Internet Explorer Dev Channel and more for the week of June 16, 2014
A lot happened this week. Microsoft releases Internet Explorer Developer Channel. Facebook Beta for Windows Phone gets a big update. Surface Pro 3 is now on sale. Amazon announces a phone about which I couldn’t care less. Let’s get to it! Continue reading
I want to throw my arms up and cheer! Finally, the days of searching for Facebook and finding dozens of fake Facebook apps are hopefully behind us. Microsoft is finally making it against the Windows Store policy to make apps that are titled and have tiles to mislead customers into thinking it is an official popular app or game. Continue reading
Here it is, the much-anticipated App from Nokia is finally in the Windows Store. Those of you that use Windows Phone of course will know this app. It is Nokia way to make Apps Discovery much less of a pain. Who’s best to recommend you Apps? Right, your friends. Suppose there is a way to know which apps your friends friends are running right? Yes, now you have it. The more people that use it, the more usable the app gets. So go download it right now.
Here is the description from the Store:
App Social: Discover, browse and share amazing apps both for Windows 8 and Windows Phone.
You can download the app now in the Store from the following Source Link.
Source: Windows Store
The Windows Store is filling up with more and more high quality games that are a blast to play. One of the latest in the series is called “Despicable Me: Minion Rush”. This is the latest in a series of fantastic games released by Gameloft. The game is based on the animated film Despicable Me, where you play as one of the cute, yellow, minions.
Your mission is to run and collect as many bananas as you can. You will have to dodge all sorts of stuff and fight off villains. There is a giant golden cup for the best minion. Can you be the one? The game works great with the Xbox 360 controller. You can use the keyboard as well as touch inputs to play the game.
The entire gameplay is very well animated. Attention to detail has been noted in every single corner of the game, from scenery, to obstacles, to the characters. There is a different animation for bumping in to different types of obstacles. The voice acting is great and you truly become immersed into the game. Here is an example: in the game you will meet your fellow minions who will take your hand and swing you forward. The camera changes angle and the entire scene is immersive like a movie. There is humor throughout the game, from the opening scene to bumping into your minion friends and having them hint your computer screen.
I really enjoy this game, and I think you will too! Best of all, it is free at the time of this writing! So go and grab it, and start your adventure engines!
Description
Gru’s loyal yellow gibberish-speaking Minions are ready for their toughest challenge in Despicable Me: Minion Rush. Play as a Minion and compete with others in hilarious, fast-paced challenges in order to impress your boss, (former?) super-villain Gru! Jump, fly, dodge obstacles, collect bananas, be mischievous, and defeat villains to earn the title of Minion of the Year!
ALL THE HEART AND HUMOR OF DESPICABLE ME • Enjoy unpredictably hilarious Minion moments • Perform despicable acts through hundreds of missions • Run through iconic locations, which are full of surprises, secrets and tricky obstacles: Gru’s Lab, Gru’s Residential Area, and El Macho’s Lair! • Customize your Minion with unique costumes, weapons, and power-ups • Battle Vector and an all-new villain exclusively created for the game
AN INNOVATIVE AND ORIGINAL GAME • Encounter secret areas, unique boss fights and amazing power-ups • Experience custom animation, voiceovers, and state-of-the-art 3D graphics • Enjoy multiple dynamic camera angles • Engage in various bonus gameplay modes: → Destroy things as Mega Minion → Collect bananas while riding the Fluffy Unicorn → Hang on to Gru’s Rocket for the ride of your life • Have fun with your friends! See their best scores during your run, and send them funny Minion taunts and challenges to show them who’s going to win Minion of the Year!
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Visit our official site at http://www.gameloft.com Follow us on Twitter at http://glft.co/GameloftonTwitter or like us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/Gameloft to get more info about all our upcoming titles. Check out our videos and game trailers on http://www.youtube.com/Gameloft Discover our blog at http://glft.co/Gameloft_Official_Blog for the inside scoop on everything Gameloft.
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This app allows you to purchase virtual items within the app and may contain third-party advertisements that may redirect you to a third-party site.
Terms of use: http://www.gameloft.com/conditions/
Features
- Rediscover the heart and humor of Despicable Me in the official game of the franchise.
- Perform despicable acts through hundreds of missions!
- Run through iconic locations, which are full of surprises, secrets and tricky obstacles: Gru’s Lab, Gru’s Residential Area, and El Macho’s Lair!
- Enjoy hilarious Minion moments with 3D graphics and fun animations!
