Showing posts with label iOS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iOS. Show all posts

Real Racing 3 comes to iOS, Android worldwide


Electronic Arts (EA) has released Real Racing 3, the third iteration of its popular car racing game, on Android and iOS worldwide. Interestingly, the gaming company has made the game a free download, upfront, however, the game brings in several in-app purchases. So it's essentially adopting a free-mium model with this game.

EA says that the gaming experience in Real Racing 3 is immensely immersive, close to reality and rich, as it's powered by the new Mint 3 Engine, and features persistent car damage, fully functioning rear view mirrors, and dynamic reflections.

New features in the game include officially licensed tracks like Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, and Silverstone, Hockenheimring, among other tracks, an expanded 22-car grid, and over 45 detailed cars from makers like Porsche, Lamborghini, Dodge, Bugatti, and Audi. The game also integrates Time Shifted Multiplayer (TSM) technology for superior multiplayer gaming experience with fellow gamers on Facebook and Game Center, and the option to compete in 900 events like cup races, eliminations, endurance challenges, and drag races.

The game is around 716MB in size but requires at least 2GB of space on the user's device for additional components.

The previous version of the game, Real Racing 2, is still available on the app store for a $4.99 price.It was the first iOS game to support 2 and 4-person split screen play on a TV, if mirrored via Airplay.

Real Racing was originally developed by Australian mobile game maker, Firemint. EA acquired Firemint in May 2011 for an undisclosed amount. - See more at: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/news/real-racing-3-comes-to-ios-android-worldwide-337096#sthash.IHnJ2sMZ.dpuf

Report by : Anupam Saxena

Apple blocks older versions of Adobe’s Flash player in Safari

Mac OS X users, don’t be surprised if you see the message “Blocked Plug-in” whenever you attempt to view a flash-based content in the Safari web browser. Clicking on the error will bring up the dialog box “’Adobe Flash Player’ is out of date” and you will be forced to download the new update if you want to proceed further and view your content.

With the new update of the OSX, Apple has tightened up its security in its Safari browser by blocking out all older and vulnerable versions of Flash player from Adobe. This new security update will force all Mac users to update to the latest version if they want to view any flash-based content. Apple is using its very own Xprotect malware scanner. which is built-into the OS itself and will scan and quarantine known malware. Adobe Flash Player 11.6.602.167 and earlier versions for Macintosh are the ones that are prone to the attack.

Apple's Safari web browser gets Adobe Flash Player update
CNET reported that the new move came in around a month after Apple started blocking all older versions of Java, owned by Oracle, due to security concerns. The issue proved to be a bit more complex than it seems with Apple stating that it was targeted as a part of an organised hacking attempt that capitalises on the Java vulnerabilities. Oracle had released a patch earlier in mid January and Apple's XProtect plug-in update ensures that Java users will be running the latest version with the patch. The previous limit was version 1.7.10.19 because the prior version of the Java 7 runtime had a security issue that affected JRE 7 Update 10 and earlier. The new update will address vulnerabilities that could cause crashes and potentially allow any attacker to take complete control of the affected system.

Safari users forced to update the new patch from Adobe for security issues
Earlier this week, Adobe also released a software update that patches three vulnerabilities in Flash, of which two of them were targeted towards Mozilla’s Firefox browser. Apple has updated the web browser’s plug-in to safeguard its user’s from the recent vulnerability.

Those using Google Chrome on the Macintosh will automatically be updated to the latest version of the browser, which includes Adobe Flash Player 11.6.602.171. Users of the older version of Macintosh can update the latest version for Adobe’s Flash Player from here.

Report by : Francis D'sa

YouTube for iOS updated with Smart TV, Xbox, PS3 pairing and Capture support


Google has updated its YouTube app for iOS users with the 'send to tv' option that now allows them to automatically send videos from their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch devices to their smart televisions. It also lets them send YouTube videos to the Xbox and the PlayStation 3, after a manual pairing process.

Once paired, users can use their iOS devices to remotely control the videos playing on-screen. All they need to do is open a video and tap the onscreen TV icon on the top right corner and it will prompt them to select the device they'd like to view it on. Once done, the video plays on the preferred choice of screen.

Users will also be able to pause, scroll and navigate to the next video as it plays on the TV. They can also find another video to watch or browse the Web on their device, while the video plays.

Besides this, the video sharing service has also added YouTube Capture support within the native app allowing for recordings and uploads. However, when we tried to access the Settings menu or save a recording using Capture from within the app, it crashed every time.

YouTube for iOS also brings improved streaming over slow Wi-Fi connections along with other stability improvements.

The Android app was updated with the 'send to tv' feature back in November last year allowing it to send video to Google TVs. With YouTube's extended associations with Smart TV manufacturers, users did not need a YouTube app on their TV per se, but just a mobile device with YouTube and necessary integrated software installed that would let you watch videos on the big screen.

Earlier last month, YouTube announced partnerships with Bang & Olufsen, LG, Panasonic and Sony Philips to introduce the mobile/ TV pairing feature. It also added that this year more devices from Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio and Western Digital and others will also be roped in.

