Five tips for the new Google Maps on Android

Checking out the new version of Google Maps and noticing some new features, but also some missing ones? Here's five quick tips

to help you navigate the new interface.

After promising that Maps would receive a face lift and some new features at Google I/O, the app is finally delivering the goods. Google Maps v7.0.0 tidies up the interface and brings some shortcuts for the features you use the most.

The new version is rolling out via Google Play to Android devices running 4.0.3 and higher (with an iOS coming sometime in the future). If you haven't received an update yet, sit tight. You do have the option of downloading it from a third-party file hosting service, but this is not recommended.

Now, let's get into the five things you should know how to do in the new Google Maps on Android:

Location information in the new Google Maps on Android, old vs. new.

Tip 1: When you look up a destination, you can slide the information card up from the bottom of the screen to reveal the call, save, and share buttons (borrows the Google Now card appearance). You'll also see the street view of the location, ratings, and reviews. No more trying to tap on the tiny map pin to open the information page!

Personal map data and recent searches in the new Google Maps on Android, old vs. new.

Tip 2: Tap the silhouette icon at the far right-hand side of the search bar to gain quick access to your map data. This data includes reviews, saved addresses for home and work, nearby offers, saved places, and even recent searches.

Google Maps old vs. new layer selection.

Tip 3: Traffic and satellite layers have been relocated to a general menu. Simply tap on the gray tab along the bottom left-hand side of the app and the menu will slide open, allowing you to enable your desired layers.

Google Maps Local (old) vs. Google Maps Explore (new).

Tip 4: The Local feature has been replaced by Explore. Press the search box at the top and then scroll down the page to find the Explore banner, where you can choose from eat, drink, shop, play, and sleep. There's even a menu with categories so you can find places around you without knowing the business names.

Confirmation that a map is saved for offline use in the new Google Maps on Android.

Tip 5: If you want to save Google Maps so you can access them while offline, just say or type "OK Maps" (Google Glass, anyone?) in the search box. You'll see a message that says the onscreen map area has been cached.

Update: In lieu of feedback about the method used for saving maps offline, Google has added a new "Make this Map area available offline" link under the search box for faster access. 

You may have noticed that Latitude is nowhere to be found in this version of Google Maps. If you want to see locations of friends, you'll have to open the Google+ app and choose Locations from the left-hand menu.

Have you noticed an important difference or awesome shortcut for the new Google Maps on Android? Share your tip or general thoughts on the new version in the comments!

How to move your Astrid data to Wunderlist

Now that the end of Astrid is official, it's time to find a new home for your lists and notes. Here's how to migrate your data to

Wunderlist, one of the best alternatives to Astrid.

Wunderlist, a replacement task management app for Astrid.

Although Wunderlist doesn't look much like Astrid, it does offer a lot of similar features. You can make notes on tasks, create lists with check boxes, and even set reminders. And to save you time updating your list from only one device, Wunderlist is available for Android, iPhone, iPad,Mac, Windows, and the Web. Here's the quick steps for relocating your Astrid data:Astrid sent out an e-mail newsletter stating that its service will come to a close on August 5, 2013. Whether it's to-do lists, movies you want to see, or the details of a project, you'll probably want to save them before the service shuts down. Luckily, Astrid has teamed up with several other project management companies to make the transition simple. One such company is 6Wunderkinder, the creators of Wunderlist.

Open Astrid.Wunderlist.com in your Web browser and click the Let's Get Started button.

Unfortunately, most of the services that Astrid suggests in its farewell e-mail do not import directly through their respective apps (at the time of this post). Any.Do is an exception, allowing you to import through the settings menu.

You can log in to Astrid with Facebook if you connected it to your account, or with a standard e-mail and password.

Wunderlist will then display the number of lists and to-dos that are still on your Astrid account. Click Next step.

You will need to either sign up for a Wunderlist account, or enter the credentials for an existing one. After logging in, click the Import my Lists Now button. When the import to Wunderlist is complete, you'll receive a notification e-mail.

Getting started with Boomerang for Gmail on Android

Want to get reminders to answer an e-mail later without adding it to your calendar? Need to make sure someone follows up with your e-mail questions? This app can help you streamline the process between your desktop and Android device.

Boomerang is a service that works with your Gmail to send e-mail later, give you follow-up reminders, and notify you if you don't hear back within a specific time. To use the service in the past, you had to install an extension for Chrome or Firefox.

Now there's Boomerang for Gmail on Android, an app that allows you to use all of the same features you expect from the Web versions on your smartphone or tablet.

One big reason for using the app alongside the desktop version is that you don't have to wait until you're at your desk to schedule an e-mail or a reminder about an e-mail.

Ready to test it out? You'll need to install a copy of Boomerang: Email App for Gmail on your Android device.

When you open the app, you'll be greeted with the option to sign in using a Google account. After signing in, a slideshow tutorial will load highlighting the features of the Boomerang app.

To start using the features specific to Boomerang, you'll need to either write a message or select one you want to work with. If you're writing a message, you can decide when to send it by pressing the Send Later button at the top of the app.

You can use the Boomerang option to alert you if no response is received within a specific amount of time. The Boomerang option can also be used for new messages, if you don't feel like dealing with them right now, but want to receive a reminder about them later.

