Category: New App

Microsoft has rolled out yet another new app for Android today that brings quick and easy copying of text from one app to another.  Clip Layer allows you to copy a page or section of text from one app by pressing and holding the Home button on your phone, then opening another app and copying that text to that app.  While Android natively has the ability to do this on most apps, Clip Layer makes it very easy with just simple taps to copy sections of text instead of having to tap-and-drag.  Plus, the app has the ability to take that copied text and share it with others right from within the app.

The magic of how the app works is within the Assistant settings of Android.  By allowing the app to become your Device Assistance app, that enabled the Home button to become the trigger for copying text.

OnePlus has had an active community of users and fans since their break into the market a couple of years back.  There is likely no better example of that community then the company’s user forums.  They are always teeming with activity, from those who are seeking help and those providing it, to company announcements about new software updates and hardware.  On the OnePlus 3, their latest phone, built into OxygenOS was a community forums app so users could get quick help or provide help right from their phone.  Now that app has made its way to the Play Store for anyone to install on their phones.

The BBC has finally, finally released the BBC iPlayer in America.  The iPlayer app is one of the best apps from the BBC and it gives users the ability to listen to radio and other content from the UK broadcaster on their Android phone.  Having lived in the UK for many years, the iPlayer app was my go-to app on many a train trip across the country to keep me up-to-date and for other content.  Now that it is here in the United States, you have the option now to listen to the BBC great news coverage and content for free.

Microsoft has officially – and finally – released an official Xbox app for Android.  The new app, which is more-or-less a replacement for the current Smartglass app (which you can still use), brings you an all new Home experience with an activity feed, see trending content, find friends and other Xbox centric activities all from your phone or tablet.  For those of us who have the console, this new app is very much a welcome addition and shows, again, Microsoft’s commitment to their “mobile first” strategy by offering apps on both Android and iOS in addition to their own beleaguered Windows Phone platform.  Up until this point, you could only get the app for Windows Phone.

Virtual Reality is coming to this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.  The company’s annual swimsuit edition hits newsstands this week but if you want to have a VR experience, you can do it with the new app that is in the Google Play Store.  The free app gives you access to a handful of free videos, all in 360-degree VR, with additional content available for purchase in the app.  If you are already a subscriber to Sports Illustrated, you can get access to that content for free as part of your subscription.

With Microsoft expected to make big announcements around Windows 10 next week, Windows Phone users now have a new Phone Insider app to help them prepare for the next version of Windows Phone.  The app is available now in the Windows Phone store and while it does not do much of anything a this point, it is a clear indicator that Redmond is getting Insiders ready for the next version of Windows Phone, likely to be named Windows Mobile.

Phone Insider – Free – Download Now