Google Current, HeyStaks and a little more about the updates

The past week has brought us many interesting new applications and major upgrades of existing. After the release of two popular news update application Flipboard and Flud, Google has decided not to lag behind and released its application for reading news google Currents. Paying tribute to fashion, in the description of the application in the iTunes Currents called the magazine-like app. Most likely, so Google is trying to put its new product on par with Flipboard and Flud, but it is undoubtedly a mistake. Google Currents app is simple enough - it allows you to read news from a list of recommended sites, follow the hot topics of discussion, as well as add your rss-subscription from Google Reader. After a disastrous start last official client Gmail, Currents turned out to be surprisingly successful application. But, despite this, the Google can hardly expect to succeed, in spite of visual appeal, the new product is well behind the existing application functionality.

The main application screen is divided into two parts: in one of these preview images from the news and title, by pressing on which you can go to this article, the second half is a library your subscriptions. When adding a new you will see an impressive list of recommended subscriptions arranged by category. Russian-speaking, unfortunately, there is nothing, but at a decent knowledge of English, you will find a lot of interesting things to read. If you add the recommended sources in the library are displayed with a pretty icon, then your subscriptions Google reader, in most cases, the icon will be empty.

View mode leaves a pleasant impression, but nothing special can not boast. To read the entire article have to use the built-in browser - optimized reading mode entries there.

As usual, there is the opportunity to share interesting articles with your friends. The list of services is not very large, and of course the emphasis is on the network Google+ - to access other services will have to do more than one press. By the way, all the articles are available for offline reading, it's nice, but slightly increases the tape refresh, because all the images are cached.

Pleasant appearance to your applications spoils what is on the main screen are some previews of articles are accompanied by images of too poor quality.

In general, Google Current - quite a good application, but it is not clear on what counted the Google, creating it. Not having received any unique features, it loses functionality majority counterparts. It is unlikely that users will exchange its usual application on Current.

Let's talk about another Google app, or rather its replacement. One of these days you could read the updated app Google Search for iPad. If for some reason it will not come, but there is a desire to use a separate application for a search on Google, I advise you to try the free app HeyStaks.

The app offers a look at the search for information on the Internet so that you can use the search engine easier and more efficient. On the main screen is the search string. A special feature is that you can choose exactly where you want to find information. In addition to Google, a search in the news Yahoo!, Twitter statuses and images from Flickr. You can always find a place to change quickly while viewing the results.

Viewing takes place in the built-in browser, but if you want you can go to the Safari. Interesting pages can be shared by email, Twitter and Facebook.

Developers focus on application features such as searching for communities. If your search query corresponds to any community, you will be asked to subscribe to it. In this case, the next time you search in addition to the Google results, you will also be offered links to community topics.

I hesitate to call HeyStaks a direct competitor to Google Search, but it could well serve as a replacement or as a standalone application for efficient retrieval.

In conclusion, I want to say a few words about the major new applications that were not included in article of updates of the first week of December. Firstly it must be said about the major update Twitter. Now a new tab menu will look the same on all platforms.

Updated official Twitter client for the iPhone. The app was noticeably prettier and easier to use, but faded landscape mode. The users of third-party application developers should think about returning to the official client. App for iPad and Mac has not yet been any changes, but I hope in the near future this will be corrected. Incidentally, in response to a new version Twitterrific I went for approval to the App Store.

Very many new design did not like, it's weird for me. Even if not all of the users' expectations were justified, but in my opinion, the launch of a single design for all devices - this is a huge step forward. Very handy when all your devices application is made in the same style and fully transfers the experience of using the service from one device to another.

iBooks also grew to the new version 1.5 and got a night reading mode, which for many has become a very good news, as well as full-screen mode and a number of other minor changes.

Application to find similar music Discovr Music updated to version 2.0 for all devices. The list of innovations is large enough, for example, there was a Twitter integration in iOS 5, a tab with the trends, favorites, music player, integration with Spotify and many more. In addition it was announced a new app Discovr Movies, through which you can search for movies, similar to the chosen.

The new version of the very popular online game Charadium, on the first version of which you can read on our website. Now playing with friends is even more fun and interesting.