iOS devices refer to any of Apple’s hardware that runs the iOS mobile operating system which include iPhones, iPads, and iPods. Historically, Apple releases a new iOS version once a year, the current version is iOS 10. Here is the complete list of iOS 10 compatible devices.
Putting aside for a moment the iPhone location tracking issue, what was the last time you used the iOS Maps app? Apple’s built-in software does turn-by-turn navigation and lets you enjoy detailed satellite imagery and street-level photography, but it otherwise leaves a lot to be desired in the features department. For example, it won’t let you attach detailed information about saved location, the stuff like images, notes or voice memos.
GPS Bookmarker, a new mapping tool for iOS and Android devices, solves these shortcomings. The program lets you bookmark your current location and save it in a database on your phone. You can name the location and personalize it with custom categories, notes, pictures or voice memos so you can quickly pinpoint that fine restaurant or a bookstore later. It also does turn-by-turn directions. More info and screenies after the break.
A report relayed by EETimes today has Intel chasing after the next generation Apple AX chips contracts that will go into iOS devices.
”Based on a number of inputs, we believe Intel is also vying for Apple’s foundry business,” said Gus Richard, an analyst with Piper Jaffray & Co., in a new report.
”It makes strategic sense for both companies. The combination of Apple’s growing demand and market share in smart phones and tablets gives Intel a position in these markets and drives the logic volume Intel needs to stay ahead in manufacturing,” Richard said.
”Intel’s manufacturing lead gives Apple an additional competitive advantage in these markets and distances it from Asian competitors that are knocking off its products,” he said. ”Furthermore, it would also serve to weaken Samsung who is a significant competitive threat to both companies.”
Before the release of the A5, reports had been that apple was looking at TSMC for their chip foundry work. However, since the A5 was revealed to be the work of Samsung, who has manufactured all of Apple’s iOS device processors, TSMC was assumed to be on the back burner.
Since Apple is suing Samsung (and vice versa) Apple may be stepping up its attempts to get its AX processor line manufactured somewhere else.
Intel, however, isn’t in the foundry business. It designs and builds its own integrated processor architectures. Apple and Intel have had a pretty good relationship since the PowerPC handover over five years ago.
When a product sells out in minutes or hours, that’s usually a tell-tale sign of high demand. This has been the case with Apple and some other manufacturers. It can also be an indication of inadequate launch supply, which is usually a sign of bigger manufacturing woes. Seems the latter has been the case with Asustek’s hyped tablet-meets-netbook device dubbed Eee Pad Transformer.
German-language publication Netbooknews.dereports Asus hit a major manufacturing roadblock as they are unable to produce more than 10,000 Eee Pad Transformer units a month, substantially below the original target of at least 300,000 monthly units.
This jives with what upstream sources have been saying, that Apple’s rivals are pushing back their May tablet shipments due to the combined effects of the Japan crisis and the fact that Apple virtually gulped supplies of key components such as touch screen panels, NAND flash memory chips, gyroscope sensors from STMicroelectronics and AKM, cover glass, capacitors and chip-resistors and bismaleimide-triazine resin.
Jailbreakers, rejoice. Soon a sensible way of downloading unsanctioned apps will arrive, the one which won’t require a storefront app like the Cydia Store or Apple’s App Store. The iPhone Download blog points out that Infini Dev Team (no association with the iPhone Dev-team whatsoever) is working on an alternative store dubbed Lima.
It will be 100 percent browser-based so you will simply fire up Safari and head to a store URL to browse, download and install your favorite apps and themes. It’s gonna be just like Android Market or Amazon Appstore for Android, which both allow for browser-based software discovery and installation. Lima is still work in progress, but should be available “soon”, developers say. Check it out in a video after the break.
In an interesting move, Canada-based BlackBerry maker Research In Motion announced an upcoming new version of BlackBerry Enterprise Server that will support iOS and Android devices in the workplace. Yeah, Apple’s big rival in the smartphone arena will let its BlackBerry-using business customers manage and secure BlackBerry, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets from a single web-based console. iOS and Android support will be an optional component.
