Adobe Photoshop Express makes Noise Reduction and Looks premium packs free for a limited time.

Adobe Photoshop Express is an excellent photo editor app for Windows desktop and Windows 10 Mobile and one of my favorites because it's super simple to use and full of those automated tasks that makes my photos look good without much effort. I'm very lazy when it comes to photo editing plus my lack of artistic taste is evident. I always scored ZERO in arts class, no kidding. 

That's why I like apps like Adobe Photoshop Express, to handle those tedious manipulations for me. The app has been updated today with one feature removed, Adobe Revel. The latter was Adobe's cloud storage solution to store your photos and sync them to your Windows computer/tablet and iPad. Adobe did not say the reason for removing Adobe Revel.

With the holidays almost upon us, Adobe is making its premium features free, meaning the Adobe Noise Reduction Pack which was sold at $4.99 and the Adobe Looks Pack which was at $2.99 are now free when you sign in with an Adobe ID. Adobe does say within the app that this offer is "for a limited time", so hurry to take advantage of it in the Windows store.

Duolingo adds Russian, Polish and Ukrainian to its language learning portfolio.

Correct me if I'm wrong when I say we all speak at least one language. But the real question is why stick to one when you can speak more thanks to apps like Duolingo, a Universal Windows app that is among the best in its kind in that it makes it fun and easy to learn a foreign language. Duolingo lets you learn Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Irish, Dutch, Danish and English; all of that totally free, with no in-app purchases. So no surprises.

Today the developers behind the learning app released an update that adds three new languages to the lot: Russian, Polish and Ukrainian. Three additional languages to learn at your own pace. 

If you haven't tried Duolingo yet, visit the Windows store on your desktop or phone to download and have fun learning languages.

Send group text messages from Windows desktop with Pushbullet.

Pushbullet made it easy to send text messages from our Windows computer and Android tablets. Today, the amazing team behind Pushbullet published another update that brings group texting support to the app. Users of Windows and android on tablets will thus be able to reply to groups on their devices without reaching out to their phones. All that is needed to start using this new feature is to download this update in the link at the end of this post. 

Group texting is supported in Chrome via the extension, the Windows desktop app and the Android app. The update will be available soon for Safari, Firefox and Opera extensions. Sending group text will be without limits until January 1st. Pass that date, the same individual text message limit will apply to free users of Pushbullet.


Whether you're a free or paid user of Pushbullet, download the update from Pushbullet and enjoy sending group text from your Windows computer.

Windows Maps for Windows desktop and Mobile gets lane guidance, Santa tracking and Home pinning.

Windows Maps for desktop and Windows 10 Mobile was updated today with features that I find very helpful. Not that I really need them in Mauritius, but they will come in very handy during my travels. Before we look into the update, I want to draw your attention on the availability of the update on Windows Desktop and Mobile at the same time. This is the power of Universal apps.

In this update, Microsoft introduces a feature I think they borrowed from Here Maps, recently owned by Nokia and sold to a German consortium, which lets users pin their Home and later tap on it to get directions back. In this update, Microsoft lets you do that by pinning your Home or Work to get guided directions from anywhere.

With Christmas right around the corner, every maps app has to have their own Santa tracking feature and Windows Maps will let you find Santa and "follow him as he travels around the world on December 24th". Microsoft says in the change log that this feature is not available in all countries or regions. In the case this feature doesn't work at your location, just sit back with your favorite drink with your family and do it the old way, by scrutinizing the sky, which is way better than looking at a screen.

The last item in the log, is lane guidance in turn-by-turn navigation. Every driver, no matter how good, has had to face this moment of not knowing which lane to use. This feature should help avoid these confusing moments for a safe ride. 

This is pretty big update for Windows Maps. This app gives you voice navigation, turn-by-turn driving, transit, and walking directions for free and without the need of a live internet connection. Simply download the maps within the app, but before you can do that, make sure you download/upgrade Windows Maps app in the store.

Candy Crush Saga for Windows gets 15 new levels of Siberian Sorbet-filled episode.

It's the holidays season, just the perfect time to add new episodes to the ever popular Candy Crush Saga for Windows. This translates into 15 new levels of ice-cold Candy Crush Saga for your immoderate consumption.

"Do you like ice cream? Of course you do! Then you will love Siberian Sorbet, our latest episode! It comes filled with 15 NEW LEVELS and an extra slice of sugary fun on top!"

Candy Crush Saga is a completely free game, but some in-game items will require payment. That said, head over to the Windows Store to download the latest icy episode of Candy Crush Saga.

Sway update makes it easy to drag & drop, copy & paste from Windows File Explorer.