The new devices will also let users beam HD videos and channels to their big screen. Until now, only smartphones and tablets were seen as secondary screens. But with this new concept, it turns out that televisions have now joined the league as well.

Report by : KS Sandhya Iyer

Evernote for iOS gets better PDF support, more formatting options

Evernote for iOS has received a cool new update that brings better PDF support, Evernote Business improvements and more features to the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

While the app has been updated with new features, it looks like some users are experiencing crashes after upgrading. Evernote has mentioned that it is aware of the fact and is working on a fix.

Evernote's new PDF viewer has lets you view PDFs in landscape and has a rotation lock option. A new multi-page feature lets you jump to any page in your PDF by tapping on the page images at the bottom. Alternatively, you can tap on the grid icon in the top left corner. You can also tap the magnifying glass to search within the PDF. Premium subscribers will also be able to search inside scanned PDFs.

The update also adds a couple of formatting options: a “simplify formatting” option cleans up all formatting issues, especially with web clippings, while the “make plain text” options removes all rich text, formatting and images from the clip.

The Snippets feature for iPad is a cool new addition
Version 5.2 of Evernote has added a few new features while sprucing up existing ones in the archive app. Specific to the iPad version of the app, Evernote has added a feature called Snippets. It’s a new list mode that makes it easy for you to scan through your notes as quickly as possible, letting you jump between dates using the scrubber on the right edge of the screen. To access snippets, you need to pull down from the top of the note list and tap on the icon. Snippets has been designed to come up as a split-screen that lets you edit and view your notes list at the same time.

People who use Evernote Business are in luck with this update. You can now download any or all of your Business Notebooks to your device, allowing the notes to load instantly even without a network connection.

Evernote was bumped to version 5 with much fanfare back in November last year, and was redesigned completely. Evernote 5 allowed users to create a new note or browse to an existing one with equal speed. To enable this, it divided the screen into two sections: Quick Notes and Views. Located at the top of the app, the Quick Notes button allowed a user to create a new text note, start a snapshot or digitise physical documents with Page Camera. The “Views” tab under the Quick Notes buttons was designed to help users get to their notes the way that works best for them.

Report by : tech2 News Staff

Microsoft noncommittal on '$2.5 billion a year' Office for iOS opportunity


A top Microsoft Corp executive side-stepped questions on Tuesday about any plans the software maker may have to bring its Office suite of applications to Apple Inc's iPad.

Talk has circulated for more than a year that Microsoft wants to bring native versions of its most profitable product to the hot-selling iPad, which one analyst estimates could generate $2.5 billion in extra revenue for Microsoft per year, but would remove an incentive to buying Windows-based tablets.

"We don't take it from the point of view, 'Do we need to have the PC software that's running on every single device?', we look very much at 'What is the experience that we are looking to have on those devices'," said Kurt DelBene, head of Microsoft's Office unit, asked about Office on the iPad at the Morgan Stanley technology investor conference in San Francisco, which was Webcast.

DelBene, who took over leadership of Office from Stephen Elop who left to lead phone maker Nokia in 2010, did not directly address putting native versions of Office applications on the iPad, a subject Microsoft has steered clear of in public.

Asked specifically about the availability of Office on Apple's iOS mobile system - which powers iPads and iPhones - DelBene instead stressed online versions of Office apps, which can be accessed via a browser but do not offer the full richness of installed software or an app.

"We've actually done a lot of work on iOS devices this time around," said DelBene. "We have enhanced the web applications pretty substantially, in partnership with Apple."

Microsoft does offer native iOS versions of some Office applications, including its OneNote note-sharing software, Lync communication suite and SharePoint collaboration site, as well as its SkyDrive online storage service.

But the more than 100 million iPad owners, many of whom want to bring their devices to work, have to use the limited online versions of desktop staples Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Holt estimated earlier this month that Microsoft could generate $2.5 billion in extra annual revenue from Office on iPad by next year, less the commission Apple would take on sales of Office through its App Store.

But the risk for Microsoft is that putting Office on the iPad takes away one of the key advantages of its own Surface and other Windows tablets, that already run Office natively.

Removing incentives to buy Windows tablets would be a blow to Microsoft's flagship Windows unit, which although less profitable than Office, is still key to the company's overall strategy.

Asked by one investor at the conference when he would be able to use Excel on his iPad, DelBene instead pointed the questioner toward Microsoft's own Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets and urged him to use Web-based versions of Office apps.

"I think we've done a great job on both the consumer side, particularly with the Web apps that we are building, and on the enterprise side as well," said DelBene.

Report by : Reuters

Mozilla CEO: Android, iOS leave lots of room for Firefox OS

Mozilla's browser-based OS can win a place among the next 2 billion people arriving on the Net, Gary Kovacs argues. And about attracting app developers, he quipped, "There's a Web for that."
Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs speaking about Firefox OS at Mobile World Congress 2013
BARCELONA, Spain--With another 2 billion people hooking up to the Internet in the next five years, there's plenty of room for another mobile operating system, Mozilla Chief Executive Gary Kovacs said today in a sales pitch for his new Firefox OS.