It’s based on RIM’s newly acquired ubitexx technology and allows for easy deployment of multiple components in a virtualized environment on a single server. The tool is somewhat limited because the new BlackBerry Enterprise Server won’t support all BlackBerry features on Apple and Google devices. For example, the new BlackBerry Balance capability that separates work from personal data only works with BlackBerrys. What’s in it for RIM?
Last week, Apple said it would be updating iOS software (“bugs”) to only store a week’s worth of location data as well as allowing users to turn off the storing of location data. That update is coming in a few weeks according to BGR:
…we have been told it will address:
The update will no longer back up the location database to iTunes.
The size of the location database will be reduced.
The location database will be deleted entirely when Location Services are turned off.
Driving-related apps are popular among smartphone users, especially programs that game DUI checkpoints. Driver Feedback is the name of the new trippy app that leverages the iPhone’s many sensors to gather driving data it then uses to score your skills and give you tips to improve your driving. More screenies, features and a video below the fold.
If you’ve jailbroken your iOS device in order to enjoy wonderful apps Apple banned from the App Store, know you will lose them each time you upgrade to a newer firmware because iTunes doesn’t sync them by default. That’s why for many jailbreakers a firmware upgrade usually entails a tedious process of re-downloading and re-installing all their Cydia apps. Luckily, there’s an app for that. Called xBackup, it’s an effective way to backup and restore your jailbroken apps literally with a tap. As a result, firmware updates are a breeze with this nifty app…
Remember Microsoft Courier? Admit it, the folded dual-screen design and the resulting user interface around it was an eye-opener in the pre-iPad era. Too bad it was just a concept, right? Well, two developers decided to pick up where Microsoft left off and bring this once hyped Courier functionality to Apple’s device. They explain:
The creativity, productivity and attractive user interface coalesce into one outstanding product. The ingenious split interface design allows users to interact with multiple apps simultaneously in the company of Taposé collections.
Taposé is still in its infancy and developers welcome your financial support as they take time off of work to finish the project (something’s gotta pay for the rent and food). Features description and developer videos right after the break… Expand Expanding Close
Partially resolving a dispute over Apple’s tight iOS subscription terms that include standard 30 percent cut and opt-in forwarding of subscriber information, magazine publisher Time Inc. has cut a deal with the iPhone maker that will see them put free iPad editions for existing print subscribers on the App Store. The development, a result of high-level meetings between Time executives and iTunes chief Eddy Cue, is being described as “a sign the two sides are moving closer,” according to a Wall Street Journalstory.
Starting Monday, subscribers to Sports Illustrated, Time and Fortune magazines will be able to access the iPad editions via the apps, which will be able to authenticate them as subscribers. Time Inc.’s People magazine already had such an arrangement, but readers of most publications have had to pay separately for the iPad version regardless of their subscriber status.
Following the news that the white iPhone 4 is slightly thicker than its black variant, 9to5Mac reader Ernesto Barron tweeted Apple Senior Vice President of Product Marketing Phil Schiller to see if the news is really true. After sending Schiller a public tweet with a URL to the above image, which is from our previous post, Schiller responded to him through a Twitter direct message. We’re not sure why Schiller, who has been tweeting publicly for months now, decided to answer through a direct message.
It is not thicker, don’t believe all the junk that you read
We’ve been testing out Otterbox’s Reflex Series case for the iPhone 4 for the past few weeks and it’s a fantastic offering for anyone who wants great iPhone protection in a slim and light package. The Reflex is a slider case that comes with two parts: put your iPhone 4 in the bottom piece and then slide on the top piece. The case leaves room for all iPhone 4 access points including the volume rocker, silent/ringer switch, earphone jack, dock connector, speaker, and microphone. The case is made of very tough plastic, but is thin and light enough to fit in your pocket, bag, purse, etc…
Isn’t it high time you upgraded your mobile browsing experience? Introducing Terra, an alternative web browser for your iPad from the creators of ReaddleDocs office suite. Think Safari with a few tweaks thrown in for a good measure. You can go full screen with a tap to make full use of iPad’s larger canvas and enjoy web content without any user interface elements getting in your way. Tap the icon in the uper right corner and boom – all your browsing controls re-appear.
