A few weeks ago Fitbit updated their Windows Phone app and at the time indicated that a new and improved Windows 8.1 version was in the works. That update has now been released and it is impressive. Fitbit for Windows 8.1 is to a large extent a complete overhaul of the app’s user experience but equally as important, it finally brings proper background syncing of your Fitbit to your PC.
After disappearing over the weekend, the Nokia Camera app has returned to the Windows Phone Store under its new name. The Lumia Camera app for Windows Phone sports no new features (only bug fixes) but brings to a close one more app that was using the Nokia name in the store. Microsoft has been on a long process of renaming all of the “Nokia” apps to “Lumia” and the Nokia Camera app was one of the last remaining.
The update should have hit your Windows Phone already if you have the Nokia Camera app installed. If not you can go to the Store
Lumia Camera for Windows Phone
app on your Windows Phone then go to the More menu, Settings and then tap the “Check for Updates” button.
I’m personally a big fan of the Lumia Camera app as it gives you much more control of your photography than the built-in Windows Phone Camera app. I also find the Burst mode of the app to be great for capturing action shots or as I did this weekend, fireworks!
The Lumia Camera app is free and available now in the Windows Phone Store
Swarm for Windows Phone has been updated with several new features including the ability to search your check-in history from within the app. The update, version 1.2.0.16 for those keeping score, is available now in the Windows Phone store online or through the Store app on your phone.
If you aren’t familiar with it, Swarm is the check-in and meet up app from Foursquare. This is the dedicated app for such activities after Foursquare separated it from the original Foursquare app which is more about localized content now. I’m personally not a big fan of the separated apps but I embraced the horror a few months back and have moved along.
Microsoft has released an update to the Bing Rewards app for Windows Phone. The update brings the app to a level of being an actual app. The initial release from this summer was little more than a web wrapper for the Bing Rewards site and, as you can imagine, was met with a fair amount of skepticism. This update should squelch some of those concerns.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Bing Rewards, it is a US-only program where you are awarded points for doing searching on Bing. Those points in turn can be used to purchase of things like Microsoft Store or Xbox credits, Starbucks cards and the like. The more you search the more points you get. The Bing Rewards app lets you keep track of how you are progressing towards a point total or status level as well as shop to spend those earned points.
The British Airways app for Windows Phone has received a much needed and impressive update today. The new app is available now in the Windows Phone Store and is free to download. The update, version 2.4 for those keeping score, brings enhancements such as live tiles and check-in for your flight via the app.
The new user experience of the British Airways app is the most obvious and notable change. It looks and feels much fresher than the previous release which was little more than a web app in a wrapper. This new version looks and functions like a modern mobile app, bringing much better navigation and feel to the app.
It has been a busy 24 hours for the OneDrive team at Microsoft. After announcing unlimited OneDrive storage for Office 365 users yesterday, they also updated the OneDrive app for Windows Phone. The update, version 4.4 for those keeping score, brings several new user experience improvements along with support for OneDrive for Business. Now, like on other platforms, you can sign into both your personal and business OneDrive accounts from the app at the same time.
On the same day that Fitbit announced a new lineup of personal trackers, the Fitbit for Windows Phone app has received its first major update since being launched this summer. The update, which is available now in the Windows Phone Store, brings a load of improvements to the app along with integration to Cortana. What is evident in this release is that Microsoft and Fitbit have worked very closely together on this release and it effectively brings the app to the same level of the iOS and Android versions of the app.
The two big updates in the app are around SensorCore support and Cortana. SensorCore, which is in some Lumia devices, will track your motion when your phone is in your pocket. This is similar to the Motion Processor that you find in iPhones today. In the Fitbit for Windows Phone app, it will use the SensorCore information to track your steps and distance without having to actually wear a Fitbit tracker. If you want more in depth inforatnion such as calories burned, active minutes and sleep you will need to use a tracker.
Age of Empires Castle Siege for Windows and Windows Phone has been updated overnight with a healthy update that brings some functional improvements as well as some stability to the universal Windows Game. The update, which is free and available now in the Windows Phone Store, brings improved network connectivity for fewer time out issues, fixes some crash issues and a good list of game play improvements.
As I put in my review last week of the game, Age of Empires Castle Siege is a fantastically well done game that stays true to the AoE name.