Apple Releases iPhone Update

Apple has released an update today to fix a problem with how iOS handles email.

Previously, if the phone was checking email on an Exchange server, it significantly ramped up data usage and this had a marked effect on battery life.

It's a cinch to grab the update. Just navigate to Settings > General > Software Update and tap on Install Now

Vodafone warned iPhone 4S owners about possible 3G performance problems caused by iOS 6.1, the mobile operating system update that Apple released last month.

A similar warning was issued by 3 in Austria, according to a customer who quoted the warning on Facebook.

Overnight, Apple has released a 6.1.1 update for iOS. The company says: "This update fixes an issue that could impact cellular performance and reliability for iPhone 4S."

Released on January 28th, iOS 6.1 included several minor new features for PassBook and for music playback, improvements to Wi-Fi and security fixes, among other tweaks.

It is not clear how many people were affected by the 3G problem. Reports suggested it was an intermittent problem that had proved difficult to diagnose.

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Chipotle iPhone App Receives A Most Crucial Update

Chipotle iPhone App Receives A Most Crucial Update


It is nothing quite does it like a good burrito from the best Mexican grill around.
Did you know that Chipotle had an iPhone app? Well it does, and that app allows you to order from your iPhone and skip the line when you arrive to inhale your burrito goodness. It’s a beautiful idea, but the app itself has not been so beautiful for the past few years. Today Chipotle updated its app with iPhone 5 support, the ability to select brown rice, and so, so much more.
In Gizmodo’s truly fantastic post on this update, Sam Biddle reminds the world that this is the Chipotle app’s first update since 2009. That’s crazy, and it means this app has been designed for the iPhone 3GS until today. Welcome to 2013.
Also, Chipotle is just now adding support for the Spanish language, which is dumb. Chipotle fans from Canada, UK and Paris can now order via the app. You can pay for your meat, cheese and sour cream with a gift card. Nutritional and allergen info has been added. Did I mention the brown rice?
All this is truly monumental. Biddle sums it up best:
It makes ingesting something tasty enjoyable by stripping out the physical and emotional annoyances—lines, waiting, talking to people, touching money—and replacing them with a screen. It’s just a burrito app, but it’s a burrito app that will make you feel like a Latin American superman, who can summon food with his fingers, knows not the feeling of coinage, and skips to the front of the line. Every app should aim so high.

XBMC updated with iPhone 5 support and other improvements

XBMC updated with iPhone 5 support and other improvements





Popular open-source media player XBMC has been updated today, bringing the app to version 12.1. The update improves the experience across all of Apple’s platforms, including the Mac, iOS and Apple TV.

For most users, the iOS update will be the most welcomed change, as it brings about support for the iPhone 5′s larger 4-inch display. And Apple TV2 users will be similarly pleased with further support for iOS 6…

Here’s the full XBMC 12.1 change log, courtesy of XBMC’s Nate Thomas:

XBMC now supports using OSX’s default output device for audio as well as hardware decoding with Intel GPUs in OSX
XBMC no longer hogs audio for Linux and on resume audio will continue to work in Linux
Full iPhone 5 resolution is now enabled
Volume buttons on Android devices now control Android volume, rather than XBMC volume
Volume buttons on OSX devices once again control OSX volume, rather than XBMC volume
Player optimization on the Raspberry Pi, including more efficient playback, better subtitle support, and many crash fixes
iOS 6 support on the AppleTV 2.
XBMC does not crash when listed on the AppleTV top shelf
Added support for additional Xbox 360 controller types
Broader and more intelligent support for CEC devices
Fixed problems with several addons due to broken binary read/write in our python interface
Language fixes, including 7 new languages: Albanian, Burmese, Malay, Persian (Iran), Tamil (India), Uzbek, Vietnamese
AirPlay fixes, including making discovery of XBMC more reliable on OSX
Numerous crashing and stability fixes across all platforms
For those who aren’t familiar with the app, XBMC is a free and open-source media-player that features a number of plug-ins for streaming services like Pandora and YouTube, and supports several media formats.

If you’d like to install XBMC, we have step-by-step guides for both Apple TV, and iPhone, iPad, iPod touch users. Just keep in mind that your device must be jailbroken, meaning you’ll want to avoid today’s update.

Spotify Updates iPhone App With New Interface

Spotify Updates iPhone App With New Interface

Spotify has just overhauled its iPhone app interface, making it more similar to their Android version. Gone now is the bottom bar that was responsible for much of the navigation. Instead now everything has moved over to the side bar accessable by a button on the top left.

