Adobe Releases Original Photoshop Source Code

• Now in its 13th version, Adobe Photoshop has become an indispensable tool with 23 years of features and cruft baked into it — but the source code for the application's original 1990 version is now available as a free download. 

Google Releases Best Android Apps Of 2012

A new post in the Google Play store by merchandising manager Tavares Ford outlines the top 12 Android apps for 2012 in the eyes of the search giant. Those of you that picked up a new Android handset or tablet this holiday will likely want to pay close attention as part of the fun with a new connected device is discovering the latest and greatest apps that everyone is using.
The best part about Google’s list is that all of the apps listed below are completely free! Here’s Google’s list from top to bottom with a brief description from Google Play:

Google Maps For iOs 6

Google Maps has finally landed in the App Store, causing not only a surge in the number of people who will now be updating to iOS 6, but also probably proving the fact that there really is a God. If you don’t believe us, you just have to ask those poor chaps down in Australia who got stranded in the middle of nowhere thanks to Apple Maps.

Facebook Planning To Buy Whats App

If reports are to be believed, Facebook is looking to buy multi-platform instant messaging application WhatsApp in a bid to improve its mobile services.
Citing sources close to the matter, TechCrunch reports the social networking giant has shown keen interest in acquiring WhatsApp. The site, however, could not provide more information about the possible price range or the talks are in which stage right now. Facebook and WhatsApp are yet to comment on the reports.

Samsung Working On Android Jelly Bean For Galaxy Tab 2

Samsung has started rolling out the Android Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy Tab 2. Once installed, this will update the version to Android 4.1, and bring this pretty much on par with the likes of the Kindle Fire HD.

WhatsApp Messenger Features

Instant Messengers (IM) seem to be a craze again these days, all thanks to the likes of Blackberry Messenger (or BBM as it is lovingly called out!), Google Talk and the dozens of multi-network cross platform third party IM apps. However, the slickness of use offered by the Blackberry Messenger was somewhat missing in all these solutions. That problem seems to have been solved to a large extent by a new app- WhatsApp messenger.

Installation:

Generally, the procedure with most IM apps is that you download and install, sign-up/sign-in and ‘add’ friends before you can begin chatting. However, WhatsApp works a little differently. Once you install the app, it registers with your phone number. Once that is done, the application automatically scans the contacts list in the phone, and adds those users who are known to be using/ already registered with WhatsApp. This is the single biggest difference between WhatsApp and other messenger services, where you have to add friends manually, either with their usernames or pin numbers etc.

The only issue here is that people, who you do not want to be in contact with, can add you to their WhatsApp list without needing you to accept any friend request. You may block or delete them later, but that is just an additional step to follow. And a privacy issue too.

Features:

At a first glance, it is easy to brush off WhatsApp as just another IM application. It has a very basic interface, with four tabs- chats, favs, all contacts and status. The Chats tab, as the name suggests, is where all the action is. The favorites tab has your favorite contacts, which keep getting refreshed automatically as new users sign up for the service. It is important to have these people saved up as contacts on your phone for them to show up on this list. Despite the plain-Jane looks, it does pack in quite a punch.

The interface could have been a lot better though. The boxy feel, along with a basic white colour tone, does make it appear boring. There is no way to customize how a chat menu looks in a Blackberry, for example, but a chat background can be selected in the Android version.
Price: Free (Data charges may apply, depending on your tariff plan)

Ratings
Features: 7
Performance: 7.5
Build: 5
Value: 8
Overall: 7.5

Download from: Apple App Store, Android Market, Blackberry App World and Nokia Ovi Store

Instagram Beats Twitter

U.S. smartphone users fired up the photo-sharing app Instagram more than Twitter during the month of August, according to new data from comScore.As first reported by AllThingsD, Instagram, now owned by Facebook, had an average of 7.3 million smartphone users accessing its service every day in August, comScore said. In comparison, Twitter had 6.868 million daily visitors on mobile devices during the same period.

ComScore's data reflects usage among U.S. smartphone owners aged 18 and older accessing the service on a device running iOS, Android, or RIM operating system via a mobile Web browser or app.

