Google+ Hangouts updated with live rewind and instant replay

Google+ Hangouts are getting a little more convenient for viewers with a new update. The video chat service will now let users rewind live broadcasts, allowing those who came late to an event to catch up on the full chat. Recordings of the Hangouts will now be immediately accessible on YouTube as well.

Previously, the chats wouldn't be viewable until a short while after they concluded, but Google says that it's removed this delay and that users will be able to play back their video as soon as the recording is through. A few other small tweaks should enhance the viewing experience for Hangouts as well, including improved video quality on mobile and a quicker time between loading a chat and when it begins to play.

The company notes that the only downside to the series of changes will be for hosts, who may notice that initiating Hangouts takes slightly longer than it used to.

Major Updates Include

Rewind live broadcasts. Regardless when you start watching, you can always go back to the beginning.


Access recordings immediately after your broadcast. Once you're no longer On Air, your recording will be waiting for you on YouTube.

Watch higher quality Hangouts On Air on the go. If you're tuning in from your mobile device, you'll notice better-looking video.

Start live broadcasts without having to refresh. When you visit a page with a Hangout On Air (like Events or YouTube), the video will begin playing as soon as the show starts -- no refresh required.

Source: TheVerge
Via: Google

Microsoft confirms Windows 8.1 public preview next month

Microsoft is to release a public preview of Windows 8.1 for anyone who has Windows 8 during BUILD 2013 in June. Head of Windows Engineering at Microsoft, Julie-Larson Green confirmed this today during the Wired Business Conference.


According to previous tips and leaks, Microsoft is close to completing what's believed to be the second internal milestone build, known as the Milestone Preview, of Windows Blue. Shortly after that, Microsoft is expected to make its one-and-only Windows Blue public preview available to consumers.

Earlier this week, Microsoft officials said to expect the company to make Windows Blue available by holiday 2013. I am still continuing to hear Microsoft is on track to release to manufacturing (RTM) Windows Blue by August 2013 or so.

Larson-Green emphasized -- like her Chief Financial Officer counterpart Tami Reller -- that Microsoft plans to be "principled but not stubborn" with coming modifications to the Blue update. Neither Larson-Green nor Reller promised that Microsoft would add back the Start Button to Windows Blue, but neither of them ruled out this possibility.


"The Start Button might be helpful," Larson-Green acknowledged during her remarks at the conference, and provide users with more of a "comfort level." She did note that the team has had "meaningful discussions" about bringing back the Start Button, but users shouldn't interpret that as meaning the old Start Menu would be coming back.

She noted that the Start Button today is basically hidden. "Some would like it showing up on the screen all the time," she said.

Source: ZDNet

Viber Messaging App Arrives on the Desktop

Viber today made the leap from smartphone to desktop. The free messaging/phone service is now available on PC and Mac computers, allowing seamless integration between mobile and desktop users. The move comes alongside news that Viber has more than 200 million users across various platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry.

Viber Desktop runs in harmony with mobile versions, completing the setup process using your existing phone number as your ID. "With Viber Desktop you always get to use the most convenient device. You can seamlessly switch devices while messaging and even transfer calls between your mobile and desktop." - Viber CEO Talmon Marco.

The computer-based version was built from the ground up, but keeps in line with some of its mobile counterpart's features, including easy activation — enter your cell phone number and the confirmation code sent by Viber via SMS, then access all of your contacts, which are synced between devices.


Viber Desktop is Viber's first application to offer video calls," the company's release said. "With this new beta feature, users can now make desktop-to-desktop video calls to other Viber users."

Viber's desktop release is part of the roll out of Viber 3.0, which includes major updates to the Android and iOS apps, as well as a new version for BlackBerry, all of which connect easily with the desktop platform. Users will find new video message capabilities, last-online status, new stickers, an enhanced photo experience, performance improvements, and a new voice engine. Viber also now speaks eight new languages, including Dutch, Korean, Swedish, and Turkish.

Check out the Viber Desktop service in action in the video below.

Download Viber Desktop for Windows and Mac via the links below or visit viber.com 

Download Viber for Windows

Download Viber for Mac

Viber is now availble on our desktop, what do you think is the future of skype. Let me know in the comments field.

Apple releases iOS 6.1.4 for iPhone 5

Apple has released a software update for the iPhone 5 that features only one noted change. iOS 6.1.4 isn’t available for any other iPhone models and states that it includes and ‘updated audio profile for speakerphone’.

So it’s probably worth updating just because you’re going to want to keep your device up to date, but don’t expect anything major.

You can download the update directly here or use the Settings>General>Software Update tool on your device. The last update that Apple released was iOS 6.1.3 in March, which fixed a lock screen bypass bug and some of the vulnerabilities that were being used for the Evasi0n jailbreak.

Microsoft Releases ‘Switch to Windows Phone’ Android App

One of the ongoing criticisms of Windows Phone 8 or specifically, the Windows Phone Store, is that it lacks apps. Aside from the gaping gap where many feel Instagram should reside, the platform is still without basic necessities like banking apps, and considering more and more mobile device owners use their gadgets to move money between accounts and whatnot, Windows Phone simply doesn’t cut the mustard for some.

Microsoft cannot pull these missing apps out of thin air, but at least, with the Switch to Windows Phone app, it can present its platform as a welcoming, accommodating, and (aside from the gaps) very capable one.

Having used Windows Phone 8 quite a bit over the past few months via the Lumia 820, I have been impressed with how it runs, the intuitive interface, and seamless customization. But as a daily runner, it’s not viable until the aforementioned issue is addressed, and as beautiful as it may be, its shortcomings make it feel like a promising work in progress at times.

But hey, those are just my opinions, and if you’re somewhat enticed by the whole Windows Phone 8 vibe, the Switch to Windows Phone app will certainly be of assistance. It provides an apps search engine which, powered by Quixey, looks to source alternatives for Windows Phone to the ones you currently use on Android. If the corresponding version of the app is available already (i.e. Facebook), then it selects that, but if not, it will instead index something similar.

The Switch to Windows Phone app is highly recommended to those users who are willing to make the jump to Windows Phone 8, otherwise you can take it for a spin, it’s free, anyways.

The App is available on the Google Play Store 

Go check it Out if you are planning to switch from Android to Windows Phone