Software : Facebook's Instagram buyout cleared by Office of Fair Trading |
- Facebook's Instagram buyout cleared by Office of Fair Trading
- SwiftKey 3 update adds new themes, languages
- Microsoft SkyDrive gets revamp just ahead of Windows 8 release
| Facebook's Instagram buyout cleared by Office of Fair Trading Posted:  One of the final hurdles preventing Instagram coming under the control of Facebook has been cleared, after the Office of Fair Trading gave the deal a big thumbs up. Back in June, the OFT decided to take a look into the planned billion dollar acquisition, amid fears rival apps like Hipstamatic and Camera+ may suffer as a result. Both sides were required to submit assurances to the regulator by last month, and it appears the OFT was satisfied enough to green light the buyout. Had the OFT expressed a concern then the case would have been referred to the UK's Competition Commission. That now won't be necessary. No lessening of competitionAn OFT spokesperson said it had looked into whether the deal may "result in the merging parties limiting access from other sharing sources. "While they may have the ability to do so, the evidence we received doesn't suggest that the parties would pursue such a strategy." "We concluded that the deal would not result in a substantial lessening of competition in the UK.," the spokesperson added. Facebook now needs similar approval from the US-based FTC before the deal, agreed in principal in April, can be officially rubber stamped. |
| SwiftKey 3 update adds new themes, languages Posted:  SwiftyKey, the No. 1 paid app on Google Play, is rolling out an update to SwiftKey 3 Wednesday as part of the company's efforts to celebrate the season and turn the London-based developer into a global brand. SwiftKey 3 is a downloadable keyboard for Android devices that not only autocorrects, but predicts what you're going to type based on how and what you've typed before. "It's the fastest, smartest to type in your phone and tablet," said Ben Medlock, SwiftyKey's co-founder and chief technology officer. With the 3.0.1 update, SwiftKey hopes to become even better and includes both cosmetic and structural changes aimed at giving users the optimal typing experience. First and foremost, to mark the summer season, Sky and Fuschia-colored themes are joining SwiftKey 3's pigmentations. And though it already boasts 42 languages, Urdu and Malay are being added to the language options, bringing that list to an impressive 44 native tongues. Here's a video of SwiftKey 3's in action: Talk-to-type among new and improved featuresWith the update, the app will not only add more languages and themes, but also fix a host of issues. Anyone using an Android device with either Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean software will be able to utilize Google voice typing for dictation. No matter what browser you use, it appears SwiftKey has worked out some of the remaining kinks in all of them. Both Google Chrome and Firefox have had their repeating text problems addressed, and the cursor in Chrome has also been fixed. Google Now and Jelly Bean browsers can now make use of predictions, and so can the Dolphin HD and HTC Notes app. Samsung's Galaxy S3 has also received some performance-related improvements, and should now work much better with SwiftKey 3. The latest version of SwiftKey 3 can be downloaded on the Google Play store, the Amazon app store, and AndroidPIT for smartphones and tablets. |
| Microsoft SkyDrive gets revamp just ahead of Windows 8 release Posted:  Microsoft's extreme home makeover continues this week with a shellac of paint, and then some, applied to its cloud storage service, SkyDrive. In an effort to gear up for the coming launch of Windows 8, Microsoft has recently revamped services like Hotmail to better reflect the upcoming product line. Recently redubbed Outlook, the email service's retooling was just the beginning when it came to Microsoft's plans to refresh their existing brands. Now the company's cloud storage service SkyDrive is undergoing a similar renaissance, as Microsoft has reworked the look and performance of SkyDrive to better suit their upcoming plans. Android app on the waySkyDrive was supposed to be Microsoft's answer to services like Dropbox and Google Drive, and MS is hoping the new and improved look will convince even more people to make the switch. Though there are already 4 million people using the mobile version on iOS devices and Windows phones, there is an Android app on the way. It might not be out for a few weeks, but making SkyDrive available on Android devices should help expand the user base quite a bit. Performance enhancements across the boardIn addition to the mobile version of SkyDrive expanding, Microsoft has also worked hard to improve the technical performance of the service on Macs and Windows PCs. Adding in a new contextual toolbar, multi-select drag and drop capabilities, and instant search makes it important to have faster response times. When tested by Microsoft, the new SkyDrive was almost twice as fast in uploading photos, and the service now syncs with a computer four times as fast as it previously did. New improvements have also been made to the developer version of SkyDrive, including removing file restrictions and adding the ability to upload images at full resolution. Microsoft is clearly taking the upcoming release of Windows 8 very seriously, and it will be interesting to see just how much of a wide-spread impact these changes they are affecting will have on the rest of their brands. |
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