We all have a story to tell whether it's for work, school, family event and nowadays not a lot of tools allows us to do so easily. Sure there is PowerPoint, but that requires you own a version of Microsoft Office and not everyone can afford one. Thankfully, Microsoft came up with Sway, a free tool for Windows that makes it easy to create and share personal stories with interactive multimedia content including maps, tweets, Vines, graphics and GIFs. And you don't have to be a professional designer to use Sway.

Microsoft makes a great job adding features and improving the current experience. They recently published an update that adds the following features to Sway:

• Full screen - You can now view and present Sways in full screen mode.
• Insert Pictures - It's now easier to copy & paste and to drag & drop pictures from Windows File Explorer into Sway.
• Miscellaneous - We've made several performance improvements and bug fixes.

If you haven't tried Sway yet, give it a try and unleash your productivity across your devices. Sway is a free download on the Windows Store.

Game Troopers releases Equalicious, a fun brain teaser for Windows Phone.

Equalicious is a fun brain teaser brought to you by Game Troopers. The free game is a Windows Phone exclusive for a short time and will run on 512MB devices too.

Equalicious is a game that lets you "train your brain going through multiple levels, arranging the tiles to solve simple equations with basic operations...". You also earn Xbox achievements along the way and as you get better, you can challenge your friends. 

This game has really been designed to be simple and fun, so check it out in Windows store. 

Microsoft OneNote for iPhone gets support for Touch 3D.

This is my second post about a Microsoft app receiving a cool update on another mobile platform, namely iOS, the Apple mobile operating system that powers the iPhone and iPad. The Microsoft app getting updated is OneNote, the note taking and to-do app.

The update adds features that cater for both phone and tablet version of iOS, especially the iPad Pro where OneNote will now support Apple Pencil letting you draw and OneNote will take care of converting hand drawn shapes "into crisp, perfectly regular polygons and circles." Better yet, line thickness will be proportional to your stroke speed. The faster you draw, the thinner the line gets. Microsoft also improved the drawing palette.

With the recent release of the iPhone 6S/6+S and their new features, Microsoft was quick to update OneNote to take advantage of one of selling points of the 6S/6+S, the Touch 3D which, basically, allow users access to a contextual menu after a long press on the app icon. With this new feature, users will be able to create new notes and access recent notes by simply doing that long press on the icon without having to open the app first.

Microsoft OneNote for iOS is available free for download in the App Store.

Vine for Windows Phone updated with double-tap to like and more.

Fans of short videos rejoice, the official Vine app for Windows Phone has been updated today to make your experience more enjoyable. Check out the full change log below:

• Now you can double-tap to like! Go give it a try:)
• Find more accounts to follow with a new list of suggested Viners. Tap to Find People icon in the the top left corner to see hand-picked suggestions.
• Video performance improvements and bug fixes.

Head over to the Windows Phone store to download Vine.

Game Troopers releases new Windows game free: Trucking 3D

Game Troopers has released yet another game for Windows/Windows Phone today, a game that will fulfill one of my oldest dreams which is to drive a huge truck around. 

As a kid, I used to dream about driving big trucks, even determined to making this my career. Of course things did not turn out the way I wanted, but Trucking 3D may help me get there. Game Trooppers' Trucking 3D is a free game “where you will have to maneuver your truck in a lively 3D environment while completing your missions.”

The game was initially developed by Evlppy and ported to Windows and Windows Phone, including 512MB devices. Trucking 3D offers more 60 levels and the following features:

·         6 different trucks and 4 special vehicles (ambulance, fire truck, plane carrier…)

·         18 visual upgrades

·         5+ hours of gameplay

·         Lots of new stuff in upcoming updates

·         You don’t need a driving license to play the game

·         Game available ONLY on Windows

Download Trucking 3D for Windows:
Windows 10 
Windows 8.1 and earlier 
Windows Phone 8.1 and earlier 

Microsoft Health for iOS gets support for Microsoft Band 2.

With Microsoft putting all their apps on every available platform, I've decided to use this blog to cover Microsoft apps for the iOS platform. I was recently given an iPhone 6 Plus to play with and the first apps I installed on it were, obviously, Microsoft apps. One of them is the Microsoft Health app to sync with my first generation Microsoft Band.

Microsoft has updated the app today, adding support for the Band 2. The fitness band is not yet available, but can be pre-ordered from Microsoft and Best buy. Your iPhone will be ready to work with your shiny new Band if you're after one. The change log does not say much, but the "What's New" section of the Microsoft Health app does invite you to check the new Band, UV monitoring, stairs counting, wake up refreshed and workout customization. 

Get the Microsoft Heath update in the App store. Check out Windows Central for details about the Microsoft Band 2. 

Game Troopers announces the release soon of new game Super MonkeyStar.

The prolific developers over at Game Troopers announced the upcoming release of a new game for Windows Phone called Super MonkeyStar. The company did not set any release date, just mentioning that the game will be available before the end of the year.

