Game Troopers announces new game: The Last Door.

Game Troopers, the brilliant folks behind the games like Overkill 3, Tiny Troopers etc have announced today the upcoming release of  new game in July for Windows Phone and Windows. The game is called The Last Door and was originally developed by The Game Kitchen and available on PC, MAC, Android and iOS. 

The Last Door is a point and click adventure horror game with low res graphics "and a spine-chilling horror storyline".

Jesus Bosch, the CEO of Game Troopers, thinks "that this is a very special title, an indie game executed with a very high level of production quality. I got impressed about the high level of production just right after playing for a few minutes. We have very high expectations about the success of this title on Windows Phone."

The Last Door will cost $2.99 on release and will feature achievements like Game Troopers other titles. Until the release next month, check the teaser video below:

Disney's Frozen Free Fall gets 45 new levels, Snowgies & new Ice Cream mode.

Rumor of a sequel to Disney's hit movie Frozen is rampant on the web. True or not, Disney is making sure you do not forget about Frozen through the Frozen Free Fall game for Windows Phone which picked up an update today, adding 45 new puzzles on a brand new map. And to make things easier and funnier, Disney added new characters called Snowgies. They are mini snowmen, probably Olaf's kin, but without the carrot in place of the nose. Actually, those mini snowmen do not have one. According to the change log, the Snowgies will help players beat the levels faster.

Finally, this update introduces a new Ice Cream game mode where players will be able to "collect scoops of ice cream to build delicious ice cream cones!"

The update is 122MB in size and will require a WiFi connection to download version 2.7.1.2 of Frozen Free Fall in the Windows Phone store.

Instagram Client for Windows Phone gets video upload, 3 new filters, emojis and more in latest update.

Any serious Instagramers know that 6tag, a third party Instagram client for Windows Phone, provides the ultimate experience for filtered/unfiltered squared images. Likely, any serious Instagramers who use both Windows Phone and Android know that 6tag have some exclusive features that makes 6tag better than the official Instagram app. With that said, 6tag picked up an important update that brings it to version 5.0 that adds three new filters. But the most notable addition is support for uploading videos from your phone and saving them to your phone too. 

Here's the full change log:

• 3 new filters: Lark, Reyes, Juno.
• Video upload from your phone.
• Save video on your phone.
• Import/Export files from the other apps (including Dropbox).
• Emoji hashtags.
• Refreshed UI.
• Performance improvement.

Source: Windows Phone Store.

Shifty Jelly releases first Pocket Casts update for Windows Phone with their unique sense of humor.

Shifty Jelly, the developer behind my favorite podcast app for Windows Phone posted an update today. I'm not sure what I'm most excited about: the update itself or the detailed description of the update. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, then you've never used Pocket Casts on another mobile platform or, maybe, you just own a Windows Phone as your unique mobile phone. Any update from Shifty Jelly is always funny and this update is the first in a series of good laugh. 

"Welcome to the first update of many for our Windows app! Those of you who started countdown timers to see how long until we abandoned it are out of luck I'm afraid. It's nothing personal, but I'd avoid buying lottery tickets if I were you;)." That's only the beginning. Let's go check the full change log.

Here's what is new:

• You can now long press on an episode in a list to add it to Up Next.
• Added an option in podcast settings to refresh artwork, also tweaked the way artwork is loaded. If you had issues with that, they should now be gone.
• Called your mum and wished her a happy mothers day. You're welcome.
• You can now download episodes even when 'stream by default' is on. Oops.

So much for what's new. Before we go for the list of fixes, check if your mum got a call from Shifty Jelly :)

Fixes:

• Fixed some crashes that have been reported.
• Fixed font sizes breaking bits of our app.
• Fixed your relationship with that person you've been ignoring. Again, you're welcome.
• Custom skip times now work via BT and other external controls.
• fixed issues with speeds higher than 1x, reverting to 1x.

And finally, here's what Shifty Jelly has on their to-do list:

"Next on our todo list is video playback, world peace, and allowing you to pin ALL THE THINGS. We're not sure why, but you peeps are obsessed with pins. We fear for your local butterfly population is all I'm saying. You're on the Shifty Jelly train now kids, there ain't no stopping it or getting off!"

Can't wait for the next update. You can download the current one in the store.

Band Companion's remote shutter now includes video recording & four different battery positions.