The app feels fast and responsive, making this update an nice addition, even though it takes some getting used to. Despite these updates, the app is still missing some features like Related Artists, and the search results still force you to dig down into tracks, albums, and artists, which is tricky when you only know half of a song's name, but you do know the artist.

If anything, the App's interface feels like Facebook's after the update, but it seems logical as the list view will allow them to expand the app's funcitionality in the future. Another nice thing is the "now playing" bar that stay's present at the bottom of the screen. You can navigate through playlists and albums by swiping left or right, or just pause it right there. Swiping up from the bar then brings you to the classic Now Playing album art view.

While this is a fairly large UI update at the end of the day it's still just a 0.6 update. There are likely a few more features that can be thrown into the mix before we hit 1.0

Pebble Watchface SDK Coming Out in April

Pebble Watchface SDK Coming Out in April

Big news this week is that we're getting the watchface SDK ready to be out into the wild. We're going to publish it during the 2nd week of April. We're also publishing a firmware update next week, and while we have definitely not finished our manufacturing work, over 40,000 Pebbles have been built to date.

Firmware Update Next Week

In other news next week we'll be publishing a firmware update for Pebble, version 1.9. With this latest update, we've changed around the interface flow. Watchfaces are now at the bottom of the window stack; if you keep pressing the back button from anywhere inside Pebble's menus, you'll get to your previously displayed watchface. The right top and bottom (up and down) buttons now change between different watchfaces you've installed on your Pebble. This simplifies the main launcher menu. We've also made a lot of changes under the hood on the text rendering engine, making it easier and faster for developers to display text on Pebble.

Watchface SDK

Right from the beginning, PebbleOS was built with multiple apps in mind. This was mainly in reaction to the developer response to our first watch, inPulse. In the fall, as we began work on the user facing apps on Pebble, we started using a prototype of the SDK internally to develop watchfaces for Pebble. That's when we knew that the first release of the SDK would be mainly geared towards watchfaces as this was the first type of app that would be well supported. It turns out games are similar in structure (only require button inputs), so they are also candidates for this revision of the native SDK :)

Important note: the proof-of-concept Pebble watchface SDK will not enable access to the accelerometer (or magnetometer), or communication between watchfaces and smartphones (among other major deficiencies).

As a small company, we had to be very careful with our focus and priorities. We knew that getting Pebble into mass production and shipping watches to you, our Kickstarter backers, needed to be our prime objective. We also knew that the out of box experience was important which is why we worked really hard to support the wide variety of Android devices and iOS variations right from the start.

During the 2nd week of April, we'll be releasing a proof-of-concept watchface SDK. It's a work in progress, and there's a 99% chance that we're going to be changing a lot of the APIs...but it's an important first step towards shifting our focus towards supporting developers. I know we have communicated very poorly to developers up until this point, but we hope that you'll understand how important it was for us and for Pebble as a platform to have the initial release of the hardware go well.

We made the decision to beta test the watchface SDK with hacker backers. It's been incredible seeing just what a small subset of the Pebble developer community has created in a short period of time. As soon as the watchface SDK is released, developers will be free to share all apps that they've created. The good news is that the following 3 apps will be available as soon as firmware version 1.9 is released next.

BlackBerry CEO says iPhone is outdated (Update)

In this Jan. 30, 2013 file photo, the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone is displayed in New York. Apple's iPhone is outdated, according to Research In Motion Ltd. chief executive Thorsten Heins. Heins made the comment Thursday, March 21, 2013, on the eve of the much-delayed launch of the new touchscreen BlackBerry in the United States.


