Struggling to get through this mid-week “hump day” and coast into the weekend? Well, how about a gaggle of app-related news to get you all excited -- that’s exactly what we have for you today! Distraction-free web browsing dukes it out with Readability going free while Evernote Clearly adds the capability to Chrome, aTV Flash (black) hits version 1.0 and there are new iOS app updates for AIM, Camera+ and Gmail ready to be downloaded. Without further ado, here’s all the app news for Wednesday, November 16, 2011.
Today is a great day for everyone who enjoys undistracted reading on their web browser or iOS device: Readability has just announced an all-new HTML5 web application as well as a new iOS app that is waiting for approval in the App Store. Of course, those cool features pale in comparison to the really big story, which is that Readability’s service is now available absolutely free, which includes the companion apps. However, if you’d still like to support your favorite writers and publishers, Readability continues to offer their premium subscription service as well. The service works great with Reeder for Mac or iOS and also allows for sending articles to the Kindle as well.
The service formerly known as America Online is giving their classic AIM instant messaging service a kick in the pants today with a preview of the new AIM. “Available in five delicious flavors” -- AIM.com, Windows, Mac, iPhone or Android, that is -- the service now lets you view photos, videos and tweets without ever leaving your conversation. AIM also introduces group chats as well as storing and syncing your message history across platforms so you’ll never miss a thing. Head over to the AIM preview site to read all about it and get your downloads on.
It’s been a long road, but aTV Flash for the second-generation Apple TV has finally hit version 1.0. The $29.95 solution makes that little black box infinitely more useful, adding an all-new Media Player offering playback of traditionally unsupported formats like AVI, MKV, WMV and many more with automatic metadata and cover art. A native web browser is also on hand as well as streaming radio with Last.fm, weather and RSS feeds and so much more, you’ll just need to buy it to find out. If you already purchased the beta version, simply head to the Downloads tab in your FireCore account and you’ll find it ready and waiting for you.
Apple is joining the Wednesday app update fray with a minor update to Final Cut Pro X. Version 10.0.2 addresses three bugs in the video editing app which includes an issue where a title may revert to the default font after restarting, resolving an issue that could cause files recorded with certain third-party mobile devices to play back incorrectly and addresses a stability issue caused by changing the start time on a Compound Clip. Agile Web Solutions is also offering version 3.9.2 of 1Password for MAS customers, with improved performance when deleting a folder, a new “Quit” item added to the 1Password helper and a handful of lovely bug fixes. Make your way to the Mac App Store’s Updates tab to grab ‘em while they’re hot!
The folks at Evernote aren’t simply a bunch of note-collection junkies -- they have other interests as well. That’s why today they have introduced Evernote Clearly, a new extension for Google Chrome which aims to hide all distractions from blogs and articles with just one click, allowing you to read in peace. Of course, Apple has built this type of functionality into Safari 5 with the Reader mode, but Evernote Clearly offers a bit more creamy goodness with their solution. It’s a free download from the Chrome Web Store, so definitely worth a look.
Last but not least, two iOS app updates have hit the App Store today which are worth a quick note. Google’s native Gmail app makes its triumphant return after it was saddled with a push notification bug that caused its best feature to not work when the app first debuted. Unfortunately, push notifications are limited to badges and sounds which still makes the app kind of lame, but it’s free, so you be the judge. The more exciting news is that Camera+ has been updated to version 2.4VS, which brings back the popular VolumeSnap feature -- you remember, the one that secretly utilized the volume up button as a camera shutter way before Apple wised up and did it themselves in iOS 5. If you don’t own Camera+, it’s on sale for a limited time price of 99 cents, “because you deserve something nice today.” Updates from earlier versions are absolutely free as usual.
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