Plus, beyond just visiting Instagram more, mobile users also spent more time on the popular photo-sharing app than they did on Twitter. Users last month spent an average of 257 minutes on Instagram via mobile compared to 169.9 minutes viewing content on Twitter.Even so, Twitter still reigned supreme when it came to the total number of unique visitors. The micro-blogging service had approximately 29 million unique smartphone visitors during the month, compared to Instagram's 21.9 million. To put this in perspective, the data indicates that Twitter had a greater number of smartphone users visiting its site overall, while Instagram's fans were clicking on the app more frequently and spending more time on it each time they returned.

The data is notable given that Instagram is not even two years old yet, while Twitter has been around since 2006. Remember, Instagram was exclusive to iOS devices until April, when the company released an Android version.Instagram's reach could soon expand even further. Word has it that the uber popular app could be coming to Windows Phone.

Top 10 iOs 6 Secret Features

Apple released iOS 6 this week, bringing a handful of new features to iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches.
These are the 10 favorite secret features in iOS 6.

1. Walking Directions in Map

People are not happy with the new Maps app in iOS 6. It's full of problems. One of the major complaints is that it only provides driving directions, leaving walkers, bikers, and public transit users behind. The good news is that Apple didn't leave out these features entirely. In fact, walking directions are still available. To find them, just tap the bent arrow "directions" button in Maps and you'll see your recent destinations. From there, you can toggle between driving, walking, and public transit. Walking directions will work without issue. Public transit, on the other hand, will try to route you to another app (and fail, for now). Hopefully we'll see Apple improve Maps quickly and bring back these important, lost features. In the meantime, if this secret feature isn't enough to satisfy you then check out Lumatic. It might do the trick.

2. Archive or Delete Messages in Mail
A common Mail complaint among Gmail users has long been the need to choose between archiving and deleting a message. iOS just never provided a way to choose on the fly. Now you can. To do this, open a message, tap and hold the Archive button, and make your choice. The unfortunate reality is that you have to actually open the message to do this. You can't tap and hold the Archive button in list view to get these options. That said, it's a welcome improvement. We still prefer Sparrow, though.


3. Launch Apps with Siri

Apple told us Siri got smarter in iOS 6, but they neglected to mention that she'd launch apps for you. All you have to do is activate Siri and then say the word "launch" plus the name of the app you want to open. While this may seem a little lazy, it's really useful if you have a bunch of apps and don't necessarily remember where they all are. You no longer need to search—Siri can do the work for you.



4. Sync Your Text Expansion Shortcuts Across Devices

Apple added text expansion to iOS 5, and it was awesome, letting you type in long usernames, addresses, and other text with just a few strokes on your keyboard. We showed you some essential shortcuts to set up, and now iOS 6 has made the feature even better, letting you sync it between your other iOS devices (like an iPod touch and an iPad)—along with your custom keyboard dictionary. To do so, you'll need an iCloud account. Then, just head to Settings > iCloud, and scroll down to Documents & Data. Tap it, flip the switch to On, and do the same on your other iOS 6 devices. Your custom dictionary and shortcuts should stay in sync between all your devices.

5. Only Receive Message Alerts from Your Contacts

Don't care if you get an iMessage from an unknown source? You don't have to. If you head into the Settings app, then Notifications, then Messages, you can set your alerts to only show up for your contacts. If you don't want to be bothered by people who aren't worth sticking in your contacts—like spam message bots, for example—iOS 6 lets you ignore them.

6. Late Night Listening
Although not available on all devices, newer iPhones and iPads have a new EQ setting: Late Night. This option lowers bass levels and attempts to make your music less-intrusive in the evening so you can listen and fall asleep easily without being distracted by anything too jarring. Why Apple didn't include this option on earlier devices is beyond us, but iOS 6 has shown how much they like to unnecessarily limit their software to keep you from getting off the upgrade treadmill.

7. Wake Up to a Song

Apple update the Clock app—which I still hold to be my favorite native app—to give the alarm functionality a boost. No longer do you have to wake up to one of your ringtones. Instead, you can pick any song in your library. You could even make a recording of yourself telling you to wake the hell up, sync it to your iDevice, and open your eyes to a sunny day and your own, obnoxious voice. Or you could just pick a song that you like. Regardless, you now have a choice. That's very much appreciated.

