Hasta La Gadget!

Facebook may have finally ignored the Timeline at the company’s most recent press event when they unveiled the new News Feed that’ll be coming shortly, but that doesn’t mean they’re not making changes. Facebook has introduced a cleaner look to Timeline, and they’ll be slowly rolling out the new design over the coming weeks.

One of the biggest differences you’ll notice right away are the elimination of the “Friends,” “Photos,” and “Likes” thumbnails, which are now compressed into simple text links toward the top. The “About” section also looks different this time around, as it now sits vertically on the left side of the Timeline.

Overall, though, your various Likes are organized much more neatly, and you can manage your favorite movies, books, TV shows, etc. in a more orderly fashion, including the ability to not only add your favorites, but also add movies and books that you want to read. These are separated from your favorites using tabs.

Apps also are more integrated into your Timeline, meaning that certain apps can have dedicated sections. For instance, if you use Instagram a lot, you can dedicate a section of your Timeline to strictly Instagram photos that you’ve taken. And now, all of your likes on the left side of your Timeline, with all recent activity being posted on the right side, allowing for easier browsing and scanning.

Facebook introduces cleaner look to Timeline is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Dropbox has been making more of an effort at updating its mobile apps lately while leaving its desktop client by the wayside. However, the cloud storage company released a big update to the desktop client for Windows and Mac that comes with a new look, as well as improved notifications and enhanced sharing features.

The desktop client for Dropbox lives in the system tray or the menu bar (depending on whether you have Windows or Mac), so all the updates and new features are happening there. Specifically, Dropbox made it easier to access shared files, and you can also accept or decline invitations to shared folders right from the dropdown menu.

You’ll also get notifications in real-time as people share files with you. Dropbox also made it much easier and quicker to see what files have recently changed in your Dropbox, and they also added a new way to share files with a link. You can easily click “Share” on any recently-changed file and paste the link to the person you want to share it with.

However, the desktop client wasn’t the only thing to get the new features today. The mobile app for both iOS and Android both received an update that will provide notifications for shared folders. It’s not a huge update for the mobile version, but some users will enjoy getting the improved notifications on their smartphones.

Dropbox desktop client updates with redesign, improved notifications is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google released a new version of Gmail on iOS back in December, bringing with it a new redesign that gave the app a more modern feel. Other features like improved search and integration with Google Calendar were also a big hit. However, the company never bothered to offer the same features in the Gmail mobile web app or in offline mode, until now.

As a part of “#MobileMonday,” Google launched the redesign to the mobile web app and Gmail Offline to make it look similar to the Gmail iOS app. By navigating to Gmail.com in your favorite mobile web browser, you should see the new look, along with some added features that dedicated app users have been enjoying for a while. Google says the new web app version works on Android, iOS, Blackberry, and Kindle Fire devices.

While the dedicated Gmail app has a more streamlined UI, many users may actually prefer the web app over the dedicated app, especially since you can tap between other Google services, like Calendar, Google+, and of course the search engine itself. It also doesn’t take up space on your device, and you can easily create a shortcut that won’t take away precious storage space.

As for Gmail Offline, it’s still in beta mode, but it’s available for free in the Chrome Web Store. Essentially, it lets you manage your email while offline, including the ability to read, respond to, search, and archive email messages. The app will save all of your actions and will complete them once you gain access to the internet again.

Gmail Offline and mobile web app get refreshed UI is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

One of our favorite apps for iOS of 2012, Fantastical, received quite a substantial update today. The app now comes with support for time zones, multiple alerts for events, event invites, as well as a slew of small user interface tweaks that make navigation a lot easier and quicker. Flexibits, the developing team behind the new app, announced version 1.1 earlier this morning.

Users are now able to move events or duplicate them with a tap and hold, as well as going to a specific date on the calendar. Other UI tweaks include the dimming of events after they’ve passed (similar to how events are dimmed in Google Calendar), and copied text containing event info can now automatically be made into an event.

There are also more options that were added to settings, including a setting to highlight weekends, to show empty days on the DayTicker, and to display the number of today’s remaining events or date on the app icon badge. Plus, the developers introduced “state restoration” for iOS 6 users, which will save important information if you were in the middle of adding an event and forgot to return, and then eventually forced-closed the app.

Fantastical is priced at $3.99 and is based on the Mac version of the calendar app that’s been out for a while. $3.99 certainly isn’t a cheap price for an iOS app, especially for a calendar, but it comes with some great features that make it a much better alternative to the default calendar in iOS, thanks to gestures and a good-looking interface.

Fantastical for iOS updates with time zones, event invites, UI tweaks is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google has been working hard to keep its Google+ social network going strong, and the company announced a few small updates today that make for some big changes, literally. Google+ now offers larger cover photos, which can be displayed at 16:9 when fully viewed, and the service supports up to a 2120 x 1192 resolution for cover photos.

Google’s Sara McKinley announced the news this morning, and said that the larger cover photos allow more images to be used as cover photos, and “there’s more room for your selection to shine.” On top of that update, there’s also a new “Local reviews” tab that will sit alongside your photos, +1′s and YouTube videos, and will also allow you to highlight your favorite local establishments. You can also hide the tab in settings if you don’t think you’ll use it.

Google also introduced a new an easier way to edit your info on your Google+ profile. The “About” tab now consists of “separate cards (like Story, Places, and Links).” Each card has its own edit link for easier and quicker editing, and as always, Google reminds you that you can still share specific fields with specific circles.

These changes and updates are rolling out gradually, so if you’re not seeing the updates now, you’ll have to wait a little bit in order to see them. Today’s updates are small changes, indeed, but the larger cover photos definitely make profiles more prominent, and the addition of the Local reviews tab means that you can share your favorite hot spots around town.

Google+ updates with larger cover photos, new “Local reviews” tab is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.