Apple has purchased a small startup called WiFiSLAM, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The two-year-old company specializes in indoor mapping, which is something Google has already been doing with Google Maps for some time.
Since Apple debuted its own mapping technology in iOS 6, it’s been working to bring its service up to par with Google Maps. WiFiSLAM’s expertise could very well be used to improve Apple Maps, and the acquisition also bodes well for another Apple service, Passbook.
Kicking off this week’s must-have apps roundup is EverClip for iPad, a terrific tool that lets you “clip” almost anything to Evernote, so that you can’t forget them. We also have a wonderful new music player for the iPad, the new Star Wars Pinball game, and more.
Earlier today, we told you about the massive security issue that Apple let slip through while adding it’s new two step authentication process. As a result, Apple shut down it’s password recovery site, iForgot, earlier today.
And? It’s back up and ready to start helping you get your password. Looks like Apple fixed the problem.
There’s been a lot of buzzing lately about Samsung’s hot new Galaxy S4 phone and its gimmicky cutting-edge new features. But bizarre air gestures aside, we’ll tell you which of its features we’d love to see Apple “borrow” for iPhone 6 on our all-new CultCast.
Plus, a new Steve Jobs movie you’ll actually want to see; and, is it possible for Apple for make a device more perfect than the iPad mini?
All that and more on this episode of the CultCast! Subscribe nowon iTunes to download our new episodes, or easily stream new and previous episodes via Apple’s newly updated Podcasts App.
One Man Left is a game development studio most recently known for it’s multiplayer turn-based online strategy game, Outwitters, one of my personal favorite iOS games in recent memory. They’re first big hit, though, was Tilt To Live, an arcade survival game that had you tilting your iOS device to help a little triangle avoid all sorts of incoming enemies and grab all sorts of fun power-ups and points for as long as possible.
Today, the award-winning studio announced that they’re working on the sequel, outrageously titled, “Tilt To Live 2: Redonkulous.” I swear I’m not making that up.
Over at Asymco, noted Apple analyst Horace Dediu takes a moment to look at the iTunes App Store from the perspective of a “break even” model, a perspective that Apple has only recently started to discuss as perhaps more than breaking-even. Dediu notes that with the quintupling of growth of the overall beast that is iTunes (including music, video, and iOS app software), an analysis of Apple’s business practices as well as the App Store’s economy of scale suggests that Apple is doing quite a bit better than “breaking even.”
Apple has quietly added a new labeling system to the App Store that shows which apps have in-app purchases. You can only see whether an app or game has in-app purchases on the desktop version of iTunes, but the feature will presumably be rolled out to the App Store on iOS devices soon.
Coincidentally, Apple recently settled a lawsuit with some parents over in-app purchases. Kids were spending thousands of dollars making in-app purchases in freemium games.
Apple just made iCloud a lot more secure yesterday by rolling out a two-step authentication process that should keep hijackers at bay. However, a huge security hole was just found that allows hijackers to reset Apple ID passwords with only an email address and your date of birth.
The new exploit affects all customers who have not yet enabled the new two-step authentication feature. To make matters worse, some users who enabled two-step authentication yesterday, have to wait 3 days before it kicks in, meaning some might still be vulnerable to the exploit.
HBO Go is one of the best TV apps for the iPad. You can stream episodes of shows like Girls and Game of Thrones to your iPad whenever you’re craving some drama. The only problem is you have a cable subscription with HBO to access the app.
While HBO isn’t ready to ditch the subscription model altogether just yet, but the company’s CEO indicated this week that they might make the app available to cord cutters that pay for broadband Internet.
If you had asked me yesterday what I thought a “couch player” might be, I would have guessed that it was some stoner kid sat at home in his parents living room, checking the price of Glocks online and listening to bad hip hop.
But that was yesterday. If you asked me right now, I’d tell your that Couch Player is an awesome new music player for the iPad.
There are some people in China that will do almost anything to get their hands on a new Apple product. One guy even sold his kidney. But if you don’t want to sell a body part, Chinese students have decided to accept some truly horrific loan terms just to buy an iPhone.
Apple and HP have been rated best for customer experience in a study of 10,000 consumers in the United States carried out by Temkin Group. Apple took the top spot in the computer sector with a rating of 64%, while HP took second place with a rating of 62%.
At the other end of the spectrum sat Sony and Lenovo, which were the lowest-rated computer makers.
