In this Digital Age, we're somewhat spoilt for choice when it comes to finding new music. Not only are there countless download and streaming services available at our fingertips, but most of them also point us in the direction of other artists and songs we'd perhaps like, based on our listening habits. Last.fm is considered by many as the go-to service for the discovery of new music, and although several scrobbling apps have been released by third parties as well as Last.fm itself, todays App Store debut of Scrobbler for iOS presents an app truly worthy of the popular service.
Back in June, Apple unveiled iOS 6 with much fan fair: the release included great long-expected additions, which included the big surprise of ditching Google Maps for Apple’s own system. While great additions were brought to the table, Maps in sixth generation iOS has had its own share of post-launch issues and inaccuracies (for London users, as an example, all of the Underground stations magically disappeared from an iOS version to another). Google has seized this opportunity to bring back its Maps to the iPhone, this time as a standalone map. Overall, we think you should give it a look.
The holiday season is well and truly upon us, and with so many sought-after gadgets on the market, finding best offer can be somewhat bamboozling. Each of the major retailers will be grappling for the attentions of consumers, and two of the largest - Walmart and Target - have kicked things off with some great savings on iOS devices.
Google finally delivered the release everybody (on iOS 6) had been waiting for by unleashing its sorely-missed Maps app to the App Store, and having used it a little myself, it's as if the native offering never went away. For those jailbroken, a little tweak has been made to help truly brand that feeling of native-ness, by allowing you to open maps links automatically with the new app. Similar to the tweak that allows you to make Chrome for iOS your default browser, MapsOpener helps you truly do away with Apple's sketchy Maps app, by making the third-party download version the go-to for all map links.
Scarcely a week goes by without some mention of a patent dispute within the tech industry, and while we're used to catching up on the latest in the wave of disputes concerning Samsung and Apple, today's installment of The Patent Files concerns only the latter. The Cupertino-residing outfit is often a focal point of copyright infringement squabbles, and according to a report by Bloomberg, the company's iPhone has been found to violate three patents held by MobileMedia.
Not so long ago, it was deemed cool to slate the Facebook for iOS app. Zuck's team had mastered the art of ramping up its user base, but despite boasting the largest social network on the planet, could not master the comparatively simple task of delivering a functional app. However, when version 5.0 came along, things changed dramatically for the better thanks to a complete re-write using native code, and ever since, the hundreds of millions using Facebook on Apple's iDevice range have been able to enjoy the service with relatively few seams. Today, version 5.3 has been released, and as well as improved News Feed and image uploading, iPhone users will also notice that the Timeline has been worked on.
Christmas is coming, and as many prepare to order the turkey, put up the tree, and generally join in the festivities, the app developers are pushing out the holiday-themed apps on an hourly basis. This is a time of year when many families come together, and naturally, many photos are taken, With Xmas Camera for iOS, you can truly add that Christmas feel to your snaps, thanks to the deluge of stamps and borders offered by the app.
2012 is drawing to a close, and among the bunch of round-up posts we're going to be seeing throughout the blogosphere, Apple has piped up prematurely with its annual Best Of list. Every year, the Cupertino company hand-picks its favorite apps of the year alongside the bestsellers, and with hundreds of thousands of new entries every year, it can be easy to miss some of the very best. Here, we run through each and every one.
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.
Jaws definitely dropped when Apple launched the first iOS 6 beta with no Google Maps support, but we have moved on since then through the Mapgate scandal and now we have the official launch of Google Maps for iOS through the App Store, that comes with a reported admission from within Google that this latest launch for Apple devices provides a better experience than its Android based counterpart.

