Visually speaking, iOS’ Springboard “launcher” hasn’t changed much over the years. If you look at the iOS 1 vs. iOS 6 image we’ve placed after the jump, you’ll find the preceding statement to be very much true.
If you want to make changes to iOS' user interface or wish to get rid of pre-installed, stock apps, you are required to first jailbreak your iOS device and then install the relevant tweaks from Cydia. This is fine on older A4 / A5 devices running previous versions of iOS, but if you're using a device like the iPhone 5, iPod touch 5G or iPad 4, you'll be out of luck. That is until now!
Released a couple of days before the iPhone 5, iOS 6 has seen its fair share of criticism from technology enthusiasts but the way general consumers have upgraded to it so quickly to it is a shining example for the Android camp where users have to wait months for their smartphone manufacturer to be updated to the latest version of Android.
After putting together, filing and submitting their original request for a Passbook related trademark back in June of this year, Apple has finally been successful in securing the trademark through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Apple will be more than familiar with the process of securing a patent/trademark and will have been aware of the potential length of time it could take, but the official granting of the Passbook trademark gives the company protection against any competitor that attempts to mimic Passbook as well as the ability to invoke litigation against them.
Mobile gaming has evolved in leaps and bounds over the past five or so years, and although our smartphones and tablets now offer vast libraries of titles on a scale surpassing any other platform, the likes of iOS and Android still struggle to shake off the "casual" gaming tag thanks to the high volumes of simple-yet-addictive pick-up, put-down offerings.
The new and extremely useful Passbook app has now been an official part of iOS for nearly a month, and although a number of high profile companies are starting to create their own virtual coupons and cards to be used within the app, it could really do with some high profile support to give it the boost that it deserves. It looks as if that boost could arrive quite soon, with the news that Apple themselves are extending their in-store payment capabilities to support their own Passbook creation for iOS 6 users.
If mobile gaming happens to be your thing and iOS or Android is your mobile operating system of choice then be prepared to be blown away at some point this month as we gear ourselves for the release of the latest title in the Need For Speed franchise. The official Need For Speed Twitter account has pointed us in the direction of a YouTube trailer from EAMobileGames that treats us to twenty-four seconds of a simply breathtaking example of mobile gaming at its finest.
Microsoft is going through an extremely busy schedule at the minute with their next major release of Windows about to hit the marketplace on October 26th, as well as their much-anticipated Surface tablet slated for a first public outing on the same day. The old saying of there's no rest for the wicked definitely applies here, as it turns out that the Redmond-based software giants are also hard at work on producing mobile versions of the Office suite for iOS and Android users.
Rovio's latest Bad Piggies title on iOS and Android definitely brought a new challenge for mobile gamers to sink their teeth into, but if you happen to be a huge fan of the company's Angry Birds creation then November 8th may be a date that needs to be added to your diary. Fans of the Angry Birds franchise may have seen a teasing image from Rovio last week that had a number of people wondering if those pesky birds were about to move to the dark side. It seems that they are.
iOS Maps might have been criticized ad nauseam over the past ten or so days, but that hasn't stopped iPhone and iPad users flocking to the brand-new mobile firmware from Apple. Onswipe, a firm helping websites offer a more touch-friendly interface, reports the problems surrounding iOS 6 don't seem to have prevented consumers downloading and installing en masse, and of 100,000 users sampled through the company's partner sites on Friday, an incredible 59.43% of iPhone traffic and 41.3% of iPad traffic was coming from those running the newer software.