Apple and Google have led the way in the smartphone market but can't cover the whole thing, he said in a speech to thousands at the Mobile World Congress show here, though he didn't mention the companies by name.

"I find it impossible to understand how 3, 4, 5, or 6 billion people are going to get their diverse needs satisfied by one or two or five companies, no matter how delicious those companies are," Kovacs said. "Is the farmer in the Indian countryside going to have the same needs and requirements as a lawyer sitting in New York?"

Mozilla has a mammoth challenge, though. Working in its favor is the fact that Firefox is a browser-based operating system, meaning that Web applications such as Facebook already work for it without the need for Mozilla to marshal an army of programmers to write apps.

But even that running start has its limits: even many static Web pages don't work well on mobile browsers, and making dynamic Web apps is a lot harder. New technologies such as camera-phone interfaces and hardware-accelerated 3D graphics help, and Mozilla is pushing hard to advance those standards and spread them to other mobile browsers.

Mozilla has rounded up a solid list of Firefox OS partners, including 18 carriers across the world and handset makers LG Electronics, Huawei, ZTE, Alcatel, Geeksphone, and possibly Sony. The allies plan to bring Firefox OS to developing markets starting in the second quarter and to the United States in 2014.

The app development and distribution ecosystem of iOS and Android is strong, but Kovacs had a slogan to counter that strength: "There's a Web for that." Many mobile apps simply repackage data already available on the Web, he said, pointing to an example of searching for a nearby restaurant, checking reviews, looking at menus, and making reservations.

"This is the Web. We're just taking it to mobile," Kovacs said. "Incumbent with that is 10 million developers already ready to go."

Mozilla has experience taking on big established players, too. Internet Explorer ruled the Web when Firefox grew from the ashes of the vanquished Netscape browser project about a decade ago.

"We did this 10 years ago," Kovacs said, and Mozilla succeeded in its mission of keeping the Web open. "Today, the browser market is the most competitive it's ever been in the history of the Internet."

Now history is repeating itself on the mobile Web, where Firefox today is only rarely used but Google and Apple's browsers dominate. Both those companies' browsers are based on the WebKit browser engine, and Opera just signed up to use it, too.

"We have to make sure this shared opportunity is not something that one or two companies unnaturally control," Kovacs said.

Report by : Stephen Shankland

Temple Run 2 for iOS crosses 20 million downloads in just four days

Temple Run 2 has been downloaded 20 million times in just four days post its launch in the Apple App Store. Developed by Imangi Studios, Temple Run 2 is a sequel to the Temple Run that has been received over 170 million downloads across the App Store, Google Play and the Amazon Marketplace.

Temple Run 2 was launched on January 17 for iOS devices and has garnered over 210 million sessions, which translates to a combined time of over 1,775 years of gameplay. It is a free game, which topped the charts of the App Store as the 'top free app' for 12 hours after its debut.

"The response from fans has been overwhelming. "We are thrilled players want more of the Temple Run universe, and we hope to grow and expand the game over the coming months," says Keith Shepherd, co-founder of Imangi.

For now Temple Run 2 is available for iOS, but the non-stop running game will soon be making its way to the Google Play Store. As per reports in Android Community, Temple Run 2 is expected to be available for Android on January 24.

The free app comes with tons of new gameplay features and storylines offering more diverse and stunning environments with the introduction of new traps and hurdles along the way. Imangi says the game now also has new characters, more powerups, special achievements, better gameplay graphics and this time round a bigger monkey chasing you down the structures.

In June 2012, Imangi Studios had partnered with Disney to launch a special edition of the game dubbed Temple Run: Brave. Since its launch, Temple Run: Brave has been available for both Android and iOS platforms.

Report by : Surbhi Chawla

UC Browser now allows iOS users to download and store files in the cloud

Mobile internet company, UC Web, has enabled cloud downloads in the latest update of the iPhone version of its web browser, UC Browser. This essentially means that users can opt to download files on UC Web's server and retrieve them at a later point in time. This function is particularly useful when a user needs to download a large file and doesn't have good connectivity or comes across something useful but doesn't want to incur data costs and can retrieve the file later when he's able to get Wi-Fi connectivity.

The company informed NDTV Gadgets that users can get 70MB of server space (with no expiry date) and 2GB of temporary space (valid upto 7 days) for storing files on UC Web's server, by signing up for a UC account using their email ID or Facebook ID. Users can store files larger than 70MB for seven days, after which a push notification informs them about the expiry of the temporary space. Whenever users encounter a downloadable file, they can go to the download manager and choose to download the video in the cloud on UC Web's servers. UC Web claims that the storage is secure and all files stored are only accessible to the user who has downloaded them.

Besides cloud downloads, the new release v8.9 of the browser also offers a 'watch offline' feature through which users can cache videos and watch it at a later time inside the browser. It also features a Download Manager that helps users manage their content in an efficient manner, more or less acting as a file browser, automatically sorting downloaded files in to pre-categorized folders such as music, video, images, and zip files. The download manager also alerts the user prior to the file download if that the file is not compatible with the iPhone, preventing the user from downloading incompatible files, saving on both data cost and time.

