Concept ideas help us to visualize a specific new feature or piece of software or hardware, rather than just imagining, and with the faults of iOS 6 having been well-documented of late, it's no surprise that we've seen a slew of concepts purporting to improve elements of Apple's mobile OS. One area which has seen a lot of attention - particularly in the jailbreak scene - is the app switcher, and Sentry, the designer behind Auxo tweak, has come through with another alternative take on how the Cupertino company could reinvent the multitasking bar.
Today is, as many of you will know, the first U.S. President George Washington’s birthday, otherwise recognized Stateside as President’s Day. To mark the occasion, Electronic Arts offering big savings on all of its iOS games, with everything running at $0.99 or less. Those usually free or priced at the minimum charge will remain at the same price, but any game priced higher than the lowest threshold will drop down to the magical $0.99.
Although iOS 6 has been adopted in record numbers since its release back in September alongside the iPhone 5, it has scarcely been able to buy a decent press report. In a week which has seen a lot of fuss being tossed around regarding the passcode security bug, which allows a user to bypass the code or password on a device with apparent ease, it has also been revealed that the Restrictions feature’s “Don’t Allow Changes” doesn't exactly work as advertised. Namely, it doesn't fully prevent changes from taking place, and although considerably fewer users take advantage of what is a fledgling feature, the timing of the discovery paints the usually robust iOS in a fragile light indeed.
If you have been a loyal user of Skype, you have likely run into the hurdle of reaching a user when they are offline. While sending SMS messages often does the trick, sometimes a video message is just more convenient. The good news is that Skype has begun rolling out this feature in the form of an update for its Mac, iPhone and Android client, with support for other platforms such as Windows coming very soon.
Many of us like to, or are often forced through work commitments, to travel around on a frequent basis. As a hardcore geek, blogger, and general Internet obsessive, I take my MacBook Air pretty much everywhere I go, but as any seasoned journeyman would vouch, plugging in for a charge at any given location can be a trying task. With so many variants of the two-pin plug aiming to make life as difficult for somebody like myself, who has only ever used the three-pin here in the UK, it winds up being another annoying thing to tick off the list of pre-travelling to-dos.
When Apple first made iOS 6 available to the public, it managed to open a floodgate of criticism that mainly centered on aspects of the firmware which consumers felt weren't ready for the prime time use. After a public apology signed by Apple CEO Tim Cook, an internal corporate restructure and a few point releases to the OS; the controversy seemed to have died down. However, when you're at the top of the food chain, things are never quiet, with Apple now coming under fire for inadequacies found in iOS 6.1, first with connectivity issues on iPhone 4S, which were fixed quickly in iOS 6.1.1, then with battery life, flaw in Passcode Lock Screen, and now with an issue with Exchange support.
TiltShift Photos, a universal app for iOS, allows you to neatly adjust the focus of any image you throw at it. Created by developer JP, it is absolutely free to download over at the App Store, and although it's not as feature-packed as many other photo apps, it does one thing and does it very well.
Electronic Arts has announced that the third release from its popular Real Racing series will be landing at the Google Play Store for Android, and the App Store for iOS, as of the 28th February. The iPhone 5 launch gave us a glimpse of things to come from Real Racing 3, but while the snippets appeared remnant of Gran Turismo, fans have had to wait quite a while for a solid release date. Now, the wait appears to be almost over, and by the end of the month - provided no unforeseen delays crop up - the mobile arena's favorite racer will be back for a third lap.
As any video editing enthusiast will know, Final Cut Pro X is regarded among the authority in motion picture manipulation. The app, which, is Mac-only, offers an extremely powerful toolset, but in terms of mobile options for those looking to take their work on the move, the number - and quality - of apps favors those requiring a less involved experience. ProCutX For iPad breaks the mold, offering a very rich set of tools, and although it naturally doesn't offer quite as many tools as FCPX, it links in nicely with the revered desktop app.
As of this writing, the iPad has been, and will probably remain, the undisputed champion of the tablet arena. Initially perceived as and mocked at being a blown up version of the already-successful iPhone, Appe’s tablet introduced the world to a product that existed for quite a while, but was never able to gain popularity with the mainstream user. Of course, the fact that Apple already had a pretty good software ecosystem going on in the form of the iTunes App Store didn’t hurt, but the iPad has a certain degree of comfort that you only wish for with other similar products.
