Google Maps for iOS is back, this time has new features

Look who's back. It's Google Maps, again for iPhone. Once removed from the iOS, it has made its entry back. This time with more power and let's say, more sexy. 

This a joyful news for everyone, even they use iPhone or not because Apple's decision was hated worldwide and the world was waiting for Google's next step. And Google too has not disappointed us. Google’s app includes voice guided turn-by-turn driving directions, as well as public transit directions, Street View, and a 3D-like Google Earth view.

Download here

Google Maps on iOS has trace similarities to its Android counterpart, but it's udesigned for Apple's platform. This time Google Maps has a new sleek interface, making similar to that of Google Now, and guided turn-by-turn directions and public transit maps. 

Daniel Graf, Director of Google Maps for Mobile, reported that the company took a step back from its earlier creations and approached it with a fresher, more streamlined outlook. That means a more elegant interface, totally from the base.

And it is the most amazing news that Google Maps for iOS is the most downloaded App in the App store, in just few hours.

Are you among the crowd to use New Google Maps? Share your views with us in comments.

Facebook for iOS has now batch upload

After Facebook’s acquisition of photo-sharing service Instagram, released Facebook Camera was released: a standalone iPhone app that replicated Instagram’s trademark photo filters. Reports say that the camera function in Facebook iOS app is adding the filters as well. 

Just like the standalone app, selecting photos using the checkbox then tapping to enlarge them lets you select from 13 filters, including Emerald, Golden, and Boost, and you can also crop and rotate your pictures before uploading them to Facebook. 

Version 5.1 adds multi-photo uploads as well, which makes for a nicely streamlined interface — select your photos, do your adjustments and tag your friends, then upload them with a single caption. Facebook chats are now easier to access, too, using a leftward swipe on the Facebook home screen.

Courtesy: The verge

Dropbox updates ios app for iPhone 5

Dropbox has released version 1.5.6 of its iOS app. It's now adapted for the iPhone 5's taller screen, and users are also finally able to download photos to their devices in full resolution. Previously the app downscaled photos when saving to the camera roll, so for example a 14-megapixel 4592 x 3056 image became just 960 x 638 when viewed on the iOS device. This was particularly aggravating when using the app on a Retina display, and made Dropbox less useful as a photo storage tool than it otherwise might have been — though it was possible to get around the limitation by saving images from Safari.

It's good to see the issue addressed, then, but the feature isn't without its problems. Downloads also take considerably longer than before even with this reduction in filesize, leaving us waiting a few minutes to save a single photo. All in all the update will please some people, but others might be frustrated if they prioritize speed over detail.

Faster Facebook for iOS

If you’re one of the millions of people using Facebook’s main iOS application, you already know it’s horrendously slow.
The app’s performance up to now has been embarrassing, considering Facebook is the most installed iOS application in the entire world. Slogging through the feed was sluggish. Photos took forever to load. Even the basic action of opening the app itself took longer than other apps.
Facebook has answered the pleas of millions of mobile users with the release of a new application for iOS. The social network has finally addressed the most glaring issue of the company’s iPhone and iPad applications: speed.

Facebook acknowledges as much. “People have different expectations when it comes to using Facebook for iOS,” Mick Johnson, Facebook iOS mobile product manager, told me in an interview this morning. “They expect a level of performance and speed that just wasn’t there.”

Part of the reason behind the slowness was the old app’s reliance on HTML5. While HTML5 is a great way to build cross-platform, mobile-friendly apps and web pages, it’s not as fast for certain types of applications.

In June, two Facebook developers told The New York Times that they were working on rebuilding the iOS app in Objective-C and that the resulting app could be 2.5 times faster.For iPad users, Timeline is finally supported on the device. We have to say, it looks great on the retina screen!

Download: Facebook for iOS

Screenshots

YouTube kicked out from iOS 6

Slowly but surely, it seems as though Apple’s mobile OS is being stripped of search giant Google’s influence. Apple’s redesigned Maps application — due to make its debut in iOS 6 — no longer makes use of Google’s map data, and that trend continues with another recently spotted change.