AT&T begins selling the Z10 on Friday, more than six weeks after RIM launched the devices elsewhere. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) Apple's iPhone is outdated, according to the chief executive of BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion Ltd. Ads by Google Digital Satellite Imagery - Purchase QuickBird, WorldView-I and WorldView-II imagery for your area. - www.MapMart.com Thorsten Heins made the comment Thursday on the eve of the much-delayed launch of the new touchscreen BlackBerry in the United States. AT&T begins selling the Z10 touchscreen BlackBerry on Friday, more than six weeks after RIM launched the devices elsewhere. Heins also told The Associated Press that a new keyboard version of the BlackBerry won't be released in the U.S. until two or three months from now. He previously said it would be eight to 10 weeks, but now he's saying it could be delayed an additional two weeks. Both the touchscreen and keyboard models are part of RIM's attempt at a comeback after the pioneering brand lost its cachet not long after Apple's 2007 release of the iPhone. Heins said a lack of innovation at Apple has left iPhone's user interface outdated. He noted iPhone users have to go in and out of applications and the device doesn't allow for multitasking like the new BlackBerry Z10 does. "It's still the same," Heins said of the iPhone. "It is a sequential way to work and that's not what people want today anymore. They want multitasking." RIM's new software allows users to have multiple applications open like on a desktop, he said, noting that with BlackBerry you don't have to close an application to check an email. Enlarge In this Jan. 30, 2013 file photo, Thorsten Heins, CEO of Research In Motion Ltd., introduces the BlackBerry Z10, in New York. Apple's iPhone is outdated, Heins said Thursday, March 21, 2013, on the eve of the much-delayed launch of the new touchscreen BlackBerry in the United States. AT&T begins selling the Z10 on Friday, more than six weeks after RIM launched the devices elsewhere. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) "We're changing it for the better because we're allowing people to peak in the hub," Heins said. Heins said the iPhone was revolutionary five years ago, but he said it's now "just kind of sitting there." Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined comment. But the delay in selling the new keypad BlackBerry, called the Q10, complicates RIM's efforts to hang on to customers tempted by the iPhone and a range of devices running Google Inc.'s Android operating system. Even as the BlackBerry has fallen behind rivals in recent years, many BlackBerry users have stayed loyal because they prefer a physical keyboard over the touch screen found on the iPhone and most Android devices. But the temptations to switch grow with each additional delay, despite favorable reviews for new system. Ads by Google Inflatable Earth Globes - Giant Vinyl Globes & Beach Balls Large Selection, Fast Shipping - www.beachballworld.com Heins said the Q10 keyboard version BlackBerry is just not ready yet and said part of the reason is out of his control. "It's our job to deliver the right software package and the right software quality to the carriers," he said. "Then it is on the carriers to decide how intense they want their testing cycle to be and that really can range from a few weeks to three months." U.S. carriers reportedly haven't made testing a priority because RIM, which is based in Based in Waterloo, Ontario, has dramatically lost market share. The U.S. has been one market in which RIM has been particularly hurting, even as the company is doing well overseas. According to research firm IDC, shipments of BlackBerry phones plummeted from 46 percent of the U.S. market in 2008 to 2 percent in 2012. The iPhone and Android now dominate. Heins said the company has to regain market share in the U.S. for BlackBerry to be successful. "You got to win here to win everywhere else," he said. "That's just the way it is. We've lost market share quite a bit, to put it mildly, and we absolutely need BlackBerry 10 to turn us around." Heins said initial sales in other countries are encouraging, but he could not release numbers ahead of RIM's earnings report next Thursday. "I get more and more excited every day," he said. "I really have to make sure I stay grounded and I don't lose my sense for reality. But for the whole company this is so important to finally be here, and to see people buying it, after we were told 30 months ago when we started that two quarters down the road we would be bankrupt, we would be out of business."

Google updates Maps for iPhone with local icons, Google Contacts search and more

Google updates Maps for iPhone with local icons, Google Contacts search and more




Google may be confident it has a better Maps product than that offered by Apple, but that doesn’t mean the Mountain View company is going to waste time resting on its laurels as Apple does its best to catch up.
Eager to maintain its lead, the web giant on Tuesday rolled out the first update (v1.1) to the all-new iOS Maps app it launched back in December, bringing with it several new features.
Users are now just a few taps away from accessing information about points of interest in their immediate vicinity. Need a gas station? Tap the search box, tap the gas station icon and locations of nearby businesses will pop up on your screen as red dots.
Icons for a wide range of establishments have been added, enabling you quick access to information about local restaurants, coffee shops, bars, post offices and more. A tap on one of the red dots will bring up more information about the business, such as its address and any available reviews.
Another notable addition to the app is integration with Google Contacts. So if you have a Google account with a database of names and addresses, and you’re signed in, the app will suggest an address when you type your friend’s name into the search box. Tap to confirm and you’ll be shown the address location on the map.
Also, you can now choose between miles or kilometers (via the app’s Settings page) for distance information. In case you don’t yet have it (really? you don’t?), Google’s free Maps app for iDevices is available from the iTunes store here.
Google’s popular Maps app was booted off iOS devices by Apple in September last year following the Cupertino company’s decision to replace it with its own Maps app with the roll out of iOS 6.
Apple’s effort soon came under fire for being sub-standard, with reports of an entire city ending up in the sea and a farm being shown as an airport gaining particular prominence. The mounting criticism led to Apple boss Tim Cook issuing a letter apologizing for launching a product that clearly wasn’t ready. So when Google launched its all-new Maps app in December, you can imagine what many iPhone owners wasted no time in doing.

