Google Updates Gmail App With Better Google Drive Integration

While sharing documents and files between Gmail and Google Drive has been a nearly seamless experience on the web for some time, integration between the two apps on the mobile side has been lacking— until now.

Google rolled out an update to Gmail's iOS app Thursday that makes it easier for users to view and share documents and files between Drive and Gmail.

Gmail users on iOS can now view and save files on Google Drive directly from the Gmail app with "Save to Drive" and "Insert from Drive" options. Users can also now edit a file's sharing settings from within the Gmail app.

"The apps will even tell you if your file isn’t shared with the person you’re sending it to so you can change the sharing settings before you send it," Google software engineer, Simon Forsyth, explained in a blog post.

The update also brings new account management options for users who have multiple Gmail accounts. Those who have more than one account can choose which accounts appear within the app while remaining signed into the account elsewhere on their device.

Gmail's settings menu has also been tweaked so users can swap out their profile photo from within the app. The updated iOS app is available in the App Store. A similar update rolled out to Gmail's Android users earlier this month.

Read full Article…

Google Glass Update Adds iPhone SMS Messaging and Calendar App

Just a week after Google made Glass available for purchase to the entire public for one day, it unveiled a new software update for the wearable computer.

The latest software update adds SMS messaging for the iPhone, and includes a Calendar Glassware app.

Scheduled to be released over the next few days, the update will allow Google Glass users to view texts from their iPhone by turning on the "show notifications" option in the Bluetooth settings on iOS. The feature is already available for Android devices.

However, users will only be able to receive texts, not send them, due to what the Glass team calls "limitations with iOS." So while reading texts on the device might save you a bit of time, until you can reply to them using Glass, the feature will be less than ideal for frequent users of the wearable device.

Also included in the update will be the Calendar Glassware app, which allows users to view their appointments, as well as modify times, dates and locations.

Image: GOOGLE

Read full Article…

Apple CarPlay Coming to Pioneer In-Car Systems This Summer

The reach of CarPlay, Apple's in-car app system, will extend even further than before, thanks to a new arrangement with Pioneer.

Soon, when Pioneer users plug their iPhones into their vehicles, CarPlay will automatically launch and offer access to its full suite of apps.

“By providing an aftermarket option, Pioneer’s 2014 in-dash multimedia systems give many iPhone owners the ability to add CarPlay to their current vehicles,” Ted Cardenas, vice-president of marketing for Pioneer's car-electronics division, said in a statement.

The CarPlay option will be made available this summer through a firmware update to Pioneer's line of five 2014 NEX in-dash multimedia receivers.

During the initial rollout of CarPlay earlier this year, some thought that consumers would need to purchase one of the vehicles listed as part of Apple's CarPlay partner program. Pioneer's announcement means CarPlay will come to an even wider range of drivers much sooner than previously thought via this aftermarket option.

Pioneer has also launched a dedicated website for those interested in getting the CarPlay system via its 2014 NEX in-dash multimedia receivers. 

According to a report last week in Japan's Nikkei, Alpine also plans to offer an aftermarket in-car system that supports CarPlay, ranging in price from $500 to $700, some time this fall.

IAMGE: PIONEER

Read full Article…

Apple iPhone-Ready Device Is the World's Smartest Hearing Aid

However, the new smart hearing aid from Resound Linx is that rare piece of wearable tech that is not only practical, but immediately usable by anyone with a hearing impairment. Officially launched globally on Monday, the wireless Bluetooth device was developed by Denmark-based GN ReSound.

Created to work seamlessly with the iPhone and iPad, the ReSound Linx allows the wearer to adjust the sound settings from their smartphone, an important feature that allows anyone wearing a hearing aid to be less conspicuous while adjusting their device in public settings.

"What makes the hearing smarter than other hearing aids is the direct connection between Apple's devices and the hearing aid," Lasse Sorensen, GN ReSound brand management director said. "Also, the hearing aid can exchange data with the iPhone using the ReSound smart app, which gives the user new ways to personalize their hearing experience."

One example of that functionality is the device's ability to remember specific sound experience settings from a particular location by tagging its GPS location and then offering the option to use that location-specific setting whenever you return to that location.

Another way the GPS function comes in handy is as a locator. If you lose one of the devices, you can search for it using the ReSound Linx app, which raises the volume level on the app's display as you get closer to the lost device.