The latest beta version of iOS 6 no longer includes the YouTube app, which has been a mainstay of iOS homescreens since the original iPhone.

Google is already working on a replacement app – which this time it will maintain and distribute itself – while Apple highlights that YouTube video playback already works within Safari and doesn’t demand the standalone software anyway. However, rather than just pushing Google’s services further to the periphery, there’s also the chance that Apple could move to fill the ensuing gap with a video offering of its own.

Apple's entire statement is below.

• Our license to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended, customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store.

Those sticking with older versions of iOS – either by choice or because their Apple gadget won’t support the new OS – won’t have to worry. Phones and tablets on iOS 5 and earlier will keep the existing YouTube app, as Apple’s license with Google apparently continues to cover it; the player won’t be deleted remotely or disabled.

For the end-user, it means YouTube won’t be at their fingertips from the get-go, though it also means Google can update and improve the app more frequently.

Mountain Lion Finally available

Apple developers, start your engines. Mac users, start dreaming of how much cooler your desktop or laptop experience could be this summer. And you don't need to wait much, because Mountain Lion is now available in the Mac App Store. Yes you read right, Apple has released it today, 25-Jun-12 at the price of $19.99.


Here's the link to App Store
http://bit.ly/Q1MFQ0


Well, here’s the next phase in the relationship, and iOS has practically moved in to Mac’s house. If Lion was a toothbrush in the bathroom, Mountain Lion is a chest of drawers in the bedroom. Reminders, iMessage, Game Center, Notifications, iCloud and Twitter integration — all iOS’s most intimate stuff is here, and it all pretty much looks the same as it does on the iPad. Most of it is designed to sync up so it is exactly the same.


Developers are going to have to make two separate versions of apps they want on Mac and iOS for some time to come, and that’s just fine with Apple. When it comes to its two operating systems, the company seems to believe living together is good enough.

Screenshots of Mountain Lion

We haven't got the chance to test the new Version of OS X, so we are taking help of some sites available on web. These will provide you the reviews, news and videos regarding this. Hope you will get the info you would like to see, and if there's a problem please feel free to share with us in comments. 

Links from other Sites: 

Apple: http://www.apple.com/osx/

Apple: http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html

Mashable:  http://mashable.com/2012/07/24/apple-os-x-mountain-lion-on-sale/

Mashable: http://mashable.com/2012/02/16/apple-mountain-lion-mac-osx

The Verge: http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/25/3185644/mac-os-x-10-8-mountain-lion-review

CNET: http://reviews.cnet.com/macintosh-os/mac-os-x-10/4505-3673_7-35401483.html

Mac World: http://www.macworld.com/article/1165407/hands_on_with_apples_new_os_x_mountain_lion.html

Mac.Blorge: http://mac.blorge.com/2012/07/22/10-best-features-of-mac-os-x-mountain-lion/

Cult Of Mac: http://www.cultofmac.com/180100/get-your-mac-ready-for-mountain-lion-the-right-way-feature/

Life Hacker: http://lifehacker.com/5928780/how-to-burn-os-x-mountain-lion-to-a-dvd-or-usb-flash-drive

Apple: Introducing Mac OS X Mountain Lion

Thanks to: Apple, Mashable, Engadget, The Verge, Life Hacker, CNET, Cult of Mac, Mac World, Mac.Blorge and whole Web. 

Watch Google I/O 2012 day 1 keynote

If you’ve missed out on some of the action from the first day of Google’s I/O conference, here’s a chance to relive it: Google has made available the video of the entire 2-hour opening keynote. Here is the link to it

http://youtu.be/VuC0i4xTyrI

Brief summary: 

Software

• Android

In this event, Google released new version of Android code-named as JellyBean 4.1. They also displayed Project butter for increasing the graphic quality and rendering. It provides silky smooth acceleration to the devices. New Android also contains new Google search, camera, notifications, display, lock screen, play store etc. Download preview from here.

• Chrome

New version of Chrome has been released and it will be available for all platforms that means Windows, Mac OS X, Android, Chrome OS and iOS. Yes you read right. Chrome will be available on App store (Download). And it has been updated for all platforms. Download chrome from here.