The Settings menu for the app is particularly small, only letting you adjust actions for left and right swiping. Actions to choose from include archive, delete, and other message actions like the Boomerang option itself.

You may notice that two new labels are created in your Gmail account, one for Boomerang and one for Boomerang-Outbox, both of which are used to track your messages with the service. Also, the style of the inbox is very different-looking from the stock Gmail app. Sender names, subject lines, and excerpts from messages are displayed in what Google would call "comfortable" space. This will either make the mail list easier to read or annoy you with wasted space.

Keep in mind that this app is brand new, so there's going to be a few kinks that need to be worked out. If you have an issue, Boomerang responds to user feedback very often, as seen by the app entry on Google Play.

Even though the current app only supports Gmail, Boomerang has stated that it will support services such as Outlook, Yahoo, and others in the future.

Change privacy settings for shared posts in Facebook for Android

Forgot to set the correct privacy settings on a post before you shared? Here's a quick tip about today's update that lets you fix sharing settings on any post.

When sharing a post from the previous version of Facebook for Android, you may have forgotten to tap the itsy-bitsy people-sharing icon before you sent it off to the Interwebs. This icon controls the settings for who can see your post, be it Public, Friends, or other groups you're part of on Facebook. Fortunately, this icon hasn't gone anywhere, but in case you forget to use it, there's a fix -- and it doesn't involve logging in on the desktop Web site.

First, make sure you have the most recent version of Facebook for Android. Just because you've done all updates from the Google Play Store doesn't necessarily mean that you're using the latest version. Many mobile app updates are done with a staged rollout, which can be quite annoying if you're not in the first group. The easiest way to check your current version is to go into the Application Manager (Settings > Applications) and find Facebook in the list. When you tap it, the version number will be displayed in the top area of the screen.

If you don't have version 3.3 you will need to wait for the update to reach your Android device, or install it from a third party (at your own risk). Once you're on version 3.3, follow these quick steps to adjust privacy settings for shared posts:

After a post is finished updating to Facebook, just tap on the three dots in the top-right corner and select Edit Privacy. Next, select the audience you want to share the post with. Now the post will be available only to the people you selected.

If you're like me, you probably think this feature is extremely overdue. What other changes would you like to see in the mobile app? Share your thoughts in the comments. 

Getting started with Photoshop Express for Windows 8

Adobe's Photoshop Express, previously only available on iOS and Android, is now available for Windows 8. We'll show you how to get started with the app.

Previously only available for iOS and Android devices, it's now ready to be downloaded for free to your Windows 8 tablet or hybrid device from the Windows Store. Here's how to get started with Adobe Photoshop Express for Windows 8:Adobe's Photoshop Express is a basic photo-editing app for your mobile device. With Photoshop Express, you can correct photo properties like contrast, exposure, and white balance, or use the autofix feature to let Photoshop try to fix everything for you. You can also crop your photos, apply creative filters, and share them to Facebook directly from the app.

Opening a photo

When you first launch Photoshop Express, you'll be prompted to select an image source for editing. You can select a photo from your Pictures Library, take a photo from the device's camera, or pick a photo from Revel, Adobe's photo storage and synchronization service. If the photo you want to edit isn't stored in those locations, you can always browse to the photo with Windows Explorer, right-click on the photo, then go to Open with > Photoshop Express.

Editing a photo

Once you've opened up a photo, you'll see six editing choices on the lower left side: Crop, Correct, Looks, Red Eye, Auto Fix, and Reduce Noise. Just tap or click on any of those choices to edit your photo.

Crop lets you rotate, straighten or flip the photo, as well as crop with strict photo ratios.

Correct allows you to change the contrast, clarity, vibrance, exposure, highlights, shadows, temperature and tint. All of these enhancements work by moving the slider, which works very well on a touch screen. You can also choose to have the app correct the exposure and white balance automatically.

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Looks contains 20 free Instagram-like filters. There are also 20 premium filters (Adobe Looks Pack) that you can buy for $2.99. You can try all the premium filters for free, but you'll have to buy the upgrade to save any changes.

Red Eye helps you remove red eye from photos, just by tapping on the problem area. If you have a touch screen, you can use zoom gestures to enlarge the photo to make it easier to select the red eye. If you decide you don't like the enhancement, you can tap on the undo button in the upper right-hand corner. The redo button is located there as well.

Auto Fix attempts to enhance the photo with a single tap. As with most of the enhancements you make with Photoshop Express, you can tap and hold on the View Diff or View Original button that appears on the lower right side to compare the edited version with the original.

Reduce Noise is another premium feature that tries to "smooth out unwanted grain and speckling." The Noise Reduction Pack costs $4.99 from the Windows Store.

Sharing a photo

You can share your photos to Revel or Facebook directly from Photoshop Express by tapping on the Save/Share button in the lower left-hand corner. You can also try using the Windows 8 share feature from the charms bar. If all else fails, you can always save the photo to your device, then share it the old-fashioned way.

Adobe Photoshop Express for Windows 8 should work well for most casual users and is particularly fun to use on Windows 8 devices with touch screens. Let us know what you think of it. Does it have enough features to meet most of your needs or do you require something more robust?