Cydia is constantly being updated with new packages and enhancements that change the way how iOS devices operate, but it's always nice to see a new tweak land in the store that actually enhances the iOS software. The Speaking Keyboard package is one of those that pretty much does exactly what it says in the title, by bringing text-to-speech functionality directly to the keyboard on the device. The package requires iOS 5 or above and integrates with the built-in keyboard to bring audible letters, words and sentences as the user presses the keys.
JoinedDecember 18, 2011
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A technology enthusiast, former software developer, and current Head of Quality and Testing at a leading SaaS company. A developer of multiple apps. A lover of pleasing people and a believer in being your authentic self.
There are plenty of iOS device owners out there who love nothing more than jailbreaking their device in order to customize it to its full potential. On the other hand, there is a huge demand for tweaks and enhancements that offer a certain set of functionality without the user really having to do anything. The Fade tweak that has just landed on the BigBoss repository is definitely one of the latter types that requires absolutely no setup whatsoever and just makes itself at home when the user invokes Notification Center.
Google Maps for iOS is officially here, and aside from the fact that it brings a rather pleasant and powerful mapping experience to iOS built on top of Google's wonderful data, it also brings some goodness in the form of URL schemes that not only allow developers, but also standard users to invoke the Maps app with different functionality at will. URL schemes are nothing new, but one of the benefits to users using the Google Maps for example is that they allow users to launch the Maps app directly into different views or to begin using different aspects of the software without having to jump through hoops to get to where they want to be.
It may be one of Apple's newest product lines that has only been publicly available for a matter of weeks, but that hasn't stopped the rumors about the potential specifications of the second-generation iPad mini from circulating extremely early. Reports from hit-and-miss rumor site DigiTimes are suggesting that Apple already has one eye on the future of the new mini iPad and could potentially have plans to introduce a higher-resolution display to the mid-range tablet as well as making changes to the standard sized iPad to make it lighter.
The official Google Maps app for the iPhone and iPod touch has been launched and it actually offers a fantastic user experience built on top of Google's extensive real-time data and mapping information that they have built up over the years. The app is fast and fluid, contains 3D representations of certain buildings in certain localities, and even has an extremely functional - albeit in a beta stage - offering of voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation system. The problem is, the app is collecting user location data, which shouldn't really come as a shock to most.
If ever there was an iPad app that would uncover the hidden, creative childlike features in all of us then the recently released Foldify app has to be it. We've been hearing the positive praises of this new app by Pixle for quite some time now, and it is eventually publicly available for users to download to their iPads directly from the App Store for $1.99. The core concept of the app may be to allow users to draw, create, print and fold unique little 3D figures, but the fun which Foldify provides goes way beyond digital origami, and is one of those apps that make us fall in love with the iPad all over again.
It wasn't that long ago when Apple appeased users with the release of iTunes 11, bringing with itself tons of new changes under the hood, some good, and some, well, rather confusing.
It seems just like yesterday when those 12 bells chimed and 2012 was welcomed with hopes of a prosperous and exciting 12 months ahead, but in just under 3 weeks time that feeling of deja vu will be setting in once again as the curtain closes on another year and we get ready to see what 2013 will bring us. Considering the importance of social media in our lives and the continuing rise in popularity throughout 2012, it's likely that a large portion of us have interacted rather extensively with Facebook during the course of this year, which is something that they are keen to celebrate by offering us the chance to see our 2012 in review directly from our Facebook profile page.
Although Facebook is used every day of the week to upload photos and send millions of chat messages through the website and the company's various mobile apps for different platforms, there are still things that users simply don't like about the service which Facebook offers. Although it isn't brand new, one feature that seems to irk a lot of people is the read receipt status indicator that appears in Facebook Messages that shows when a message has been read, or otherwise commonly known as “seen”. If that bothers you, then it's now possible to install a simple browser extension to disable the feature when using Facebook chat through the website.
The rumors and speculation surrounding the potential design and development of an actual Apple branded high-definition TV set don't seem to be going away, with additional fuel being added to the fire this morning, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that Apple have been testing a number of different physical designs that could ultimately be used to produce their first HDTV. We've been hearing murmurings over the last 12 months which never really went away about a potential TV set from Apple, but the speculation seems to be gathering pace at an accelerated rate recently.