Hardware

• Nexus Phone

Nexus smartphone is the device to get the JellyBean update. It has the same hardware, but the new OS. It will get update OTA (on-the-air) soon. On the 1st Attendees were gifted Nexus Phone. 

• Nexus 7

Nexus 7 tab provides the smart browsing and full reading experience. It is developed by ASUS and will be available directly from Google Play. As the name shows it is a 7 inch tablet having Quad core CPU and 12 core GPU.

• Nexus Q

Nexus Q is marketed by Google as the world’s first social Music streaming device. It connects over wifi and you and your friends can enjoy the playlist.

• Google Glass

And finally Google Glasses were unveiled by some skydivers who logged in a Google+ hangout and dived from a helicopter. They landed above the Moscone Center, where the event was taking place. It was unveiled by Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google on day 2.

Attendees were gifted Nexus devices at the end of Day 1 event.

Watch the Day 1 event keynote video

                          

Android Jelly Bean rumors

Google's amazing event known as Google I/O will kick off by 5 hrs by now, and Engadget has done all preparations to stay updated with the keynote with it's live blog. A lot of developers. media persons from all around the world have registered. We are expecting that here new Android will be unveiled. 

We think that new Jelly Bean will have such features:

• New browser with new UI
• Voice assistant but more powerful than Siri
• New lock screen
• Support for more devices
• New Play Store
• More powerful integration of Cloud 
• New UI, of course
• Chrome as Default browser
• Support for both Tabs and Smartphones without too much change in OS
• Memory Usage with Data consumption tool
• Powerful Video editor
• More powerful image editor, free of cost
• Can be installed on low level Android Devices running earlier Androids
• Support for more languages
• Updated voice search and voice input
• Facebook, twitter integration
• Instant data backup
• Effective Sandboxing
• Google+ connection

and more...... (as the greed increases)

Catch all the action (and thanks to Engadget to provide live blog) of keynote here

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/27/google-io-2012-keynote-liveblog

You can also watch the videos from Google YouTube channel (or embedded below)

Apple WWDC 2012 live update

Finally on 11 June 2012 Apple kicked off it's World Wide Developers' Conference (WWDC) event. New updates regarding to all Apple products will be unveiled. Event will be held till 15 Jun @ Moscone Center, San Francisco. First day was of software and unveiled new features of iOS6, Mac OS X 8.0 Mountain Lion, Macbooks and Apple Maps etc.

And following is a slideshow displaying major photos of First day of the event.

Facebook App center

A place to find great apps

For the over 900 million people that use Facebook, the App Center is the central place to find great social apps. Everything has an app detail page, which helps people see what makes an app unique and lets them install it before going to an app.

App detail pages help people understand what makes an app unique, see screenshots of the experience, and login to start using the app. After a user authenticates from an app detail page, they’ll be sent directly into the app.

Growth for high-quality apps

Success through the App Center is tied to the quality of an app. We use a variety of signals, such as user ratings and engagement, to determine if an app is listed in the App Center. To help you monitor user feedback, we provide an app ratings metric in Insightsto report how users rate your app over time.

Well-designed apps that people enjoy will be prominently displayed. Apps that receive poor user ratings or don’t meet the quality guidelines won't be listed.

Driving mobile installs

The App Center is designed to grow mobile apps that use Facebook – whether they’re on iOS, Android or the mobile web. From the mobile App Center, users can browse apps that are compatible with their device, and if a mobile app requires installation, they will be sent to download the app from the App Store or Google Play.

[Source: Facebook]

What will be new in iOS 6

As is always the case with every Apple event, there's really no way we can know what the company will announce at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference keynote next Monday, June 11.  Apple is set to show off its latest mobile operating system next week, iOS 6. According to reports, Apple will focus primarily on major improvements to apps, while most functions of iOS will remain unchanged. iPad 3 owners will be happy to know that Siri is expected to launch on their devices with the release of iOS 6. So what does iOS 6 have in store for the rest of us?