The adventure takes place on Qvimian Prime - This planet is in no way linked to Optimus Prime the Transformer - and you're Ape 013 or Iter who discovers his powers after escaping from his captors. Using them you will fight your enemies with the help of additional power ups and earn points, score, level rates etc. as you progress through the game.

Check out the teaser below:



Visit the Super MonkeyStar web site for more info.

Duolingo now supports Windows 10 Mobile & Desktop; Adds Esperanto and Norwegian.

Learning a new language can be a daunting task, but it does not have to be that way. Enter Duolingo, a free app for Windows Phone and Windows that makes the learning experience fun, rewarding and FUN. This app will definitely win your heart. I used it to learn italian. With Duolingo you can learn Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Irish, Dutch, Danish and English. The app will remind you if you miss your daily intake of whatever language you're learning. It was not necessary for me as Duolingo is so engaging.

Duolingo has been updated today and is now a Windows 10 universal app. Two new languages have been added and you can now learn Esperanto and Norwegian from English. Head over in the Windows Phone and Windows Store to download Duolingo and start the language of your choice.

Telescope for Periscope brings all live broadcasts in new global screen.

If you're a fan of live video broadcasting, then you probably already use Telescope for Periscope, a third party client of Twitter's Periscope service. Telescope was released on Windows Phone shortly after Twitter made the the first official app available on iOS. It was released on Android months later. The latter joined the club of users who enjoyed broadcasting live videos to the world. 

Telescope for Periscope (I'll just call it Telescope as from now) has picked up an update today that raises the version number to 1.1.05 with the following changes:

• Loading indicator on sign-in.
• Updates to home screen to show broadcasts from followers and most recent ended broadcasts.
• New global screen to see all live broadcasts.

Download the update in the Windows Phone Store.

Microsoft announces Windows 10 Mobile Build 10512.

Microsoft has unexpectedly made Build 10512 of the Windows 10 Mobile available to the Fast ring of the Windows Insider program. Gabe Aul, also known as the ring master, posted a list of improvements and fixes on the Windows blog:

• General improvement in overall stability and performance.
• You can now set the Lock screen and background image from within the Photos app.
• We fixed an issue where apps installed on SD cards weren’t working after a reboot.
• We have improved Latvian and Chinese inputs.
• We have made improvements to the Kid’s Corner tile layout.
• We have improved reliability of Data Sense notifications.
• Modified Shape Writing algorithm to be less aggressive in suggesting contact names over common words.
• Resolved an issue where Camera would not launch when the phone was locked.
• We fixed an issue where notifications for incoming text messages weren’t appearing.
• We fixed an issue where the touch screen wouldn’t be responsive after ending a phone call on some devices.
• And we fixed an issue where folder tiles have obviously overlapping text.

According to Gabe Aul, Windows 10 Mobile builds should be released more frequently now. He also posted a list of known issues that needs to be addressed:

• Mobile hotspot doesn’t work in this build. When sharing the Internet from your phone using Mobile Hotspot, devices will fail to get a valid IP address from your phone and will show no internet access.
• Two-factor authentication for your MSA with a phone number doesn’t work in this build. If you reset your phone and go through the first run experience, you won’t be able to input more than 2 characters for validating phone or text authentication. If you have a secondary email for two-factor authentication – you can choose that. As a workaround, add secondary email for two-factor authentication.
• Some phones might spend a long time in the post update migration experience – just let the phone sit and it should complete this migration.
• Apps that use background audio such as Groove, Podcast, Pandora, etc. will crash when launching after receiving an app update from the Store. Rebooting the device will resolve this issue.
• Some phones with a large number of tiles pinned to the Start screen may get stuck in a state where the device shows “Loading…”; the device will need to be reset or rolled back to Windows Phone 8.1 using Windows Phone Recovery Tool.
• Some apps may fail to update through the Store with the error code 0x80073cf9; uninstalling the application and reinstalling it will resolve this issue.
• The Movies & TV app will not work in this build (video playback is currently broken).

The most annoying issue for me is the 5th item in the list where the phone will remain stuck while loading the Start screen. There are two workarounds which are to hard reset or go back to Windows Phone 8.1 and I'm not willing to go through this again on my Lumia 1520. I had to roll my 920 back to 8.1 today, so I'll wait for the next build with hope that Microsoft will definitely fix the "loading" problem.

Source: Blogging Windows

6tag updated with Windows 10 design and improved search.

6tag, the unofficial but full-featured Instagram app for Windows Phone has been updated today, bumping the app version to 5.5. The app interface has been updated to match the Windows 10 design. The search feature has also been improved so "you can search places and search user/hashtags/places at the same time." Note that the official Instagram app for Android received a similar update on the 20th of July. The last item in the change log is about a feature that lets user "press and hold the camera button in the application bar to directly select a file." 

