Apps

Pandora confirms they are not working on a Windows Phone client (yet)

May 14, 2012 | By Surur

5 of 6 A WPCentral reader has asked Pandora about their constantly changing API which breaks (unauthorized) third party clients regularly, and received this response:

Thanks for writing and for the feedback. Thanks also for your interest in having Pandora on Windows Phone 7. We are not developing an app at this time, but we will definitely keep it in mind while planning our product priorities for the future.

We know that our recent release has broken most unsupported Pandora clients, and we do apologize for the surprise and inconvenience that undoubtedly caused to your listening experience.

At a basic level, third-party applications are violating our Terms of Use and are obviously not authorized to sell (or give away) something that fundamentally derives its value from our product.

Beyond the boilerplate, though, the fact is that–while the use you are writing in about seems designed mainly to help folks listen to Pandora in their own way–some folks do use third-party unsupported client libraries in a harmful way, and so we make changes when we need to prevent this. Regrettably, we have no way of targeting changes towards some unsupported clients and not others–some are respectful of our business, but unfortunately we can’t tell them from those that are not.

Even disregarding attempts at malicious use, we do of course still have to continue to upgrade our software, and unsupported clients have been broken by these sorts of routine changes many times in the past as well.

We definitely do recognize that our actions limit the options available to well-intentioned listeners who do not want to use any of our endorsed clients, and we’re genuinely sorry for the inconvenience this brings to our enthusiastic listeners like yourself! We really appreciate your support of the service and respect the DIY spirit, but our hand has been forced on this issue.

Thanks so much for your understanding, and thanks again for reaching out.

While the Pandora respondent clearly harboured Windows Phone no ill will, the same can not be said of the company as a whole, who have stubbornly refused to support Windows Phone despite clients for Spotify, Rhapsody, Last.FM, Rdio and others all appearing in Marketplace.

So if you have been holding out for an official version of the Pandora app, stop holding your breath and enjoy all the hacked versions already in Marketplace.

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Aviary Releases Its Windows Phone SDK, Popular Apps To Make Use Of It Soon

May 14, 2012 | By Pradeep

As Aviary announced few months ago, it released its image editing SDK to Windows Phone developers today.

It features,

Redesigned SDK from the ground-up to take advantage of the Metro design principles of Windows Phone
The same, easy integration process: add our editor to your project in as little as 15 minutes, with just a few lines of code
Customizable color theme
Controllable output size based upon developer preferences — you decide what makes the most sense for your app or service
… Not to mention that Aviary for Windows Phone has all the standard features as the rest of our mobile SDKs

Another good news is that popular Windows Phone apps like 4th & Mayor, Rowi, etc,. are already working on integrating Aviary’s image manipulation SDK into their apps which we may see it in marketplace soon.

Developer can download the SDK at aviary.com/wp7 and read more about it at Aviary blog.

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Game Review: Bubble Pong

May 14, 2012 | By andrewbares

This simple FREE ball bouncing game is more addicting and fun than one would think!

Overall Score: 4/5

Enjoyable gameplay, excellent leaderboards, and good presentation makes Bubble Pong worth trying.

Gameplay: 5/5

At first, this game seems really basic and not that exciting… You bounce a ball using a paddle… Once you play the first 5 levels, you realize it’s the total opposite of that! There are so many different gameplay changers in the game that it’s always exciting. Bubble Pong also features the best online leaderboard system I’ve ever seen! As you’re playing, the game instantly shows you stepping up through the weekly, monthly, and all-time leaderboards, so you feel like you’re actually making progress! Every leaderboard system should be like this!

Presentation: 4/5

The visuals are vivid and interesting, and the music fits the style of the game quite well. There’s a decent amount of visual variation between levels too.

Lasting Value: 4/5

With the awesome leaderboard system, you could find yourself playing this game for awhile! Plus, there are plenty of levels to keep you entertained. qrcode

Title: Bubble Pong
Price: FREE
Publisher: OmegaDot

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Learning Circle 2.0 with Video Downloads and Live Tile support is now in Marketplace

May 14, 2012 | By anprak

Learning Circle 2.0 is now available in marketplace. It is a fast, feature rich and beautiful app which enables you to learn on the go. It has thousands of videos from Khan Academy and Channel 9 for topics including math, science, history, finance, c#, vb.net, windows 8, windows phone, windows azure and many more.

