Hasta La Gadget!

They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but no one ever focuses on how quickly it fell. Skitch can’t exactly be compared to an empire, but with some ten million users globally, there were a lot of voices shouting a lot of various things when the upstart jumped in bed with Evernote and upgraded itself to version 2.0. Not surprisingly, members of our own staff as well as vocal readers have been forced to look for alternative options after v2.0 yanked and / or maimed some of our favorite features from the original. Truth be told, there’s really no alternative that doesn’t also come with a severe compromise, but the Skitch team knows full well that said scenario could change if rivals are given enough time.

Today, the company’s chief designer Keith Lang is clearing the air on what happened, what’s happening, and where his program is going in the future. For starters, he mentions that his team was so heads-down on managing the product, that they failed to actually take into account “how deeply ingrained Skitch had become into many people’s daily workflows and how disruptive even small changes could be.” The good news, however, is that he’s vowing to “fix it.” He notes that version 1.0 was held together with many years of duct tape, and to ever truly move forward, a new program would have to be built from the ground-up. That new program, of course, was met with near-universal hatred from the prior user base, but it looks as if those in the passionate camp are fixing to be addressed.

In updates due to hit between now and sometime soon, Skitch will be regaining Menubar Extra support, FTP / sFTP capabilities, short URLs, direct hosting of Skitch images (!), multiple fonts and custom colors, as well as streamlined cropping and resizing. Aside from bringing v2.0 back up to where v1.0 left off, Keith is promising “really amazing stuff” in the future. We’ll be anxious to give the new builds a try — hopefully, they’ll bring back some good memories.

Filed under: Software, Mobile

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Source: Evernote Blog

Londoners enjoyed not only “the greatest show on earth” this summer, but also free tube WiFi courtesy of Virgin Media. It’s due to remain complimentary for what’s left of the year, but if you’re with EE, you’ll be able to continue updating your status from subterranean platforms in 2013. The UK‘s first 4G provider has struck a deal to hook its customers up to Virgin’s underground WiFi infrastructure, although the announcement seems to have gone out a little earlier than planned. EE tweeted the news then swiftly retracted it, but has since replied to Mr. Miles at Pocket-lint confirming the partnership, at least for however long that message stays… yep, it’s gone. If you’re not on EE, don’t get your sad face on just yet, as there are rumors circulating that other carriers will be piggybacking on Virgin’s hotspots, too — they just haven’t accidentally announced it yet.

Update: It’s now officially official, and Vodafone’s on board as well. Next year, tube WiFi will stay free for those signed with either EE or Voda, and Virgin will be offering pay-as-you-go options for those that aren’t: daily, weekly or monthly access from £2 per day (roughly $3.20). Virgin is also hooking up another 48 stations, with 20 due to be switched on this December and 28 in early 2013. If you’re wondering whether your local station is one of the score being hooked up this month, they’re all listed in the PR below.

Continue reading EE strikes deal with Virgin Media to give its customers free tube WiFi in 2013 (update: Vodafone, too)

Filed under: Transportation, Wireless, Mobile

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Via: Pocket-lint

Source: EE (Twitter), Stuart Miles (Twitter)

The Amazon Appstore updated to version 4.3.14.3C today, mending an account switching logout issue plaguing Android 4.2 users. Other new software highlights include: long press removal of applications from My Apps, a battery drain bug fix and a Kindle Fire HD inspired makeover for the Appstore’s UI. Don’t have Amazon’s alternative to Google Play, but would like to give it a spin? Hit the source link below for a complete installation walkthrough of its latest version. Incumbents, feel free to pull down the update from within the app itself and wave bye-bye to those pesky bugs.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Amazon

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Via: Android Police

Source: Amazon

If you just bought a Windows Phone 8 device like the Nokia Lumia 920 or the HTC 8x and were hoping to load it with Xbox content for the holidays — after all, they’re both from Microsoft, right? — it seems that you may be in for some disappointment. As of right now, purchases or rentals from the newly-branded Xbox Video will not sync to Windows Phone 8. Microsoft has even officially acknowledged the issue in its support page, stating: “Windows Phone 8 does not currently support playback of rented or purchased content from the Xbox Video Store.” The article goes on to say that you can go to the Windows Phone Feature Suggestions page to recommend it for future releases. Gee, thanks, Microsoft; that’s so helpful. Now we’ll actually have to talk to our families. The horror.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft

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Via: WP Central

Source: Microsoft Support

We can’t say we’re exactly surprised, but it’s still worth noting that the United States DOJ has contacted MetroPCS to ask for additional information about the company’s recently announced merger with T-Mobile. The adequately-named “Second Request” will be essential before an actual consolidation approval can be made, and MetroPCS has stated it plans on being fully cooperative so that it can “obtain the approval of the transaction as soon as possible.” Additionally, the Wireless for All carrier says it’s pretty confident on the Department of Justice’s ability to see the proposed merger is “both pro-competitive and pro-consumer.” In the end, it’s nothing more than a required hurdle before the two telcos can move on with their original plans. Official word from MetroPCS can be found inside the presser below.

Continue reading Department of Justice asks MetroPCS for more info regarding T-Mobile merger

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile

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Via: Android Central

Source: MetroPCS