The Bikespike is a GPS-enabled cellular device which lets you track your bike. And while you can use it as an iPhone-connected bike computer, complete with speed, calorie and location stats, its main purpose is as a security device.
Apple’s getting a lot more aggressive with its marketing campaign against Android. After debuting its “Why iPhone” webpage last Saturday, Apple has a snarky little update for all the iPhone haters.
Apple just sent out an email bragging about the 9th consecutive J.D. Power and Associates award the iPhone received yesterday. They even updated the website too by crossing out the ‘eight’ and writing a ‘nine’ above it. Very minimalist. Sir Jony Ive will be pleased.
Ever since the iPhone was released in 2007 it has slowly made a slew of other devices and accessories obsolete. At the very least, you probably have a bit less clutter in your life thanks to it.
To celebrate the utilitarian powers of the iPhone, for our latest contest we asked readers to Instagram the things their iPhone has made obsolete. Watches, camera, Gameboys, and even graphing calculators made the list. After some deliberation, we chose five winners who will get a free InstaThis 10-inch printing of their choice.
Here are all the winning entries for things your iPhone replaces:
This is big: Blizzard, the mega-developers behind the Starcraft and Diablo series, is planning on releasing their first iPad game, set in the Warcraft universe.
There's a lot you can do with this tiny launch bar.
Alfred is a great shortcut and productivity tool for the Mac that received a huge update last week. In case you don’t know, Alfred allows you to quickly perform tasks with a series of keyboard shortcuts. If you’ve used similar tools like Quicksilver or LaunchBar, then you already have an understanding of how Alfred fundamentally works.
Over the past couple of years, Alfred has matured from a little app launcher into a full-fleged base station for getting things done on the Mac. Alfred 2.0 is a huge step forward with additional features like customizable themes, but the biggest addition is undoubtedly workflows. You can, for instance, hit a keyboard shortcut, type in the name of a new movie, and have related browser windows from IMDB, YouTube and Rotten Tomatoes instantly pop up.
Alfred has built up a community of users who have created some pretty cool Alfred 2.0 workflows you can download and use for free. Whether you’re a coder or a complete novice, it’s easy to get started with workflows and take control of your Mac.
Counter-intuitive though it may seem, taking a light source and putting it right up close to your subject’s face – as close as you can without getting it in frame – makes for softer light. Why? Because it makes the light bigger in relation to the subject. If that subject is a face, a bigger light can “wrap around” its contours and fill in its own shadows.
And the Photojojo Pocket Spotlight is a big light source for your iPhone.
If you love Woz (and who doesn’t?) we’ve got an extra special Friday treat for you.
Vince Patton emailed us, linking us to an incredible YouTube account filled with vintage videos of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak talking to the Denver Apple Pi computer club back in 1984, in which Woz talks about being put on probation for computer abuse, hacking a video-on-demand box for free movies at a hotel, and how Steve Jobs coerced him to quit his cushy job at HP to make a go for Apple.
Back in February, the Australian parliament demanded explanations from Apple, Adobe, and Microsoft over the prices charged for their products down under, with some goods costing as much as 70% more than they do in the United States. Apple has today responded to the inquiry, but don’t expect the Cupertino company to be reducing its prices anytime soon.
Everclip is one of the most used apps on my iPad, despite being iPhone-only. Until now, that is. Along with an update to the regular iPhone Everclip, there’s now an iPad version. No, it’s not universal and yes, it’ll cost you another $6, but if you’re an Everclip fan, you really won’t care.
Call it the Dracula of iPhone chargers: the ChargeBite doesn’t charge your iPhone by juicing it up from an inclosed battery pack, but by sucking precious electricity from a friend’s iPhone and siphoning it into your own.
Apple bans apps from the App Store all the time, for a variety of reasons. Most of the time, it’s because they think the app is pornographic, even if it totally isn’t, although occasionally, it’s because developers have hidden some functionality in an app that violates Apple’s EULA.
One thing we’re not used to seeing Apple ban apps for, though, is the mere fact that the app’s subject matter has made Cupertino uncomfortable… but that is seemingly what happened with Sweatshop HD, a game created by a BAFTA-winning studio that aims to raise awareness about where our products come from.
Sega has today kicked off its Sonic Sale, which sees four popular Sonic games for iOS reduced to just $0.99 until Sunday. The sale includes the latest title in the Sonic series, Sonic Dash, as well as Sonic Jump, Sonic CD, and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. You’ll find links to all four titles below.
