Software : Make room iTunes! Google Play gift cards arrive in the UK

Make room iTunes! Google Play gift cards arrive in the UK
Nokia lobbies for Instagram on Windows Phone with new social app
Adobe beefs up Marketing Cloud
Google Maps doesn't get lost on way to first iOS app update

Make room iTunes! Google Play gift cards arrive in the UK

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iTunes Store gift cards have been popping up in more places than milk and sliced bread in recent years, but if your loved one is an avid Android enthusiast that easy, versatile present idea goes out of the window.

Thankfully Google has remedied the ill preventing our generous gestures and (those of our own friends and family members) by bringing Google Play gift cards to the UK.

The cards, which can be used to purchase anything on the Play Store (apps, music, movies, books, magazines, etc.) have gone on sale for £10, £25 and £50.

Right now they're only available in selected Tesco's and Morrison's branches and will be rolling out to all of their locations around the UK in the coming weeks.

Expansion

The UK launch follows the debut of Google Play gift cards in the United States back in August.

It seems likely that if they prove a hit with UK shoppers, then we'll soon be seeing the vouchers competing with iTunes for all manner of shelf space at a wide range of stores across the nation.

Nokia lobbies for Instagram on Windows Phone with new social app

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How badly does Nokia want Instagram on its Windows Phone handsets? Apparently enough to create an app whose sole purpose is to spread the word by aping the very product they hope to bring on board.

Windows Phone Central reported Tuesday that Nokia has released #2InstaWithLove, a Windows Phone app for sharing Instagram-style photos to users' social networks.

But there's a little more to it: Images processed with the app automatically add a #2InstaWithLove hashtag as part of a campaign to get Instagram's attention.

Instagram is the wildly popular social network dedicated to photo sharing first made popular on the iPhone, and more recently on Android devices as well.

Show your support

While there are several apps already available on Windows Phone for adding Polaroid-style filters to photos, none come with the pedigree of Instagram.

"Many of you have asked when Instagram will be coming to Windows Phone, and the #2InstaWithLove app was created as a way for you to have your voice heard," Nokia's app description reads.

"It's all about showing Instagram just how passionate the Windows Phone community is - so be creative, have fun and be sure to share your favorite photos with us using a social network of your choice."

It remains to be seen if Nokia's clever campaign will finally spark the interest of Instagram, which now boasts 100 million active users each month - not a single one of whom are using Microsoft's Windows Phone platform.

Adobe beefs up Marketing Cloud

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Adobe has added a string of new capabilities to its Marketing Cloud service, and tightened its integration with the company's Creative Cloud in an effort to occupy what it sees as an open space in the market.

Changes include the introduction of a touch interface for mobile and a digital asset management (DAM) tool.

Neil Morgan, Director Digital Marketing for Adobe, told TRPro: "The strategy of the company is twofold. Firstly, the Creative Cloud is there to widen access to creative tools by using a cloud subscription model.

"Secondly, to provide greater capabilities for people to do something with the content. It's about how quickly you can get exciting content out there, see how it works and feed back into your business results."

Morgan said the overall capability of Marketing Cloud, a software-as-a-service available on a subscription, has been increased to speed up the use of digital content and support collaboration between teams.

The new features are: the touch interface for mobile devices; 'cloud cards' for marketing teams to share content or data; the cloud feed to give users a simple view of the cards relevant to them; unified login; integrated digital asset management to store, manage and share assets; and the campaign setup wizard. The latter two are not available immediately but will be so at an unspecified time in the coming months.

Adobe highlighted the importance of the DAM feature, which is now integrated with the Adobe Creative Cloud. It combines asset management with Adobe Scene 7, which can be used to produce dynamic imaging and videos.

Morgan said this makes it possible to create any content once and have it rendered automatically for different channels such as tablets and smartphones.

He added that Adobe had developed a standard edition of the media optimiser within the Marketing Cloud, which is aimed at companies with small search budgets. It brings together data relevant to keyword searches through different search engines.

Google Maps doesn't get lost on way to first iOS app update

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Google Maps for iOS received its first update today since the app launched late last year.

The update's biggest feature is that users can now sign into their Google account through the app to access their Google Contacts information.

The addresses for friends, family and acquaintances will automatically be added to the map data, letting users search for their contacts by name directly through Google Maps.

Users can also more easily search for nearby locations by using preset categories like restaurants, gas stations and movie theaters.

The categories give the same result as simply typing "restaurants" into the search bar, but are slightly quicker since users just have to tap an icon and not spell out the word.

Still playing catchup

The app also now lets users manually set the map to measure in kilometers or miles, regardless of the local measurement system.

The ability for Google to independently update its app was one of the silver linings when Apple dropped Google Maps as its default navigation tool, so it's good to see Google actually putting updates to use.

However, the iOS app is still a ways behind Google's Android version. Features like offline maps, biking directions, and indoor floorplan maps are still missing from the iOS app, with no word from Google on plans to bring them over.

Still, any update is better than no update. Google Maps users on iOS can download the free update now from the Apple App Store.

Yahuui Blog

Wednesday, March 6, 2013