Google Maps Update for iPhone Released

Remember back in the day when Google Maps wasn’t even available on iOS and the new Apple Maps was received with such vigor (-ous contempt)? All those long months ago in the Ice Age of the Internet (October 2012 or thereabouts) people from around the world were singing the praises of Apple Maps……not.



Oh how times have changed. Here we are now in the future, some 4 Internet months or so and now all is well with the world again. Google Maps, the app, is allowed in the walled garden that is the Kingdom of Apple and today even announced some upgrades for its iPhone apps. Oh joy.
The Google Maps blog (formerly the LatLong blog) reports
Today, we’re releasing an update for Google Maps for iPhone with new search icons that make finding local places faster and easier, and with integration of your Google Contacts to make it simple to find your friends.
This update is part of our goal to make Google Maps comprehensive, accurate and useful – wherever you may be in the world. To that end, we’re rolling out the English version of the app in seven new countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. You can also choose between kilometers and miles in the settings menu, depending on your preferences.
For faster local search, you can tap one of the new icons for restaurants, coffee shops, bars and other types of places to quickly see nearby haunts. So if you’re in a rush and need a quick coffee, just tap the search box, then the coffee cup icon, to see the cafes closest to you.
Neat.
How are you these days in the battle of the maps? Are you an iPhone user using Apple Maps or have you gone back to the “Do no evil” version of maps with Google? As a marketer are you sure that your local Internet data is available to both formats? If not you might be leaving something on the table.

Google Maps for iPhone Update Adds New Local Search Features

Google Maps for iPhone has been updated with new local search icons to help you more quickly find restaurants, coffee shops, bars, gas stations, and other places. Tap the search box, then tap an icon, and you’ll get a list of local businesses.

As part of the free update, Google has also added your contacts as search suggestions. Now when you search for the name of a friend or family member, and you have their address saved, their address will appear on the map. This will be visible only to you, Google noted in a blog post.

Another change is to the settings menu, which lets you choose between kilometers and miles.

The English version of the app, version 1.1, is now available in the App Store, and it is available for the first time since launching in December in seven new countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.

New iPhone apps worth downloading

New iPhone apps worth downloading: StubHub update, Lango, Roll: Boulder Smash


Who’s it for? If you like arcade titles and tight tilt controls, you’ll enjoy Roll: Boulder Smash.




With South by Southwest taking place this week in Austin, Texas, ticket marketplace app StubHub has got a big update specifically for the festival. It leads today’s apps worth downloading, followed by Lango, an app that gives users a number of interesting emoticons and other elements to use in messaging. Finally, there’s Roll: Boulder Smash, which lets players take control of a boulder and smash stuff with tilt controls.

StubHub update (Free)
What’s it about? Find tickets to sports, concerts, shows and anything else with the help of StubHub, and purchase them straight from your iOS device.

What’s cool? StubHub gives users the ability to find all kinds of tickets to all kinds of different shows. Fire it up, and you can search for bands, sports and other shows, and nail them down based on venues, what’s near you, and dates. StubHub also lets you filter your tickets by seats in the venue and through a number of other searches. The app’s latest update brings all kinds of music information from the South by Southwest festival taking place in Austin this week.

Who’s it for? If you love concerts and shows, you need to check out StubHub.

What’s it like? You can also get handy ticket information from Ticketmaster, and Fandango can help handle your movie ticket needs.

Also on Appolicious

Go beyond the parades and legends, and you will find a world of new content about Ireland on Zinio. Check out a more authentic Ireland in this Guest Post.

Lango (Free)
What’s it about? Think of Lango as an emoticon app that adds lots of different icons to your capabilities for messaging – but tuned up to be even more expressive across more services.

What’s cool? Lango is a messaging app at heart that links into your SMS and instant messaging capabilities on your iPhone or iPad, allowing you to inject a lot more personality into those interactions. Instead of just sending smiley faces along with text, Lango lets you add a lot of other visual elements, including wallpapers. You can send your messages for free across SMS channels, or use Lango’s icons on your social networking posts for services such as Facebook and Twitter. Some stuff is free, and you can also purchase more icons over time.