• Camera and Photos App Upgrades
  Perhaps to dovetail with expected iPhone 5 camera improvements, Apple will make significant changes to iOS 6 default Camera and Photos apps. Not only will videos synchronize with iCloud, but photo sharing and social networking functionality will be added to the apps. Apple will also add Facebook sharing functions directly into the apps for easy posting to friends.

• Do Not Disturb
  Notifications will feature a simple toggle to indicate the iOS user does not want to be bothered. This is different from silencing the device or entering Airplane Mode. A do not disturb switch could hide all incoming notifications and cut off sounds until a later time, after the user switches the mode off to catch up.

• Facebook Integration
  System-wide Facebook integration was rumored in previous versions of iOS, but now the addition is confirmed for iOS 6. Apple has made a deal with Facebook to add the social networking service to iOS much like Twitter came to us in iOS 5. Expect similar functionality, with Facebook features starting small and ramping up over time.

• Google Maps Replaced by Apple 3D Maps
  Believe it or not, Apple is ditching Google Maps with iOS 6 and replacing the Maps app with its own mapping software developed in-house. These maps include fully 3D renderings of places and may even include turn-by-turn navigation instructions. The new Maps is certain to be a major focus of Apple's demos at WWDC next week.

• Mail VIPs
  Several Mail app improvements are coming your way. Most notable is an iCloud-synced list of VIPs that would screen your email automatically. Messages coming from a VIP will be starred so they can be easily found among other incoming mail.

• Redesigned Stores
  The App Store, iBookstore and iTunes Stores will all get redesigns. Besides Facebook integration coming to the iTunes Store, other social features will accomodate content sharing and interaction across the board. The new designs are also intended to improve the purchasing experience, and are expected to land on Apple's Mac OS X stores after the iOS 6 launch.

• Safari iCloud Tabs Support / Omnibar
  Mobile Safari web browsing will get more convenient, with an iCloud Tabs button provided on iOS 6 devices. Clicking the button will sync your browser tabs to iCloud, so they can be picked up later on another mobile device or a Mac OS X computer. Also, Safari will get an all-in-one search/address bar just like Chrome. Pretty handy.

• Siri Improvements
  Apple is always working to make Siri better, but there have been sporadic reports that the company plans to allow third-party app developers to interact with Siri's servers. This could provide a whole new take on what makes Siri useful with new apps across the board. Although this feature is not certain, we can be sure Apple will improve Siri beyond simply letting iPad 3 owners in on the fun.

Galaxy S3 photogallery

Samsung Galaxy SIII has been launched in 145 countries, on 296 mobile operators around the world making it the biggest launch in Samsung history. Here is the Photo gallery. You can view the entire album here.

GALAXY S3 Official video

Read entire Samsung Galaxy S3 news here. Galaxy S3 photo gallery can be found here

GALAXY S3 Finally Unveiled

Finally, Samsung has released the most awaited Galaxy S3.

We’ve been hearing the rumors for months, and now Samsung has gotten official with the newest member of its Galaxy line of smartphones, the Galaxy S III.

Samsung announced the most anticipated Android handset of the year Thursday at an event in London. The phone is the third-generation in a line of popular smartphones created by Samsung.

The phone has a 4.8-inch touchscreen, 8-megapixel rear-facing and 1.9-megapixel forward-facing camera, and comes running the latest version of Android — Ice Cream Sandwich. Much like the HTC One X, the camera has zero shutter lag so you can capture photos instantly. The camera is also capable of taking 20 photos at once in burst mode, and a feature called “Best Photo” will pick the best shot out of a group of eight.

The NFC-capable Galaxy S III has a Super AMOLED HD (1280×720) screen, offering more subpixels than other screens, resulting in improved colors as well as better visibility in bright situations.

New Features

A new feature called ‘Smart Stay’ on the phone detects your voice and motions, and recognizes how you are using the phone –for instance reading an e-book or browsing the web –and keeps the phone on while you’re using it. So, if you’re reading a book you don’t have to worry about having to constantly wake the screen up.

