Microsoft releases Windows Reading List for Windows Phone 8.1.

Today Microsoft released Windows Reading List, an app that lets you read articles or watch videos later at your convenience. We do not always have the time to read or watch anything we come across while commuting or between meetings. This is where the reading list comes in handy. Not only you can easily send the content to your list from Internet Explorer or other apps and come to it later when time permits. Better yet, you can access your saved content on your computer running Windows 8.1.

Windows Reading List is a free app you can download from the Windows Phone Store.

Features:
• Add bookmarks from any app or Internet Explorer to keep track of things you want to get back to later
• See your list in the Windows Reading List app that is available on all Windows 8.1 devices whether you’re on your phone or PC
• Easily remove items once you're done with them
• Search through the items in your reading list to find specific things
• Each item is shown in a rich display, showing the title, images, and what app it came from
• Categorize items. You can group together ideas about the next place you want to vacation, articles about finance, or things you want to read for work
• Filter items easily by category
• Share a set of items from your list with others
• Removed an item by mistake? Use the recently deleted section to find it

"My Social Share Target" brings sharing to multiple social networks back to Windows Phone 8.1 preview.

No doubt Windows Phone 8.1 Preview has got the attention of many. Two weeks since its release, the preview has more than a million download and has garnered a lot of positive reviews. No need to say Windows Phone fan boys and fan girls are happy and excited about the preview. However, there are a few things that Microsoft chose to remove in Windows Phone 8.1 Preview. One among them is the ability to share to multiple social networks with just one tap. A feature unique to Windows Phone until the release of the preview. By removing this feature , some are claiming that Windows Phone 8.1 Preview sharing feature looks a lot like...Android. And it does. But the comparison stops there.


Enter MSiccDev.

Since last week, an app has been published to the Windows Phone Store by MSiccDev to fill in for the multiple sharing feature removed by Microsoft. The app is called "My Social Share Target SL" and is a test version everyone can download and submit feedback. My only issue with it is its name which I hope will change on final release.

My Social Share Target adds the multiple sharing feature back to Windows Phone, accessible either via the app list, a pinned tile and, better yet, via the Me tile. The latter feature will let you post a status update to multiple social networks again. Currently, Facebook and Twitter are supported with more to come.

My Social Share Target is a free download in the Windows Phone Store.

WeChat update: Specify your location, be notified when mentioned in groups conversation.

The popular multi-platform messaging app for Windows Phone has been updated today. WeChat is indeed very popular in Asian countries, namely China where it's the number one messaging platform.  The app for Windows Phone got better with the following changes/additions:

• Specify your exact location while sharing location data
• Be notified when you're mentioned in a group chat
• Save video message to your device

WeChat is an excellent messaging app that is available free in the Windows Phone Store.

Access Point, Nokia Cinemagraph and Nokia Video Upload updated.

Today, Nokia has published updates for three of its apps to the Windows phone Store. 

The first one is the Access Point app. A Nokia exclusive app to manage your SIM cards or if

 your SIM cards has more than one access points. Access Point thus lets you easily manage your internet, MMS and internet sharing settings all in one place. Here's what is new in Access Point version 3.9.2.19:

• Operator setting updates
• Robustness improvements

Nokia Cinemagraph is the second app to be updated. Nokia describes the app as "magical blend of photo and movie-like animation, creating pictures that seem almost live." With a Nokia account, you will be able to upload your animation to social networks or via email. Version 4.1.1.5 bring these new features:

• Export cinemagraphs as GIF files
• Location data for better integration with Nokia Storyteller
• General performance improvements

Nokia Video Upload is as its name says, a small app to quickly share your videos with your friends. Version 2.0 has the following new features:

• Support for more devices
• Upload longer videos (up to minutes)

These three apps are Nokia Lumia exclusives.

Spring sales: 60% off EA Games - 1 week only.

Everything is the title of this post. EA Games is having a great sales on its title in the Windows Phone Store. Such titles include popular games like FIFA 14, Plants and Zombies, The Sims 3, Need for Speed. In all, 12 titles have seen their prices go down by 60%.

Stop reading right here and head over to the store to get them all. The sale will end on April 24. 

EA Spring Sales

Source: Windows Phone Blog

Skype gets minor update. Article written entirely with Word Flow keyboard.

Microsoft Skype got a minor update today. The change log doesn't say much besides the usual general fixes and improvements. I have installed the update but was not able to see any changes. But that is not the purpose of this post. In fact, it was just an opportunity for me to use the new word flow keyboard of Windows Phone 8.1.

Yes, I am using the swipe keyboard to write this article and it's not so bad. I'm not as fast as with a regular keyboard but that will come with more practice. The word flow keyboard is really awesome. Give it a try if you've downloaded the preview.

As for the Skype update, use the link below to update or download it.
http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=c3f8e570-68b3-4d6a-bdbb-c0a3f4360a51

Bad Piggies rolls out on Windows Phone.