UC Browser also supports Gesture Control, which allows users to open a new tab or switch between multiple tabs with the swipe gestures. It also allows users to switch between Night-and-Day mode and shuffle the themes of the browser by shaking the device.

Commenting on the enhancements to UC Browser, UCWeb Chief Product Officer, He Xiaopeng said, "iOS is our second largest smartphone platform and we continuously strive to improve the mobile internet experience of our iOS users. We believe that the new features embedded in our latest version will keep iPhone users in step with the most current mobile and cloud technologies - something that all iPhone users have come to expect."

UC Web claims that the new version optimizes the mobile browsing experience for iPhone users by combining cloud based webpage compression technology and intuitive design which can reduce data traffic by up to 90 percent and offer users more control over content fetched from the internet. The browser is available free on Apple's iOS App Store.

We tried the cloud downloads feature and it worked for us without any hiccups. However, we were not able to access popular web-mail services like Gmail and Windows Live, which prompted us to switch to a modern browser. We've sought a clarification from UC Web, and will update the post with more information when we hear from them.

Following the controversy over Nokia routing HTTPS traffic via its own servers which led to the company issuing a clarification, we also asked UC Web how the browser handles HTTPS traffic. The company informed that users can choose to compress HTTPS traffic via UC Web's cloud server via the Thunder Mode, or use the direct mode to communicate directly with the HTTPS servers. It clarified that the cloud server does not store any of the users' information.

Report by : Anupam Saxena

Indie app developers face issues with iOS 6 App Store

According to Develop Online, app developers are having problems with the new App Store in iOS 6. The developers say that the new App Store favours established studios and doesn’t provide enough visibility to independent developers. The major problem with the new App Store, according to the developers, is that it lacks the option to Sort by Release Date. Tabs for games are now restricted to paid, free and top grossing.

“For a small developer, this is terrible news,” said developer Chris Newman. “Although it’s only for a short period, the 'new release' exposure is extremely valuable. It’s our opportunity to grab people’s attention, build the initial user base and gauge the public’s reaction without needing to spend a fortune on marketing. The new system only gives exposure to titles that are already in the charts. How does a new app break through? There is absolutely no way of being discovered unless a user is linked to your app directly, or searches for the app by name.”

Indie app developers are facing problems with visibility on the new App Store

The new search results window in the iOS 6 App Store has also caught criticisms by Newman. Before iOS 6, users could flick through Search Results of five apps per page. The new update has changed that as results now only show one app per page. "This is a massive distortion of exposure towards the already-successful apps,” he said. “Those that are top of the search results (we assume, although we don’t know, because they are popular) are placed full screen in a user’s face. To get further down the list requires effort. A lot of effort.”

Among other problems users are facing with iOS 6 is that the update has brought along problems with Wi-Fi. Some iOS 6 users are unable to switch on Wi-Fi on their devices, while others are complaining of not being able to connect to Wi-Fi networks in spite of having Wi-Fi enabled. Other threads on the support forum highlight another problem with Apple devices not being able to connect with Netgear modems or routers after being upgraded to iOS 6.

Apple’s iPhone 5 launch was marred by users taking to social media and blogs to complain about geographical errors and missing information on the maps feature, which is based on TomTom's map data. The company decided to forego the use of Google Maps in favour of an app that was developed in-house. The app is receiving many complaints due to the high level of inaccuracies. Following the debacle, CEO of Apple Tim Cook issued an apology to users of iOS 6, and suggested alternatives to the Maps app till Apple fixes it.

In his statement, Tim Cook said, "We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better...While we're improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app".

Report by: Shunal Doke

Need For Speed: Most Wanted racing its way to iOS, Android

Some of the most prolific racing games ever created come from the Electronic Arts’ Need for Speed franchise. The latest game in the franchise, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, is being developed by Criterion, the developer well-known for its Burnout series. Now, according to Unleash The Phones, EA has announced that Need for Speed: Most Wanted will be making its way to Android and iOS devices later this month. The company has released a trailer that shows some of the racing action from the mobile version of the game.

The trailer shows that the game will feature good graphics, along with the same gameplay that will be there in the other versions of Most Wanted, including the Takedown mechanic, which was originally featured in the Burnout series. According to the company, “Need For Speed Most Wanted features stunning dynamic physics-based collisions, exciting cop takedowns, and realistic visual damage.” The physics-based collisions would probably help a great deal with the gameplay, thanks to the ability to execute Takedowns.

Back in July, it was revealed that a movie is being made based on the racing game franchise. The movie is set for release in 2014. Need For Speed is the first major project expenditure DreamWorks has made since the company came out of suspended animation while waiting for Reliance to invest cash in a re-up. The studio acquired the movie rights for the Need for Speed series only last month. There is no indication of why the movie is being fast tracked. EA and DreamWorks explained during their joint announcement that the film adaptation would be "a fast-paced, high-octane film rooted in the tradition of the great car culture films of the 70s while being extremely faithful to the spirit of the video game franchise".

The Need for Speed series has been one of the most successful racing game series, besides being one of the most successful video game franchises. The games in the series have been published by Electronic Arts (EA) and developed by several studios including Canada-based company EA Black Box and Britain-based Criterion Games. NFS was originally developed by Canadian company Distinctive Software, which later became known as EA Canada. As of October 2009, the game series has sold over 100 million copies.

