Since the release of iOS 6, the flaws of the Maps app have stood out like a sore thumb in an operating system which, otherwise, is fairly polished. When it first made its appearance along with the iPhone 5 back in September, people were tripping over themselves to pour scorn on an implementation which was supposed to be the center piece, but following an apology from Apple CEO Tim Cook by means of an open letter, the issue has petered out as consumers have sought alternatives.
Navigating through apps is probably one of the most important aspects of using software on devices like the iPhone or the Galaxy S III. Being able to move to new interfaces, use the features within the app and then navigating back to where we came from is extremely important, but we sometimes take for granted how this is achieved. Android fans generally appreciate the dedicated back button that exists on devices but iOS fans generally need to rely on developers incorporating the navigation methodologies or hope that an app is built around a navigation controller that automatically applies a back button to go to the previous location.
If you are a music aficionado who loves nothing more than combining the latest musical technology to produce and record cutting-edge tunes then it looks like Apple and Fender Squier may just have released the perfect product for you. All of this release talk surrounding new iPhones and iPads is all well and good, but for some people the power is really in the accessories that are released to accompany the Apple's mobile products, and they really don't come any more entertaining that a USB-based Stratocaster guitar.
Whenever a new iOS device releases into the wild, Apple works hard to ensure its software its up to scratch, and any lingering bugs are identified and eradicated post-haste. Aside from the obvious issue of iOS 6 Maps, the release of the latest and greatest mobile firmware from Apple has been relatively incident-free, and having released iOS 6 beta 1 to developers only ten days ago, iOS 6 beta 2 has now been released.
Sn0wbreeze has finally been updated to v2.9.7, bringing in support for iOS 6 / iOS 6.0.1 on Pre-A5 powered devices such as the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and the 4th-gen iPod touch.
It's absolutely true that there is an app for just about everything on the App Store. If you want to take notes, there's more than enough choice out there. It's the same if you want a particular genre of game, too. There's one type of app we've not really come across before, though, and it goes by the way of Kount.ly.
Setting reminders and alerts based on a location isn't really anything new in terms of the underlying technology, but as we have seen so many times in the past, things seem to come to the forefront when large companies like Apple or Facebook adopt them and put them them back into the public eye. With the launch of iOS 5, Apple brought us the stock Reminders app that features location aware reminders and to-do tasks, but now thanks to the Location Alerts app for iPhone we also have the ability to schedule text messages and calls based entirely on location.
The latest game from Rovio, Angry Birds Star Wars, has proven to be a real hit with iOS gamers, as the new release reached the top of the App Store charts in less than three hours, setting a new record in the process.
Here at Redmond Pie, we of course love our tech news. But as much as we enjoy following Apple versus Samsung, Facebook's latest changes, or Windows Phone 8, what we really look forward to is that rare, ingenuous geeky product or concept that comes along only every once in a while. As much as it entertains us to see a new implementation to iOS 6 or a great Android mod, nothing in the regular flow of tech coverage could really compete with, say, a smartphone which also made toast. While we're probably a way off a crispy, golden-brown breakfast accompaniment, one intuitive soul at a London university has created to type using a keyboard made out of paper. Sounds interesting? Read more after the break.
The "iWatch" concept is one that has never properly left our thoughts. In fact, ever since Apple began making iPods, iPhones, and iProducts in general, a denomination of consumers (mainly of the "geek" variety) have dreamed that the Cupertino may one day create a product offering innovative features, which could double up - or function entirely - as a watch. The iPod nano of yesteryear showed promise in this particular field, but Apple went the other way with its revamped, much larger nano this year, so it's back to square one.