Who’s it for? If you like texting, tweeting and status updating with more flare than most, try Lango.

What’s it like? More emoticon capabilities are available from Emoji 2 and Color Text.

Roll: Boulder Smash ($0.99)
What’s it about? In Roll: Boulder Smash, you take control a boulder and smash into stuff to score points by rolling downhill and picking up as much speed as possible.

What’s cool? Smashing stuff is pretty cool in and of itself, and Roll: Boulder Smash gives you an opportunity to do lots of smashing. The game uses tilt controls to control your boulder as it heads downhill, and your job is to guide it toward cartoon people, animals and structures. You’ll also need to avoid things you can’t destroy, in order to keep your speed and power up. The more things you smash, the more points you earn through each level, and tougher structures to destroy are worth more points. Roll includes 60 different levels to play through and lots of achievements to earn to keep up the challenge.

Who’s it for? If you like arcade titles and tight tilt controls, you’ll enjoy Roll: Boulder Smash.

Apple’s latest iPhone update could kill the popular Evasi0n jailbreak

Apple’s latest iPhone update could kill the popular Evasi0n jailbreak



Apple is testing a potential fix for the Evasi0n jailbreak in the most recent beta for iOS 6.1.3, Forbes reports. Davig Wang, a developer testing the new update, tells the site that it fixes at least one of the five bugs Evasi0n relies on (specifically, a flaw in the iOS time zone settings).
“If one of the vulnerabilities doesn’t work, Evasi0n doesn’t work,” Wang told Forbes. “We could replace that part with a different vulnerability, but [Apple] will probably fix most if not all of the bugs we’ve used when 6.1.3 comes out.”
Released in early February for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, Evasi0n was the first fully untethered jailbreak for iOS 6 (meaning the hack sticks even if you reboot your phone). Jailbreaks allow iPhone owners to install unapproved software (including pirated software) as well as interface tweaks that Apple would never allow (like the tweaks in the notification area above).  Not surprisingly, Evasi0n also benefited from pent-up demand for a full iOS 6 jailbreak, helping to unshackle over seven million iOS devices in its first four days.
Jailbreakers are generally aware that any Apple update could spoil their fun, but Apple’s response to Evasi0n seems surprisingly quick. Given how long it took to release this jailbreak, it’s clear that iOS 6 was the hardest to hack so far. Apple likely wants to keep a secure image of iOS 6 alive by crushing Evasi0n

Google Maps App For iPhone Upgrade Adds Local Icons, Google Contacts & More Countries

Google announced an upgrade to the Google Maps for iPhone app that was originally released in December 2012.

The update is version 1.1 and is available in the App Store as a free update. The changes include improved search for local venues, integration with your contacts and the addition of new countries.

Local Icons

To speed up the local search process, Google has added new local icons. The local icons are for restaurants, coffee shops, bars and other local venues. You can simply tap on one of the icons to find nearby venues that match the category. For example, to find coffee shops, simply click on the coffee cup icon to find local cafes.

Contacts Integration

Google Contacts is now integrated into the iOS version of Google Maps. While signed in, search for a friend’s name and Google will show them as a search suggestion. Then tap their name to see the address, which will visible only to you, on the map.

More Countries

Google has added more countries to the English version of the app. The seven new countries include Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. In addition, you can now choose between kilometers and miles in the settings menu.

Google Maps for iPhone Update Adds Contacts Integration

Google Maps for iPhone Update Adds Contacts Integration


Google is providing a very good map application, and they have to pay for it, so why are you surprised that they show you ads ... no one is forcing you to use Google map. You can always use the free, non-tracking(?) Apple Map.... but then your gas bill will be higher!
Google Maps for iPhone is getting its first major update today. In version 1.1, users can now search for any address stored in their Google contacts list. In addition, tapping inside the search bar brings up the option for finding nearby places in 13 different categories (e.g., restaurants, hotels, gas stations). Google is also rolling out the app to seven new countries, including Egypt, Lebanon and Bahrain. Google Maps for iPhone launched in December and was quickly downloaded by iPhone users frustrated with the poor Apple Maps experience.

Gmail for mobile browsers gets iPhone-like update

Gmail for mobile browsers gets iPhone-like update




Google has updated its Gmail mobile web app to have a clean new look reminiscent of the latest iOS app, following positive feedback from the most recent redesign.