Need For Speed: Most Wanted is making its way to Android and iOS devices

The series has always been known for its arcadey racing gameplay as opposed to the more realistic simulation games like Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport. Since Black Box’s last Need for Speed - Undercover, EA has released three games in the series from different developers. While Slightly Mad steered the series into Simulation territory with the shift games, Criterion brought the series back to its roots with the reboot Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit.

The last game in the series to be released was Need for Speed: The Run. It aims to bring back the story-driven action driving experience that once helped Need for Speed rule the arcade racing roost. Unfortunately, the aim was way off.

The upcoming game in the Need for Speed franchise is Need for Speed: Most Wanted and is being developed by Criterion.

Report by: Shunal Doke

Google adds sidebar to mobile search; updates Google+ for iOS, Android

Google has tweaked its mobile search home page, adding a new "hidden sidebar", and also released updates for its Google+ apps for iOS, Android.

The update to Google+ apps for iOS and Android brings some interesting and much awaited features. The "most highly requested feature", as Google calls it, is support for Google+ pages that was initially launched in November. Page owners now have the ability to post, comment and interact with their followers directly from their mobile device.

There are a number of other features to notice in both iOS and Android. Google+ for iOS which was a bit behind its Android client, now lets you edit posts once published.

Further, you can now save photos to your camera roll and the updated app also brings iOS 6 support and is optimised for the iPhone 5′s larger screen. iPad users can now search for people and posts from inside the app (the iPhone app already offered this capability before).

Though the Android version didn't get quite as many updates, nevertheless, it now offers a redesigned 'Find People' experience and a new redesigned home screen widget. Google adds that the app now allows you to access photos from posts with just one tap.

What else is Google upto?

Amidst various updates to its iOS and Android apps, Google is also paying close attention to its mobile web counterpart. In the latest tweak to its mobile search homepage, Google brought a simple redesign, which now features a hidden sidebar that contains all of the Google products and services.

The top of the screen now simply contains links to web and image search as well as a Google+ notification area with a drop-down to view your full Google profile. The new sidebar addition will definitely be welcomed by many users, since it is now easier to access all services in a more refined manner.

Back to the apps. Here's the official Google+ for Android version 3.2 changelog:
  • Google+ page owners can view, post and comment from mobile.
  • Discover people and topics more easily using 'Find people'.
  • Access photos from posts with 1-click.
  • New Home screen Widget re-design.
Here's the official Google+ for iOS version 3.2 changelog:
  • Support for iPhone 5 and iOS 6.
  • Google+ page owners can view, post and comment from mobile.
  • Ability to edit posts.
  • Ability to save photos to camera roll.
  • Ability to search for people and posts on iPad.
Report by: KS Sandhya Iyer

iOS 6 users face Wi-Fi, connectivity issues

iOS 6, Apple’s latest operating system, came with a lot of features and improvements. However, it has brought along its fair share of bugs and problems too. After the Maps app debacle, which resulted in CEO Tim Cooks issuing an apology, it appears iOS 6 may also cause problems when connecting to Wi-Fi.

If the discussion threads on Apple’s support forums are anything to go by – one of which is currently 123 pages long – some iOS 6 users are unable to switch on Wi-Fi on their devices, while others are complaining of not being able to connect to Wi-Fi networks in spite of having Wi-Fi enabled. Other threads on the support forum highlight another problem with Apple devices not being able to connect with Netgear modems or routers after being upgraded to iOS 6.

With reports indicating that over 60 percent of all Apple users have upgraded to iOS 6, this does seem like a significant problem for Apple. One of our colleagues who owns an iPhone 4 and recently upgraded to iOS 6, however, reported no issues with the Wi-Fi not working. He does complain about the Maps app though, but who doesn’t?

iOS6 has almost everything; unfortunately that includes bugs too

Apple’s iPhone 5 launch was marred by users taking to social media and blogs to complain about geographical errors and missing information on the maps feature, which is based on TomTom's map data. The company decided to forego the use of Google Maps in favour of an app that was developed in-house. The app is receiving many complaints due to the high level of inaccuracies. Following the debacle, CEO of Apple Tim Cook issued an apology to users of iOS 6, and suggested alternatives to the Maps app till Apple fixes it.

In his statement, Tim Cook said, "We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better...While we're improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app".

However, analysts are of the opinion that due to the demand for the latest iPhone, the iPhone 5 will not be affected despite the bad publicity gained by Apple Maps. Sterne Agee, analyst at Shaw Wu, said that the demand for the iPhone5 continues to be high despite the under-par Maps service present on its operating system.

Apple still estimates a ship time of three to four weeks for the iPhone 5. Complaints over the many mistakes in Apple Maps have surfaced since the app debuted two weeks ago. But Wu sees this as a short-term problem, and one that may have been unavoidable.

Since Maps is software-based, the analyst is confident that Apple will make the program "more powerful and refined" over time. Google Maps has been touted as a better solution, especially since it was kicked out to make room for Apple Maps. But Google's product had its own growing pains, Wu noted.