- Customize your Minion with unique costumes, weapons, and power-ups
- Battle Vector and an all-new villain created exclusively for the game
Source: Despicable Me: Minion Rush
We all are anxiously waiting for the general availability of Windows 8.1 on October the 18th. We are hoping that we will also see some influx of new apps designed for Windows 8.1 and apps that Microsoft has promised us in the 2013 BUILD conference, namely Facebook and Flipboard. Another thing we might find in GA of Windows 8.1 is a new presentation of featured apps on the Start Screen.
If you see the image above (acquired from the Windows Website), you will notice that the Store Tile features a more prominent live tile. In Windows 8.0, the Windows Store tile was a live tile, but it would only show the number of app updates available. In Windows 8.1, it appears that the Windows Store is showing featured apps that users can download. You may already know that the RTM version of the Windows 8.1 allows you to set the Store tile to large, and on the picture above, it makes sense as to why one would want to do this. It seems that if you set the tile to large, you can see a collection of featured apps that Microsoft recommends.
Of course, if you choose to do so, you can turn off the live tile for Windows Store, or make it a small tile. You can also unpin a tile, as before. I am personally very excited for this feature, as it allows me to see new editorial app pics without having to launch the Windows Store. Secondly, it looks kind of nice. What do you think? If you are already running Windows 8.1 RTM, let us know if this feature is already available to you.
Update: This feature is not yet available in the RTM release that has been provided to MSDN and TechNet subscribers (as well as Dreamspark Premium users). It is very likely that it is part of the massive post-RTM updates that is coming before GA. All current RTM users will be able to download the updates from Windows Update for free in the near future.
As of July 31st, 2013, Facebook has announced “Embeddable Posts”. If you are familiar with Twitter and YouTube where you can post the embed code on any site you like without having to be a user of said sites
For those of you who don’t know, The posts work in the same way as embeds from Twitter and YouTube. Once your account is enabled, you will have the option to “Embed post.” That will produce a code you can copy and paste into a blog entry or HTML file.
But the bad news is, it’s only available for a small amount of companies or pages (i.e The British Monarchy, Mashable, Fox News…etc) It allows companies and pages to interact with users even if they are memebers of the site or not and according to Consumer Reports, 72% of Facebook Users have their post settings on Private.
Remember when Facebook introduced #hashtags? Facebook introduced Hashtags in June so users and journalists could track conversations on Facebook about various issues. The new embeds can also include hashtags, which readers can click on to see those discussions. So it is as easy as clicking the hashtag.
How it works
Embedding a Facebook post is easy. The drop-down arrow on news feed and Timeline posts will include an “Embed” option that lets you copy the HTML into any site or blog.
You can share posts from individual Facebook users or pages, as long as the posts are public. The posts will look the same as they appear on Facebook itself—any photos attached to the status update will appear, as well as comments, likes, and shares. You won’t be able to change or customize how the post appears.So you can embed posts with text, pictures, or videos; You’ll also be able to Like and comment, Follow users, Like Pages within the embedded post, and click hashtags and see related content by clicking on a hashtagged post.
So what do you all think? Is this a beneficial feature? A flop? Leave a comment below.
Microsoft has recently been touting the ease with which Apple iOS Developers can port their apps to the Windows Store, it seems the message has started to pay off. We are beginning to see more and more famous iOS Apps and Games in the Windows Store. What more, Microsoft has relaxed the Metro Design 
Language requirements for Apps, this means iOS app are now fully welcomed in the Store, skeuomorphics and all!
A good example of this are the apps from IPT Inc which now has a plethora of iOS apps in the Windows Store. Don’t doubt me, the quality of these Apps is very good, no doubt about it. But if you’ve been used to seeing flat Metro GUI apps in the Store, these iOS apps just jump at you. The first of IPT app I’ll like to mention is this Lucky Voice App in the Store as shown above. I can assure you this is a direct port of the iOS app as even Dialog boxes shows the typical iOS controls. The famous “Back” button is there as you can see here on the left. The Delete confirmation Dialog with rounded edges and its opacity is also shown.
As for usability, there is nothing wrong with this app. It records in very good quality. It give you the ability to annotate your Voice Notes, the notes are shown stacked as expected for an iOS app. You can rename your recordings and share them as desired. The app gives you graphic indication of Recording status, with the running time shown in red at the top. Unfortunately, the app cannot run on the background, so you have to Snap the app to use other apps.
The App is described as follows by IPT Inc. in the Store:
Description
Lucky Voice is a professional voice recorder. It is a simple, fun, and easy to use audio & voice recorder. Use it to record meetings, lectures, and personal notes, without time limits.
Features
- Hight-quality handled recording.
- Easy, convenient user interface and controls.
- Export to file.
- Export to SkyDrive.
- Send by email.
