Facebook has just released their updated app for iPhone and iPad, taking it to version 6.0. As promised, this version brings to the table Chat Heads, new iPad UI, stickers, revamped News Feed and more. We go hands-on with the app, and you can check it out right after the jump.
It has been just under two weeks since Mark Zuckerberg invited various members of the press to Facebook's Menlo Park headquarters to discuss the new Facebook Home for Android, and although its subsequent release was restricted to only a handful of devices, the integration of the Chat Heads feature into Facebook Messenger for Android offered the wider audience a taste of the new social plugin. Now, it has been revealed that Chat Heads will also be making its way onto Facebook for iOS, with an App Store update imminent.
One of Google's staple brands, YouTube has a presence just about everywhere. Today sees an update to one of the most popular YouTube apps around - the iPhone and iPad app.
It's as much of a yearly tradition as the iPhone release itself, and some would say it's even more fun. That's right folks, it's that time of year when we all start guessing what Apple will do with the next big release of iOS. This year's version number of choice is 7.0, and plenty of people are taking the opportunity to lay out just what they want out of Apple's next big release of iOS.
I cannot recall seeing a wider variety of concept ideas for a piece of software than I have recently for iOS 7, and with the tech community anticipating some big changes thanks to the increased influence of one Jony Ive, it's hardly surprising to see designers tripping over themselves to bring forth their ideas and coming up with all sorts of iOS 7 concepts. One in particular from YouTuber iamthe6ixth offers a somewhat alternative take on the vast majority of those we've looked at hitherto, and instead of playing on the idea of a dramatically altered user interface, this concept presents changes pertaining to the functionality and behavior of iOS.
The iPad mini is, by and large, deemed to be a consumption device, and although it surely has some productive qualities, it's definitely seen as more of an entertainment package than its larger sibling. With this in mind, a group of creative individuals have started a Techdy campaign to gather support for their rather beautiful gaming controller for the fledgling slate, and as well as doubling up as a smart cover when not in use, it also looks robust enough to keep your iPad mini securely in place when it is.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is due to hit the market later on this month, but already, iOS developers have begun the task of offering Apple device users some alternatives to the new, S4-specific features. Earlier on this week we featured DuoCam app which introduces the Dual Shot feature for iPhone, an app which seeks to replicate one of Galaxy S4's most applauded features, and today, an iPhone-made take on the Smart Pause feature has just emerged over at the App Store. With so many different applications making up Sammy's "Smart" range, it's difficult to keep track of them all, but Smart Pause, which automatically pauses media when a user looks away from their device, has somewhat manifested itself on iOS in the form of LookAway Player.
The iPad mini is largely considered to be the better looking of the two iPad variants currently on the market, and with the fourth-gen iPad appearing almost identical to the iPad 2 (only heavier and thicker), it is strongly suspected Apple will beautify its flagship tablet with a touch of the anodized aluminum. Whilst it's still unknown whether this will in fact be the case, a leaked image of a purported 'iPad 5' bezel seems to indicate that, at least from the front, the next iPad could borrow a few design points from its scaled-down counterpart.
With services such as Instagram and Facebook being so popular, it's strange to think that before the day of the smartphone and its umpteen megapixel cameras, we used to place images in physical photo albums and flick through them from time-to-time. Although times have changed considerably in the photography industry, plenty still regard actual photos and albums as part of the 'real' experience, and as such, we've seen a growing number of apps offer the shipping of images on canvas, in a frame, and even on fridge magnets. KeepShot for iPad is another following a similar trend, and allows you to easily create your own Photo Book in-app which is then subsequently shipped right to your door.
Like many jailbreakers, one of the very first tweaks I install upon jailbreaking a device for the first time is SBSettings. Its effortless toggling of any and every major setting within iOS is a commodity that cannot be enjoyed at stock level, but it's certainly something quite a few of us would love to see right off the bat. Designer Ran Avni certainly seems to concur, and has dared to dream with a very elegant design bringing toggles for alarm, orientation, Wi-Fi and others right to the home / lock screen.