Here’s hoping for the sake of iOS 6 users that Apple fixes this glitch soon.

Report by: Ramkumar Iyer

More than 60 pct of iPhones updated to iOS 6 in two weeks

It has just been a fortnight since Apple released iOS 6 to a range of devices and the stats are already in as to how many devices are running this latest mobile operating system, according to a survey compiled by Chitika, an independent research firm. Though the statistics are pretty interesting overall, the device that stands out the most is the iPhone, as the firm has summarised that 60 percent of iPhones are running on this latest operating system.

As per the report, the firm states, “Apple’s newest mobile operating system, iOS 6, has shown unprecedented adoption rates by Apple users. Following our study on the early adoption rates of iOS 6, Chitika Insights was interested in seeing how the adoption rate varied between iOS devices.”

Rolling average

Elaborating the procedure that Chitika used to test the scores, it took a sample of millions of mobile ad impressions coming out of the Chitika Ad network ranging from September 18 to October 1, 2012. It then split the rate of growth of iOS 6 by the type of device such as iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and compared it to the total web usage to show the differences in adoption by device.

Commenting on the scores, Chitika states, “Our data shows that since the release of iOS 6, iPhone users have exhibited the highest rates of adoption, with iPad users close behind and nearing the 50% marker. iPod users are the least likely to have updated to iOS 6, but still post a remarkable 39% adoption rate just 11 days following the operating system’s (OS) release.”

Distribution across iPhone and iPad

It goes on to point out that the high amount of fragmentation where the iPod touch is concerned is because the first and second generation models are not able to be upgraded past iOS 4. Further elaborating on this point, it states, “While the same is true of older iPhones, cellular companies offer discounted upgrades as part of contracts, encouraging turnover within this market.”

In summation, the firm states that Apple does a good job of keeping its customers up to date with the latest operating system in comparison to Google. The website ends by stating that, “Google’s latest data shows only 22% of its users being on its two most recent versions of Android. Apple’s performance in this area is a great selling point for mobile advertisers, as well as website and application developers, who can all confidently optimize their mobile properties to take advantage of the latest iOS capabilities without fear of shutting out a large portion of the user base.”

For those who are not in the know regarding this OS, the biggest announcement by Apple at its event held earlier this month, apart from the iPhone 5, was iOS 6. The new version of the operating system comes packed with many features and is now officially available for download on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Apple has dropped iOS 6 support for the first generation iPad.

iOS 6 can be downloaded directly on to your device through an over-the-air update, or you could let iTunes do your work for you by letting it download the update and install it on your iOS device.
Report by: Aaron Almeida

Street View now live on Google Maps iOS web app

After users of iOS 6 were forced to turn to the web browser versions of Google Maps and Nokia Maps for their navigation needs, Google has released a new update to the web version of its Maps service, according to UnleashThePhones. In the new update, users can access Street View from the mobile browser version of Google Maps in iOS.

While the update is mainly for iOS devices, Google has said that other phones can also use Street View on the Google Maps web app, but it won’t work equally well. The feature is available on both the iPhone and the iPad by accessing Google Maps from the device and hitting the Street View button on the upper/lower right side. As revealed earlier, it is also possible to have Google Maps and Nokia Maps running on your browser in full screen on your iOS device.

Street View is now available on the Google Maps mobile web app

Recently, CEO of Apple, Tim Cook had issued an apology for the faulty Maps app and had suggested some alternatives, as the company works on improving the app. In his statement, Tim Cook said, "We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better...While we're improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app".

Apple had released a statement to AllThingsD regarding the complaints that the company was facing for the new Maps app that was included in the iOS 6 update. According to the statement, “We are excited to offer this service with innovative new features like Flyover and Siri integration, and free turn by turn navigation. We launched this new map service knowing that it is a major initiative and we are just getting started with it. We are continuously improving it, and as Maps is a cloud-based solution, the more people use it, the better it will get. We’re also working with developers to integrate some of the amazing transit apps in the App Store into iOS Maps. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.”

Features of iOS 6 were unveiled during the Apple event earlier this month. The new Maps app has a built-in search for local points of interest, with over 100 million possible suggestions. Other features of the Maps app include navigation, routing, 3D maps, satellite imagery – that wraps around the 3D maps – and the ability to get directions directly through Siri.

Report by: Shunal Doke

iOS 6 on 60 Percent of U.S., Canadian iPhones

Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 6, is now installed on approximately 60 percent of iPhones in the U.S. and Canada, according to new stats from online advertising firm Chitika.

iPhone users have been quickest to adopt the new mobile OS, followed closely by iPad users. iPod touch users have shown the lowest rates of adoption.

To reach its conclusions, Chitika took a sample of millions of mobile ad impressions on its network from Sept. 18 to Oct. 1 and compared the iOS 6 growth rate to total iOS Web usage. Just 11 days after iOS 6 was released, the new mobile OS was installed on nearly 50 percent of iPads and 39 percent of iPods.

"Apple's newest mobile operating system, iOS 6, has shown unprecedented adoption rates by Apple users," Chitika found.