8. Limit Ad Tracking

Everyone's trying to track you on the web, and your phone is no different. If you'd rather advertisers not track your activity and serve up targeted ads, iOS 6 lets you turn off tracking with a simple switch. Just head to Settings > General > About > Advertising and flip the switch to On. It may take a little while for you to stop seeing targeted ads, but soon enough your activity should be much more private.



9. Tons of New Emoji

Some people love their emoji—the cute icons you can add to messages, emails, or really anywhere that accepts text in iOS. Apple just added a ton of new options. If you have your emoji keyboard enabled already, you don't have to do anything. If not, you can enable it in the Settings app by going to General -> Keyboard -> Keyboards -> Add New Keyboard. That will bring up a list. Choose Emoji and you're all set.

10. Pull to Refresh
Pull to refresh is one of the greatest gestures that Apple took next to forever to adopt. iOS 6 finally allows you to pull down to refresh your mail accounts and various other data sources. Ignore the reload button and start swiping down.

Happy Birthday To Android:Turns 4 This Weekend

Google will be celebrating a birthday this weekend as their mobile operating system turns four years old. In the relatively short time it's been around, more than 500 million devices running Android have been activated as Google continues to check in around 1.3 million new products each day. The OS has helped to transform the mobile landscape into a driving force for a number of businesses today.

It’s hard to imagine most people still used standard cell phones four years ago. Those that did have a smartphone may recall that Research in Motion was a force to be reckoned with, Palm was still relevant and the iPhone 3G was only a couple of months old… my how times have changed.

Android 1.0 was released on September 23, 2008 although its roots date back much further. Rich Miner, Andy Rubin, Nick Sears and Chris White came together to start a company called Android in October 2003 – nearly nine years ago. The majority of co-founders brought a wealth of experience to the table: Miner worked as a senior executive at Orange, Rubin was the CEO of Danger, Sears was a senior VP for T-Mobile while White was once in charge of design and interface development for WebTV. Google scooped up Android in August 2005 for $50 million.

The first phone to hit the market running Android software was the HTC Dream (also known as the T-Mobile G1). The American carrier subsidized the handset for $129.99 with a two year contract. T-Mobile announced sales of one million units in April 2009 and discontinued the phone just over a year later in July 2010.

Google has a bright future ahead with Android as they continue to battle with Apple’s iOS for market share. The two operating systems are the most popular in the world and will likely continue to be unless Microsoft can gain some serious ground with Windows Phone 8 starting later this year.

iOs6 Introduced Problem In Bluetooth Streaming

Apple rolled out iOS 6 yesterday, and along with a less-than-stellar mapping solution the update may have introduced problems in another area: Bluetooth audio streaming. Numerous customers are complaining across several Apple support forum threads that after upgrading to the new operating system they are no longer able to control audio playback from their Bluetooth-enabled car stereo units. According to the comments audio streaming itself works fine, but the only way to control playback is to resort back to the phone itself — hardly an ideal option when driving down the highway.

The ability to stream artist, track, and album information also appears to have vanished for some users with the update, with both problems being reported across car stereos from multiple manufacturers. Apple has steadily increased the support for various Bluetooth profiles with each iteration of iOS, so it seems likely the problem is caused by a bug in the update rather than being the result of an intentional decision by Cupertino. Still, that's no doubt little comfort for iPhone owners that now find themselves with less functionality in the car than they did just 24 hours ago. We've reached out to Apple for comment on the complaints, and will update you with any further developments.

Apple Starts Moving Forward On iOs 6 After The Launch Of iPhone5

Apple is rolling out the latest version of its mobile software ahead of the iPhone 5's launch on Friday, allowing iPhone 3GS, 4 and 4S owners to explore iOS 6's new features. Although it isn't a radical overhaul, there's still plenty to see (keep in mind, certain features aren't available on the iPhone 3GS or 4):

Maps
 Apple has replaced the iPhone's Google-powered Maps app with a new version that touts turn-by-turn navigation, integrated real-time traffic alerts, interactive 3D views of major cities, more data (such as Yelp reviews) about places on the map, and the ability to input directions vocally via Siri.

Siri
 Speaking of which, iOS' voice-activated assistant is now better versed in entertainment, with the ability to report sports scores, check movie showing times  and answer other sports and movie-related questions. It can also provide info about eateries and it can post directly to Facebook and Twitter.

