat for Android.

Videos will work exactly like pictures and text messages sent using Snapchat. Video will self-destruct after a certain amount of time up to 10 seconds.

Along with video recording, version 2.0 of Snapchat brings an improved notification system that is more informative and customizable.

So why did it take so long to port video recording over to Android? Daniel Smith, the founder of Snapchat, explains.

The Android phones that many of us use were never designed with Snapchat in mind, and that can be tough when developing a hardware-based application. The video feeds and playback behavior can differ greatly – often with no guarantees or warnings.

If you have Snapchat already installed on your phone you’ll receive an update from the Google Play store. If you haven’t downloaded Snapchat for Android yet, you can do so here.

Source: Snapchat

Plants vs. Zombies free on iOS for a limited time

One of the most popular mobile games, Plants vs. Zombies, is free to download for a limited time for the iPhone and iPad. Without notice, PopCap decided to make the zombie strategy game free for iOS users. While the game is quite old, it’s still very fun and offers tons of replay value.

The app usually costs $2.99 so there’s big savings to be had. There’s no indication from PopCap when the free promotion will end so act fast before the deal’s gone. There’s also no indication whether or not the same deal will find its way into the Google Play store.

There are two versions of Plants vs. Zombies: one for the iPhone and a “HD” version for the iPad. You can download Plants vs. Zombies for iPhone and iPad here.

Ubuntu Touch developer preview available now [video]

As Canonical promised, the developer preview for Ubuntu Touch is available to download and install right now. Ubuntu Touch only works with a handful of Nexus devices at this point (excluding the Sprint and Verizon Galaxy Nexus). If you have a Nexus device, you can try out Ubuntu’s mobile operating system for yourself. A word of warning though, this is a very early developer preview so bugs are going to be plenty. Canonical also includes instructions on how to restore Android onto your device after you’re done testing it.

You’ll want to check carefully if your device supports the software. The binaries available are for the Galaxy Nexus (GSM unlocked ‘maguro’ version only), Nexus 4 ‘mako,’ Nexus 7 ‘grouper,’ and Nexus 10 ‘manta.’ The installation is a bit complicated and inexperienced users may brick their devices. If you haven’t unlocked or rooted your device before, you’ll want to learn how to do that before installing Ubuntu Touch.

While you wait for the operating system to install, check out the video below to see what features you can look forward to.

At this point there aren’t many apps to test with Ubuntu Touch but you’ll be able to try out the core Ubuntu experience. Hit the source links below to download Ubuntu Touch and for instructions on how to install it.

Source: Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview (download) | Instructions

Microsoft Lync and Skype will be connected by June

Microsoft has announced that its professional communication app Lync 2013 will be available for Android, iOS and Windows Phone 8. It includes voice and video calls, and comes out in March for Windows Phone/iOS and the Android version is scheduled for April.

From June 2013, Lync users will be able to connect to Skype users too. Instant messaging will be first, with video calls coming during the next 18 months. This means Lync users will be able to contact and call anyone on Skype from Lync.

iOS users on iPad will also be able to use Lync’s shared desktop feature.

How to install Slender: The Arrival on Mac

The sequel to Slender – Slender: The Arrival – is currently available in beta for Windows but Mac users have to wait until the game is officially released on March 26th to try it for themselves.

However, thanks to a magical free tool called Wineskin, you can install Slender: The Arrival on your Mac right now. Here’s how to install Slender: The Arrival on your Mac in 10 easy steps.

Continue reading “How to install Slender: The Arrival on Mac”

Everything you need to know about the PlayStation 4 [video]

The PlayStation 4 announcement just wrapped up and there’s a ton of news from the video game company. Here’s everything you need to know about the PS4 and the games coming to the new console.

Let’s start off with Sony’s vision of how gaming should be.

Personalized/Social Experience

Sony put how gamers game at the focus of today’s PlayStation 4 press event. The company is putting an emphasis on how gamers interact with one another by creating a more social experience. At the core of this experience are apps for mobile devices. Sony wants gamers to continue using PlayStation services even when they’re not gaming. There will be mobile applications that will allow users to interact with their PlayStation Network friends while they’re away from their consoles.

Sharing has also been greatly improved. The PlayStation 4 will make sharing video clips just as easy as sharing a screenshot. Continue reading “Everything you need to know about the PlayStation 4 “

Google Drive for Android updates with video streaming, pinch to zoom, and improved performance

Google released a bunch of minor updates to a few of its Android apps like Google Earth and Google Maps. The most notable changes came with the Google Drive update. Users can now stream videos they’ve uploaded to their Google Drive right from their Android device.

Previously, users could only download the video to view it. Now videos can be streamed instantly. This is handy, but isn’t an earth-shattering update. There is also a catch with this new update as it only supports devices running Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) or later. This leaves a lot of users running Android 2.3 out of luck.

Another useful, albeit boring, update to Google Drive is the ability to pinch and zoom from within presentations. It only works in the presentation viewer mode and not in full screen. This will benefit those with smaller screens but won’t really help those with 720p or higher resolution screens.

Continue reading “Google Drive for Android updates with video streaming, pinch to zoom, and improved performance”

Yahoo! updates homepage interface and optimizes site for phones and tablets

Yahoo! is still a major destination portal for many users, but it looked a bit dated. That changes today as Yahoo! rolled out a completely redesigned Yahoo! homepage that integrates social feeds and makes for a more visually appealing experience.

Personalization is one of the core features of Yahoo! so users can customize his or her homepage to only include relevant information. The newsfeed also features infinite scrolling for uninterrupted content. No more having to click a link to jump to a new page for new content.

To make Yahoo! more social, the company has introduced social feeds. Users can log in with a Yahoo! or Facebook ID so stories that your friends share will show up in this feed.

There are also some minor tweaks done to some Yahoo! applications on the site. The weather section has been redesigned and is now easier to read. There is also a section for birthday reminders if you’ve linked Facebook.

Last but not least, the website has been updated to scale on phones and tablets. Mobile versions of the site will function just like an app with a menu button at the top left to access different sections of Yahoo!

The update will be rolling out to US users over the next few days so don’t fret if you haven’t the update yet.

Source: Yahoo!

Square Enix tease new game Murdered: Soul Suspect

With so many sequels around, new IP is always welcome and Square Enix have just posted a teaser trailer for their upcoming game Murdered: Soul Suspect.

Little is known about the game so far. It’s a murder mystery where you’ll have to solve your own murder. We don’t know what kind of game it will be, other than that. Could this be Square Enix’s answer to David Cage‘s Heavy Rain?

It’s slated for a 2014 release on PC and consoles, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated as we learn more.

Mobile app of the week: SwiftKey Keyboard 4

The latest version of SwiftKey Keyboard, released today, is the fastest Android virtual keyboard that we’ve tried.

The new version’s SwiftKey Flow technology makes this keyboard replacement even smarter than ever. The gesture-based input system means you just need to drag your finger across the position of the letters on the keyboard in order to make words – you literally don’t have to lift a finger.

Continue reading “Mobile app of the week: SwiftKey Keyboard 4”