I have not been able to update the app yet, even though it shows an update is available. I'm not sure if there's something broken with the store, but tapping update button opens 6tag instead. All my devices are running Windows 10 Mobile, so that could also be an issue. Has anyone been able to update 6tag?

Download the update in the Windows Phone Store. 

Game Troopers releases teaser trailer for new game: Abyss

Game Troopers is one game company which seriously believe Windows Phone has a future despite all that has been said recently after Microsoft fired nearly 8000 employees and write off some $7 billion. Check out Game Troopers titles for Windows Phone, some of them are free and others available at a decent price.

Today Game Troopers has announced a new title called Abyss. The game has yet to be published to the store, which Games Troopers says will happen next week. "In abyss you will control Nep2no, a biochemical robot created by humans to explore the depths of the ocean in seek of a new source of energy called 'Gaia'."

Abyss has 20 levels with achievements and leaderboard so you can compete against your friends. The game will cost $2.99 on launch and will support 512MB devices.

Game Troopers has posted a teaser video to their Youtube channel to keep you waiting patiently until next week.

Dropbox for Windows Phone gets recent tab, in-app video streaming and more.

Dropbox for Windows Phone received a few nice updates today. First in the list is the recent tab. This is the one location where users will be able to see their last activities on Dropbox, such as "anything you’ve viewed, uploaded, renamed, or edited, on that device or on dropbox.com. The files you’re most likely to need on the go will always be front and center." So much to help you be more productive on the go.

Second in the change log, is about invitation for your friends to subscribe to Dropbox. Anytime friend signs in to Dropbox using a referral you sent within the app, both you and the friend will receive free storage. The log does not mention the amount of storage both will benefit, but more storage, and free, is always welcome.

This update also brings video streaming to the app. As from now on, there is no need to download a video first before watching; start streaming right from the cloud and save time.

Check out the rest of the change log below and then proceed to the Windows Phone store to update or download the official Dropbox app for Windows Phone for free:

• Save web links to your Dropbox
• Open internet shortcuts
• Add a text viewer
• New option for favorites: view in parent folder
• Bug fixes and performance improvements

Sendtiment for Windows Phone gets new UI and new 4th of July, summer & yoga cards.

Traditional post cards are something of the past and that's undeniable. With the emergence of the internet, every aspect of our lives have changed, even the way we socialize, share our love and wishes. I'm not saying the traditional post card is dead, they are still out there and they serve more as souvenir cards of our travels. It's so easy nowadays to just snap a photo with our phones and share it online with our families. Thankfully the postcard has evolved and fully embraced modern technology. Sendtiment is a great example of that transformation.

Sendtiment - the d is silent - is a free app that is available free on Windows Phone and iOS. Initially a Windows Phone exclusive, Sendtiment lets users send everything from personalized postcards, invitations, notes in a colorful way right on their Windows phones. The app is beautifully designed and lets you easily share your art work through the major social networks or with traditional email and text. 

Users can choose among the quite large database of professionally designed digital cards or pick a photo on their phones and design their own card very easily. And Sendtiment has a card for every occasions: Thank You, Love, Invitations, Hello Greetings, Happy Birthday, Happy Holidays, Independence, 4th of July, Sorry, Baby, Engagement, Wedding, Marriage, Announcement, Graduation, Support, Summer, Sushi, Yoga. Quite an assortment to choose from.

Sendtiment has been updated today with the following changes:

* Refreshed UI to match our new brand identity
* Bug squashes - blame it on the summer heat that brings out all the bugs
* Add a couple of new cards because summer + yoga + 4th of July

Before you go into the Windows Phone store to download Sendtiment, I just want to share small piece of history about postcards: The very first postcard was a hand-painted card posted in Fulham, London in 1840. In 2002, the card was sold for...31,750 Pound Sterling.

myTuner Radio for Windows Phone now supports installation to storage card.

If you like music and live in Mauritius, it can be quite frustrating not to be able to buy songs on Windows Phone and Android. But thanks to apps like myTuner Radio, we have access to 30,000 radio stations from more than 120 countries for free. This is great, but these type of apps/services require an internet connection and does not work offline. And not everyone has unlimited data or access to data everywhere. But until Microsoft opens up their vast song library to Mauritians, myTuner Radio is one of the many alternatives to listen to radios worldwide.

myTuner Radio was updated today which allow users to install the app to their storage card. An addition that will please owners of devices with low memory. The change log also states the database has been updated for fresh install with this between parentheses: Remember that the database is updated while the app is opened." I'm not sure what that means.

The update brings myTuner Radio to version 2015.615.843.4530 which is available free as a universal app in Windows and Windows Phone store.