Things 2.0 takes Cloud syncing out of protracted beta, showers you with new features

Things, one of the leading task manager apps on Apple's OS X has seen a long-awaited update to version 2.0 today. It brings to a close some five months of public beta testing of a new Cloud syncing feature — which distributes your to-do list across the full range of Apple devices, courtesy of updated iPhone and iPad apps as well. Also on the new features list are Retina display support for the new MacBook Pro, an entirely re-engineered core for "blazing fast Things Cloud performance," visual refinements that include a reduction in window chrome, and an all-new Daily Review section. You'll need to be running OS X 10.6.6 (Snow Leopard) or later to be able to apply this update, which is free for anyone who's already purchased the app.

[Source: The Verge]

Evernote updates for iOS, adds tap anywhere to edit

If there's one thing that perpetually frustrates us about Evernote on mobile devices, it's the inability to simply start editing a note when we open it up. As is, you've got open one, then tap the edit button, then you can navigate to the portion of the note you want to tweak. Not exactly the most efficient of workflows. That's finally changed, on the iPad and iPhone at least, and simply tapping anywhere in an entry will immediately open the editing tool, with the cursor exactly where you tapped. It may seem like a minor tweak, but it's one that should help address one of the primarily complaints about the note-taking service's mobile apps -- a lack of convenience. Now, we just hope the same update heads to Android devices. And sooner, rather than later.

[Source: Engadget]

Nearly 30,000 Microsoft employees tested Windows 8 Preview

Microsoft has revealed that nearly 30,000 employees have been testing Windows 8 Release Preview on over 30,000 machines. The figures, a snapshot from mid-July, are part of the dogfooding evaluation at Microsoft — a process where a company uses its own product to test it before release. Microsoft regularly sets up internal dogfood builds for upcoming software products, including its web products and Office 2013.

Microsoft's internal IT team fully supported the Windows 8 Release Preview deployment, offering self-help, help desk, and online communities to provide employees with assistance. The company also provisioned 75 devices with Windows To Go, a new self-contained version of Windows 8 on a USB device, and provided them to senior staff and engineers. Although it's not surprising to see Microsoft test its own software internally, the fact that nearly a third of the company's 94,290 employees tested Windows 8 in its beta phase shows it's serious about the operating system...

[Source: To read the full article visit The Verge]

Sony: Xperia P Android 4.0 update coming August 19-25

It looks like the Xperia P will be the next Sony handset in line for an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Sony Mobile India has taken to its official Facebook page to announce that ICS will start hitting Xperia P handsets from the week of Aug. 19-25. It's unclear whether this release window applies to India alone, but even if it does, other territories shouldn't expect too much of a delay given Sony's track record.  As we mentioned in our review of the Xperia P, it's a decent handset that was held back by the inclusion of Android 2.3 Gingerbread out of the box. With the much-needed bump up to ICS, the Xperia P will represent better value for money in an increasingly competitive mid-range smartphone market.  The news also bodes well for owners of the Xperia U and Xperia Sola, as these handsets are powered by the same internal hardware and run an almost identical ROM.

[Source: Android Central]

Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note rumored for Jelly Bean updates in Q4

Samsung's Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note could be on track to be updated to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean before the end of the year, according to the latest online rumors​. The reports come from Samsung fansite SamMobie, and though they're unconfirmed rumors at this point, the site has proved fairly accurate with this sort of thing in the past.  Samsung's flagship Galaxy S III (S3) is said to be well on its way towards Jelly Bean, with internal testing proving successful, and "public" builds apparently now being put through their paces in anticipation of a late Q3 or early Q4 launch. Meanwhile, last year's leading Samsung phones, the Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note are apparently being tested on Android 4.1 too. It's reported that the manufacturer currently plans to update both to Jelly Bean, though the decision isn't yet set in stone. Assuming these updates happen, the site suggests a release before the end of the year.

[Source: To read the full article visit Android Central]

HootSuite Extends Its Social Media Wings With Evernote, Storify and Zendesk Integrations

HootSuite, the Vancouver-based developers of a social media management dashboard for enterprises and other power users, is adding three new outlets to the list of social networks that are supported on its platform: from today there will be plugins available for Evernote, Storify and Zendesk that will let users send content created natively for Twitter and Facebook to these three, on top of support already offered to manage interactions on Twitter, Facebook and other sites like LinkedIn for some five million users worldwide.

HootSuite notes that this is a development on how the App Directory has been used since its creation in 2011: originally it was intended as a dashboard “focused primarily on populating streams within HootSuite.” It says it will be adding more plugins to extend the new functionality even further, covering areas like customer support, CRM and publishing — putting HootSuite in much closer competition with the likes of Oracle and Salesforce, which are also converging on this area.

