Global 2012: Apple iPhone Maps app

Image via CrunchBase

Announced in June, the latest major release of Apple's iOS software for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch finally became available for download this week, in advance of Friday's launch of the iPhone 5. As the sixth version of the operating system, it ushers in several noteworthy changes, the most noticeable being an entirely rebuilt Maps application, Facebook integration, and a new digital wallet called Passbook.

Reaction on online forums and in social media so far has been mixed. Some are praising Apple for adding new features and streamlining others, while others are up in arms about omitted functionality and reportedly poor battery life since updating.

One of the most prominent changes in Apple's new iPhone and iPad software is seen in a revamped Maps app that uses data from satellite navigation company TomTom (among others), instead of information from rival Google. As part of the change, the app now features fully 3D maps with terrain features and detailed buildings. These are only available to those with iPhone 4S and iPad 2 or newer, but the reaction to them has been largely positive from owners of compatible devices living in the U.S. We've seen a number of complaints this far from people in other countries, however, where Apple's satellite imagery is lower-resolution and the other new feature, turn-by-turn direction, is proving to be less accurate.

The overwhelming majority of complaints regarding iOS 6 are coming from those who are upset by the fact that the new Maps doesn't deliver directions and schedules for public transit, something that the older, Google-powered Maps app did. The new app also lacks Street View, a prominent feature of Google Maps.

Apple is reportedly working to further enhance Maps in subsequent updates to iOS 6. For now, though, those seeking public transit information must turn to other solutions. So far, the best we've seen is actually using the web version of Google Maps from within mobile Safari. Doing so restores access to public transit direction and Street View, although it isn't as snappy as using the native Maps app. Still, it can be added to the iPhone and iPad home screen, which at least makes accessing it easy.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/users-react-to-apple%E2%80%99s-latest-software-update-for-iphone-and-ipad--and-it%E2%80%99s-not-all-roses.html

Related articles

• As Soon As You Update Your iPhone Software Today, You're Going To Lose Google Maps And It's Going To Be Awful (AAPL, GOOG) (businessinsider.com)
• Missing all the features of Google Maps? Get them back in iOS 6 with these third-party apps (9to5mac.com)
• 10 new iOS 6 features iPad users should know (gigaom.com)
• Google Maps for Android update reportedly timed for iOS 6 coincide (slashgear.com)
• Top Transit Map Replacement Apps for iOS 6 (mashable.com)
• Apple iOS 6 release: Here's what you need to know (business.financialpost.com)
• Maps in Apple iOS 6 Leave Some Lost (abcnews.go.com)
• Critics Rave About iPhone 5 But Many Roast Apple's Maps (searchengineland.com)
• YouTube Is Top Free App In iTunes Charts; Google Maps To Be Next? (marketingland.com)

Global 2012: Apple co-founder Wozniak sees trouble in the cloud

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - OCTOBER 06: A picture in remembrance of Steve Jobs, founder and former CEO of Apple Inc is pictured at an Apple Store, on October 6, 2011 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Steve Jobs, 56, passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976 and is credited, along with Steve Wozniak, with marketing the world's first personal computer in addition to the popular iPod, iPhone and iPad. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)Steve Wozniak, who co-founded Apple with the late Steve Jobs, predicted "horrible problems" in the coming years as cloud-based computing takes hold.

Wozniak, 61, was the star turn at the penultimate performance in Washington of "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs," monologist Mike Daisey's controversial two-hour expose of Apple's labor conditions in China.

In a post-performance dialogue with Daisey and audience members, Wozniak held forth on topics as varied as public education (he once did a stint as a school teacher) and reality TV (having appeared on "Dancing with the Stars").

But the engineering wizard behind the progenitor of today's personal computer, the Apple II, was most outspoken on the shift away from hard disks towards uploading data into remote servers, known as cloud computing.

"I really worry about everything going to the cloud," he said. "I think it's going to be horrendous. I think there are going to be a lot of horrible problems in the next five years."

He added: "With the cloud, you don't own anything. You already signed it away" through the legalistic terms of service with a cloud provider that computer users must agree to.

"I want to feel that I own things," Wozniak said. "A lot of people feel, 'Oh, everything is really on my computer,' but I say the more we transfer everything onto the web, onto the cloud, the less we're going to have control over it."

