Category: App Update

The Skype for Android app has received an update today that brings several new user friendly features to it.  While none of the new features are overwhelming and indeed are present in many other Instant Messaging and video apps, this update bring Skype on par with them with simple things like an indicator when the other person is typing.  The update, version 5.4.0.3239, also brings the ability to send feedback on the app directly from within it amongst several other improvements and fixes.

Skype for Android – Free – Download Now

The American Airlines app for Android has received a nice update today that brings support for Android Wear devices.  Now once you have viewed your boarding pass within the app on your phone, you will have it available on your watch for quicker boarding of your flight.  It’s one of the latest apps to support Android Wear and one that busy travelers who have Wear devices will likely find quite, erm, handy.  For those keeping score at home, the updated version is 4.0.1 and it is available now in the Google Play Store.

American Airlines for Android – Free – Download Now

Google has released a minor update to their eBook reader app, Google Play Books.  The update, version 3.4.9 for those keeping score at home, brings a new font that is, by their definition, “designed for book lovers”.  The new font, Literata, can be selected from the font menu in the app and joins the five other fonts that are available to make it a better reading experience.  For those who are not familiar with it, the Google Play Books is an eBook app that gives you access to millions of books through the Google Play Store.  Much like the Kindle app from Amazon, this app gives you the ability to read eBoooks, PDFs or EPUB files and you can get a sample of every book in the library to read before you make the buying decision.

Google Play Books – Free – Download Now

The cloud storage app Google Drive has been updated for Android devices, bringing with it several performance improvements along with improvements to the built-in PDF viewer.  The update, version 2.2.182.17.35 for those keeping score at home, is available now for all Android devices.

Google has indicated in the release notes that this update to Google Drive brings performance and interface improvements.  In my testing of this update this morning, the update appears to have solved some lagging performance.  I have not noted any interface improvements but it could simply be that Google is referring to these performance improvements of the interface and not changes to the interface itself.  Regardless, it does appear that the update makes the app a bit more snappy in performance on my BLU VIVO IV.

Google Drive for Android – Free – Download Now

This is one that I personally take a lot of satisfaction in seeing. After indicating they were not going to update MLB At Bat for Windows Phone for the 2015 season, Major League Baseball has reversed course and has just released an updated version for the season.  We are 2 months into the season but I’m not going to complain. It is here and it is great.

Back in April before the start of the baseball season, MLB said they would not be updating the app for Windows Phone.  I was plenty critical of it as a baseball fan and Windows Phone fan.

@MLB shame you have left out us #WindowsPhone users. We too want to be able to follow our favorite teams on the go @Rockies

— Clinton Fitch (@ClintonFitch) April 5, 2015

At the time, it was the latest in a long string of apps that support for Windows Phone had been dropped (Bank of America, I’m STILL looking at you) and while I appreciated that Universal apps would be coming in Windows 10, it was frustrating as a baseball fan.  Now, it seems, all is right with the world.

MLB At Bat for Windows Phone – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now

YouTube for Android has been updated today bringing with it a much improved music search functionality and a tab on the app’s home screen for you to find music videos.  The update is version 10.18.55 for those keeping score at home and solidifies YouTube as becoming an ever growing source of music videos with many top artists posting their videos through VEVO.  Now you can quickly and easily find videos in a wide range of categories just by swiping to the Music tab in the YouTube app and play them straight away without having to search for them.

YouTube – Free – Download Now