Skype will now appear as an option when tapping a phone number on your device.

Better late than never goes the saying and that is what I'm tempted to say about Skype for Android which finally supports Android call intents. In Android, an intent is what allows an app to use another app component to achieve a task. How does that apply to Skype and particularly this update? 

Microsoft updated Skype for Android with the ability to initiate a call by tapping a phone number in a browser or inside an app. From now on, Skype will be among the apps listed when you tap a phone number alongside other apps installed on your Android device. Similar to when you tap on an email address and your device will show all available email apps for you to choose from which app and account you want to send your email. 

This is a great feature provided you have Skype credits. In order to make calls to landline or mobile phones from Skype, you must buy credits to do so and $10 is the cheapest value you can buy; which is quite cheap.

This update also includes the usual bug fixes and other improvements. Download/update Skype in Google Play Store.

Official Premier League app for Android gets new player statistics comparison.

The English Premier League 2017/2018 is drawing to a close with Manchester City as the undisputable title winner with 16 points clear of first Loser Manchester United. Until the very end, other teams, especially those in the relegation zone, are still desperately fighting to stay in the League and avoid relegation. Meanwhile, the official Premier League app for Android is being updated with new features and bug fixes.

The app will now let users compare player statistics "from any season and see who comes out on top." This feature can be found in the Stats Centre.

The update also include the following:

• Ability to see highest scoring FPL team of the Gameweek.
• Match Centre enhancements.
• Minor bug fixes and improvements.

While the season is ending, the Official Premier League app is a great way to stay abreast of news outside the pitch. English football fans can download the app free in Google Play Store.

Microsoft adds unread email count icon badge to Outlook for Android on some devices and Microsoft Launcher.

Microsoft published an update for its Outlook client on Android that will let users see the number of unread emails right on their devices home screen. However, two conditions apply. First, the new numbered icon badge will work on Samsung, LG and Sony devices using the default launcher. Secondly, any device running the latest version of the Microsoft Launcher will also get the new badge. The new email count is nice to have, but I don't feel it will change anything in my interaction with the app.

This new feature is already available for download in Google Play Store for Microsoft Launcher users. I assume other users must watch for an update for their devices' default launcher. 

Netflix introduces 30-seconds long vertical mobile previews on Android.

Who doesn't love trailers? Trailers are how producers get us excited and build momentum until the release of their movies. Trailers also help us, viewers, decide whether a movie or TV show is worth our time and money, and Netflix is capitalizing on that to get us to watch more series and movies.

In an update that is soon coming to Android, the streaming giant will add mobile previews to its app. The company says, "mobile previews present members with a fun, simple, and easy way to learn about all the content on Netflix - and find something great to watch even faster." The previews are 30 seconds long and are presented in a vertical format as opposed to the default landscape mode for viewing. 

"The previews are shown like a slideshow, so if you see something you like, you can tap the screen to advance to the next preview.", the company wrote in a blog post. Of course, Netflix will show the type of movies and shows based on your taste.

Again, this feature is not yet available on Android devices yet - although it made it to Apple devices already. Netflix did not say when the update will be available for Android, so make sure you check Google Play Store.

Pocket for Android now groups highlights in the order they appear in articles.

Formerly known as 'Read it Later', Pocket has become an essential app for me as it saves the articles and videos for reading and viewing later. My daily intake of articles on the web is pretty big and commuting time is not enough to read them all, making Pocket a must-have app on my supported devices. 

Besides saving content for later, Pocket also strips the articles of ads and presents them in a read-friendly format similar to reading view in Edge, the Microsoft browser for Android. As such, the article looks nicer. Pocket is also very easy to use. You come across an article and want to save it for later, simply tap the share icon and tap the Pocket icon in the Share menu. 

The app was released in 2012 and has since been updated several times. Among one of its features, is the ability to highlight things you find interesting in the articles you read. Here again, this is a simple enough feature, but very useful. Pocket improved it by grouping the highlights in the order they appear in the articles; which makes sense.

That's it in this update that raises the version number 6.7.7.8. Download the update in Google Play Store.

The official NBA app on Android updated so you do not miss the 2018 Playoffs.

Tomorrow, the 2018 NBA Playoffs will begin and fans around the world will watch as their favorite teams play to reach the finals and gloriously win the Larry O'Brien cup. But we're not there yet and we all won't be able to watch every game, but thanks to the official NBA app, it will be possible to keep tabs on the games as the drama unfold no matter one's location and timezone. The app does let fans watch games live, but geographical restrictions apply.

