Although the big update for Windows Phone 8.1 users, last night is the fixed Calendar app, this morning we are receiving a few more worthy updates. Most of these even have significant changelogs, making them that more attractive.
Let's take a look at what's new, especially wpTorrent, which hit a pretty big milestone today.
Xbox One SmartGlass
If you have a Xbox One, you must have Xbox One SmartGlass for your Windows Phone. Not only is a remote, but it can do all sorts of other unique actions on your Xbox One, including checking in on messages and your friends.
Version 1.0.4.0 is live today, up from 1.0.3.0 back on March 1. This refresh of this app brings:
- General stability and polish improvements
- Bug fixes
- Search for an pin Bundles
If you've been following along that feature list is still behind the Beta version of the app, so if you want the latest and coolest stuff, use that version, which updated on June 18. Otherwise, 1.0.4.0 is a decent update, keeping Xbox One users happy.
Nokia Cinemagraph
Nokia's unique app that brings photos to life (and soon to be replaced by Living Images) has been updated to 4.2.0.0, up from 4.1.1.5, which updated in April. Although this version has a change log, it is the same one from January when it hit the big four-point-oh.
Oddly enough, the app is still called 'Nokia Cinemagraph' and not just 'Cinemagraph' as you would expect with the recent rebranding by Microsoft. It is published by Microsoft Mobile now, although that in and of itself does not require a Store update.
wpTorrent (free and Pro)
Torrenting files on the go is always an exciting affair. For one, it can consume significant battery life, which is rarely a good thing when mobile. The second is it sucks down bandwidth. However, the decision to do this should be left to the user and since July 2013, Windows Phone users have had wpTorrent to use in that regard.
Today, version 1.5 of wpTorrent free and pro have gone live in the Store and with it, some significant improvements:
- New feature: Support downloading directly to SD card and other phone hubs.
- Improved compatibility with other torrent clients.
- Improved app behavior in shutting down and resuming.
- Improved torrent adding UI.
- Improved magnet link sharing.
- Added Google and Bing as default engines.
- Added max connections option.
- Other minor changes
The ability to save downloads to the SD card is a huge feature to let users save space on their limited internal storage. Likewise with the Hub integration, which is a clever use of wpTorrent. The rest just make this a top notch Torrent client for Windows Phone.
wpTorrent free is ad-driven, with no speed limitations, while the wpTorrent Pro ($2.99) removes the ads, and supports torrent video streaming and video-preview-download mode feature. It is well worth the money if you use it frequently.
Telegram Messenger Beta 0.1.2.4
Windows Phone now has an official Telegram Messenger client. Although it is still technically beta, the app has had a steady stream of updates since its official crowning. Telegram Messenger is like WhatsApp but with a dash of industry leading encryption (and perhaps better support).
Version 0.1.2.4 brings a few minor improvements:
- Fixed bugs with profile pictures and photos
- Support for documents on Windows Phone 8
Not a bad update if you use this well-built messenger.
