Thursday wound up being a hotbed for app updates and product news, but if you were too busy to keep up on everything, we've managed to cap off the short work week with a handful of the best announcements. Seems like there's something for everyone here, including Google Music fans, Tweetbot for Mac users and Creative Cloud subscribers ready for a taste of Adobe's big update next month.
Tapbots released Tweetbot for Mac 1.3 on Thursday, which introduces the same media timeline the developer recently added to its iOS apps. To access the feature, type Command-F and then switch between timeline and media view at right. The Mac app also has a new look for tweet details, which includes retweet and favorite counts as well as profile cover image support at long last. Not enough for you? Double-clicking the title bar above profile view will now scroll back to the top, much as the application already does for timeline view. There are also a few bugs squashed with this version, so be sure to head to the Mac App Store and grab the update today.
The Verge reported Thursday that the subscription-based Google Play Music All Access will be arriving on iOS "in about one month's time," which would mark the first occasion Google has officially supported its Music service with a native app. Senior Vice President for Android, Chrome and Google Apps Sundar Pichai announced the news while onstage for the D11 conference, which comes only two weeks after Google debuted All Access as part of its exhaustive I/O developer keynote. Does Mountain View have a shot at dethroning competitors like Spotify or Rdio? Official iOS support definitely couldn't hurt their chances.
Adobe Creative Cloud won't get its big release until June 17, but the company is laying the groundwork for that day with Thursday's release of Adobe Kuler for iPhone. Previewed at Adobe MAX earlier this month, the app allows designers to capture interesting colors using the iPhone camera, which can then be synced back to the new Kuler website or imported into Adobe Illustrator CC. The best part is, the app is absolutely free, so jump on over to the App Store and get a taste of what the new Creative Cloud is all about.
On Thursday, Microsoft finally came clean on some of the upcoming changes users can expect with Windows 8.1, which will be available as a public preview on June 26. The next version will be all about personalization, including the ability to change colors or entire backgrounds for the Start screen, which can include motion. The update will also bring welcome enhancements to search, Windows Store apps and cloud connectivity, changes to PC settings and Internet Explorer as well as better mouse and keyboard options. And yes, that pesky Start button will return, although in typical Microsoft fashion, it won't function as it did in previous versions, but only open the Start screen. Oh well, maybe they'll get it eventually...
Boinx Software continues to add extra value to its iStopMotion for iPad app, which allows users to create stop-motion animation movies right on a tablet. This week's version 2.1 update adds a pair of welcome improvements, including WebDAV server support aimed at teachers collect their student's animations in one central place, as well as the ability to receive push notifications for news such as new accessories available, or whenever a new video is posted to the Theater. The update is free for existing users, or $9.99 for everyone else on the App Store.
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