Another cool feature is the offline browsing mode where Terra saves the page at hand – with all images preserved – for later viewing when there’s no Internet access available. Another useful enhancement is tabbed browsing mode that lets you quickly switch between open tabs using a three-finger swipe. The list of cool stuff doesn’t end here… Expand Expanding Close
As promised, HBO has released their HBO GO application, which provides iOS users with access to HBO’s array of original shows in addition to sports and full-length movies. The app includes free access on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch to over 1,400 shows for HBO subscribers.
Keep up with your favorites. Watch everything you love about HBO, including HBO original programming, hit movies, sports, comedy and every episode of the best HBO shows, including True Blood®, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire®, Entourage®, The Sopranos®, Curb Your Enthusiasm®, Sex and the City®, The Wire® and more. Plus, get bonus features and special behind-the-scenes extras!
The application allows users to create a personal “watchlist” that puts all your favorite content in line for easy and quick viewing. HBO Go only works in the United States and recommeneded use comes over WiFi. The application will work on 3G networks as well, though. HBO Go is now free on the App Store. Thanks, Mike.
It is estimated that one in ten iPhones out there are jailbroken. That is, their software is modified to run apps Apple doesn’t want you to know about. For the vast majority of remaining 90 percent, however, jailbreaking is a borderline underground thing and a big no-no. And who can blame them? Apple was vigilant about jailbreakers and it got a little help from AT&T, too, until federal regulators last summer declared jailbreaking legal. Still, many people didn’t get the memo.
That’s why Jay Freeman, also known as Saurik and the man who created Cydia, an unofficial app store for unsanctioned software, set out to educate those not in the known about the benefits of jailbreaking. Saurik sat down with Robert Scoble at the Mobile Connections conference who produced the above video. Would you free your phone from the clutches of curated App Store now that you’ve learned about the benefits of jailbreaking? Meet us in comments.
Once considered niche products and dismissed as a passing fad, tablet devices lead by the omnipresent iPad and dedicated e-book readers such as Amazon’s widely popular Kindle are affecting traditional book publishing, says a survey by research firm ISH iSupply.
Book revenue for US publishers, including both e-books and paper books, will decrease at a compound annual growth rate of three percent from 2010 to 2014. This marks a shift from the previous period of 2005 to 2010, when revenue grew slightly. Total book revenues will fall to $22.7 billion in 2014, down from $25 billion in 2010.
The decline in paper book printing, distribution and sales will be “frightening” for print die-hards, says iSuppli analyst Steve Mather. He compared this disruption to a similar turmoil the music and movie businesses had gone through amid the rise of digital content stores such as iTunes and Amazon. At the epicenter of this change is, once again, Apple…
Fans gather outside Beijing Apple store for white iPhone 4 launch yesterday.
Just a day following the arrival of white iPhone 4, Apple’s been seen increasing shipping estimates for online orders in several countries to five business days, an increase from the previous estimate of 3-5 days. If you place a white iPhone 4 order via the online Apple store in Italy, UK, Spain, France, Ireland and many other countries, you’ll have to wait at least five business days for delivery.
The different-colored iPhone drew crowds in Hong Kong, Singapore and China who formed long lines to get their hands on the handset. The Hong Kong launch attracted hundreds of iPhone scalpers. No word of possible supply problems in those countries at press time, though. Shipping estimates for the US and are still in the 3-5 days range. If history is an indication, Americans will be the last to feel the effects of what appears to be constrained white iPhone 4 supply.
Today, a beautiful new interactive e-book hit the App Store. Entitled “Our Choice”, it is notable not just for its amazing interface but also because Apple board member, former US presidential candidate and Nobel prize winner Al Gore is credited as author. Not surprisingly, the book is basically a sequel to the Apple Keynote-heavy Inconvenient Truth as it too focuses on the effects of pollution, climate change and global warming.