This is just an example of an app from IPT Inc, they have 17 Apps in total in the Store as you can see below. Can you notice the iOS icons with rounded edges. Yes, hell has frozen over in the Windows Store :-). You should try their other apps too, like Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram Apps. I am sure those of you coming from the iOS platform will surely appreciate these apps. Just take a look at their Lucky Notes App, it has leather skeuomorph. I had to laugh at that one. Feel free to try these apps, most of them are free, and they are getting very good ratings in the Store.
Download Lucky Voice via the Source link below.
Source: Windows Store
If you haven’t seen our post on facebook or twitter, we are changing the name and logo of Techtronica tomorrow! It’s exciting news and we want you, the reader to help us pick a great new name. Techtronica is a name that has served us well for years and we are sad to see it go. BUT! we also love positive change and giving Techtronica a new name will give us a new beginning! Below are some requirements for suggesting our new name.:
Requirements:
#1: Must be catchy
#2: We have to be able to get the domain name for it aka newname.com as an example
#3: You need to provide a new catch line for the new name.
#4: It must get more than 5 likes or favorites.
What are you waiting for? You’re about to be apart of something great! Post on our Facebook wall or Mention us with the new name and catchline with the hashtag #Techtronicaname. So get to it, we are counting on your!!!
-Techtronica Staff
Jason Short (@Infinitecodex) just announced Metro Social App in the Windows Store. A look in the Store is enough to prompt this mention on McAkins Online. Metro Social is one awesome Facebook client, and I am sure it will give other clients in the Store a good run for their money. The app makes good use of the Metro Interface to bring you your Facebook stream. The is not a wrapper around a web component, but all functions of Facebook is implemented in the glorious Metro interface. Here the app description from the Store:
Description
Metro Social is an intuitive, easy, and stylish way to browse Facebook on your Windows 8 PC or tablet.
Browse the home page to get a glance at your notifications, news feed, events, photos, and friends quickly. View your Facebook photos in depth with our photo view, which lets you see likes, comments, and more! Check out features like close friends photo albums and recently updated friends lists.
We’ve optimized the Facebook experience, so that both touch and mouse users should be at home here.
We hope you enjoy Metro Social as much as we enjoyed developing it for you. If you have any comments, suggestions, or bugs (we hope not, but we’re only human), please let us know at our support site: http://metrosocial.uservoice.com. We’d love to hear your feedback!
Metro Social is an unofficial Facebook client.Features
Intuitive, speedy Facebook browsing
Modern UI styled throughout
Stylish photo viewing, including full screen
View notifications
View close friends’ and friends newest photo albums
Like and comment on news feed stories
Check out upcoming events, get directions on built in Maps or Google
Functional snap views
Optimized for mouse and touch
Curious about the app? Download now from the Store via the link below:
Source: Windows Store
What’s the best way to stop spammers? Well, that’s simple just add a $100 fee for every Facebook executive you plan on messaging and you’ll find yourself with a pretty good plan. At least, that’s Facebook’s new strategy to help sort out what should go in the black hole “Other” mailbox or go to the user’s actual Inbox. Continue reading
If you’ve ever used Snapchat before you’ve most likely known that all media sent and received disappears after the alloted time set by the sender, right? Well, Buzzfeed has found out a hack that allows those recieving to view the videos forever. So how’s this happening? Continue reading
Here is something nice from the Store, an App that simply calls itself Facebook. You would expect Microsoft would block such an App name since its not the official Facebook app that Microsoft announced with Facebook during the launch of Windows 8. But seeing all the feature present in this App, I will not be surprised if Facebook officially buys off the app. It is the most comprehensive Facebook app we’ve seen so far, having almost 90% of all Facebook features. Pearl Apps really outdid themselves and should be commended. I am curious what is happening with this app when the official app drops. See for yourselves how complete this app is:
Description
Facebook’s mission is to make the world more open and connected.
Keeping up with friends is faster than ever.
– See what friends are up to
– Share updates, photos and videos
– Get notified when friends like and comment on your posts
– Chat and have group conversations
Note: This is not the official Facebook App. We are not affiliated with Facebook in any way.Features
News Feed
Browse individual Posts
Comment on Posts
Like/Unlike Posts and Like Comments
Browse Photo Albums
View your and any User’s Profile
Status Update
Picture Upload to Wall
Notifications
Friend Requests
Messages
Chat
Messages
Events
Search
Well, I wonder when the official app arrives if it will do anything better than this app. Note the warning in the Description above. The vendor has mentioned they are not affiliated with Facebook in any way. They may eventually loose the Facebook App name as MS has made it part of the Store policy that you can’t register a Trademarked name. If you are curious about this app, you can download it now for free in the Store via the Source link below.
Source: Windows Store
BATH TIME HAS NEVER BEEN THIS FUN
• Amazingly accessible gameplay: Simply drag and release the shark’s tail with your finger to launch him at the ducks!
