‘Super Mario Run’ hits 40 million downloads in 4 days but not everything is peachy

Just like Princess Peach’s life, not everything is going well for Nintendo’s Super Mario Run release on iOS. While it has set a new download record of 40 million downloads in the first four days, it’s hit with a number of issues and criticisms. According to Reuters, users have been complaining over the US$9.99 price to unlock majority of the game so even if gross sales of Super Mario Run is at US$21 million, it has pushed the company’s share prices to a one-month low.

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Prisma finally introduces full-resolution pictures

Prisma brings some much needed improvements to the art filter app. The 1,080 x 1,080 pixel square resolution limit is now gone so users are free to crop photos how they please and filtered images now have twice the resolution as before to get better-quality photos. There is also now a new location-based photo feed in the app to algorithmically show you nearby photos from other Prisma users. Those images that get more likes will be shown more. An interactive app is also visible in the app so you can show easy access to landmarks. The update is coming to Android and iOS. However, the free aspect ratio feature is currently only available to the iOS app.

Source: The Verge

Patch adds background blur to iPhone-shot photos

The iPhone 7 Plus comes with a dual rear camera and a new Portrait mode that creates a faux depth-of-field effect for, well, portraits. If you don’t have that version of an iPhone, there’s an app that replicates that. Called Patch, the app makes use of neural networks to analyze a photo and determine the subject matter. It’s not as serious a tool as you would expect, it’s more a fun thing to play around with. And since developers anticipated it won’t always accurately find the outline of your subject, you can adjust the mask manually by highlighting or erasing areas affected by the blur. It works best when taking a picture of a person straight on. The app comes with an in-app purchase option ($0.99) to get rid of the tiny watermark Patch adds to the photos you edit on it.

Source: Lifehacker

Google speeds up and redesigns Gmail on iOS

Google revamps the Gmail app for iOS and gives it a new look, the “undo send option,” and faster search capabilities. Two years might be a bit too long of a wait but at least the five second “undo send” feature is now in the iOS app. But the biggest but probably something that will go unnoticed is the quicker search capability of the email app. According to AppleInsider tests, a multi-term search of a 55,000 email archive returned results almost instantly instead of around 11 seconds that takes to complete said search. Scrolling is also faster as well as receiving notification. Google has also added spelling suggestions into the app and lets users swipe on an email to archive or delete the message.