Google adds iOS News & Weather app, SwiftKey boosts performance, PDF Expert 5 supports iPhone 6
Google has added to its extensive collection of iOS apps with a new News & Weather offering, while third-party keyboard maker SwiftKey addressed performance issues in a new release and PDF Expert 5 added support for the iPhone 6 series and iOS 8.
The search giant also offers 60 country-specific editions alongside personalized news sections covering topics like Hollywood or fashion. Tapping any story will show a selection of viewpoints from various publications.
Google News & Weather version 1.0.232 is available now as a free, 9.6-megabyte download from the App Store.
Swiftkey's latest revision brings a number of bug fixes and improved performance, including quicker keyboard loading time. Bugs that caused the bottom row of numbers and symbols to disappear when using the Twitter layout on iPad and crashes when backspacing on emoji have been fixed.
Additionally, crashes when typing sequences that included a "-" have been remedied, and "general stability improvements" are promised. The company also advises users to update to the latest build of iOS 8, which addresses some issues with third-party keyboards.
SwiftKey Keyboard version 1.0.1 is available now as a free, 28.3-megabyte download from the App Store.
PDF Expert 5 now includes an optimized layout for the iPhone 6 and 6 plus, along with some iOS 8-exclusive features. Users on Apple's latest mobile operating system will enjoy iCloud drive support, including the ability to open files from iCloud Drive in the document picker.
Additionally, the app can now be unlocked via Touch ID on devices supporting the hardware feature, while iPads gain a new "zoom writing" mode for precision writing. Also coming in the latest release is AirTurn support for musicians, improved bookmarks, and general "stability and compatibility improvements for iOS."
PDF Expert 5 version 5.2.1 is available now as a free, 65.3-megabyte download from the App Store.
Google News & Weather
Google promises its new app will deliver a "comprehensive and personalized view of headline stories and local news & weather." The company says the app provides coverage from some 65,000 publications, and gives access to categories including Top Stories, Technology, and Sports & Weather via swipe.The search giant also offers 60 country-specific editions alongside personalized news sections covering topics like Hollywood or fashion. Tapping any story will show a selection of viewpoints from various publications.
Google News & Weather version 1.0.232 is available now as a free, 9.6-megabyte download from the App Store.
SwiftKey Keyboard
Swiftkey's latest revision brings a number of bug fixes and improved performance, including quicker keyboard loading time. Bugs that caused the bottom row of numbers and symbols to disappear when using the Twitter layout on iPad and crashes when backspacing on emoji have been fixed.
Additionally, crashes when typing sequences that included a "-" have been remedied, and "general stability improvements" are promised. The company also advises users to update to the latest build of iOS 8, which addresses some issues with third-party keyboards.
SwiftKey Keyboard version 1.0.1 is available now as a free, 28.3-megabyte download from the App Store.
PDF Expert 5
PDF Expert 5 now includes an optimized layout for the iPhone 6 and 6 plus, along with some iOS 8-exclusive features. Users on Apple's latest mobile operating system will enjoy iCloud drive support, including the ability to open files from iCloud Drive in the document picker.
Additionally, the app can now be unlocked via Touch ID on devices supporting the hardware feature, while iPads gain a new "zoom writing" mode for precision writing. Also coming in the latest release is AirTurn support for musicians, improved bookmarks, and general "stability and compatibility improvements for iOS."
PDF Expert 5 version 5.2.1 is available now as a free, 65.3-megabyte download from the App Store.
Comments
Edit: did not know they bundled weather with it *head scratching commenced*
Now if Google could only get around to updating Maps and Hangouts for the 6/6+...
Pass.
Then there was the "runaway bride" story out of Atlanta. I wasn't interested in the story itself, but I was interested in how Google covered it. Did Google News have enough sense to steer readers to what were likely to be the best reports, meaning those in the Atlanta press? No. Even worse than that, it tilted heavily toward stories from CNS.
CNS is the Chinese News Service. Not only is it far away from events and merely rewriting stories from other sources, it's the official government-run agency for the repressive Chinese government.
It was not hard to figure out what was happening. Google was sucking up the China by puffing its government news service. And if it'll do that, I told myself, it'll do all sorts of nefarious things.
I dropped Google News and could care less about their new app. News filtered by Google does not interest me.
Piss off.
Love,
Apple & its more discerning users.
SwiftKey does seem snappier.
It's really the only third-party keyboard that can pull me away from the well-designed stock keyboard. Credit where it's due, the latter is even better now with QuickType.
PDF Expert 5 version 5.2.1 is available now as a free, 65.3-megabyte download from the App Store.
PDF Expert 5 is not free.
I gave up on Google News long ago. Watching what ended up on top and what sources were linked made me suspicious. Something wasn't right.
Then there was the "runaway bride" story out of Atlanta. I wasn't interested in the story itself, but I was interested in how Google covered it. Did Google News have enough sense to steer readers to what were likely to be the best reports, meaning those in the Atlanta press? No. Even worse than that, it tilted heavily toward stories from CNS.
CNS is the Chinese News Service. Not only is it far away from events and merely rewriting stories from other sources, it's the official government-run agency for the repressive Chinese government.
It was not hard to figure out what was happening. Google was sucking up the China by puffing its government news service. And if it'll do that, I told myself, it'll do all sorts of nefarious things.
I dropped Google News and could care less about their new app. News filtered by Google does not interest me.
It's pretty easy to skirt any organization you don't like -- overall it's a nice source. My favorite news aggregator is Fark, but for full coverage, Google News is the simplest to use. If I see a headline I'm interested in reading more about, I expand the story and see other sources reporting on the same topic. The top level sources at this moment are NYT, NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox. Expanding gets me Reuters, Bloomberg, Whitehouse.gov, Telegraph, along with various other foreign sources. Evil, right?
My favorite news aggregator at the moment is Twitter. Follow a bunch of institutions, public people (though AJ Sotomayor hasn't been very active, sadly enough...), news people and news organizations and it all comes through.
A good jump start is find the account of a person in the news business you trust and follow the people etc. that she or he follows and grow it from there.
Pass.
I tried the NYTimes, but it keeps showing the same stories, even after a week. Maybe it's because I don't have a paid subscription.
I also tried News360, but despite my preference settings, it still shows silly stories that aren't newsworthy.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Google free and loving it.
Pass.
^this^
Google free and loving it.
Pass.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Having what to do with anything, anywhere?
Just that they're watching anyway. Connecting dots.
But it doesn’t matter to him and it doesn’t matter to Google. Pay attention.
But it doesn’t matter to him and it doesn’t matter to Google. Pay attention.
No, I got it right.
No, I got it right.
No, you got it totally wrong.
what a crock!
no way am I letting them know what I'm typing