Best Windows 8 apps this week
Ninety-eighth in a series. Welcome to this week's episode of the best new apps and games for Microsoft's Windows 8.x operating system. This week saw the release of several high profile apps in store including the official New York Times Crossword application and the simple but addictive game Dots Out.
Both are not 100 percent free however, which explains why no app was awarded the best app of the week title.
85% of Android and iOS apps are failing on privacy
A report carried out by the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) has revealed that the majority of apps are failing when it comes to user privacy.
Of the 1,211 apps examined, the study found that 85 percent didn't clearly explain what data was being collected and nearly one in three requested an excessive amount of personal information.
Focus on Lymphoma guides patients through treatment and beyond
Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer with over 60 subtypes. It is the fifth most common type of cancer (after breast, lung, colon and prostate) and has an unprecedented prevalence among young adults and adolescents -- it’s the most common form of cancer in the under 30s. It’s also the cancer that killed my mother.
The disease is still largely ambiguous to many, however, and so ahead of World Lymphoma Awareness Day (15 Sept), the Lymphoma Research Foundation is pushing its first-of-a-kind mobile app, Focus on Lymphoma, which provides comprehensive information and tools to help patients and caregivers understand the disease and manage treatment.
Cirqle gives you more control over sharing photos and videos
We all have photos and videos that we want to share with other folks. We do it all too often on Facebook, sometimes without even considering that it's a broad audience we are sharing them with, who may not want to, or should not, see all our intimate moments on display.
And let's be real for a minute: not all of us are in awe about someone drunk dancing on video, baby pictures, or mirror selfies (sorry that you had to hear that now) -- some of us may be, sure, but others may be more interested in, just as a totally and completely random example, seeing photos of fast cars (guilty as charged!). For those who want to fully control who can see their photos and videos, there is new app to consider, and it's called Cirqle.
iOS performance in the spotlight ahead of Apple's launch event
In the run up to Apple's latest eagerly anticipated launch event, mobile benchmarking specialist Crittercism has released an Apple edition of its Mobile Experience Benchmark Report.
Focussing on statistics gathered from over a billion users across more than 120 countries it looks at key performance metrics including crash rates across iOS versions and devices along with latency by carrier and Wi-Fi.
Geekbench offers redesigned and simplified results view, adds ARMv8 support
Primate Labs has updated its cross-platform, flagship benchmark tool with the release of Geekbench 3.2 for desktop and Android. Also available on iOS, the latest build’s main highlight is a redesigned results page.
The redesign aims to simplify how results are shown, particularly on mobile platforms. Version 3.2 also comes with added support for the forthcoming 32-bit ARMv8 processor due to launch on Android later this year.
Evernote for Android 6.0 unveils fresh new look, adds Web Clipper support
Evernote Corporation has released Evernote for Android 6.0, a major new version of its note-taking tool for a platform it says is its fastest-growing.
Version 6 unveils a major new redesign, adds support for the Evernote Web Clipper, allows users to create Quick Notes and promises improved navigation and handwriting support, plus a simpler, cleaner layout for its note-editing tool.
Best Windows 8 apps this week
Ninety-seventh in a series. Welcome to this week's episode of the best new apps and games for Microsoft's Windows 8.x operating system.
This week saw the release of several high quality applications and games for the Windows 8.x platform. App of the week is the deck building game Order & Chaos Duels which features great gameplay and graphics.
The app fraud people should be aware of
In any fast growing and competitive market there are pressures which can sometimes lead people to undertake controversial practices to gain an edge, or put simply, cheat to get ahead. The app promotion market is a prime example of these pressures in action.
Increasingly, bots that create fake click and install IDs have been deployed to boost apps "popularity". This is much more than simply mixing incentivized and non-incentivized traffic to grow volumes and lowers costs; it is clearly fraud.
Isis Wallet to become Softcard to avoid ISIS extremism association
When you see the letters ISIS, what is it that you first think of? Is it the Egyptian goddess of health, marriage and love? The Institute for the Scientific Investigation of Sexuality? Or is it the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the jihadist group that has been in the news for some time now? It's quite common for there to be unfortunate sharings of names and acronyms, and it's something that Isis Wallet, the NFC payment service, has fallen foul of. To avoid being associated with the Middle East group, the service is being renamed to Softcard.
The rebranding has not come completely out of the blue. Back in July, company CEO Michael Abbott explained: "Recently, we have observed with growing concern a militant group whose name, when translated into English, is Islamic State of Iraq and Syria -- often referenced by the acronym ISIS. We have no interest in sharing a name with a group whose name has become synonymous with violence and our hearts go out to those who are suffering".
Too poor to own an aircraft? Don't worry, a new app will let you hire a private jet
JetMe is a new app for iOS (Android coming soon) that wants to be like Uber or Airbnb, except instead of letting you book a ride or a place to stay, it lets you book a private jet.
I know what you’re thinking -- why book a private jet when you can just use your own aircraft -- but believe it or not, there are some people who don’t have their own planes (because they prefer to travel by yacht, for example). For those people, JetMe might be the perfect solution.
Instantly generate sketched characters with DrawWiz
DrawWiz is an easy-to-use app, Windows and Mac program which instantly generates professional sketches of female cartoon characters.
There's no artistic ability required, fortunately. The app provides hundreds of pre-drawn elements -- situations, face shapes, hair styles, eyes, nose, mouth -- and all you have to do is pick the ones you need.
Best Windows 8 apps this week
Ninety-sixth in a series. Welcome to this week's installment of the best new apps and games for Microsoft's Windows 8.x operating system.
Microsoft removed 1500 apps from the store this week that did not meet quality guidelines and resulted in a bad user experience as a consequence. Users who purchased these apps are eligible for a refund according to Microsoft's announcement.
Dropbox Pro gains new sharing controls and bumps storage to 1TB
Today Dropbox Pro users gain access to a raft of new features including automatically expiring shared links, password-protected sharing, and adjustable permissions. In recent times, Dropbox has moved away from being just a simple cloud storage platform into a cloud-based collaboration tool. Password-protected files sharing is the first line of security that's now available, but it has been bolstered by the ability to have the share automatically stop after a set period. This is something that is particularly useful for sensitive data, and is a helpful addition to the manual disabling of a shared link -- a set-it-and-forget-it option.
Catching up with other file collaborative tools, Dropbox Pro now also takes into account the fact that you might want to share files with others without giving them the option to edit those files. The new ability to add view-only permissions to files and folders has this covered so it is possible to share sensitive files without worrying about them being changed. For anyone using Dropbox on mobile devices, there is always the fear of losing a handset; a new remote wipe feature takes care of this.
V.BTTN is a programmable Bluetooth button that can do anything your phone can
Think about wearable tech and your mind probably jumps to watches first. V.BTTN is a little different. It's a programmable button that links smartphones, tablets and computers via Bluetooth and it can then be used to trigger all manner of events. Looking for a remote shutter trigger for your smartphone? V.BTTN can do that for you. Need a remote control to start and stop recording? Got that covered too. The device comes from VSN Mobil and is available now for $59.99. It's one of those pieces of hardware billed as having virtually limitless possibilities, but this is one instance where the claim is justified.
What the button does depends entirely on the app you decide to link it to. It's slightly more advanced than just "hit the button" -- there are short and long press options, as well as gesture support thanks to a built-in accelerometer. As standard, V.BTTN is just a button. You can stick it in your pocket or bag and carry it around with you if you like, but there are also a number of accessories.
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