In version 2.0, there are a few much awaited features including:

Videos downloads from khan academy and channel 9 with support for bulk download from video list page. There is also a ‘downloads’ screen for managing and tracking downloads.
Live tile support to display user information from Khan Academy and number of completed and pending downloads.
New home page layout for better discoverability of subjects.

You can download the app from your windows phone or web marketplace.

A new version is already in works with new design, here is a preview.

Some quotes from users:

Outstanding! Love it! Much faster & better organized than other similar apps.

Great APP! Recommend to every student from all ages. The new features are sweet! Still dreaming with the Exercises Port to the APP.

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New app People search is free tomorrow (Monday)

May 14, 2012 | By RonnyGydar

Gydar Industries, the developer behind the popular game Trine’s Hangman has published a new app in Marketplace today.

The application is called "Finn folk" in the Norwegian Marketplace, and "People search" in the rest of the world.

The app has English and Norwegian texts, support international smart-dialing characters, and is available in all countries in Marketplace.

People search on Windows Phone – SO EASY YOUR MUM CAN USE IT!

The application was created due to a 65 years old mum who complained about how much complex it was to call with her Nokia Lumia 800.

There are several smart-dialing apps for WP, but they were all a bit to complex for Ronny’s mum, or did not find everything she searched for since they did not search all fields.

Or they just did not provide enough options when the person was selected.

MICROSOFT PARTICIPATED IN THE BETA

Several employees from Microsoft was among the 100 BETA-testers of the app, a handful from Microsoft Norway, and even the lead for the Windows Phone team in the US was in the BETA.

It seems like Microsoft really want to implement some of these features into WP itself. Until then, you have People search

1-DAY-SPECIAL; FREE ON MONDAY 14. MAY

The app costs 0.99, and have trial-option. The trial is identical to the paid version, except that it after 24 hours will show a "please buy the app"-message on startup.

As a one-day-special, the app is free tomorrow (Monday 14. May), so grab it for free while you can

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Xbox companion app updated to version 1.2

May 14, 2012 | By Surur

Xbox companion app

One of Microsoft’s cooler Windows Phone is the Xbox Live Companion app. Using the Xbox Companion app you can control video playing on the console, search for new content and more.

Microsoft has just pushed out an update for the software, which brings the app to version 1.2. Unfortunately Microsoft did not release a changelog, so it is not clear what it anything has changed.

The app, which of course needs an Xbox and also an Xbox Live account, can be found in Marketplace here.

Have any of our readers noticed anything new? Let us know below.

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Official LinkedIn App Hits Windows Phone Marketplace

May 13, 2012 | By Pradeep

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional social network released its app in Windows Phone Marketplace. The app looks beautiful and it works smooth as well. It allows you to read updates from your network, comment on the feeds, manage invitations, etc,.

Get on-the-go access to your professional network with LinkedIn for Windows Phone. Find and connect with more than 150M members worldwide, read the latest industry news, keep up-to-date with your groups, explore jobs you might be interested in, and share content with your network from anywhere.

I will say that this is a solid v1 release and you can download it here from the marketplace.

Thanks to Simon for the heads up.

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SoundHound v1.5 With Live Lyrics Support Now In Windows Phone Marketplace

May 13, 2012 | By Pradeep

SoundHound, the Shazam & Bing Music competitor has updated its app to include a new handy functionality. SoundHound now enables you to find the lyrics of the music you find using this app. Also it now geo-tags the tracks when discovered, which will allow you to know where the song was discovered by you.

Full list of features of this app,

? Fast music recognition – name tunes playing from a speaker in as little as four seconds. Unlimited usage!
? The world’s only viable singing and humming recognition.
? Song Previews
? Licensed Lyrics – Learn the words to your favorite tunes from a large database of legal and high-quality lyrics.
? Share to Facebook and Twitter instantly
? Charts – see the latest Tweets from SoundHound, what’s hot, underplayed, songs found by other users, and more!
? Pin the quick search tile to your home screen for faster identification
? Fast-app switching
? Real time Facebook and Twitter updates from artists – Tap on the artist or band name to instantly see their latest social news!
? Buy tracks directly from the Zune marketplace
? LiveLyrics (in the U.S. and Canada): see Lyrics in time with the music you identify!
? Geo-tagging added so you can keep track of where a song was discovered!
? Improved panorama page load and other minor bug fixes

Unlike its real competitor Shazam, SoundHound is free and it allows unlimited tagging as well. Find the free app here from the marketplace.