Call it Angry Birds in reverse if you want, Bad Piggies is Rovio's Angry birds from the pigs' point of view. Instead of chasing and blowing up pigs, you will actually guide them to the eggs using some sort of devices you will build yourself. So you'll get your pigs crawling, flying, and rolling towards their obsession. 

The game has been released to the Windows Phone Store for $0.99. Check it out.

Bing Translator now does offline translation of Polish and Turkish.

Bing Translator or Translator for short has been updated today that brings the app to version 2.9. The nice little translator is one that frequent travelers need to add to their travel kit. Not just because it is free, but it does the job quite nicely and it is frequently updated to include more languages.

In this update, Translator gets two languages added to its offline language translation list: Polish and Turkish. On the online front, Maltese and Welsh have been added.

Translator is also able to translate whatever falls into the range of your device lenses. Your Windows Phone camera will thus help you understand Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Polish and Turkish. The app also gets a wide live tile.

Check the update or download Translator in the Windows Phone Store.

Evernote gets a better note editor, picture editing in preview.

Among all note-taking apps, Evernote remains my favorite. I use on all my devices because, one, it is free and, second and most importantly, my notes sync to the cloud and are therefore available on all my devices with little to no effort. Even if cloud synching is a feature that is now native into about any apps these days, Evernote is probably a precursor.

Evernote received an update today that improves the note editor with the following features:

• Indentation (text, list, check boxes)
• In line attachments
• Table editing
• Horizontal rule support
• Layout improvement
• Edit pictures in preview
• Mask pin code on unlock.

Evernote is free to download in the Windows Phone Store.

Facebook Messenger let you saves photos while using less data.

Facebook Messenger for Windows Phone just got better today with an update that adds a much requested feature by users: The ability to save photos shared within conversations. Frankly, I did not even know this feature was missing in Facebook Messenger. I mostly share pictures via my OneDrive. With this update, Facebook also tweaked the notification to make it more reliable. I don't yet know how reliable it is, but it was re-designed so users do not miss any messages. Only time will tell how good it is. 

It is interesting to note that the change log mentions that the "app uses less data". Not sure about that one either. But in my case, it would be better for such an app to user less power.

Facebook Messenger is free to download on the Windows Phone Store.

Viber now lets you call non-Viber mobile and landline at low rates.

Viber for Windows Phone was updated today to version 4.1 and it has some features of interest that fans of the app will enjoy. The first one is the ability to use Viber on your Windows Phone to make calls to other mobile phones and land-lines. This added feature is not free, but the rates are inferior to what similar calls cost especially for international calls. Similar to Skype, you will need to buy credits in order to use this feature called Viber Out, which puts Viber in direct competition with Skype.

Other features include:

Send video messages
Send multiple photos at the same time
Hands-free Bluetooth support: seamlessly transfer calls to Bluetooth

Viber is free to download from the Windows Phone Store. If you already have it, get the update in the Store app on your phone.

Microsoft Research updates Blink with new UI, dual modes and more.

Microsoft Research has released an important update for their Blink app today. If you are not among the 1 million users who downloaded Blink, you should definitely get it now. Blink is a cool app that lets you capture a burst of images before you even press the shutter. Even more, it continues to capture images even after you're done taking yours. And this can result into amazing pictures and experience. Obviously, like any modern apps, social networks is built into Blink so you can share your masterpiece with the world.

Among the features in the update is Dual mode. Users can easily switch between two modes. One to edit and share your animations and still mode to save and share the perfect shot. See the full change log below:

New! Version 2.4
- Fresh new look: New branding and refreshed UI elements throughout the app.
- Dual Modes: Switch easily between two modes - Blink mode to edit and share your animations, and still mode to save and share the perfect shot.
- Focus Lock: Tap on the screen to lock focus in that the region. That region will always remain in focus even across phone movements. Tap again to unlock.
- Improved stabilization: Even better video stabilization so that your Blinks play without any camera shake or jitter.
- Live Tile: Pin Blink to the start screen and see your perfect shots on the live Tile. (Note: might require a phone reboot or a unpin/re-pin for live tile to start showing.)
- My Blinks: A new gallery view in the Blink roll to quickly jump among captured Blinks.
- Tutorial: An interactive tutorial is included to quickly get you going.
- Orientation lock: Bug fix to orient Blinks correctly on sharing, under orientation lock.

Go to the Windows Phone store to download the update.

Source: Windows Phone Blog.

Skype for Windows Phone now requires a Microsoft account.

Shortly after Microsoft acquired Skype, users were able to login to Skype with their Microsoft account. A Microsoft account is simply your Live/Hotmail or Outlook account. Skype for Windows Phone displayed a login field for both the traditional Skype account and a Microsoft account. I immediately made the switch when this feature became available. I did however keep my Skype account as it was still required to access Skype WiFi, an app available on Android and iOS that lets you access Skype enabled hotspots worldwide. Now that Skype WiFi also supports Microsoft account, I can get rid of my Skype account altogether.

