Remember back in April, when Steve Jobs replied to the overblown iPhone LocationGate mini-scandal by saying that it was Google who was tracking users, not Apple? As he often is, looks like Steve is right.
Two weeks ago Sunday, my iPhone 3GS slid from my pocket and nuzzled itself amongst the fossilized bubble gum, mottled receipts and other sticky detritus that lays thick between the seats of the 7:20pm MBTA train to Forest Hill on the Orange Line. Doubtless someone is playing with it even now. I didn’t even notice it go, but unlike the last time I lost my iPhone, my initial reaction was not panic or thundering rage, but a serene sense of acceptance: I just don’t need an iPhone anymore. I barely even tried to recover it. This is my new phone, and god help me, I love it.
The iPad has been widely embraced by publishers who think it will stave off the death of print, but the latest forecast is grim: not even the “magical” iPad can save newspapers from the grave.
A company got in touch with Cult of Mac after our story about Apple enforcing the ban on iPad giveaways. Their apps were being held in limbo — see email above — during the iTunes approval process due to a contest they were running.
Stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place, they opted to pull the iPad contest. (The giveaway had been a major way, they told us, to get the apps better known.)
A full week has passed since WWDC, and yet we’re still finding little gems inside iOS 5. The latest finding is that the improved Calendar App allows creators of events to invite people to attend, and then see who all is coming once they’ve responded. The new magic is all made possible with iCloud. Here’s how it works:
Here we go again. The rumor of a Retina Display iPad 3 to arrive later this year is being dusted off again.
In what sounds more like a court case between a feuding couple than two tech rivals, The notoriously-secretive Apple reportedly described Samsung’s demand to get a peak at unannounced iPhones and iPads as “attempts to harass.”
One tech reviewer has likened RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook to “the herpes of tablets.” Although the CNN writer was joking, not so funny is how consumers are shying away from the iPad rival.
Apple has just confirmed that they are recalling a limited number of Verizon iPad 2s, and now we know the reason why.
Now that WWDC is over for another year and we’ve put all the excitement behind us, this coming week is going to be a little dull without something good to keep us entertained. Thankfully, our list must-have games is here to help. This week’s roundup features Dream:scape — the latest eye-popping game to use Epic Games’ Unreal Engine; 1000 Heroz which promises a new adventure every day you play; plus more great titles that are guaranteed to please.
Microsoft has been hawking pen-based tablets since 1991, when it first launched Windows for Pen Computing, a version of Windows with a pen interface layer. In 2002, the company introduced Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.
Although the Tablet PC has won a few fans over the years, Microsoft’s whole pen initiative didn’t succeed like Bill Gates always wanted it to. In fact, Microsoft’s approach to pen tablets is very much a product of Gates’ personal vision for how mobile computers should work. He’s always envisioned tablets that use a combination of handwriting recognition and voice recognition to replace the functionality of the keyboard and mouse.
The strength of Microsoft’s belief in this vision is pretty astounding, enabling the company to continue to support and promote the idea for 20 years without ever having what you might call a runaway success.
Gates was right about one thing: The functionality of keyboard and mouse would be replaced on tablets in a big way. And that’s starting to happen, thanks mainly to the iPad.
He was also right about predicting the widespread use of pens or styli on tablets. No, really!
Kicking off this week’s list of must-have iOS apps is a great new iPad 2 title from Evernote called Peek – the first iOS release that uses the Smart Cover to create a quiz game. We have a terrific new note-taking app from Junecloud, the developers behind the highly acclaimed Delivery Status Touch. Plus an app that will ensure you never get hit with a parking fine again, and plenty more.
The Redsn0w software by DevTeam has always allowed you to jailbreak your iOS device, giving you complete control over your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch (see why you should jailbreak here). This morning, though, redsn0w version 0.9.8b1 was released with iOS 5 Beta 1 support, meaning you can now jailbreak devices and run Cydia apps on devices with iOS 5 installed. Here’s how to jailbreak iOS 5!
We’ve been raving about Apple’s new iMessage feature in iOS 5 all week. If our current findings haven’t piqued your interest in the new messaging service that let’s you ditch SMS messaging, then maybe this little tidbit will intrigue you. With iMessage, Apple is also introducing the best mobile group chat client to ever hit a smartphone.
Apple is the world’s No. 1 consumer of flash memory, passing HP on its way to spending $17.5 billion for iPads, iPhones and other mobile devices. With that number only set to rise, it is very possible that next year, Apple will spend more per year on flash memory than Nokia’s entire market cap.
Here’s some advice to tablet companies hoping to beat the iPad features: stop wasting your time. The only alternative is to drop prices ridiculously low, like $300, says a Wall Street observer.
Here’s a nice little feature we’ve discovered in the first iOS 5 beta – a great way to skip tracks in the iPad’s new Music app.
Yesterday, we reported that in the first beta of iOS 5, Apple had removed gesturing functionality from first-gen iPad owners, making it impossible to navigate between apps on Apple’s breakout tablet with iOS 5’s four- and five-finger multitouch gestures.
Here’s the good news. You can get them back. The bad news? It takes a jailbreak to get it done.
Samsung just launched its new Samsung Galaxy Tab advert, and in addition to blatantly mocking the iPad for its lack of Flash support, it also concludes by claiming the device to be better at web videos, multitasking, and gaming.
“What? No way, that’s not my Enrique Iglesias track. How’d that get on my iPhone?” Have you ever had your musical tastes harshly criticized by a friend who’s browsing through the music library on your iPhone? Apple’s now enabled users to avoid those awkward moments of friends discovering your guilty pleasures by allowing you to delete songs from your iPhone or iPad.
We’re back at it again today. After yesterday’s highly successful Twitter Trivia Giveaway we’ve decided to give everyone another chance to win the Twitter Trivia Giveaway. We’ve been giving out free stuff all week via Twitter, but we’re nearing the end of our weeklong giveaway. With only two more chances to win you got to make each try count. If you’d like to join our three other winners and receive a free iMainGo X we’d be happy to have one sent to you as long as you play by the rules.
The Reeder app from Silvio Rizzi has been one of the most successful Google Reader clients for iOS devices, and has proven to be incredibly popular on the Mac since its beta release last November. Today, Reeder leaves its beta tag behind and arrives in the Mac App Store.
Evernote launched today a free new app designed entirely around the iPad 2’s Smart Cover. It’s called Evernote Peek.
The app is designed for learning and memorization, and works like flash cards. You point the app at some content in your Evernote account that you’d like to learn. Then the Smart Cover magic happens. Just lift up the first segment of the cover to see the question. Try to remember it, and lift up the next segment to see the answer. To move to the next question, just close the cover.
Evernote also gives you hints on how to best create notes to learn with the app. Brilliant.
Nintendo unveiled its upcoming Wii successor at E3 in Los Angeles yesterday, and with its touchscreen tablet-like controllers and AirPlay-like game streaming, some are already debating whether the device might rival the iPad. I’m here to tell you that it won’t.
Images © 2011 Lonnie Lazar · All Rights Reserved
Lost in the hoopla of Apple’s WWDC software revelations this week — from iMessage, to iCloud, to iTunes Match — has been coverage of what may prove to be the company’s most enduring revolutionary influence, which is the one it’s having on the Art world.