AppleInsider Staff
Google has added to its extensive collection of iOS apps with a new News & Weather offering, while third-party keyboard maker SwiftKey addressed performance issues in a new release and PDF Expert 5 added support for the iPhone 6 series and iOS 8.
Google News & Weather
Google promises its new app will deliver a "comprehensive and personalized view of headline stories and local news & weather." The company says the app provides coverage from some 65,000 publications, and gives access to categories including Top Stories, Technology, and Sports & Weather via swipe.
The search giant also offers 60 country-specific editions alongside personalized news sections covering topics like Hollywood or fashion. Tapping any story will show a selection of viewpoints from various publications.
Google News & Weather version 1.0.232 is available now as a free, 9.6-megabyte download from the App Store.
SwiftKey Keyboard
Swiftkey's latest revision brings a number of bug fixes and improved performance, including quicker keyboard loading time. Bugs that caused the bottom row of numbers and symbols to disappear when using the Twitter layout on iPad and crashes when backspacing on emoji have been fixed.
Additionally, crashes when typing sequences that included a "-" have been remedied, and "general stability improvements" are promised. The company also advises users to update to the latest build of iOS 8, which addresses some issues with third-party keyboards.
SwiftKey Keyboard version 1.0.1 is available now as a free, 28.3-megabyte download from the App Store.
PDF Expert 5
PDF Expert 5 now includes an optimized layout for the iPhone 6 and 6 plus, along with some iOS 8-exclusive features. Users on Apple's latest mobile operating system will enjoy iCloud drive support, including the ability to open files from iCloud Drive in the document picker.
Additionally, the app can now be unlocked via Touch ID on devices supporting the hardware feature, while iPads gain a new "zoom writing" mode for precision writing. Also coming in the latest release is AirTurn support for musicians, improved bookmarks, and general "stability and compatibility improvements for iOS."
PDF Expert 5 version 5.2.1 is available now as a free, 65.3-megabyte download from the App Store.
Christine McKee
Thomas Sibilly
20 Comments
Google curated newsfeed? Pass.
Been waiting for Google news app for like 4 years. Damn if they don't take long to do certain things. Edit: did not know they bundled weather with it *head scratching commenced*
Now if Google could only get around to updating Maps and Hangouts for the 6/6+...
Goog filtered news - perfect, just what the world needs. Pass.
I gave up on Google News long ago. Watching what ended up on top and what sources were linked made me suspicious. Something wasn't right. Then there was the "runaway bride" story out of Atlanta. I wasn't interested in the story itself, but I was interested in how Google covered it. Did Google News have enough sense to steer readers to what were likely to be the best reports, meaning those in the Atlanta press? No. Even worse than that, it tilted heavily toward stories from CNS. CNS is the Chinese News Service. Not only is it far away from events and merely rewriting stories from other sources, it's the official government-run agency for the repressive Chinese government. It was not hard to figure out what was happening. Google was sucking up the China by puffing its government news service. And if it'll do that, I told myself, it'll do all sorts of nefarious things. I dropped Google News and could care less about their new app. News filtered by Google does not interest me.