If you happen to own a Microsoft Band, you should also consider getting Band Companion app. It's a third party app that will add new features to your Band through in-app purchases. Two of the features that are well worth the money are the battery status and remote shutter. These two features got better in an update published to the store.

Here's what is new in version 1.5.0.0:

• Choose between four different positions of battery status on Me tile of your Band.
• Remote shutter feature now includes video recording
• Remote shutter settings are now saved.

The developer also fixed some bugs reported by some users.

Download: Windows Phone Store

Disney's Frozen for Windows Phone gets 45 new levels to welcome Spring.

The extremely popular Disney movie Frozen was updated today with 45 new levels to celebrate spring in Arendelle. That's 45 new levels with the non-stop singing of the soundtrack by my daughters.This update also includes 10 umbrellas that players need to find to avoid getting wet. And finally, since this update is all about spring, watch the flowers blossom as players create matches. And...No bugs fixes and improvements :)

Download Frozen for Windows Phone free in the store.

Microsoft quietly releases contacts+message backup app for Windows Phone.

As a community moderator on Microsoft Windows Phone forums, I get to interact with people worldwide with various issues and one among them is the ability to backup SMS messages. Currently, Windows Phone does allow the backup of SMS messages, which is then stored on OneDrive and available for restore whenever disaster strikes. The problem with that implementation is that it does not allow the user to view the content of the backup. I very often see such requests on the forums, especially from users in the legal profession. I have some good news for those users.

Microsoft has quietly released a new app called contacts+message backup that lets you save your contacts in VCF format and messages in XML format to your storage card. No data is sent to Microsoft servers. However, it is very unfortunate that the app won't work on devices without a storage card. Most Windows Phones have a SD slot, but it does not necessarily mean they hold a storage card; Like my Lumia 1520 for example which has 32GB on-board storage and makes a SD card useless for my needs. SInce Microsoft budget devices are quite popular out there, it kind of make sense to go with the storage card.

Download contacts+message backup free in the Windows Phone store. After downloading, the app won't show in the app list, it will be in Settings.

Lumia Beamer URL changed to Lumiabeamer.com in latest update.

I'm not comfortable passing my phone around to people when I want to show them something on my device. Thanks to Lumia Beamer, I don't do that anymore because Lumia Beamer lets me throw my phone screen on any web connected devices. Those people receiving the beam do not necessarily need to have the Beamer app, a simple browser is all that is needed for them to see what I want to show them. If the name is no indication, The Lumia Beam is Microsoft Lumia exclusive app, provided they run the Black firmware or higher.

After quite some time, The Lumia Beamer app got an update today that changes the beaming URL to Lumiabeamer.com. The old URL was beam.nokia.com. With Microsoft having acquired Nokia mobile wing, they are still transitioning everything Nokia to the Microsoft brand.

Grab the update from the Windows Phone store.

Telescope for Twitter's Periscope update fixes crash on login.

Live video sharing is the new craze these days after Twitter acquired Periscope, a company or service that lets users broadcast live video to their followers for the world to see. Periscope was launched last month on Apple's iOS only. Fortunately, the vibrant Windows Phone developer community has stepped up and made an excellent third party Windows Phone app called Telescope to give access to Twitter's Periscope.

As of now, Telescope allow users to sign up follow users and view broadcast. The developer has announced that more features are on the way, including the ability to broadcast. In the mean time, an update has been published to the store that fixes a bug that caused the app to crash on login. Indeed, many reported not being able to get past the login screen

Telescope is available free in the Windows Phone store. Give it a try if you haven't done so yet and send your feedback to the developer.

Skype Translator preview now speaks Italian and Mandarin.

Back in December last year, Skype debuted the preview of a new service called Skype Translator that lets users connect to people around the world without worrying about the language. Back then, Skype Translator only supported Spanish and English. Four months later, Skype is now adding Italian and Mandarin to the list of languages.

The announcement was made on the Skype blog today. the blog post state how "Mandarin is challenging language to learn, even for Skype Translator. With approximately 10,000 characters and multiples tons, this is one of the most difficult languages for a native English speaker to master, along with arabic, Japanese, and Korean." Italian was added following popular demand when Skype rolled out the sign-up page for the preview.

Besides the addition of Italian and Mandarin, this new release also include some "key" changes:

Text to speech translation:

• You now have the option to hear the instant messages people send to you - in the language of your choice.
• Continuous recognition - Recognized text translation as your partner is speaking.

