iOS 7

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iOS 7 beta 7 (final beta) to be released today? (update: doesn’t look like it)

Aug 19 2013 - 7:19 am PT

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According to BGR, Apple will release the seventh and final beta version of iOS 7 to developers today. The release, like most of the past seeds, is said to arrive around 1 PM EST/10 AM PST.

This new build is said to include a “much higher” build number than previous releases, and this typically means that many under-the-hood changes could have occurred between previous betas and this new beta.

BGR, which previously reported that iOS 7 beta 6 would arrive this week, notes that the mix-up in information is unsurprisingly due to the iOS 7 beta 6 quick-fix for iTunes in the Cloud last week. It seems that the iOS 7 beta 7 that could come today was originally planned to be a sixth (and final) beta. A golden master seed is expected in September.

Update: iFun recently reported that its sources say there will be no more betas for iOS 7 until a GM is released at next month’s event. The site has been correct on beta releases in the past and tells us the info comes from a reliable source.

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• iPad
• iPad mini
• App Store
• update

WatchESPN app updated for iOS 7, adds ‘Live Toolbar’ that lets you stream two videos at once

Jordan Kahn Aug 15 2013 - 8:18 am PT

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ESPN has updated its WatchESPN app for iOS today with a new feature called “Live Toolbar” that allows users to multitask while continuing to watch live programming. Rather than having to leave the live stream of whatever event you’re watching at the time, the new live toolbar will allow you to keep up with scores, browse upcoming events, and even watch video highlights or a second video stream. Perhaps the most notable new feature is the ability to watch a second video next to live programming when rotating the device into landscape mode:

Top Videos: Watch multiple things at once! Keep up with the latest news and highlights right alongside the live ESPN programming you’re watching. Rotate your device while watching two videos.

The new live toolbar feature is only rolling out to users on iPad and iPad mini, and will also let users “switch to additional ESPN programming without exiting the video” and follow scores of additional games while watching live programming.

Version 1.7 of the WatchESPN app also includes iOS 7 support, more events from “ESPN on ABC”, and ESPN3 access for users connecting from a college or military network.

Apple just recently added the watch ESPN service, alongside HBOGo and a handful of others, to the AppleTV.

What’s New in Version 1.7

Introducing the WatchESPN Live Toolbar on iPad! Now you can keep up with news, scores and on-demand video from your favorite sporting events while watching live programming on ESPN.

The live toolbar includes:
– Live TV Lineup: See what’s on ESPN’s networks and switch to additional ESPN programming without exiting the video.
– Scores: Follow additional games while watching your game on ESPN. Launch video highlights at the conclusion of an event (where available).
– Top Videos: Watch multiple things at once! Keep up with the latest news and highlights right alongside the live ESPN programming you’re watching. Rotate your device while watching two videos.

*The Live Toolbar is available on iPad and iPad Mini only.

Also new in 1.7:
– Users connecting from a college or military network now get access to ESPN3 events automatically!
– WatchESPN is now compatible with iOS7.
– “ESPN on ABC” events will now appear in the WatchESPN app. Selecting these events will bring you into the WatchABC app.

*WatchESPN 1.7 requires iOS 6 or above.

• AAPL Company
• iOS Devices
• iPhone 5s
• Developers
• iOS 7

Report: Apple releasing iOS 7 GM on Sept. 5 to employees/carriers, developers on Sept. 10

Jordan Kahn Aug 15 2013 - 7:24 am PT

6 Comments

BGR is reporting that Apple is preparing to release the final beta release of iOS 7, beta 6, sometime next week followed by a final Gold Master release ahead of Apple’s expected September 10th iPhone event. It’s not exactly that surprising, as next week would mark two weeks from the release of beta 5, and Apple was on a two week schedule prior to the Developer Center outages. BGR is also claiming that Apple plans to seed a final GM version of the software on September 5th to employees and partners and release it to developers after the event early next month:

After iOS 7 beta 6, Apple will be seeding a GM (gold master) version for its employees and partners to test starting around September 5th. This will mostly likely be the software that is released to the public later on in the month of September, barring any major bugs or problems that might be discovered… After Apple and its partners are comfortable with the gold master build, the company will release it to developers on September 10th, the day of the company’s iPhone event.

It’s not hard to predict that a GM is just around the corner, as Apple would clearly want to have it ready for its September 10th iPhone event. BGR doesn’t provide a specific source of the information, but a release of the final iOS 7 version on September 10th to developers is a given if Apple continues in the tradition of years past.

• iOS Devices
• Privacy
• iOS 7
• Location Services
• Frequent Locations

iOS 7 beta privacy settings let you opt-out of ‘Frequent Locations’ feature

Ben Lovejoy Aug 7 2013 - 4:02 am PT

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We mentioned back in June that iOS 7 uses location data to incorporate Google Now-style info into the Notification Center. In the latest iOS 7 betas, Apple allows users to see some of their frequently visited places in Settings. This helps the system determine how much traffic will be present when you need to head to your next destination.

BuzzFeed highlighted the feature, but as Rene Ritchie writes, this capability is entirely opt-in.

With iOS 7, if BuzzFeed’s report is accurate, and nothing in the process has fundamentally change, it’s a feature that has to be enabled by users on setup (allowing the iPhone to use your location has been opt-in for years), and will now also include a user-facing interface so you can actually see what’s been recorded. And that, apparently, might scare people. Not the headlines that make it sound scary, of course, but the non-hidden, still relatively benign, still opt-in and disable-able, user facing feature.

By virtue of location services in iOS 7 always being able to be disabled by the user, the new user-facing-interface showing your location is actually a transparent move by Apple to ensure the user knows what the system is tracking. Of course, this is still an option, not a requirement. However, this feature will improve location-based services in iOS (for the users), and Apple’s data collection is anonymous.

