Social magazine app Flipboard for iOS has been dealt a very healthy update today, with the marquee feature being the ability for users to create their very own, personalized digital magazines. Never shying away from beauty, Flipboard has long since been in a league of its own when it comes to ease-of-use and interface, and this rather significant update only cements its reputation as the best in the digital magazine business. As well as being able to edit your own magazine, which you can either share or keep locked away for private reading, there are a host of practical UI alterations, rendering navigation just that little bit better.
The Apple iPhone is decorated and revered in the smartphone industry as one of the safest devices around. Thanks to its closed-off ecosystem, its record for malware and intrusion is unparalleled, with Google's Android soaking up the vast majority of the negative press in this area. However, it is this strictly-moderated infrastructure, allied to continued popularity, which makes the iPhone a lucrative target to criminals, and according to a latest research from SourceFire, the number of vulnerabilities discovered on iPhone over the years far outweigh the combined number found within Windows Phone, Android, and BlackBerry.
One of the ongoing battles faced by smartphone and tablet vendors, particularly when attempting to bump the specs up a generation, is maintaining a relatively strong battery life. Squeezing better hardware into the same (or an even smaller) package places an incredible amount of strain on the juice-o-meter, and while the major companies have managed relatively well thus far, there are always those occasions where we wish the battery retention was just a little bit greater. There are plenty of remedial peripherals currently on the market, particularly for Apple's flagship iPhone 5, and in our quest to bring you as many of the latest and greatest gadgets and accessories, we'll today be checking out the NuCharge battery pack and case designed by London-based iKit.
The icon badges currently gracing iOS certainly aren't to everybody's taste, and serve perhaps as a stark reminder of just how in need of updating the notifications system within Apple's mobile software is. Nevertheless, for what they're meant to do, they do a decent job, and whilst we're stuck with them, iOS developer merdok has come through with a tweak offering a bunch of different customization options. It's called Badge Customizer, and is available for free over at the BigBoss repository for jailbroken iPhones. More details after the break.
It’s pretty fair to say that the average iOS device user has a significant number of third-party apps installed on their device. Regardless of whether it's an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad; the chances are that the user has browsed through the App Store, found the apps that interest them and gone through the installation process multiple times. Not only does installing different apps mean enhanced functionality on the device, but it also means that sooner or later there will be a large amount of updates for those apps that filter through from the App Store. We should all know from experience that those little App Store badges can become quite annoying if the update isn't installed right away.
Samsung may be dominating the news cycles right now, but Apple is keen to remind everyone that it is still very much alive and kicking, with the company now offering all iPhones with free next-day shipping in the United States. More details after the jump.
iOS 7 is largely expected to make an appearance at this year's WWDC, and under the influence of Jony Ive, some are expecting more radical changes than previously seen under the guidance of Scott Forstall. Ive doesn't strike us as somebody who finds it difficult to dream up new designs, but if he and his team were ever stuck, they could always turn to the multitude of designs offered by Apple fans across the world. We've seen many an iOS 7 concept during the past six months, but this demonstration of a revamped "App Switcher" concept by one Jesse Head has left us relatively awestruck.
Facebook's initial decision to separate the instant messaging functionality from the main, official iOS app was met with a few raised eyebrows. However, since that point way back in August 2011, the Messenger app has been at the crux of the social network's major expansion plans, and with VoIP calling being among the more significant implementations to Facebook Messenger, those residing in the United Kingdom can also join in the fun. The service, which goes straight for the jugular of services like Skype, has hitherto only been available to those in the United States (and, more recently, Canada). The news will certainly delight many British Facebook users, and seeing as the feature is running live, users do not need to download a new version of Facebook Messenger in order to enjoy it.
It's a fact of humanity that some of us are better at managing money than others, and for those looking looking to keep track of every outgoing bill, help is at hand in the form of BillTracker for iOS. Created by developer SnapTap and costing $1.99 over at the App Store ($2.99 on iPad), it syncs effortlessly into your schedule, and makes the process of monitoring your money less taxing than Uncle Sam.
In my general experience, the iPhone lineup of smartphones has much better battery life as compared to most Android phones out there as of today. Partially, it’s due to how you use your device, but it’s also the fact that iOS’ battery utilization and resource management is far superior to what Google’s smartphone operating system has on offer. I know I would’ve irked a lot of Android fans here, but hey, I already said that’s my personal assessment. However, as of late, iOS has been struggling with batter woes really severely, and the rapid releases of iOS 6.1.1 and 6.1.2 are testament to that fact. Fast battery drains are frequent, and while the Cupertino company is really making all the efforts to fix these, they’re having a hard time.
