Apps & Updates

FedEx Mobile iOS app gets ‘Delivery Manager’ with customized delivery options, lets users sign for packages

Jordan Kahn

FedEx has updated its iOS app today providing users with access to sign up and use a new FedEx Delivery Manager feature to customize delivery options and even sign for packages directly from within the app.

Once users have signed up for Delivery Manager, they will be able to schedule deliveries, provide instructions for pending deliveries, and even sign for packages using the universal app for iPhone and iPad. Other delivery options that users can customize include: Deliver to another address, Schedule a vacation hold, and Hold your package at a FedEx location.

Get convenience and flexibility for deliveries to your home. You can view upcoming deliveries to your home address, get status updates, or request to schedule a delivery by choosing your preferred date, time, or date and time combination. Or you can request FedEx to deliver to another address — in your neighborhood or across the U.S. — or select from free options such as Hold at FedEx Location.

The new Delivery Manager feature is initially only available for residential deliveries within the US. Users interested in signing up or learning more about the new feature can do so at fedex.com/delivery.

The updated FedEx mobile app is available on the App Store now.

Apple adds option to download “Later” for movies and TV shows through iTunes in the Cloud

Jordan Kahn

Download-Later-iTunes-in-the-Cloud-moviesApple has recently added a new option for iTunes purchases on both the Mac and iOS devices running iTunes 11 and iOS 6 or later. Now, when purchasing content that includes a large download, such as movies or seasons of TV shows, iTunes will allow users to complete the purchase and opt to download the file at a later time. As noted by Macworld, Apple outlined the new option, which presents users with a dialog to “Download” now or download “Later”, in a recently updated knowledge base article.

Selecting the new “Later” option will add the purchased content to your “Purchased” tab in iTunes in the Cloud, meaning the feature is only available to those in countries that support iTunes in the Cloud (full list here). According to Apple’s knowledge base article, the option applies to content including: TV seasons, season passes, movie bundles, music box sets, or individual movies and TV episodes.  Read more

Apps & Updates

Quick Review: Twitter #music for iPhone, iPod touch is now playing

Zac Hall

Twitter launched its new music discovery app Twitter #music for iPhone today.

Twitter #music takes a step toward filling the void created when everyone migrated from MySpace, which was one of the most effective music discovery tools for me until it was largely vacated.

Twitter promises to “change the way people find music, based on Twitter,” per the social network’s blog, which I believe will be widely appreciated.

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Apple under fire again from Chinese government – this time it’s a porn investigation

Ben Lovejoy
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Photo: tabtimes.com

Apple’s rather bumpy ride in China continues with the state-run People’s Daily including the company’s App Store in a list of online stores and websites investigated for ‘providing pornographic content’ in China.

It’s an ironic charge for a company with a well-known opposition to pornography. Apple does not allow pornographic content in its App Store, and has a record of removing apps which are found to be in breach of this term …

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Apple nears ‘iRadio’ streaming deal with Warner and Universal in a dozen markets, royalties on par with Pandora rates

Seth Weintraub

We’ve heard no end of rumors of a streaming Radio player from Apple.  We even found pay radio buttons in the iPad’s music player app code earlier this year:

The Apple radio service, once rumored for late 2012 to Q1/2013, has now been pushed back to mid-late 2013 because of difficulty signing the labels. Today the Verge says that Warner is all but signed up at rates comparable to what Pandora pays the labels  – which is to say a lot. Earlier reports put Apple’s asking price much lower.

Apple is expected to sign its first interner radio licensing agreement with a major record label perhaps as soon as next week, multiple sources with knowledge of the talks have told The Verge…Apple initially offered to pay 6 cents per 100 songs streamed, or about half of what Pandora pays. Now, Apple will pay rates nearly “neck and neck” with Pandora, one of the sources said.

Update: CNET reports that Universal is also close to signing and that Apple is hoping to go into a dozen territories by summer:

The press has dubbed the service iRadio, in negotiations with the labels Apple is referring to it as its “new streaming service,” says a source…Apple is building some unique features, such as the ability to jump back to the beginning of a song…Apple is hoping to quickly unveil the service in up to a dozen territories, according to sources, including the U.K, France, Germany, Australia, and Japan.

We’re hoping that Apple has an announcement to make at WWDC, if not earlier.

Apps & Updates

Apple allows Microsoft SkyDrive 3.0 update into App Store following delays

Jordan Kahn

SkyDrive-for-iOS_0DEB6697Update: Microsoft provided us with the following comment noting that “people interested in buying additional storage will do so via the web versus in the app.” In other words, it doesn’t look like Apple will be getting a cut of additional storage purchased, but users won’t be able to do so via the iOS app:

We worked with Apple to create a solution that benefited our mutual customers. The SkyDrive app for iOS is slightly different than other SkyDrive apps in that people interested in buying additional storage will do so via the web versus in the app.

Back in December we heard reports, later confirmed by Microsoft, that Apple was delaying updates to its SkyDrive iOS app. The delays were apparently over a dispute regarding whether or not Apple should receive its usual 30% cut for additional storage that users purchased through the app.

While there is no word yet on exactly how Microsoft and Apple resolved the issue, Microsoft announced today on its Windows SkyDrive blog that a new update is available for the iOS app via iTunes starting today.

Version 3.0 of the app, the first update to SkyDrive for iOS since June, brings support for iPhone 5 and iPad mini, a revamped user experience, enhancements to photo features such as the ability to download full res photos to iPad and iPhone, and much more: Read more