The NBA official app on Android will bring fans live scores, stats, in-game and post-game highlights and the NBA updated the app so users can track their teams through Playoffs Matchups. This update also includes the usual bug fixes and performance improvements.

If you're a fan of the NBA, make sure you update the app in the Play Store. Enjoy the Playoff and may your team beat them all.

New Microsoft Launcher beta update comes with Cortana improvements and more.

Microsoft published an updated version of its launcher app for Android today. This update is available to beta testers and being one myself, I can attest that it's stable and without risk. So, if you feel like joining the beta program, you can do so here. If you'd rather wait, this update should make its way to 'normal users' in a few weeks.

In the mean time, here's what's new in version 4.7.6:
- Support app sorting for Korean/Japanese/Russian languages in app drawer ;
- New first time experience for mobile connected users from Windows setting;
- Cortana integration improvements:
* Improve app launch experience;
* supports more device settings like WiFi, flight mode, etc;
* support navigation query;
- Bug fixing, code clean up, crash fix and performance tuning

Get the update in Google Play Store.

Instagram now lets you take portrait mode style photos/videos with new 'Focus' feature.

Today, Instagram announced a new feature called 'Focus' "that can instantly take portraits of yourself or friends that you'll want to share". 'Focus' is the portrait mode available on more and more phones these days. In case you've never heard about portrait mode, it lets you take pictures that keep your subject sharp with a blurred background.

Instagram 'Focus' feature will appear next to 'Superzoom' in the app. Tap once to take a selfie or press and hold to capture a video. Focus also works with the back-facing camera. I've tested 'Focus' on my OnePlus 5T and my first impression is that it looks weird. I took a selfie and my ears were also blurred. This thing needs some more work. The portrait mode on my OnePlus is way better - at least it doesn't treat my ears as being part of the background.

'Focus' is available in Instagram version 39.0 for Android, but on select Android devices. Instagram did not say which one. If you do not see Focus mode yet, make sure you download the latest version of the app in Google Play Store.

Source: Instagram

Google Play Store now shows changelog right on 'Update' page.

Last week I blogged about Google making some useful changes to the Play store app with the latter showing app ranking and in some cases comparable apps. These changes have gradually rolled out to users and today, it seems Google is pushing another update to the Play store.

This morning I noticed the appearance of down-pointing arrows next to each app under the Update tab. Tapping on them reveals the changelog in a green box. This is a great feature for me as I get to see what's new right on the Update page rather than opening each app 'Read more' page to find out. 

I did not verify if this new feature is available to everyone, but as I said last week if you're not seeing these changes yet, just be patient. 

Change your picture and wallpaper directly in Adobe Photoshop Express for Android.

Depending on where you stand Adobe is either a software household name or a name that is almost synonymous with vulnerabilities. Not all Adobe products have this bad reputation and fortunately Photoshop Express falls into that category of apps you can trust. If you do not have the app on your Android device yet or are looking for a good photo editor, this one is definitely worth your time. And it's completely free.

That said, Adobe Photoshop Express has been updated with some new features like the addition of a "Fade" effect and the ability to print directly from the application. This update also lets you change your device wallpaper and set profile pictures in the app via the share menu. The latter, while a great idea, only supports apps like Contacts and apps that let you set photos as wallpaper and that's basically any photo and launcher app you have installed on your device. Adobe Photoshop, however, only support WhatsApp for profile pictures and it does not show any social networks in the menu. 

Here's what's new in version 4.0.451 of Adobe Photoshop Express:

• Add "Fade" effect and give a matte feel to your photos.
• Print photos directly from the application.
• Change wallpaper and profile pictures directly from the share screen.
• UI improvements in crop tool.
• Bug fixes.

Adobe Photoshop Express can be downloaded in Google Play Store.

Speedtest for Android gets new unit of data transfer rate and more.

Last month, Speedtest, the popular speed test app for Android received an update that introduced a new refreshed UI, as well as some new features. This time around, Speedtest is getting another update that brings in a few improvements and refinements on top of last month's update.

Speedtest added kilobytes per second (kB/s) as a new data speed unit measurement along Mbps and MB/s. The new unit has the following scales: 5000k, 10000k and 15000k.

Here's what else is new in version 4.1.1 of Speedtest:

• Increased size and brightness of text to make it easier to read.
• Added a progress bar during the test. Real-time line graphs to show how your speed varies during the test are coming soon.
• Result details now show the time of the day of the test.
• Fixed some translation errors.

That's it in this update, so grab it in Google Play store.