Prior to Saturday at the Woolly Mammoth theater in Washington, Daisey and Wozniak had met once before, in California after a performance of "The Agony and the Ecstasy" in its original version in February 2011.

Wozniak was moved to tears, but a year later Daisey came under fire when it emerged that sections of his one-man show dealing with the Foxconn plant in China where iPhones and iPads are assembled had been fabricated.

Public radio show "This American Life," which had broadcast portions of "The Agony and the Ecstasy," went so far as to issue a retraction. Daisey meanwhile reworked his script, albeit without toning down his powerful delivery.

On the minimalist stage Saturday, seated on plain wooden chairs, Daisey and Wozniak came across as a geek version of Tweedledum and Tweedledee in their baggy black clothes and matching beer bellies.

The bearded, fast-talking Wozniak sported running shoes and a massive wrist watch. In the theater lobby, for Saturday only, one of the very first Apple I computers ever built -- assembled in Jobs' garage -- was on display.

"Everything I designed was purely out of my head, never out of a book," recalled Wozniak, who quit Apple in 1987 after 12 years, taught fifth-graders, hit the lecture circuit and gave away some of his fortune to good causes.

Many in the audience echoed Daisey's concern about Foxconn's work force, but Wozniak said he expected labor conditions in China to evolve as the nation grows richer. He also commended Apple for its oversight of its factories.

"We know we (citizens and consumers) have a voice. We can speak (about labor conditions), but we can't act like, oh, Foxconn is bad or Apple is bad," he said.

Daisey begged to differ: "I hear what you're saying about that fact that everyone goes through an evolution, but it's not as if the evolution was natural in the sense that we are the ones who brought the jobs there."

While Apple designs its products in the United States, all its manufacturing takes place in China -- a sore point in an election year in which unemployment and a long-term exodus of manufacturing jobs overseas have been campaign issues.

http://ph.she.yahoo.com/apple-co-founder-wozniak-sees-trouble-cloud-133427633.html

Related articles

• Apple co-founder Wozniak sees trouble in the cloud (channelnewsasia.com)
• Apple co-founder Wozniak sees trouble in the cloud - FRANCE 24 (france24.com)
• Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak's grim warning about the cloud (theinformativereport.com)
• Apple co-founder Wozniak predicts 'horrible problems' with cloud computing (rawstory.com)
• Technology › Apple co-founder Wozniak sees trouble in the cloud (japantoday.com)
• Wozniak Predicts Horrible Problems With the Cloud (apple.slashdot.org)
• Apple co-founder Woz thinks cloud will soon have "horrible problems" (macworld.co.uk)
• Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has doubts about cloud computing (cbsnews.com)
• Apple founder warns of 'horrendous' cloud computing risks (telegraph.co.uk)

Global 2012: Google reveals pint-sized Nexus 7 tablet for just $199

Image via CrunchBase
Google revealed its long-rumored device today — a 7-inch Nexus tablet running Android's newest operating system flavor, 4.1 Jelly Bean. The pint-sized slate — which the company showed off at its annual Google I/O keynote event — is manufactured by Asus, known for making other Android tablets including the Transformer and the Transformer Prime.

The device has a 1280 x 800-pixel high-definition display, made with reading and watching videos in mind. It has a speedy Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor under the hood, front-facing camera for video chat, 9 hours of video playback — compared to the iPad's 10-hour playback life — and 300 hours of standby battery time. The tablet weighs 340 grams, which is about as much as a paperback book. Check out our hands-on gallery with the Nexus 7 for all the eye candy.

It features tighter integration with Google Play, with content being front and center, similar to how the Amazon Kindle Fire functions. Due to this, Google Play now has a new 3D magazine app with tablet-optimized articles that render well on the Nexus 7's screen.

Nexus 7 will also be the first device that ships with Chrome as its native browser — Chrome, despite being Google's browser, hasn't been available on Android until a beta version of it was introduced for Ice Cream Sandwich devices. Google has also overhauled Google Maps with additional information and review features which can predict which restaurants you'll likely enjoy. Offline maps will also be a hotly sought-after feature, and now that Apple and Microsoft are touting similar features, it's an important bullet point to have.

