Yesterday, Apple seeded iOS 6 Beta 4 to developers. It features a bunch of tweaks throughout the OS and its included apps, removes YouTube* as a stock app, and now, we’ve learned that Apple has added new cities from North America and Europe to its Maps app’s 3D feature. Check out the details after the jump.
Theming is a popular hobby on smartphones like iOS and Android because of two basic reasons. Firstly, it takes less of a toll on system performance than some of the skin packs on desktop operating systems (at least in my personal experience) and, secondly, it’s much more easier, module-based and can result in a significantly different user experience.
As minor a detail as it may seem, it'll be the packaging you see at every electronics store for the next 3-4 years, and images of the retail Windows 8 packaging have leaked into the wild courtesy of TheVerge. In-keeping with the general theme of the operating system as a whole, the boxing of Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro both have a clear reference to the Metro interface, with the Pro edition coming in a charcoal gray color contrasting the whiteness of the standard edition.
Microsoft has a pretty busy schedule coming up over the next couple of months, and as well as Windows 8, Windows Server 2013 and the introduction of the Surface tablet, Office 2013 is also in the pipeline. The next iteration of the popular productivity suite has been available to download as a preview version for the past couple of weeks now, bringing many new features including deep cloud integration, and now the Redmond-based software extraordinaire has launched a dedicated Store for Microsoft Office 2013.
As part of their ongoing dedication to produce the next perfect version of their mobile operating system, Apple has pushed out the fourth beta of iOS 6 via the official development portal, accessible by registered developers of the iOS program. As you would expect, the update brings some evolutionary changes as well as improvements and stability enhancements.
With Apple recently pushing out the fourth beta of iOS 6 to developers, it represents a chance not only for developers to test and discover the latest changes, but also those who are involved in the production of new jailbreak tweaks to liberate devices that are running this latest beta.
With every passing day we are getting closer and closer to an eventual announcement and release of the next-generation iPhone. With the iPhone 4S being released in October of last year and the traditional Worldwide Developers Conference release date already passed, it looks likely that we can expect a similar launch time for Apple's next iPhone. Although I still expect an October announcement, there are some outlets adamant that we will see some activity during the month of September, but that obviously remains to be seen.
Voice recognition wasn't a new invention when Apple introduced Siri towards the end of last year, but it certainly caused a stir within the mobile industry. Packaged in iOS 5 for those lucky enough to own the Cupertino company's iPhone 4S, much was made about a technology scarcely touched upon in an industry seemingly apt for it.
Although being able to dramatically change the way Apple's mobile operating system works by performing a jailbreak on the device is extremely beneficial and can result in a positive way to the user, some iOS device owners have also stated that they have noticed significant downsides to jailbreaking. One of these reported downsides is battery drainage, and while it may be true in some instances that running multiple intensive substrate tweaks can lead to degraded battery life, users of non-jailbroken devices on any version of iOS 5 have also noticed less than adequate battery performance.
WhatsApp is undoubtedly the most popular cross-platform instant messaging service for smartphones. It works on all major mobile platforms – iOS, Android, Blackberry OS and Symbian - over Wi-Fi / cellular data and allows you send and receive text messages, photos, videos for free. With so many smartphones in the hands of teenagers and young adults, it’s no surprise that many of them prefer using WhatsApp over services like Blackberry Messenger and iMessage.