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• AAPL Company
• iOS Devices
• iTunes
• iOS 7
• Music

Apple asks Internet radio stations for cover art for likely inclusion in iTunes Radio service

Ben Lovejoy Aug 6 2013 - 4:04 am PT

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Apple appears to be further preparing for the official launch of iTunes Radio, Apple’s Pandora-like streaming music service, by asking streaming radio stations to provide cover art. iTunes Radio is included in the Music app in iOS 7, as seen in our hands-on video.

Dear Internet Radio Provider,

Cover Art

The iTunes Store now requires cover art for Internet Radio stations. The cover art files must be 1400 x 1400 pixels in JPG or PNG format using RGB color space. The image URL must end in “.jpg”, “.jpeg” or “.png”. To add cover art to your station, send an email to itunesradio@apple.com including your contact name, station name and cover art file.

Cover art should avoid pixelation. Any text should be legible at reduced image sizes on small devices. Note that Internet Radio cover art is not currently displayed.

Questions about iTunes Radio?

Check out iTunes Radio here.

Regards,

The iTunes Internet Radio Team

While cover art is already available for many radio stations, some of it is very small and wouldn’t scale well on a Retina iPad.

Via MacRumors

• Apps & Updates
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• Epic Games

ChAIR employee’s LinkedIn profile hints at possible Infinity Blade 3

Zach Kahn Aug 2 2013 - 3:05 pm PT

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First spotted by Kotaku, it appears that Epic Games, developer of the Gears of War series for Xbox 360 and the Unreal Engine used to power many console and mobile games, may be working on an additional Infinity Blade sequel appropriately titled “Infinity Blade 3 for iPhone.” According to a Senior QA Tester’s LinkedIn profile, Epic’s iOS publishing arm, ChAIR, looks to be in the midst of either development or beta testing for a new Infinity Blade title to follow the studio’s last release, Infinity Blade II.

A prequel to the popular series entitled Infinity Blade: Dungeons was demonstrated by Epic Games at Apple’s iPad (3) with Retina Display announcement earlier last year, but the title still has yet to see the light of day. Infinity Blades: Dungeons was expected to launch sometime in the later half of 2012, but the company pushed back development of the title and then officially canceled the project earlier this year, squashing little remaining hope for the action-RPG’s eventual release.

Kotaku reports that major changes have been afoot at Epic Games since Chinese internet giant Tencent acquired a 40 percent stake in June 2012. Such a change in Epic’s management may have pushed back development of certain titles and may have even been responsible for Impossible Games (the studio responsible for Infinity Blade: Dungeons development) closure earlier this year. Tencent is often associated with an assortment of freemium titles, so many have wondered if Epic couldn’t find a way to bring such a model to Infinity Blade: Dungeons or if it may show up in a future release in the series. A freemium model would put the pay-to-play series in the same position as Real Racing 3, which was originally a pay-to-play title but then turned to a freemium model when the series’ developer Firemint was acquired by EA.

ChAIR has been unusually quiet since the release of the final content pack for Infinity Blade II last August, but Kotaku believes that the development of Infinity Blade 3 may be more of a reality than rumor due to nods from the company’s newly appointed Community Manager, Hilary Goldstein. In his first blog post as Community Manager, Goldstein hinted that fans may see a new tile in the coming months. If that’s true, we may actually see Infinity Blade 3 demoed alongside Apple’s latest hardware come this fall as with previous installments in the series. It’s also interesting to note that iOS7 will officially support third-party game controllers, and although the Infinity Blade is known for its touch-and-slash gameplay, we could see suport for more traditional controls as well.

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• iOS
• iOS Devices
• Bluetooth
• update

Pebble smartwatch app for iOS updated with email notification support

Mark Gurman Aug 1 2013 - 11:40 am PT

2 Comments

Pebble smartwatch users running iOS 6 won’t have to wait until iOS 7 to get email notifications: the company behind the watch has issued an update for its iOS app to support email alerts.

The update supports Gmail via a login through Google, while other IMAP email accounts are supported via a login-system within the app. Non-IMAP accounts (like POP) are not supported.

For those who receive a lot of email, Pebble has included an option to temporarily pause email notifications:

Once it has been successfully set up, you will see the account listed on the Email Notifications page. A blue bar means that the account is active. If you would like to temporarily disable the notifications, simply tap the bar once to turn them off; it will appear grey when the notifications are disabled. Tap the bar again when you wish to re-enable the notifications.

Pebble also has troubleshooting instructions on its support page. Of course, Apple is working on its own smart watch. The Pebble recently went on sale at Best Buy. 

• AAPL Company
• iOS
• iOS 7
• keyboard
• support

Apple job listing hints at iOS keyboard support for additional languages & scripts

Jordan Kahn Jul 30 2013 - 11:37 am PT

5 Comments

Apple currently supports over 50 languages and varying script systems with its system-wide keyboard in iOS, but a new job listing hints that it is working to add support for additional languages and writing systems. Apple is looking to add engineers to its iOS keyboard and text team, and its UIKit Frameworks team, to “work closely with international teams and native speakers to accommodate all the world’s script systems.”

Apple has done a lot of work on the iOS keyboard in terms of language support in recent years, and most recently announced that “improved Chinese input including handwriting recognition for multiple Chinese characters” would be arriving in iOS 7.

iOS currently supports the over 50+ languages listed below, but users continue to request other unsupported languages and script systems. For example, Maltese, Afrikaans, and the Persian or Perso-Arabic alphabet are just a few not yet supported. 
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