Camera
 Among other tweaks, the Camera application in iOS 6 receives a Panorama mode that lets you sweep the phone across a scene to capture a wide image. Based on reviews around the Web, this works pretty well, even in less-than-ideal conditions. Of note, it's only available for the iPhone 4S and 5.
Passbook - Apple has developed a new app that helps organize everything along the lines of movie tickets, boarding passes, retail coupons, loyalty cards and so on. It seems services haven't been enabled in Passbook yet so it's hard to draw conclusions, but some reviewers say the app seems promising.

Other
 Safari has iCloud tabs, Photo Stream has more options such as the ability to share specific images with certain friends, FaceTime now works over WWAN, Facebook has been integrated, the Phone app has more controls such as Do Not Disturb and the ability to instantly reply with a text message or set a callback reminder, Mail has a new VIP list for important contacts, while it's easier to add photos and videos to your message, and Apple's YouTube app has been removed in favor of Google's offering.

Google Achieves Instagram-Rival Snapseed

Google has agreed to acquire Nik Software, the development company behind the popular photo editing app Snapseed. The search giant has picked up the German app developer for an undisclosed amount.The acquisition is a big deal for Google since the Snapseed app is one of the best photography apps on an iOS device and is priced at $4.99 (Rs. 271 approx.) An app for Android is not currently available and Nik Software is currently working on an Android version of the app.

Just as it is easy to upload photos from Instagram directly to Facebook, the Snapseed Google+ integration seems inevitable. Nik Software says that there are more than 9 million people using the Snapseed app on an iOS device.

Vic Gundotra, Senior Vice President, Engineering – Google said on his Google Plus page: “Today I’m excited to welcome +Nik Software to the Google family! We want to help our users create photos they absolutely love, and in our experience Nik does this better than anyone. Check out the examples from some of the world’s greatest photographers, and you’ll see what I mean”.

Nik Software’s website reads, “We are pleased to announce that Google has acquired Nik Software. For nearly 17 years, we’ve been guided by our motto, “photography first”, as we worked to build world class digital image editing tools. We’ve always aspired to share our passion for photography with everyone, and with Google’s support we hope to be able to help many millions more people create awesome pictures. We’re incredibly grateful for all of your support and hope you’ll join us on the next phase of our journey as part of Google.”

Instagram To Windows Phone By 2012 End

Popular photo-sharing app Instagram is reportedly going to soon launch on Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, despite Facebook's recent acquisition of the service. The app is expected to be introduced soon after the launch of Windows Phone 8 platform later year.
peculations for a Windows Phone version of Instagram were triggered after The Verge pointed out what seems like Instagram's icon as a Live Tile in Nokia's recent video teaser for its Lumia 920 with PureView. However, it is now believed that the Live Tile icon could be of the Vimeo video sharing app. Later though, The Verge confirmed that Instagram will be launched for Windows Phone before 2012-end.

Instagram's arrival on Windows Phone is definitely going to reveal both Microsoft and Windows Phone fans alike. It may be recalled that when Facebook announced buying Instagram, it was believed to be an end for the popular image sharing app. Even though Facebook maintained it would continue the app, the rumours continued after the social networking company launched Instagram-style applications.

Windows Phone has various Instagram-like applications such as Bubblegum and parodies such as InstaCam. However, the original Instagram might make a huge difference for the platform if it comes to Windows Phone. Meanwhile, check out the Nokia Lumia 920 video below that led to all the speculation.

Adobe Deliberately Avoids Windows Xp

Adobe has issued an official statement that the next version of Photoshop will not be compatible with Windows XP. Microsoft released XP back in 2001 and for the last few years, has really been pushing people to upgrade to the newer OS.

Tom Hogarty, Adobe Product Manager, said in a blog post "The Photoshop team would like to provide advanced notice that Photoshop CS6 (13.0) will be the last major version of Photoshop to support Windows XP.” He justifies the move by explaining that the newer versions of Photoshop are very performance sensitive and therefore require modern hardware and graphical interface, which XP doesn’t provide.