Heavy Gmail users probably use a dedicated app for their email needs, but being able to access the service via the browser is always handy. Whether on a friend's phone or a device without access to official Google apps, the mobile Gmail is accessible (like on the desktop) by pointing the browser at gmail.com, where you can log in as normal.

The redesigned mobile interface follows the example of the new iOS version introduced in December. Search will autocomplete, calendar items can be responded to within the mail, and the new look is cleaner in general.

No need to update anything on your end — just visit gmail.com and the new version should load right up.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

Google Maps For iPhone Update: Find Local Stuff Faster

Google Maps For iPhone Update: Find Local Stuff Faster

iPhone users, take note: Google is releasing a new update for Google Maps for iPhone that promises faster local searches and a cleaner interface to help find the places you want to be. It should only extend Google's lead over Apple's own troubled iPhone maps app.

According to the Google Maps blog, the update will feature new English-language versions for seven Middle Eastern nations: Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Even more useful, especially if you're using Google Contacts instead of the iPhone's native Contacts app, is the capability to integrate that data with the Google Maps app. Logged in users will see nearby friends's addresses when they view local maps, according to Salahuddin Choudhary, Product Manager, Google Maps.

Local searches will get faster by virtue of graphical tools and icons that will get the search job done quicker.


"For faster local search, you can tap one of the new icons for restaurants, coffee shops, bars and other types of places to quickly see nearby haunts," Choudhary wrote. "So if you're in a rush and need a quick coffee, just tap the search box, then the coffee cup icon, to see the cafes closest to you."

(See also Google Maps: 10 Million Lost iPhone Users Breathe Sigh Of Relief.)

The update is a small set of tweaks to an app that was very much awaited prior to its release in December 2012 - and that is already widely considered superior to the debacle that was Apple Maps. It will be interesting to see if Apple has any major changes planned to compete with the innovation Google is still pushing out.

Images courtesy of Google.

Google Updates YouTube iPhone And iPad App With ‘Send To TV’ Feature, The Google TV Equivalent Of AirPlay

Google Updates YouTube iPhone And iPad App With ‘Send To TV’ Feature, The Google TV Equivalent Of AirPlay 

Google issued an update for its iOS application today that adds the “Send to TV” feature to its apps for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The feature allows you to quickly and easily pair your mobile phone with select TVs, making it possible to play and control video from the app on your television set.

The feature works with Google TV-enabled devices, which includes an increasing amount of television SKUs from major manufacturers, many of which were on display at CES this year. It also work with the PS3 and Xbox via slightly more arduous manual pairing with the iOS application. Other Send to TV features include the ability to have anyone on the same Wi-Fi network join in and control video playback, too, as well as add videos to a playlist, meaning you can queue up your very own Best of Goats Version of any song.

Send to TV had previously only been available for Android devices, so the expansion to iOS means that Google now has a much broader potential user base for it. Combine that with the fact that more than 25 percent of YouTube views now come from mobile devices, and you can see how the company would be eager to get its iOS apps equipped with this particular feature, as the end result will be a much larger percentage of consumers who can take advantage of this element of Google TV, a platform that seems to be gaining more favor with television OEMs after a somewhat rocky start.

The app also now features Capture integration, which means it can handle recording and uploads to the service as well. They’re still separate apps, but this eases the workflow at least.

Spotify for iPhone updated with new interface

Spotify for iPhone updated with new interface

Spotify has just updated its mobile app for iPhone with a new interface that puts it on par with last year's overhauled Android version. There are a few big changes to the interface, and the most prominent is the addition of a swipe-across menu that lets you jump the different section of the app. If you've used the Facebook app for iOS, it's virtually identical.

THE NOW PLAYING BAR IS A VERY WELCOME ADDITION

The most useful feature, however, is the "now playing" bar. Wherever you are in the app, the artist and track name of whatever you're listening to are displayed at the bottom of the screen along with play / pause controls. Swiping to the left or right on the bar will skip to the previous or next track from your current album or playlist. The final addition is a new track menu, accessible by clicking a "..." button to the right of each track. The menu lets you add a track to a playlist, share a track, or add to the playing queue.

The new app is more of an evolution than a drastic redesign; Spotify has tweaked a few parts of its app, and the changes — especially the now playing bar — are very welcome. There are a few bugfixes bundled in with the update as well, which you can check out in the Spotify changelog before heading over to the App Store for the download.