Pre-orders for the teensy Google Nexus 7 tablet begins today. You can order the new tablet from the Google Play store with two price tiers — $199 for the 8GB model and 16GB version — making it a true Kindle Fire competitor. It will start shipping in mid July. The Kindle Fire lands at a similar price point, but with its apps governed largely by what Amazon declares suitable for its shop, the Nexus 7 will have everything the Fire has, and then some. Despite some similar hardware specs — screen size, screen resolution, etc — the Nexus will offer a faster processor and a much more genuine Android experience from a software standpoint.

Google is clearly making a play for potential iPad customers with this sleek, streamlined device, and with a price tag of less than half of the base model Apple tablet, the company may have a real shot at success. $499 gets you a 16GB iPad with a 9.7-inch Retina display, but if ultra-sharp screen resolution and playing in the Apple universe aren't a big deal, the 7-inch Nexus slate will be much easier on your pocketbook.

Of course, it's unclear how Microsoft's Surface device will shake up the consumer tablet market. With a physical keyboard and Windows 8-esque software design, it seems like Android and iOS devotees will already have their minds made up between the iPad and the Nexus 7.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/google-reveals-pint-sized-nexus-7-tablet-just-174842353.html

Related articles

• Google Nexus 7 Tablet confirmed by Asus exec (geek.com)
• Asus Executive Says Google To Take On Amazon With Nexus 7 Tablet (geeky-gadgets.com)
• Google's Nexus 7 tablet might look like this (digitaltrends.com)
• Report: Google to Launch Nexus 7 Android Tablet (gadget.com)
• Google's Nexus 7 details leaked ahead of Google I/O (androidauthority.com)
• The Nexus Tablet for the Masses?? (leisurelygeeks.com)
• Nexus 7: This Is Google's New Nexus Tablet - Gizmodo Australia (gizmodo.com.au)
• This May Be Google's New Nexus 7 Tablet (gizmodo.com)
• Google Nexus 7 Tablet Details Confirmed, will be Google I/O Freebie (gottabemobile.com)
• New Google tablet rumoured for launch tomorrow (nzherald.co.nz)

Global 2012: iPhone tips and tricks

iPhone vs. iPhone 3G (Photo credit: Ricky Romero)Whether you're a seasoned user or brand new to the iPhone world, chances are you're probably not using your smartphone to its fullest.

Don't worry, you're not alone, as these pocket-sized computers boast many hundreds of features buried in the operating system.

And so here we share a number of our favorite iPhone tips and tricks, some of which you may know already. Hopefully there's a good number of ones you aren't aware of yet. Most of these following 25 suggestions will work with all versions of the iPhone, but be sure to have the latest software installed (iOS 5.1).

• Take a photo with your headphone cord
• Dry out a wet iPhone
• Dismiss suggested words
• Take photos faster
• Use location-based reminders
• Get word definitions
• Revive a frozen iPhone
• Get more done in less time
• See a 6-day weather forecast
• Select URL domains faster
• Make your own ringtone
• Feel and see when people call
• Find your lost iPhone
• Save photos in Safari
• Take an iPhone screen grab
• Get new sounds
• Zip to the top of the page
• Prolong your battery
• Spread out the keyboard for easier typing
• Learn some gestures
• Create an "app" out of a website you visit often
• Create a music playlist on the fly
• Don't waste your day deleting messages individually
• Keep track of your texting limits
• Mirror your iPhone with your TV

http://shopping.yahoo.com/blogs/digital-crave/25-awesome-iphone-tips-tricks-175636187.html

Related articles

• Ask the iTunes Guy: iTunes tips and tricks (macworld.com)

Global 2011: Apple has more cash than the federal government

Image via Wikipedia
As the BBC has reported, the software company Apple has more cash on hand than the United States federal government, according to the company's financial records.

Apple's quarterly financial report shows that the company responsible for the iPad, iPod and the iPhone now has $76.4 billion in reserve cash, while the Treasury Department is sitting on just $73.7 billion.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/apple-more-money-federal-government-163023405.html

Related articles

• Apple now holding more cash than USA (bbc.co.uk)
• Apple is no. 1 in the global smartphone market (cbsnews.com)
• Apple has more money than the US government (digitaltrends.com)

Global 2011: How the iPad 2 stacks up against the competition

Image via Wikipedia
Now that we've finally got the official details for the next iPad, those in the market for a new tablet can begin comparison shopping in earnest.

