App updates you should know about: Google Search, Snapchat, Cut the Rope 2 and more!

If you are a app-happy person who hasn’t been able to catch up with the latest app updates amidst the holiday season, then fret not. Here’s a quick recap of the app updates of this week that you should know.

Vine

Twitter’s Vine team has pushed out two updates for the app this week – one for the Windows Phone and another for Android. Vine for Android finally comes to Gingerbread users. However, device limitations will allow only viewing videos and one cannot create any content. On the other hand, Vine for Windows Phone has reached version 1.1 and now adds drafts support. It includes the ability to save and resume Vines and a slight visual tweak to the notifications icon. Android and Windows Phone users can download the Vine app from Google Play store and Windows Phone store respectively.

Google Search redesigned for iOS 7

Google Search for iOS

Google has redesigned Google Search for iOS 7. It now includes smarter Google Maps integration. Loading maps within the Google Search app is said to be faster and a transparent ‘Get Directions’ button takes you directly to the Google Maps app. It now brings a full screen Google Now experience and individual cards now take up the width of the screen. Google Search for iPad now adds native image search that allows finding images you need without loading up the Google Chrome for iOS app. Download Google Search for iOS from the App Store.

Cut the Rope 2 for iOS

ZeptoLab has released the next iteration of the popular physics-based puzzler Cut the Rope for iOS users -  Cut the Rope 2. It now brings more candy-filled challenges, but the levels supposedly are trickier. Download Cut the Rope 2 from the Apple App Store.

Skype for Android

Skype for Android has been updated to support audio and video calls outside the app for tablet owners. This makes Skype the first Android app to offer a picture in picture window that lets you see the video call even when you switch away to other apps. So users can now multitask while on Skype audio calls and video calls. The feature is now available for only tablets and there is no word on whether it will come to smartphones. Android users can download Skype from the Google Play Store.

Opera Coast browser for iPad

Opera’s Coast iPad app gets its first update. The browser has dropped the back and forward buttons that were central to its first incarnation. They’ve been replaced by a slick swipe-based navigation system. The app is now smarter at handling Web-based music and has its own player. Some other improvements include speed boost, better handling of PDFs and more options to customize the background. iPad users can download Opera Coast here.

Opera Coast for iPad get an update

Snapchat for iOS

Snapchat has also received an update this week that allows users to replay a message once per day and “flash” the front camera by whiting-out the screen. The update also adds filters and an overlay option with data like time, weather and speed. Click here to download Snapchat for iOS.

Yahoo! Mail

When Yahoo! gave its email service a facelift earlier this year, the removal of tabs from the new layout is something that irked users the most. The Internet company has now listened to its users and brought back the tabs. Yahoo has added a new preview screen that lets you see all of your tabs at once.