Apple released iOS 6 on Sept. 19 and those with compatible iDevices rushed to upgrade. Within a day, the new mobile OS had already been installed on 15 percent of iOS devices.

"Overall, this data points to Apple doing an outstanding job of keeping their user base up-to-date with the latest OS," according to Chitika.

In comparison, new data shows that only about 1.8 percent of Android devices are running the most recent version of the mobile OS, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. About 23.7 percent of gadgets now have Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The difference, of course, is that Apple only offers the iPhone and controls the updates itself, whereas multiple handset makers offer Android devices and those upgrades are in the hands of the carriers.

Though users eagerly upgraded to iOS 6, the new mobile OS hasn't been without its share of problems. By far the biggest issue is iOS 6 Maps, has been widely criticized for mis-labeling cities, leaving out landmarks, duplicating islands, and more. Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized for the problems users were experiencing with the app.

Report by: Angela Moscaritolo

Gameloft announces Duo Gamer controller for iOS devices

In what seems as an interesting partnership, Gameloft and Duo Games have launched gaming controllers for iOS users to experience console gaming on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The controllers come from US-based accessory manufacturer Discovery Bay and are ready to ship next month.

Dubbed as the Duo Gamer, the controller features two analogue sticks, a D-Pad, 4 gameplay buttons and 2 shoulder pads. The Duo Gamer connects over Bluetooth and comes with a portable stand to plug in your iOS device.

The Duo Gamer will retail for $80.00 and is optimised to support only Gameloft titles such as Asphalt 7, Order & Chaos Online, Brothers in Arms 2, N.O.V.A. 3 and Modern Combat 3. This may attract a bit of criticism from the gaming fraternity for a simple fact that it's an accessory with limited software support.

The other controller is the Duo Pinball which is built with the iPad in mind, Pocketgamer reports. The flippers along with the spring-powered plunger in the game can be controlled with a pair of buttons on that claim to replicate the feeling of a real pinball machine.

The app-supported Duo Pinball will unlock five free pinball tables in the Pinball HD Collection, including The Deep (underwater), Snow Pinball and a retro-steampunk DaVinci table among others.

Yet again, just like the Gameloft-exclusive nature of the Duo Gamer, the Duo Pinball will only support Gameprom titles. Unlike the Duo Gamer, there is no official pricing for the Duo Pinball controller.

Report by: KS Sandhya Iyer

Windows Phone challenging RIM for third place in Europe

Android and iOS still dominate the smartphone markets, sharing 93 percent of sales in the U.S. and 83 percent in Europe.

Nokia's Lumia 900 is one of several new Windows Phones being introduced.

Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system is gaining on Research In Motion, a new study says, but it still has a long way to go before catching Android and iOS.

Windows Phone is vying with RIM for third place in Europe as low-end devices -- like the Nokia 610 -- drive sales in key markets such as Italy and France, according to a global smartphone sales report from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

But iOS and Android still make up the vast majority of sales in the region, sharing about 83 percent of the share in the big five European markets of Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, the report said. Their percentage is even higher in the U.S. at about 93 percent.

Google's Android operating system and Apple's iOS software have grabbed the lion's share of the smartphone market, but other players are vying to gain a piece as the smartphone market continues soaring. Microsoft has been pushing its Windows Phone operating system, but it hasn't gained much traction with users. However, that could change with the introduction of its revamped operating system later this month.

Dominic Sunnebo, Kantar global consumer insight director, said it's "highly likely" that Windows Phone will overtake RIM for the No. 3 spot in Europe before the end of the year due to "the momentum Windows 8 will bring towards the end of 2012."

Apple's iOS, Google's Android Jelly Bean and Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 are vying to be the top smartphone operating systems.

In the third quarter, Windows Phone had 5 percent market share in the five big European markets. A year ago, its share was 3.8 percent. RIM, by comparison, saw its market share drop to 6.4 percent from 12 percent in the year-earlier period.

In the U.S., Windows Phone was 2.7 percent of the market, while RIM was 1.7 percent.

Android, meanwhile, saw the biggest jump in Europe in the period, with its hold on the region soaring 20 percent to 69 percent. iOS slid 4.3 percent. In the U.S., Android retained the top position with 60 percemt of sales, with iOS following at 34 percent. However, Android's percentage was down 3.3 percent from the previous year while iOS climbed 9 percent.

Report by: Shara Tibken

Facebook Messenger for iOS gets a redesign with faster, improved UI

Just when we thought Facebook has gone a bit quiet after updating its iOS app with major performance improvements, the social networking giant has rolled out an update for its standalone Messenger app for iOS. The update that brings a new interface, support for iOS 6 and iPhone 5 comes about a week after the app was updated for Android.

So what's new? Well, Messenger 2.0 now features a refreshed user interface that is also faster than the previous version. The conversation view now features speech bubbles that makes it look more like a text client and it also takes cues from Apple's Messages app as opposed to a bland inbox like before.

Further, one swipe to the left and the app reveals a list of friends that are currently online and like in the previous version, the app will tell you when each of your friends was last active on Facebook. You can choose to pin those friends whom you talk to more often to your Favourites.