Compare recommendations faster with our new Explore update on iPhone

Compare recommendations faster with our 

new Explore update on iPhone

Feb 28th

Whether your go-to brunch spot is too crowded, or you’re walking around looking for dinner options after a movie, it’s great to be able to find places quickly. With today’s iPhone release, we’ve updated Explore to show you more recommendations on a single screen, so you can compare results and make decisions faster.

Just like before, we’ll show you the relevant info to help you decide: you can quickly see the ratings, friends who have been, money-saving specials, and useful insider tips. Tap through on a place to see even more, like directions and menu items.

You’ll see the redesigned look as soon as you tap on Explore. We’ll show you our top suggestions for places in the area, along with highlights like new spots in the neighborhood and places that are trending. As always, tap on the search bar up top when  you’re looking for something specific.

Update the app now and give it a try!

Update your iPhone now to fix a passcode vulnerability

Update your iPhone now to fix a passcode vulnerability



Anyone — with some practice, and really great timing — can bypass your iPhone's passcode in order to make calls, send out emails and messages, scroll through call histories, view contacts and more, thanks to a security flaw in the iOS operating system. Until now. Apple put an end to these shenanigans with a software update on Tuesday.

The latest version of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 6.1.3, patches the lockscreen vulnerability (while also including miscellaneous bug fixes).

As we reported in February, Adrian D'Urso of JailbreakNation was among the first publicize the security flaw, demonstrating in a YouTube video how to circumvent the passcode. Following D'Urso's instructions, we were able to confirm the hole on an iPhone 5 and iPhone 4, both running iOS 6.1.

We again attempted the iPhone experiment after the Tuesday update, but this time, were unable to gain access. We're disappointed that it took over a month for Apple to fix this security hole, but it appears to have patched things up.

If you're ready to install iOS 6.1.3 on your iOS device, then connect the gadget to iTunes and hit the "check for updates" button. (Alternatively, head into your device's "Settings" menu, select the "General" tab, and tap the "Software Updates" option to download the update over the air.)

Updating Google Maps for iPhone with faster local search, new ways to find friends, and more countries

Updating Google Maps for iPhone with faster local search, new ways to find friends, and more countries

Today, we’re releasing an update for Google Maps for iPhone with new search icons that make finding local places faster and easier, and with integration of your Google Contacts to make it simple to find your friends.

This update is part of our goal to make Google Maps comprehensive, accurate and useful – wherever you may be in the world. To that end, we’re rolling out the English version of the app in seven new countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. You can also choose between kilometers and miles in the settings menu, depending on your preferences.

For faster local search, you can tap one of the new icons for restaurants, coffee shops, bars and other types of places to quickly see nearby haunts. So if you’re in a rush and need a quick coffee, just tap the search box, then the coffee cup icon, to see the cafes closest to you.  

Your Google Contacts are now integrated into Google Maps for iPhone – meaning that when you’re signed-in and search for a friend’s name, their address will appear as a suggestion (if you have their address saved). Simply tap their name to see the address, which will be visible only to you, on the map. To learn an easy way to keep your Google Contacts synced with your iPhone, click here. We hope you enjoy these updates! Visit the App Store today to download the latest Google Maps for iPhone app. Please note some of the features mentioned in this post aren’t available in all countries.

Update your iPhone now to fix a passcode vulnerability

Update your iPhone now to fix a passcode vulnerability



Anyone — with some practice, and really great timing — can bypass your iPhone's passcode in order to make calls, send out emails and messages, scroll through call histories, view contacts and more, thanks to a security flaw in the iOS operating system. Until now. Apple put an end to these shenanigans with a software update on Tuesday.

The latest version of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 6.1.3, patches the lockscreen vulnerability (while also including miscellaneous bug fixes).

As we reported in February, Adrian D'Urso of JailbreakNation was among the first publicize the security flaw, demonstrating in a YouTube video how to circumvent the passcode. Following D'Urso's instructions, we were able to confirm the hole on an iPhone 5 and iPhone 4, both running iOS 6.1.

We again attempted the iPhone experiment after the Tuesday update, but this time, were unable to gain access. We're disappointed that it took over a month for Apple to fix this security hole, but it appears to have patched things up.

If you're ready to install iOS 6.1.3 on your iOS device, then connect the gadget to iTunes and hit the "check for updates" button. (Alternatively, head into your device's "Settings" menu, select the "General" tab, and tap the "Software Updates" option to download the update over the air.)