Sorensen gave us an "ears-on" walkthrough with the device, and it lived up to all of the company's claims. Nevertheless, laying your hands on this device won't come cheap. According to Sorensen, the general price range for advanced hearing aids is around $2,900 to $3,500, and the final price for the ReSound Linx will be about 10% higher.

The company is currently accepting inquiries via its website, but as of this writing no final price or release date had been announced.

Image: GN RESOUND

Read full Article…

Trove Rethinks Social News Discovery

Trove, the social news discovery app first created by the Washington Post's digital team, relaunched a completely overhauled suite of iOS apps Wednesday.

The app's concept is similar to news aggregation apps like Zite and Flipboard in that it provides users with curated stories based specific topics. (A "trove" is a curated list of stories based around a single topic.)

But unlike these apps, Trove doesn't rely on algorithms to predict relevant stories. Instead, each topic is managed by an individual curator who hand-picks each story.

The goal, says CEO Vijay Ravindran, is to reduce signal noise and help readers find all the stories they care about.

"The product is really built on this principle: Readers have a diverse set of interests from fun to serious," he said. "We're going to connect them with curators who are sharing those same interests so there's an opportunity for them to get this really high quality content experience."

Currently, troves are selected and organized by beta curators who are experts in a given field. The "Top Science News" trove, for example, is curated by Science magazine, and "Farm to Table" by former Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelshon. But any user can curate any topic.

"The system favors curators who are actively picking and who are amassing larger and larger followers," Ravindra added. "Over time, we think quality will go to the top fairly naturally."

Trove's team is headed up by Ravindra and Slashdot founder Rob Malda, who serves as product lead. Based on their editorial roots and close ties with The Washington Post, ensuring the credibility of individual sources was an important step in the app's development.

All of Trove's stories are culled from a list of 15,000 sources, each of which has been vetted by an editor. Users can also submit new sources to Trove for editorial approval.

The app is available for iPhone and iPad, with an Android app planned for later this year.

Image: TROVE

Read full Article…

Apple's 'iOS in the Car' System Screenshots Show Up on Twitter

Apple announced iOS in the Car last year, but so far the company’s official web page for the product still sports a “coming soon” message. However, on Tuesday one developer based in Europe tweeted what appears to be an early look at Apple’s in-car system in action.

Posted by Dublin, Ireland-based Steven Troughton-Smith, the screenshots show off several images of the iOS in the Car version of Apple Maps, most likely displayed via the iOS Simulator toolkit that developers use to test apps.

Although unconfirmed by Apple, this early look at the in-car version of iOS offers users a peek at a completely different take on the company's mobile operating system, as well as an early look for for the developers planning to create apps for the new mobile environment.

Unveiled at last year’s WWDC, iOS in the Car will allow users to connect their iOS device to the car and then use the car's dashboard touchscreen or Siri Eyes Free voice interface to control a number of functions.

The system’s feature set will include the ability to get directions on Apple Maps, send text messages via iMessage, select and control music from your mobile device as well as make phone calls from the iPhone.

Automobile manufacturers mentioned as being part of the upcoming commercial launch of the system include Honda, Mercedes, Nissan, Chevy, Kia, Volvo and Acura.

Image: APPLE

Read full Article…

App Cures Vertical Video Syndrome

We should all know by now if you’re shooting videos in portrait mode rather than landscape, you're doing it wrong.

Yet YouTube is still filled with videos flanked by black bars — something Horizon's developer calls "the worst type of video a human being can lay eyes on."

The $0.99 app, which hit the App Store Tuesday, eliminates that wasted black space. Videos shot with the app always appear in landscape mode, regardless of how the device is held. (However, it won't fix vertical videos shot in other apps.)

Here's how it works: Horizon uses your iOS device's gyroscope to automatically level videos as you shoot. You can choose between a couple of different leveling modes, which change the size of the frame. If you want to pretend the floor is a wall, you can also shoot portrait-style and have it come out as a properly landscaped video.

Videos shot in portrait mode are cropped to appear as if they were shot in landscape mode (resulting videos are slightly more zoomed-in to accommodate the crop). The orientation can be changed while filming, with little effect on the shot. Videos shot in landscape mode remain unchanged.

The app offers a variety of other options, including nine Instagram-style filters, as well as settings for shooting in different resolutions and aspect ratios.

Image: 1.HORIZON, 2. EVIL WINDOW DOG

Read full Article…