Syncing data is big business these days, and the major player in the space is Dropbox. With mobile apps across all major platforms and syncing that the likes of Apple could only dream about, Dropbox today gave iOS users an early Christmas present by updating the company's iOS app.
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 Maps for iOS is officially here, and aside from the fact that it brings a rather pleasant and powerful mapping experience to iOS built on top of Google's wonderful data, it also brings some goodness in the form of URL schemes that not only allow developers, but also standard users to invoke the Maps app with different functionality at will. URL schemes are nothing new, but one of the benefits to users using the Google Maps for example is that they allow users to launch the Maps app directly into different views or to begin using different aspects of the software without having to jump through hoops to get to where they want to be.
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.
Keeping up with the latest and greatest releases in the mobile industry can be a very expensive pastime. With each year comes a handful of new releases from each of the biggest tech companies, and if your favorite device happens to be of the Apple persuasion, your costings are as high as they get in the market. So while lots of consumers can count themselves as iPhone users, the vast majority will be in ownership of the older devices - running all the way back to the first couple of generations. Whited00r has long since given these older devices a freshen up, by offering a utility which makes them appear as though they're running on newer firmware and today, said utility has been updated for iOS 6.
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.
The Instant Video app from Amazon released earlier this year for those on iPad, but today, the service reaches out to those running an iPhone or iPod touch thanks to an update. With the larger Cupertino iOS devices unarguably superior when it comes to watching streaming content, it's only natural Amazon felt it best to launch the iPad version first, but now, the app has been made universal; details after the break.
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.
Following on from the release of a bunch of new Mail apps for a number of platforms, Yahoo! has pushed out an update to its Flickr app for iPhone, the key feature being - yep, you've guessed it - photo filtering facilities. Version 2.0 of the Flickr for iPhone app also sports a newly-designed interface, and thanks to the Aviary SDK (which Twitter also utilized with its own mobile client), there are quite a few editing options available to users of the popular network.
The technology industry and mobile space is awash with startups who are striving to create the next big product or service. Some have ambitions to succeed as a viable company with measured growth and expansion, whereas some have their sights up straight from the beginning and are hoping for rapid growth and a buy-out from one of the industry’s big boys sooner rather than later. Grokr is one of the latest startups in the mobile industry, who are attempting to make a splash by releasing an iOS app that attempts to bring Google Now type functionality directly to Apple's mobile devices.