On paper, it looks like the iPad 2 adds the features it needs to keep up with its upcoming tablet competitors. For example, we're talking a faster, dual-core processor (essential for speedy performance and smooth multitasking), dual cameras (including a front-facing lens for video chat, a key omission in the original iPad), and a thinner and lighter form factor. The second iPad also keeps a couple of key qualities from the first: 10 hours of battery life, and a $499 price tag for the cheapest, 16GB Wi-Fi-only model.

But several of the tablets listed below, including the Dell Streak 7, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and (eventually) the dual-core processor-packing Motorola Xoom come with Flash support (the Xoom is still awaiting a software update from Flash developer Adobe), while the LG G-Slate and the PlayBook will connect with bleeding-edge 4G data networks. (The Xoom will ultimately do so as well, although you'll have to ship it back to Verizon Wireless for hardware and firmware tweaks.)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20110302/tc_yblog_technews/how-the-ipad-2-stacks-up-against-the-competition

Related articles

• How Does the iPad 2 Compare to the Tablet Competition? [INFOGRAPHIC] (mashable.com)
• Tablet Tumble: iPad 2 vs. Motorola Xoom (pcworld.com)

Global 2011: WSJ’s iPad 2 story deflates some “lofty” expectations

Image via Wikipedia
Yep, it's another iPad 2 rumor story, this time from the Wall Street Journal—except this one seems as focused on lowering expectations for Apple's next-generation tablet as it is on hyping its new and improved features.

The reportedly in-production iPad 2 will indeed add "at least one" camera for video chat, the anonymously sourced Journal story claims—raising the possibility that it won't get a rear-facing camera for recording HD video, like on such Android-powered competitors as the Dell Streak 7, the Motorola Xoom, and the LG G-Slate.

The new iPad will also be "thinner and lighter," but the display may "disappoint customers" hoping for a "significant improvement" in resolution, the Journal reports.

While the current iPad's display resolution of 1024 by 768 is nothing to sneeze at, earlier rumors had it that the new iPad might get an ultra-dense, double-resolution screen, similar to the "retina" display on the iPhone 4.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20110209/tc_yblog_technews/wsjs-ipad-2-story-deflates-some-lofty-expectations

Related articles

• iPad Rumor Round-Up: Thinner, Faster, In-Production, Same Old Screen Resolution (fastcompany.com)

Global 2010: New iPhone for Christmas?

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
Yeah, your brand-new iPhone does a lot of great things to help you stay productive. It’s great for checking emails and staying up on Facebook, and even translating words and taking photos with its camera. Oh, and you can make calls with it.

But one of the most interesting and deepest functions of the iPhone is its gaming ability. There are tons of gaming apps in the iTunes App Store, and while many of them are a little mindless and not too impressive, many more are phenomenal -- making innovative use of the iPhone’s touch screen, internal gyroscope and other hardware.

But how to wade through all the sub-par games to figure out what’s essential for your new game machine/cell phone? We’ve done the hard work for you: below are 15 games you should check out right away to get the most out of your iOS device.


Action

Infinity Blade ($6.99)

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light ($6.99)

Eliminate Pro (Free)

N.O.V.A. 2 ($6.99)


Casual

Plants vs. Zombies ($2.99)

Osmos ($2.99)

Flight Control ($0.99)


Platforming

Trundle (Free, with in-app purchases of additional levels)

Pix n’ Love Rush ($0.99)

Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor ($2.99)


Puzzle

Cut the Rope ($0.99)

Angry Birds ($0.99)

Sudoku 2 (Free)


Rhythm

Tap Tap Revenge 4 (Free, with in-app purchases of additional tracks)


Racing

Real Racing 2 ($9.99)

http://www.appolicious.com/games/articles/4485-new-iphone-for-christmas-download-these-games-first

Global 2010: 10 Obsessions of 2010

Image via Wikipedia

1. iPhone
2. Lindsay Lohan
3. iPad
4. “Glee”
5. “Jersey Shore”
6. Facebook
7. Bedbugs
8. Tea Party
9. Silly Bandz
10. Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl”

http://yearinreview.yahoo.com/2010/us_10_obsessions

Related articles

• Yahoo Unveils Top Searches Lists for 2010 (marketingpilgrim.com)