Microsoft tests news summary reader

Commuting and don’t want to be staring at a screen but you still want to catch up on the latest news? Microsoft is testing out an app that reads new summaries to you. Called NewsCast, the app takes articles from around the web and begins reading news summaries to you in a playlist. You can choose to save an article for actual reading later or read it right from the app with its built-in browser.

The app is supposed to be a proof-of-concept product from the Bing News and Speech teams that they’re currently testing internally at Microsoft. The app used to have a publicly-accessible website but now it looks like that has been taken down.  The app seems to have been iOS-only. Hopefully though they bring this to the public in the future and open it to more ecosystems.

Source: PCWorld

New iCloud update lets you restore lost data

Accidentally deleted a file or contact you needed on iCloud? No worries, you can now retrieve those. iCloud gets a new feature that lets you restore files, Contacts, or data from Reminders and Calendar. You can access the restore features through iCloud.com account. Head over to Settings on the site and rifle through the new Advanced section. There will be links there for restoring files, contacts, calendars, and reminders.

You get 30 days to retrieve a file you deleted from iCloud Drive using the Restore Files feature. After that you can’t get it back. For Restore Contacts, you can pick which backup archive you want back. Just remember that restoring this will replace your contacts on all your iOS and Mac devices. However, before the restoration happens, there will also be a backup of your existing contacts so in case you want those back, you can get those back. For Restore Calendars or Reminders, you’ll need to manually restore sharing privileges if you had reminders you’ve shared with others before. Scheduled events where you invited others will get cancelled and recreated. You might want to let others know this is happening when they get the event notification once again.  Your existing Calendars or Reminders will also be backed up in case you need access to these once you restored a previous backup.

Source: Macworld

Google for iOS now gets always-on 'OK Google,' adds more context to your searches

Google updates its app for iOS to bring the useful 'OK Google' voice prompt and have it always on and ready to respond to your voice. Aside from that, it helps your searches further by giving you contextual information. For example, you're reading an article on a celebrity. You can say, "OK Google, where is he or she born?" And it will answer you based on the article you're reading. It also has more detailed local search results now to make it easier for you to find what you need. 

Source: Lifehacker | Download: Apple App Store (Free) 

Apple Store app now lets you use gift cards

Before you could only use those Apple Store gift cards you got at the actual site or in physical stores. Now, you can shop even from the Apple Store app for the iPhone and iPad. Yes, the iOS version now supports gift cards. To use a gift card for an order, you just need to tap on the “Add a gift card” option on the Checkout page. You can either manually type the PIN or scan it using the camera of your iOS device.

Source: Cult of Mac | Download: Apple App Store (Free)