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Official Time Magazine App Now In Windows Phone Marketplace

May 13, 2012 | By Pradeep

Another high-profile app just landed in Windows Phone Marketplace recently. Its Time Magazine’s official app. The app allows you to enjoy Time’s journalism anytime, anywhere on your Windows Phone devices. You can get the latest news, read opinion and analysis from TIME influential bloggers, and browse through award-winning photography and TIME’s hugely popular lists.

The app is free as well, you can download it here from the marketplace.

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FastMall For Windows Phone Allows You To Navigate Easily Inside Malls

May 13, 2012 | By Pradeep

FastMall for Windows Phone now allows you to navigate any mall map even without active internet connection. You can choose the mall you visit and once you download any mall map you can get interactive navigation even without an active connection. This app may come handy for people when visiting the Mall for the first time, etc,. Its also a free app, so why not give it a try?

Download it here from the marketplace.

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Nextgen Reader v3 Now Live With Many Improvements And Bug Fixes

May 13, 2012 | By Pradeep

Nextgen Reader is one of the best Google Reader client available from Windows Phone Marketplace. Its beautiful and clean Metro design allows you to enjoy the content without any distractions. The v3 of Nextgen Reader went live on Windows Phone Marketplace with some neat improvements and bug fixes.

v3 Change log:

• Improved startup time and performance.
• New subscriptions view with flat list design.
• Easier to navigate between feeds and folders.
• Collapse/expand folders from appbar menu.
• Support for favicons.
• Articles list with filters on top (unread, all).
• New: Mark items older than a day/week as read and sync.
• Save to Readability (settings -> accounts).
• Pin ‘All Items’ or ‘Starred’ tile to start screen.
• New live tile option (based on phone theme).
• Customize update mode per live tile e.g. images on front.
• Post link to social networks (e.g. share to facebook, etc…).
• Many more improvements and bug fixes.

The app costs $1.99 with free trial available. Find it here from the marketplace.

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Official ESPN Cricinfo App Now Available From Windows Phone Marketplace

May 13, 2012 | By Pradeep

Finally the official ESPN Cricinfo has landed in Windows Phone Markerplace. The app is fully features with push notifications, Live Tiles support, etc,. This app will be a must have for any cricket fans out there.

App Description:

With the official ESPNcricinfo App you get the most comprehensive cricket coverage from around the world!
Featuring all international matches, ICC tournaments and major domestic leagues including the English county championship, Indian Premier League and Champions League, the ESPNcricinfo App is the ultimate all-rounder.
The customisable app includes in-depth coverage of the game including ball-by-ball commentary, breaking news, fixtures and results, incisive opinion pieces from the World’s best cricket writers and audio and video features.

The new ESPNcricinfo app offers push notifications, a unique Lean Back mode functionality and much more.

Full feature list –

Live game coverage – Commentary, scorecard, match graphics, photographs, reports and player profiles from every international game.
‘Lean back’ mode – A unique feature where you can follow the scores in full screen mode. Place your phone on your table and follow live scores throughout a busy work day.
Live Tiles – deep pin a game from the live game section and get updates delivered to your home screen.
Push notifications – Get instant alerts for wickets, batsman milestones and score updates during live matches.
Personalisation – Customise the app to your favourite team
Video/Audio – Watch and listen to the latest ESPNcricinfo video and audio podcasts.
Magazine – Read from a selection of the best features from ESPNcricinfo Magazine
News, Results, Fixtures, Records and Rankings

Download it here from the marketplace.

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Swift Note for Windows Phone Released!

May 13, 2012 | By lewis.dodd

Swift Note is a simple, quick and easy to use note taking application for your Windows Phone device!

Key features include:

Extremely simple, user friendly interface means you can create and read your notes quicker.
Note title automatically created from your notes first line. No need to spend extra time writing a separate title.
Upload your notes to Simplenote, the cross platform note reading service. Read notes created in Swift Note on PC/Mac/iOS/Android.

TRIAL MODE: Swift Note has a trial mode that allows full use of the application apart from a 3 note limit and being ad supported.

You can grab the trial version of Swift Note today by clicking on the badge or by using Bing vision on the tag.

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