Automatic volume control:

• Your partner can speak while the translation is still happening. You will hear the translation at full volume, and your partner at a lower volume, so that you can follow the translation, which will help make conversations more fluid.

Mute option for translated voice:

• There is now an option to easily turn translated audio oe or off if you would prefer to only read the transcript.

Read the full post on Skype blog.

Candy Crush for Windows Phone gets new episode, Nougat Noir.

A delicious game is all I need to make my day and Candy Crush serves my favorite candies. Today's update does not offer my favorite candy, but I'll greedily play the new Nougat Noir episode that adds 15 new levels to the popular Candy Crush saga. 

In this new episode, someone has stolen gold from the Candy Bank. Detective Dachshund will investigate and unmask the culprit. At the same time these 15 new levels will take you up to level 845.

Download the update from the Windows Phone store and work out your way to the top level.

Tubecast for Windows Phone gets 4K casting, landscape navigation and more.

The wonderful thing in the Windows Phone world is its awesomely creative and passionate developers. Android may have millions of apps in the Play store, a lot of those do not meet the quality apps made by the fantastic Windows Phone developers. Examples of such developers abound in Windows Phone land and Webrox is one of them.

Webrox developed Tubecast, the ultimate Youtube client that supports Chromecast, DNLA and AirPlay. And Tubecast is also a universal app, meaning it runs both on Windows Phone and Windows. Buy it once and it's available for download on all your Windows devices. Today, the popular Youtube client got updated with the following features:

• 4K
• Windows 8 merged design and code.
• Horizontal navigation.
• Improve annotation handling.
• Improve DLNA (with new smart TV).
• New pinch gesture and double tap for full screen videos.
• Bigger newsfeed for logged users.
• 'Network error' fixed, it was due to Youtube API quota.
• All the player zone is clickable for play/pause.
• Bug fixes.
• New Icon.

Download:

1. Tubecast
2. Tubecast Pro

Vine now lets you trim videos from the Camera Roll on Windows Phone.

Vine got an interesting update today that finally allows users of the looping-videos app to upload videos from Windows Phone's Camera roll. I know, you would have expected this to be inherently built into such a high profile app, but it was not the case when Vine was released. Today's update fixes that with a button in the capture screen that will take you to the camera roll and lets you select your stored videos and trim them to adhere to the 6 seconds vid you want to share. The update also lets users mix and match videos.

See the full change log below:

• Uploading videos from your camera roll:
  - In the capture screen, you'll find a new button on the bottom left to access your camera roll.
  - Preview videos of any length length, and trim them to 6 seconds or less.
  - Upload a single video, or mix and match to tell a story!
  
• Privately send Vine videos and texts back and forth with a friend.
• Customize your profile with colors.
  

Vine is a free download in Windows Phone store.

Video Messaging: Get creative with 7 new Skype Qik live effects.

Skype Qik - pronounced quick - is Skype's second app that is cross platform, just like it's big brother Skype. But Skype Qik still plays in the messaging category albeit exclusively video. It can be compared to Instagram in that Qik lets you capture moments by shooting videos, add predefined effects to them and share with friends or groups of friends. Besides being a video messenger app, Skype Qik is really good at making your videos a great piece of art.  And it keeps getting better at that.

In the most recent update, Skype Qik got 7 new live effects. Users will be able to pick the effects they want while shooting the videos, hence the live effects. Simply swipe over the viewfinder to scroll through the fun effects before sharing the masterpiece with friends.

Check out the update in the Windows Phone store. 

Surfy browser for Windows Phone gets double tap to close tabs and 'undo close tab'.

I really like how Android lets me choose which browser I like most and set it as the default so that it will be the browser to open whatever link I click on. This is a choice I would like Microsoft to implement on Windows Phone. We already have the choice of search engine, so why not extend that to browsers. My favorite browser is on my Lumia is Surfy and it got an interesting update today.

Surfy is very popular on Windows Phone. One of the features I like is the support for tabs which makes navigating between open tabs as natural as on desktops and tablets. In Internet Explorer, The update adds a new way to close a tab. A simple double tap will now close tabs. A nice feature for small screen devices. Double tap renders the tiny x button useless and can therefore be hidden in the browser's settings. Wait, there's more.

The developer also included an undo option in the menu that will bring back a tab that was closed by accident. A simple tap on "undo close tab" will magically bring it back. 