A feature still lacking in the iOS version when compared to its Android counterpart, is SMS integration within the app. You still cannot text your friends from Messenger on iOS.

Nevertheless, the new features combined with speedier and stability improvements, not to forget the standard bug fixes, do make the update appreciable.

Here's the complete changelog:
What's New in Version 2.0
  • Swipe left anywhere in the app to quickly see who's available and send a message
  • Add friends you message most to the top of your Favourites
  • New design for conversations
  • Improved speed and reliability
  • Support for iOS 6 and iPhone 5
  • Bug fixes
Report by: KS Sandhya Iyer

iOS Customer Satisfaction Drops For The First Time

Customers have something to tell Apple: they aren’t too impressed with iOS 6. A new survey of iPhone owners in the U.S. found that compared to iOS 5, those with iOS 6 are slightly less satisfied with their devices, according to TechCrunch.

The On Device survey of 16,000 iPhone users is the first to see a drop of satisfaction between iOS releases. Accordingly, while satisfaction jumped considerably between iOS 4 and iOS 5, the drop from iOS 5 to iOS 6 “seems especially unusual.”
According to On Device CEO Alistair Hill:

We have always seen an increase in device satisfaction as consumer upgrade their mobile operating system from one version to another.

On Device doesn’t indicate what may have caused the drop in satisfaction, but one could surmise it could have to do with the new Maps app in iOS 6. However, I would caution that this dissatisfaction could have much to do with perception.

Most folks probably haven’t had a chance to use the Google Maps-free app in a real-world environment. Instead many consumers, including those in the survey, might have been influenced by the media’s mostly negative reporting on the Maps app.

But the fact that iOS customer satisfaction has dropped for the first time is significant. Do you hear that Apple?
Report by: Bryan M. Wolfe

iOS 6 review: (AAPL) Apple operating system gets mixed reviews for its new mapping system

The poor reception for (AAPL) Apple's maps don't appear to have dented the popularity of the iPhone 5.

The Washington Monument towers above the National Mall in Washington, directly between the U.S. Capitol to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west.

But Apple seems to think it lies several hundred yards to the south, near the Potomac River.

The mistake appears to be one of many in Apple's new mobile maps, which replaced Google Maps as the default map application in iOS 6, the new operating system for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. Apple has faced a chorus of complaints since iOS 6 was made available for download Wednesday, and the griping will likely grow louder as people get their hands Friday on new iPhone 5s.

"What Apple has done with #iOS6 maps is like planning a mission to outer space and NOT TALKING TO NASA," tweeted tech-loving comedian Baratunde Thurston, a former digital director for The Onion.

Apple announced earlier this year it was replacing its mobile map software from Google with a new Apple-designed system. All iPhone and iPad users are now forced to use the new map system when they update their software or buy the iPhone 5, which will come pre-loaded with the maps.

You can, however, still use Google Maps via a web browser by going to maps.Google.com .
But within minutes of the new software launch on Wednesday, iPhone users began to point out that a number of landmarks had been misplaced on Apple maps, incorrectly named and lost entirely.

Screenshots posted online appear to show a museum located underneath a river, while the map service seems to deny the existence of the English town Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born. Other users say a search for London directed them to London, Ontario, in Canada, instead of the British capital.

Many customers say they are upset that Apple has removed mentions of public transportation routes or stations from its new map service, a popular feature on the Google system which allowed users to see bus and train schedules at individual stations.
Ireland's Minister for Justice expressed concern that the new Apple maps identify a working farm in a residential area of suburban Dublin as an airport, a potential hazard for pilots.

The Apple's maps have already inspired a Tumblr feed, the ironically named "The Amazing iOS 6 Maps," filled with examples of mangled mapping. And some Twitter users pointed out the irony in that the new map system was unable to pinpoint an Apple store in Sydney, Australia, which it placed on the wrong side of the road.

Tech blogger and entrepreneur Anil Dash was especially critical of the new maps, which he called "pretty but dumb," and of Apple for releasing what he said was a flawed product.

"Apple made this maps change despite its shortcomings because they put their own priorities for corporate strategy ahead of user experience," he wrote. "That's a huge change for Apple in the post-iPod era, where they've built so much of their value by doing the hard work as a company so that things could be easy for users."

Apple did not respond to requests from comment from CNN. But in a statement to tech blog All Things D, the company preached patience.

"Customers around the world are upgrading to iOS 6 with over 200 new features including Apple Maps, our first map service," spokeswoman Trudy Miller said. "We are excited to offer this service with innovative new features like Flyover, turn-by-turn navigation and Siri integration. We launched this new map service knowing it is a major initiative and that we are just getting started with it. Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better."

Some tech bloggers on Thursday were advising owners of older iPhones not to upgrade to iOS 6 because of the maps.

Meanwhile, Dutch satellite navigation company TomTom, which provided the data for the new map system, told CNN it is not responsible for the way the maps work.

The poor reception for Apple's maps don't appear to have dented the popularity of the iPhone 5, however. Apple announced on Monday that pre-orders of the phone topped 2 million in just 24 hours and that its initial supply batch for the phone sold out in just an hour.
Report by: Rory Anderson and Brandon Griggs CNN

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