Skype today updated its Xbox One app with two new features and a slew of bug fixes, but just like the last update , this one still doesn’t let you use Skype while playing games. The new version is rolling out gradually, so don’t fret if you don’t see it on your console just yet.
You can now take a Skype profile picture using Kinect or set it to match your Xbox One gamerpic. The auto zoom has been enhanced to better identify people in the picture, especially when there are multiple people in the room, allowing the Kinect camera to adjust and see everyone. Hopefully the next version will start to include the big new features Xbox users have been waiting for since launch.
See also – Xbox One review: A multimedia extravaganza that also plays games and Overview: Here’s how Skype will work on the Xbox One
Microsoft announces 35 new apps coming to Xbox One, including Twitter and the first Vine app for TV
Microsoft today announced 46 new apps coming to its Xbox platform. The company says this will increase apps on its gaming platform by 25 percent, bringing the total to over 225 apps around the world.
The timing of the news should surprise no one: the June update started rolling out last night , and it drops the Gold subscription requirement for apps. If you’re going to announce a slew of new apps, you might as well wait until everyone can use them.
The full list of apps is as follows (35 are for the Xbox One and 11 are just for the Xbox 360):
Antena 3. Xbox One: ES.
ChiliTV. Xbox One: IT.
Comedy Central. Xbox One: US.
Crunchyroll. Xbox One: AU, AT, BR, CA, DE, ES, FR, IE, IT, MX, NZ, UK, US.
ENCORE Play. Xbox One: US.
EPIX. Xbox One: US.
Filmbox Live. Xbox 360: AR, AU, AT, BE, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DK, FI, FR, DE, GR, HK, HU, IN, IE, IL, IT, JP, MX, NL, NZ, NO, PL, PT, RU, SA, SG, SK, ZA, KR, ES, SE, CH, TW, TR, AE, UK, US
Fox Play. Xbox One: MX, BR. Xbox 360: MX, BR, AR, CO, CH.
Frightflix. Xbox One: US.
FXNOW. Xbox 360: US.
Gol TV. Xbox One: ES.
GoPro. Xbox One: US, CA, MX, UK, FR, DE, IT, ES, AU, BR, AT, NZ, IR.
HBO GO. Xbox One: US: Xbox 360: MX, BR, AR, CO, CH.
iHeartRadio. Xbox One: US.
Infinity. Xbox One: IT.
IVI. Xbox 360: RU.
KDrama. Xbox One: AU, AT, BR, CA, DE, ES, FR, IE, IT, MX, NZ, UK, US. Xbox 360: AR, AU, AT, BE, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DK, FI, FR, DE, GR, HK, HU, IN, IE, IL, IT, MX, NL, NZ, NO, PL, PT, RU, SA, SG, SK, ZA, ES, SE, CH, TW, TR, AE, UK, US.
maxdome. Xbox One: AT, DE.
MLG. Xbox One: US, UK, CA, AU.
MOVIEPLEX Play. Xbox One: US.
MTV. Xbox One: US.
NBA. Xbox One: AT, AU, BR, CA, FR, DE, IE, IT, MX, ES, NZ, UK, US.
NHL. Xbox One: US, CA, MX, UK, FR, DE, IT, ES, AU, BR, AT, NZ, IR. Xbox 360: US, CA, MX, UK, FR, DE, IT, ES, JP, AU, BR, NL, SE, RU, TW, PL, IN, HK, TR, BE, AT, NZ, SA, AR, NO, CH, SG, ZA, IR, DK, CO, CL, FI, CZ, HU, IL, GR, PT, SK.
Now TV. Xbox One: UK.
Picturebox. Xbox 360: UK.
Popcornflix. Xbox One: US.
ShowTime Anytime. Xbox 360: US.
Sky News. Xbox One: UK, IE, US, CA. Xbox 360: UK, IE, US, CA.
Sky Online. Xbox One: IT.
STARZ Play. Xbox One: US.
STV. Xbox 360: UK.
Syfy Now. Xbox One: US.
Target Ticket. Xbox One: US.
TuneIn. Xbox One: US, CA, MX, UK, FR, DE, IT, ES, AU, BR, AT, NZ, IR.
TV2. Xbox 360: DK.
Twitter. Xbox One: US.
USA Now. Xbox One: US.
VEO. Xbox One: MX. Xbox 360: MX.
Vevo. Xbox One: CA, US, AU, FR, DE, IR, BR,ES, IT, UK, NZ.
VH1. Xbox One: US.
Vine. Xbox One: US.
WATCH ABC. Xbox 360: US.
WATCH Disney Channel. Xbox 360: US.
WATCH Disney Junior. Xbox 360: US.
WATCH Disney XD. Xbox 360: US.
Watchever. Xbox One: DE.
Microsoft specifically highlighted how Twitter will be integrated into Xbox One’s TV experience. Although a Twitter app used to exist for the Xbox 360 , the experience will be different on the new console. US viewers will be able to see tweets related to whatever cable or satellite TV shows they’re watching:
The Twitter experience on Xbox One will also be integrated into the TV listings section of OneGuide (you’ll be able to see the shows that people are tweeting about in real-time). Highly tweeted shows will also be highlighted in a new “trending” section within OneGuide.
Microsoft worked with Twitter to pull this off, and the relationship doesn’t end there. The first Vine app for TV will also be launching on the Xbox One. Not only will you be able to watch Vine videos on the big screen, but you’ll be able to share gameplay videos as well.
We’ll keep you posted as these new apps arrive. Microsoft hopes to have all of these available this year, but warns that timing is “subject to change.”
Ideal gifts: Rekindle your love of reading with Kindle Paperwhite and The Circle by Dave Eggers
In the Ideal Gifts series, The Next Web team shares personal recommendations for gifts to give this holiday season.
I love reading, but never got around to the book store or library as much as I’d like, so it’s suffered over the years.
I’d always thought the Kindle was a bit dumb, after all, I own an iPad and can read books there! I did occasionally read on the iPad, but always got distracted by a push notification or sucked into the Twitter void.
When I got a Kindle Paperwhite , I finally rediscovered my love of books at long last. I love the Kindle because it’s a tiny, dedicated device with zero distractions. I take my Kindle everywhere, loaded with all my favorite books. It’s like a library in my pocket.
The Kindle is the perfect gift, because it’s relatively low-cost and the usage you can get out of it is far beyond many gadgets. I just gave my mom one for her birthday and she’s already addicted to reading on it.
I’m finally obsessed with reading again thanks to the Kindle and I love it. For bonus points when gifting, I highly recommend preloading The Circle by Dave Eggers .
The Circle is a novel about a not-too-distant future in which a social network basically controls the world; the parallels with what’s going on right now in Silicon Valley are insightful and incredibly close to home.
➤ The Kindle Paperwhite [$119 on Amazon] / The Circle [$9.99 for Kindle]
You can see the rest of the Ideal Gifts in this series here