[Continue Reading … Source: Tech Crunch]

Why apps in Mountain Lion might need to see your address data

In OS X Mountain Lion, Apple has added extra protection around the address book and restricted apps from gaining access to the contents without a user's permission. This added security is beneficial for users, but it poses a communication problem for developers who need to access the address book for feedback or crash reports, says Daniel Jalkut in a post on his Red Sweater blog.Developers who generate a bug report or feedback request within their app must deal with the foreboding dialog shown above when they try to populate the fields of a contact form using data contained in the "Me" card. Not only does the dialog confuse the user, it also makes it appear that the app is doing something nefarious when it's actually not.Working off a tip from Panic founder Cabel Sasser, Jalkut has devised a way to add a friendly tone to the dialog that'll explain to users why the app needs to pull information from the address book. According to Jalkut, you can modify the Info.plist file and add a string for the NSContactsUsageDescription key. This key will tell the user why the app needs the contact information and will appear the first time the app tries to gain access to the address book.

[Source: Tuaw]

LG Canada's Twitter says no Android 4.0 ICS for the Optimus 2X

The ongoing saga of "Will my Optimus 2X get Android 4.0?" takes another twist courtesy of LG Canada. Previously, LG Singapore had said via their Facebook page the update was coming in Q3 but now, LG Canada has taken to Twitter to say that's not the case at all and that it was a mistake based on a general statement from HQ. We're not entirely too sure what that means unless it's code for stuff we just say to calm people down and can then later retract. In any case, we've reached out to LG to hopefully get a better response on the matter because social media accounts aren't always the final word.

[Source: Android Central]

Get 'Save As' back on Mountain Lion's File menu easily

Much rejoicing accompanied the news that Mountain Lion brought back the "Save As..." option (which had been taken away in Lion and replaced with the not-nearly-the-same-thing "Duplicate" command). Unfortunately, Save As was relegated to a sub-menu which could only be seen if you held down the Option key, or you could use the not-very-convenient keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+Option+S.  For some reason, that keyboard shortcut never worked for me, so I decided to remap it using System Preferences.

[Source: To read the full article visit Tuaw]

Surface to arrive with Windows 8 on the 26th of October, says Microsoft

Though it's not exactly an earth-shattering revelation, Microsoft has confirmed that Surface tablets will arrive October 26 along with Windows 8. "The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012. At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices," Microsoft said in its annual report filed this week with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Microsoft has said before that Surface products "would be available the same time that Windows 8" was launched, but it's reassuring to see the date in writing. And, remember, those are Windows RT tablets only. The Intel-based Surface Pro is expected about 90 days later, according to Microsoft. Microsoft has also peppered disclaimers throughout the annual report (these appear often in SEC filings) about the success, or lack thereof, of Windows 8...

[Source: To read the full article visit CNET News]

Intel confirms development on Jelly Bean for Atom chips

In not particularly surprising, yet reassuring news, Intel has confirmed that they are indeed working on a port of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for use on their Atom chips. While we're still waiting for Intel to really make headway in the Android space, working on Jelly Bean reaffirms that they're here for the long haul.   There was no timeframe provided, and we still haven't seen a timeframe for Ice Cream Sandwich either, but the following statement from a company spokesman confirmed the news.   Intel continues to work closely with Google to enable future versions of Android, including Jelly Bean, on our family of low power Atom processors  Currently, Intel devices are being pushed out carrying Android 2.3 Gingerbread -- such as the Orange San Diego -- which works superbly, but is still hideously outdated at this point in time. We're still waiting to see the partnership with Motorola take off, and even Vizio is supposed to be using Intel architecture in a forthcoming 10-inch tablet. Hopefully these two companies will at least launch with ICS on board -- else face a monstrous failure -- but to see that Intel is working towards catching up remains positive. 

[Source: Android Central]

Google Acquires Sparrow

The GMail app we all grew to love has now moved homes. Sparrow has been bought up by the powers-that-be at Google HQ. Things will continue, but will we see development halt on the Mac app as we know it? I think so.

The following quote is from the company website.

"We're excited to announce that Sparrow has been acquired by Google! We care a lot about how people communicate, and we did our best to provide you with the most intuitive and pleasurable mailing experience.

Now we're joining the Gmail team to accomplish a bigger vision — one that we think we can better achieve with Google. We’d like to extend a special thanks to all of our users who have supported us, advised us, given us priceless feedback and allowed us to build a better mail application. While we’ll be working on new things at Google, we will continue to make Sparrow available and provide support for our users.

We had an amazing ride and can't thank you enough.

Full speed ahead!" [Quote Dom Leca, CEO, Sparrow]