“Leveraging advances available on newer operating systems and hardware allows us to deliver significantly better performance, and focus our innovation efforts around the areas of the greatest benefit to our customers. Photoshop CS6 already demonstrates that relying on a modern operating system, graphics cards/GPUs and graphics drivers can lead to substantial improvements in 3D, Blur Gallery and Lighting Effect features not available to Windows XP customers. The team hopes that by providing this information early it will help you understand our current decisions around operating system support and where we we're headed with future releases of Photoshop. We encourage all customers who are currently using Windows XP to begin making their migration plans now so they can fully take advantage of future Photoshop innovations as soon as they are available.”

Apple Launches iTunes With iCloud Built-In

As with every new hardware release, Apple updates iTunes in order to support new devices. But the media software will receive a major update, as was announced today during Apple’s live event. The interface is now totally new with an edge-to-edge design. Browsing your music feels completely different with a great emphasis on album art. The left-side column is gone in the default configuration. But the most important improvement is that iCloud is now built-in.

You can switch back to a more traditional interface with listings of your music and browse by artist. The interface is much clearer with pop-up elements that look like iOS. Search was also improved.

A new feature called “Up next” will be available. The name suggests that it should work like the queue feature in Spotify. It allows you to put some tracks in a queue to play automatically after the current track.

The mini-player was redesigned. You can now search directly from the mini-player and even manage playlists. The iTunes Store was redesigned as well and looks a lot like the different stores in iOS 6. iTunes’ “In The Store” highlights is surely “inspired” by top tracks from Spotify, a fan-favorite feature.

Artists can share photos directly into people’s iTunes library. By doing this, Apple is probably quietly killing Ping.

It remains to be confirmed whether the software was redeveloped from the ground-up to get rid of the sluggishness of the current version. The updated software will be available in late October.

How To Install iOS 6 Before September 19

Apple has finalized the iOS 6 software that it first previewed months ago. Developers have had access to some builds to test apps, but now there is a relatively bug-free Gold Master build out there that anyone can use. This is the same file that is going to be pushed to users through iTunes on September 19th. If you’re anxious to see what’s new, why wait?

Before we get started, make sure you back up your device through iTunes. Most of your content should be in iCloud, but better safe than sorry. You’re going to be installing directly from Apple’s Gold Master of iOS 6, but there is always some risk involved. Proceed at your own risk. On the upside, you get the software now, and can avoid all the congestion next week when everyone else destroys Apple’s servers trying to get iOS 6.

Apple’s devices are not quite the monolithic block they once were. There are slightly different versions of several devices, and you need to know which one you have. For example, there are GSM and CDMA variants of the iPhone 4, and each one has its own update file. Even more confusingly, there are two hardware revisions of the iPad 2 (one had an updated ARM chip). You also have to worry about the presence of 3G/4G radios in the various iPads.

Here is a page with links to all the update files, both direct download and torrents. The direct downloads are fairly slow and the file is nearly 1GB for some devices. The torrent might be a better bet (there are plenty of seeders).

You will end up with a .dmg or .ipsw file after the download has completed. If you have a .dmg, Mac users can just open this and extract the necessary .ipsw file. On Windows, you need an archive manager like 7-Zip to open the .dmg. Windows users will also have to then dig into the .hfs to find the .ipsw file.

Put this file someplace you’ll be able to easily locate. You should also check to make sure it’s about the right size. Your update file should be between 850MB and 1.1GB for most devices. The iPhone 3GS is a bit smaller, at around 780MB.

Get the most recent version of iTunes from Apple (currently 10.7) and install. When that’s done, plug in your iDevice and make sure it is detected by the software. This is a good time to make sure that you’re completely backed up. There’s no going back after this, and you don’t want to rely completely on iCloud.

On the iTunes device screen, you need to select the file extracted earlier as the restore source. On a Mac, hold the option key and click ‘Restore.’ On a Windows machine, do the same thing, but hold Shift. This will bring up a file browser so you can select the .ipsw file. The update will take a few minutes — just don’t unplug your device for any reason.

When everything is finished, you can restore from iTunes or iCloud if necessary. Enjoy iOS 6 on your device before the riffraff gets it.

Google Providing Free Wi-Fi Offers

After a summer of offering sponsored Wi-Fi in Manhattan, Google is extending its offer through September — but not for everyone. The company announced that it will be partnering with hotspot provider Boingo to promote Google Play, much as it did for Google Offers this summer. That means that in exchange for seeing some promotions for Play, users can get free Wi-Fi at 15 airports, a handful of New York subway stations, and "thousands" of hotels, malls, and other places nationwide. The offer will last until the end of September, and it's supposed to encompass a total of about 4,000 hotspots.