If you’re texting someone and decide to call them instead, a feature called ‘Direct Call’ will call that person as soon as you lift your phone to your ear.

A new feature called 'S Voice’ enables the phone to listen an respond to your words, and provides Siri-like search and voice control. You can ask the phone to “snooze” when your alarm goes off in the morning and you need a few more Zs, can be used to play your favorite songs, turn the volume up or down, send text messages and emails, organize your schedules, or automatically launch the camera and capture a photo.

A feature called 'Buddy Photo' Share will recognize your friends faces in a photo, and offer to send them the photo automatically.

With the Galaxy S III Samsung is unveiling a new ‘S Beam’ which expands on Android Beam, allowing you to share a 1GB mobile file with a friend in just 3 minutes, or transfer a 10MB music file in just 2 seconds—without using WiFi or a cellular signal – by tapping your phone together with another Galaxy S III.

A feature called “AllShare Cast” lets you connect your Galaxy S III wirelessly to your television to view content. The service can also be used to share files between your galaxy S II and your tablet, PC, and televisions regardless of the distance between the devices.

The Galaxy S III will be available in 145 countries, on 296 mobile operators around the world., making it the most largest launch in Samsung history. Available in ‘Pebble Blue’ and ‘Marble White,’ the phone will be available from the end of May in Europe before rolling out to other markets globally this summer.

Read specs and review on GSMArena [direct link]

[Source: Mashable]

Spotify has come to iPad

Spotify has received plenty of attention since it arrived 10 months ago in the US, and it was already quite popular in Europe prior to that. But they are far form being alone in the music streaming market, with Rhapsody, Slacker, Pandora, Rdio, MOG, and a few others battling it out for a piece of the pie.

Spotify users are finally getting the native iPad application they've been clamoring for some time. The app is available for free on the App Store, but like the company's existing mobile apps, it requires a $9.99 per month Premium subscription to use. That said, those without a Premium subscription can still try it free for 48 hours and also sign up for a further 30-day trial if they haven't done so in the past.

As you would expect, the app is optimized for the new iPad's Retina display and makes use of the extra screen real estate with high-resolution cover art images that can be scanned with a swipe, as well as menus and playlists presented in a layered UI that's somewhat reminiscent of Twitter for iPad.

Spotify for the iPad also comes with gapless playback and crossfade, two features the streaming music service launched in February, while supporting Apple's AirPlay technology for streaming music on compatible iOS devices and speaker systems. Check out the promo video above for a quick glimpse at some of these features.

The company wouldn't comment on whether an Android tablet version will follow any time soon.

For those unfamiliar with the service, Spotify offers free, ad-supported music streaming on the desktop from a catalog of over 17 million tracks. A $4.99 monthly plan gets rid of the ads and playback limitations, while the $9.99 per month plan enables streaming from mobile phones, tablets and other compatible devices.

Skype makes its way in Windows Phone

Skype has officially made its way to Windows Phone. The app landed in the Windows Phone Marketplace Monday morning.

Skype indicated this is the “first of many releases to come for Windows Phone,” adding that the company “believes in the great potential of the Windows Phone platform and will continue to invest over time to enable experiences unmatched by any other app in the market,” in a blog post announcing the app.

A beta version of Skype on Windows Phone was announced at Mobile World Congress in February. The app lets you make both voice and video calls over 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi networks.

As with other versions of the software, those calls can be made to your Sykpe contacts for free, or to landlines and mobile phones using Skype credits.

You can use the app to create and hold one-to-one or group chats, or to update your profile and account information on the service. The Skype for Windows Phone app is available in 18 languages.

Since the launch of the beta version earlier this year, Skype has also added the ability to make video calls in portrait mode, as well as the ability to invite others, accept invitations and block or unblock contacts.

Skype on Windows Phone will work on all Windows Phones running 7.5 Mango and above. Skype has tested and certified the app on the following handsets: Nokia Lumia 710, Nokia Lumia 800, Nokia Lumia 900, HTC Titan, HTC Radar, Samsung Focus S and Samsung Focus Flash.

        

[Courtesy: Mashable]