In the latest Skype update published to the store, a Microsoft account is now a requirement to use Skype on Windows Phone. Users will not see the Skype account field anymore after they update the app and link their Skype account to their Microsoft account. The instructions to that can be found on Skype support site.

After you're done with the linking, Skype will take care of carrying your Skye credits and contacts over. It went well for me and did not encounter any issues at all.

The update which brings Skype to version 2.16.0.266, also lets you see when someone is typing. The usual bug fixes and performance improvement are also there.

Skype is available free in the Windows Phone Store.

SkyDrive renamed to OneDrive and gets new features.

Today Microsoft has released the re-branded SkyDrive app which is now known as OneDrive. The change in name was driven by the loss in court of a trademark claim by a British company. Microsoft did not appeal the verdict and decided instead to rename its cloud storage service. After the update is installed, the app will move from the "S" grouping to the "O" grouping in the app list. But that's not all.

Microsoft did not content itself with just a re-branding here. The app has also been updated with new features, including the ability to share multiple files at once. See the full change log below:

New in version 3.5:
• New thumbnail view
• Improved view of shared files 
• Share multiple items at once
• Pin folders to your Start screen
• Open your OneDrive files in other apps
• Bug fixes and performance improvements

Download the free update in the Windows Phone Store.

Tube Cast brings ChromeCast support to Windows Phone 8.

Google recently released the ChromeCast API and it did not take long to have an app show up in the Windows Phone store. Tube Cast is an app that lets you cast YouTube videos via ChromeCast to your TV. I tried it and it just works. However, it needs to be perfected and I am sure the developer will bring more features to it. As of now, the app is only capable of casting one video at a time. It is not possible to queue videos. In other words it is pretty basic. I'm happy to see a Windows Phone developer do Google's job and port their technologies to Windows Phone.

Tube Cast is a free download:
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/tube-cast/7e5b8d51-28c9-43f9-9370-905b1949513c

6snap updated with group support.

Seems like Rudy Hyun never rests. 6snap, the unofficial SnapChat client for Windows Phone, has been updated with support for groups. In other words, it's a feature that lets you share pictures and videos with select groups instead of everyone in your address book. This feature has recently been added to official SnapChat client on other mobile platforms. It's pretty impressive how fast it got ported to an unofficial client on Windows Phone.

Check out the full change log:

- create group of friends !

Include these snapchat features :
- share pictures and videos with snapchat users
- post snaps on your story
- see stories, best friends and score of your friends
- draw and add text to your pictures
- search snapchat friends on your phone
- save your picture on your phone
- front and back camera
- manage your snapchat privacy
- notifications with custom ringtone


Source: Windows Phone Store

6snap gets zoom ability, indicators and more.

The SnapChat third party client for Windows Phone, 6snap, got another round of update today. 6snap now supports zooming. Like any camera-enabled app, users will be able to zoom in or out before taking a picture. Indicators have also been added to show when snaps are in a pending state or being replayed by the a receiver. Better support for story support of videos with text and drawing.

6snap is available free in the Windows Phone Store.

IM+ for Windows Phone improved.

IM+ is an app that groups together several platforms. In one place you can initiate a chat session with Skype, Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, AIM, Facebook, Yandex IM etc. The app supports push notifications and can help save some precious space on your Windows Phone.

Check out the change log:

- Option to change group chat topic
- Option to lock display orientation
- View VK.com timeline from contact’s info
- Quick Voice messages
- Location messages – share your location via IM+
- Favorite contacts – add favorite contacts from different services in one group
- Bug fixes and performance improvements

Source: Windows Phone Store

6snap (SnapChat) and 6tag(Instagram) updated.

Two mighty third party apps for Windows Phone have been updated. Both apps have been developed by Rudy Hyun, the most prolific Windows Phone developer I know. This guy is probably more busy than the president of the United States and yet he finds the time to create new apps while updating current ones. 

Before Instagram even considered building an official app for Windows Phone, Rudy Hyun had a full featured client for my favourite mobile platform. Instagram recently released an official client for Windows Phone in beta version. It is one client that utterly sucks when compared to Rudy's fully dedicated work.

Rudy has updated two of his most popular apps today.

6snap (SnapChat)

- View snaps without holding the screen (option in settings)
- add new snapchat captcha when create a new account 
- optimize performance

6tag (Instagram)

- Save instagram videos to your Skydrive
- bug fixes

View shared PowerPoint presentation with Lync 2013 update for Windows Phone.

Microsoft published an update for Lync 2013 app for Windows Phone. The new features lets you view shared PowerPoint presentation during a Lync meeting and control Lync with your voice.

Lync is an enterprise software that replaces Office Communicator and Windows Messenger. There's a client version for Windows 7, Windows Phone, Android and iOS. The multi-platform app is free.

What’s new in version 5.3:
•         View shared PowerPoint presentation during a Lync Meeting
•         Control Lync with your voice - Join a meeting and play a voice mail

Source: Windows Phone Store