The airport and subway listings appear similar to before, but the total listings are greatly expanded from the initial promotion. Unlike the Google Offers deal, though, Google is pushing its own ecosystem for Play. Boingo has confirmed with us that while both Mac and PC computers can connect to the internet for free, only Android mobile devices will get the same treatment. When we went online with a laptop in a nearby subway station, it directed us to Google Play-sponsored internet. Connecting through the iPhone, however, gave us a separate "complimentary Wi-Fi" offer sponsored by Boingo, something that let us get online but likely isn't available in all locations.

Google's Youtube Now Available For iOs

oogle’s first official YouTube app for iOS has landed in the App Store, which will come as a relief to anyone who was irked by the discovery that Apple was pulling its trusty old version from iOS 6. It’s not available in all App Stores just yet, so you may have to wait patiently for it to surface in your country (I can’t see it yet here in Canada).

As you can see from the screenshots, it’s a much more stylish affair than Apple’s own app. The new YouTube app also features a slide-away design (just like the Google search app for iOS does) that allows you to access your account and settings, favorite channels, and YouTube’s charts. And like Google’s other apps, the built-in search offers suggestions as you type — instead of waiting to perform a search or present any options until you actually tap a button the way Apple’s app does. Voice search is also supported in case you don’t feel like banging out your query with your thumbs.

The new YouTube app also offers a pair of additional social sharing options. Beyond the Twitter and Email choices offered by Apple, Google has rolled in both Facebook and (of course) Google+. You can also now subscribe to channels, read comments (for better or worse), and browse Google’s related video suggestions.

A custom version for the iPad is also in the works, but YouTube has only offered a vague “in the coming months” for its launch date. And who knows, they might have to tweak the iPhone version slightly if the iPhone 5 does sport a different aspect ratio when it’s unveiled tomorrow.

Google surprisingly hasn’t released a video yet showing off the new app, but there’s a few feature videos appearing. Here’s one of the better ones to give you an idea of the app’s functionality:

Goole Maps For Android With Voice Guided Navigation Features

Google's voice-guided GPS navigation service is now available in India. The new feature enables travelers to get turn-by-turn GPS navigation to a destination on Google Maps through voice commands. So far, Google Maps only had passive navigation service. The feature is available as part of Google Maps for Android for free.
It's notable that Google's Maps with Navigation is in Beta phase right now. The updated Google Maps features detailed maps with 3D buildings, driving, public transit, biking, and walking directions, live traffic information, local search and business reviews.
GPS-based navigation services are highly popular among smartphone and tablet users across the world. Back in India, there are very few options for such navigation services. Right now Nokia, TomTom and MapmyIndia are some of the companies in the country providing the navigation services.

There are some third part apps such as Waze that are available for both iOS and Android devices as well. But they are not considered as accurate as Google Maps or Nokia Maps. Apple is also working on its Maps service, which is expected to launch with the iPhone 5.

The new voice-guided GPS navigation feature comes shortly after Google updated its Maps, adding suggested routes and departure times for more than 1 million public transit stops across the world. Google also added indoor directions for navigation.

Microsoft's New Windows 8 Companion App for Windows Phones

Microsoft has been retiring a number of its Zune desktop app features recently, in preparation for the upcoming switch to Xbox Music. While the company is readying its new music subscription service, Microsoft will also introduce new apps to manage and sync Windows Phone 8 devices. Sources close to Microsoft's WIndows Phone plans have revealed the look and feel of a Windows 8 companion app for Windows Phone 8 devices.

The application, a Metro style one that will be available from the Windows Store, is designed to replace the Zune client for Windows 8 users. We understand that the app will be automatically installed for Windows Phone 8 users on a Windows 8 PC when a device is connected. Windows 7 users will be directed to an equivalent desktop app to manage devices. The application, which will likely be branded as a "companion app," will provide quick access to photos, documents, music, and video on Windows Phone devices — allowing users to import or export data to handsets. We understand the application will be made available in the Windows Store in time for the Windows Phone 8 launch — expected in late October.