What really impresses though is a high degree of interactivity and rich media features, courtesy of the innovative new digital publishing platform dubbed Push Pop Press. “Our Choice” can be yours for five bucks. The universal binary weighs in at 52.8MB and scales up nicely to iPad’s 1024-by-768 pixel resolution. See guided tour video below: Expand Expanding Close
Sprint Nextel has just reported their first quarter results, their first full quarter of Verizon iPhone availability. Despite adding more than 1.1 million total wireless net subscribers (prepaid: 846,000, postpaid: 310,000), best ever prepaid churn of 1.81 percent, and the lowest prepaid churn of 4.36 percent in over five years, they could have attracted even more customers if it weren’t for that pesky CDMA iPhone.
Sprint CEO Dan Hesse told analysts on a conference call that Verizon’s introduction of the iPhone “did have an impact on our performance for the quarter”. He would not put a dollar value to it, though. On the other hand, there are indications that CDMA iPhone sales are not currently brisk. Digitimes reports that Apple may have cut CDMA iPhone 4 orders by half to five million units, down from the ten million CDMA units originally commissioned for the entire 2011. Are potential Verizon iPhone buyers simply waiting for a next-generation iPhone?
The mythical white iPhone 4 has finally landed on store shelves, as Apple promised yesterday. This time it’s for real and long lines in Hong Kong serve as an indication that Apple may have another hit on their hands, even if they only changed the color from black to white. Having waited ten months for Apple to finally produce the elegant device, it’s understandable people don’t want to wait another day.
If you’re in the market for a white iPhone, better head to the nearest Apple store right away because online orders are estimated to ship in 3-5 business days. Ouch. Looks like all stock of white iPhones is being sent to own retail stores, carriers and third-party retailers like Walmart and Best Buy. Makes sense to avoid repeating the iPad 2 launch woes when a lot of disappointed customers left home empty-handed after having waited in the line for hours.
Jack Dorsey, the man who co-founded Twitter and Square, has managed to secure financial backing for his latter startup. The much-needed cash will be provided by Visa, one of the leading credit card brands. The funding comes on top of existing investments by Sequoia Capital and Khosla Ventures.
Square makes a handy dongle that turns your iPhone or Android phone into a mobile credit card reader. They hit the ground running when Apple put the device on sale on both its online and brick-and-mortar stores.
Apple has just pulled down the Apple Online store and the white iPhone 4 is of course coming up. Our colleague Mr. X has let us know that the white iPhone 4 will be the only thing coming up this time around (save for new iPad 2 countries). iMacs will likely wait until next week. Speaking of iMacs, we’ve been told that certain Apple Store employees will be at work early on May 3rd (naturally a Tuesday), putting up new posters and displays. Catching my drift?
According to GigaOM, Apple has scooped up the domain name www.iCloud.com from Xcerion, the maker of a cloud-based service. The deal is said to have gone down for somewhere in the range of $4.5m, and we don’t think Apple would pay that much for a domain name unless they would put it to good use. We think iCloud is a potential name for Apple’s upcoming locker service which should keep your music, photos, videos, and other media in the cloud. This service will likely tie directly into MobileMe and may even replace MobileMe’s long existing iDisk feature.
iCloud.com still points to the old owner’s website and a quick Whois search of the domain still pulls up the information for Xcerion. Apple will likely introduce their new cloud services at WWDC, and if GigaOM‘s report is legitimate, this might just be one of the best pieces of evidence for Apple’s upcoming cloud services yet. Apple’s cloud services will likely include a new music locker and possibly some new cloud features for iOS users. Apple recently stopped selling retail packages and discounted copies of MobileMe.
Update: iCloud changed their company name to CloudMe. Looks like Apple went after the iXXXX. Here’s the email we got last week (“chosen a new name” – ha!):
In order to better reflect the expanded offerings of our service, we have chosen the new name, CloudMe – Your files online with anywhere access. Our Web Desktop is just one of many ways to use CloudMe’s service. We have developed an entire suite of apps and services that allow you to go mobile and access CloudMe on the go.