• Dispose of the duckies, grab all the coins, and finish each level with the fewest jumps possible to earn 3 Stars! Use your Stars to unlock new levels!
• Not happy with your last shot? Undo it and try it again!
A WILD JOURNEY IN BATHTUBS ALL OVER THE WORLD
• Make your way through 96 levels with more to come in future updates!
• Visit 4 different environments, from ancient Rome to distant Japan!
• Complete tons of missions & unlock loads of achievements!
MEET THE MOST ADORABLE BAND OF BATH TOYS
• Sharkee, the hero and fearless leader of the merry band of plastic sharks
• Sawy, whose incredible saw nose can cut chains and drop heavy objects on those dastardly ducks
• Hammy, who uses his Jump Slash skill to leap through the air and hit ducks from incredible trajectories
• Scuby, Sharkee’s twin brother, a calm and meditative toy who likes to swim through the watery depths to take out duckies wherever they hide
Grab enough coins and you can upgrade the appearance of your sharks with cool new skins!
—-
Visit our official site at http://www.gameloft.com
Follow us on Twitter at http://glft.co/GameloftonTwitter or like us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/Gameloft to get more info about all our upcoming titles.
Check out our videos and game trailers on http://www.youtube.com/Gameloft
Discover our blog at http://glft.co/Gameloft_Official_Blog for the inside scoop on everything Gameloft.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have the first Dedicated App for Facebook in the Store. Don’t get me wrong, we already have Facebook apps in the Store, and the most popular being the FlipToast app that I have reported severally on this blog. But FlipToast, as awesome an app as it is, is meant to be a front for most of your popular Social sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram etc. Which means it is impossible for this one App to do it all, you have to miss some features. Thus we have this great competitor in the App MINE for Facebook. The app stepped in to fill the void of a full Facebook app till Facebook and Microsoft decide to release an official Facebook app. It’s a well written app and gets the job done as advertised. You can view your Feeds, Comment, Like and UnLike, view Profiles, Facebook Notification etc etc. The list is just too long, so I’ll let you review the Description as given by Marvin Apps in the Store:
Description
MINE for Facebook is a Facebook client created with one mission in mind: to show you your Facebook feed, the way you want to see it. Of course you can see your Facebook timeline, post updates, comment & like, …, but if you want, you can go one step further and customize your feeds until they exactly fit your needs.
We’re adding features constantly, so feel free to check back often – this is just the beginning :-)
Current version: 0.9.0Features
View your Facebook news feed.
Comment, like & update your status, share a link, add a picture, …
View your friends’ profile pages, including their wall posts.
Customize your feeds! Do you only want to see status updates? No problem. Do you want to see all the pictures, but only from a select group of friends? No problem.
So, next to your regular feed, you can create custom feeds, allowing you to select exactly what you want to see from which friends.
Update your Facebook status or share a link or picture from any application which supports sharing!
Get notifications from Facebook right on your Windows start screen.
Designed with Windows 8 in mind, for both touch & non-touch devices.
Search Facebook from anywhere in Windows.
The App is at the moment free for all, so might as well go ahead and give it a spin. Download via the Source below.
[Update: 2012-11-22] We’ve just been contacted by the Author of this App below in the comments as you can see. The author indicates this is just a preview of things to come; an appetizer if you will. They promise a high update and release cycle which will indeed make this app great and give Facebook a run for their money when the Official Facebook app drops in the Store. You can trust your friends on McAkins Online to be on top of latest developments as they appear in the Store. So check back regularly for updates.
Source: Windows Store
Angry Birds Space features over 160 interstellar levels on planets and in zero gravity, resulting in spectacular gameplay ranging from slow-motion puzzles to lightspeed destruction. With regular free updates, brand new birds, brand new superpowers, and a whole galaxy to explore, the sky is no longer the limit!
Features:
Over 160 interstellar levels!
Regular free updates!
Brand new birds!
Brand new superpowers!
Zero-gravity space adventures!
Trick shots using planets’ gravity!
Hidden bonus levels!
Beautifully detailed backgrounds!
Join the global phenomenon as it goes galactic!
Become a fan of Angry Birds on Facebook:
http://facebook.angrybirds.com
Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.angrybirds.com
Terms of Use: http://www.rovio.com/eula
Privacy Policy: http://www.rovio.com/privacy
Support: support@rovio.com
Important Message for Parents
This game may include:
– Direct links to social networking websites that are intended for an audience over the age of 13.
– Direct links to the internet that can take players away from the game with the potential to browse any web page.
– Advertising of Rovio products and also products from select partners.
– The option to make in-app purchases. The bill payer should always be consulted beforehand.