Wait, there's more. See the full log below:

• Close tabs with a double tap.
• Undo the closing of a tab using the 'undo close tab' menu item.
• Close tab buttons can be hidden via the advanced section of the Options screen.
• Tab virtualization to improve stability when the app is running low on memory.
• New tab context menu items: close other tabs or duplication the current tab.
• Turn off downloading of images via the Network section of the Options screen.
• Disable or enable downloading of images for individual tabs.
• Surfy remembers image settings for individual web domains.
• New darker gray theme color available for tab background.
• Enhanced scroll bar.
• Night dimmer is now darker and with red light to reduce disruption to sleeping and melatonin levels.
• Night Dimmer is now also present in the hub and launch pad.
• Theme now includes darker gray for tab background.
• Back and forward navigation improvements.
• Numerous enhancements and bug fixes.

A pretty big update that you can download in the Windows Phone store:

1. The free version is fully featured but limited to three tabs.
2. The paid version is just $1.99. Not much, so support the developer.

gPlus, an excellent Google+ client for Windows Phone receives minor update.

Google attempt at building its own social network to rival Facebook has so far not been met with success and that no matter what Google fanboys want you to believe. Facebook remains the undisputed leader in social networking. However, if like me, you still hang out on Google+ and would like to do so on a Windows Phone, there's the excellent gPlus app, a third party client that brings Google's network to your Windows Phone with a modern UI - it is not a web wrapper. 

With gPlus, you will be able to create and edit your post and comments, upload your photos, join communities and circles. All that from your Windows Phone.

gPlus was updated today with some bug fixes and can be downloaded/puchased in the Windows Phone store at the price of $0.99.

Pushpin gets instant notification fixed, Channel support coming soon.

Pushpin, the official Pushbullet client for Windows Phone, picked up an update today that improves the push notification which is now directly handled by Pushbullet. This allows for instant push of notifications which was kind-of broken before. The developer recommends uninstalling the app before installing the new version.

The developer also announces the upcoming support of Channels. Users who subscribe to channels, which are similar to news feeds, will receive instant notifications on whichever device they have Pushbullet installed. A nice and quick way to get alerted when something of interest happens.

If you haven't tried Pushpin yet, download a trial in the Windows Phone store. The trial is a full version of the app with no time limit. However, do not hesitate to buy it and support the developer.

Game Troopers announces the upcoming release of Overkill 3 for Windows Phone and Windows.

The folks at Game Troopers are very busy these days. After the release of "Tiny Troopers" and "Make it rain: The love of Money", they will soon release Overkill 3 for Windows Phone and Windows. Overkill 3 is an action game and will make its debut on high end Windows devices first. But owners of budget devices need not worry as the developer has pledged to make Overkill 3 available for them later on.

Overkill 3 is a game developed by Craneballs from the Czech Republic. It has recently been released on competing mobile platforms with excellent reviews. Game Troopers is working closely with Craneballs to port the game to the Windows platform. Currently under development, Overkill 3 should be published sometimes this month or in April. Game Troopers did not announce a date yet.

While we wait for Overkill 3 to reach Windows Phone, here's a teaser video that may not help you wait patiently.

Windows Phone Translator gets online translation for Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian.

Formerly known as Bing Translator, the Microsoft translation app just got better with the added support of three more languages: Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian. However, the translation by your phone will require an active data connection. These three additions will very likely make their way to the already extensive list of supported offline languages.

The update also includes camera translation for Serbian which lets you point your device camera to Serbian text and Translator will do the translation for you. A must-have feature for travelers. This update does not contain any bug fixes and performance improvements. I thought it was just worth mentioning.

Download the update in Windows Phone store.

Game Troopers issues updates for Tiny Troopers and Make it Rain: The Love of Money.

Game Troopers,  the cross-platform developer behind popular "Tiny Troopers" and "Make it rain: The love of Money", published an update for both titles today. The changelog in the store does not say much about the bundled changes, but I got a detailed list changes and improvements from the Game Troopers. It's all about fixes and improvements. Oh and Game Troopers is on to something, but more on that later, maybe next week.

What's new in Tiny Troopers:

• Fixed an issue related to notifications.
• Fixed an issue that may caused paying users to see ads. Users that have bought any item must not see any ad.

What's new in Make it rain: The Love of Money:

• Fixes a rare crash on low memory devices.
• Ads frequency gets reduced.

Download both updates on Windows Phone store:

• Tiny Troopers
  
• Make it Rain: The Love of Money