Switched On: iOS 6 gets back from the app

Posted on 30/09/2012 by Ross Rubin

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Apple's App Store has more smartphone apps than those of its competitors. But the sheer size of the library is not the only source of consternation for Google or Microsoft, which would both readily concede that it's also important to obtain the kind of key apps, optimized apps and platform-first apps the iPhone enjoys. The iPhone's commanding marketplace lead is due to several factors. These include the huge number and historical affluence of its users and the ease of its App Store.

The iPhone, though, was not the first phone to have apps. In fact, in its early days, it didn't have apps at all as the company urged developers to create optimized web apps for the platform similar to what Mozilla is now advocating for its streamlined mobile operating system Boot2Gecko. Apple originally put its efforts into creating archetypical apps for tasks such as calling, browsing, email and mapping. Rather than open the iPhone to third-party developers at first, it handpicked partners for various features, such as Google for maps and Yahoo for weather and stocks.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software

Switched On: iOS 6 gets back from the app originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Editorial: Apple apologies actually aren’t that infrequent, and that’s okay

Posted on 28/09/2012 by Darren Murph

Today, Tim Cook made his first major apology as the CEO of Apple. It probably won't be his last. Despite the obvious knee-jerk reaction regarding the Maps debacle, it's actually interesting that this particular scenario is yet another example of humans having extraordinarily short-term memories. It's the same reason that whatever game we most recently saw is the "best or worst ever." (Packers v. Seahawks 09.24.2012, I'm looking at you.) In truth, Apple has a fairly solid history of ingesting pride in the iPhone era, when it surged headfirst into the realm of serving consumers in a way that it never had before. And moreover, hearing Cook apologize isn't something that should be mocked or berated; one can only hope that more companies of all shapes and sizes develop a policy of listening and reacting. Allow me to explain.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Apple

Editorial: Apple apologies actually aren't that infrequent, and that's okay originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 11:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tim Cook apologizes for Maps mess

Posted on 28/09/2012 by Terrence O'Brien

Well, it's hardly a secret that customers are unhappy with Apple's new mapping solution in iOS 6. And, while the company has admitted that, perhaps, it's not quite up to snuff yet, it has played down Maps' flaws and urged customers to be patient. Today, in an open letter to the Apple faithful, Tim Cook struck a far more candid and conciliatory tone, apologizing for failing to deliver a "world-class" product. Cook went so far as to suggest that unhappy customers could check out offerings from competitors like Bing, MapQuest, Google and Nokia -- at least until Cupertino sorts this mess out. You'll find the complete text of the letter after the break.

Update: As CNET reports, Apple has now also gone one step further and added a new list of featured mapping alternatives to the App Store, including apps from TeleNav, Garmin, Magellan and others.

You can read our editorial on Apple apologies since the launch of the iPhone here.

Continue reading Tim Cook apologizes for Maps mess

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Apple

Tim Cook apologizes for Maps mess originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 08:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Foursquare rolls out iPhone 5 / iOS 6 update, Explore gains more personalization options

Posted on 27/09/2012 by Nicole Lee

Foursquare is on an update tear. Aside from the "Always On" feature it introduced recently, the company just rolled out a new iPhone update that lets users create more personalized maps. Compatible with iOS 6, the update improves upon the existing Explore map with a more tailored search experience -- you can map out places you haven't been, top destinations, favorite spots, or where your friends have checked in. The app also promises to be faster and to have an improved design that takes advantage of the iPhone 5's larger screen. The new update certainly goes along with the company's philosophy that Foursquare is a discovery and recommendations engine rather than just another social service. Let's just hope the new Apple Maps doesn't hamper that experience.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile

Foursquare rolls out iPhone 5 / iOS 6 update, Explore gains more personalization options originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 04:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Maps Street View will be available via Mobile Safari in two weeks

Posted on 27/09/2012 by Richard Lawler

According to many of our readers, if Apple's iOS 6 Maps software isn't suitably filling in for the old Google-powered Maps then the quickest workaround is simply using Google Maps as a web app. While we'll likely be waiting some time to find out if a standalone replacement from Google really is in the cards, The New York Times' David Pogue mentions -- while bemoaning some navigation related mishaps in the new app -- Street View imagery will be accessible that way "in two weeks." Hopefully users will find that makes the wait easier, but at least they're not making you carry around one of those backpacks to make it all work.

Filed under: Software, Mobile

Google Maps Street View will be available via Mobile Safari in two weeks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 21:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google updates Chrome app for iOS 6, makes it friendly with the iPhone 5

Posted on 24/09/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

Over the next few weeks, we can surely expect iOS developers from all over the globe to start pushing out updates to make their applications better interact with Apple's iOS 6 and that all-new screen found on the iPhone 5. And, because we know some of you choose Chrome over Cupertino's built-in Safari browser, we thought we'd single out the fact that Google has outed a new version of the app which makes it friendly with the new iPhone's larger display as well as the most recent variant of iOS. Aside from the iPhone 5 / iOS 6 compatibility, though, Mountain View also bundled in some undisclosed stability and security improvements in version 21.0.1180.82 (!) of the web browsing application. As is usually the case, you'll find the updated Chrome goods in the App Store -- link for that is just down below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

Google updates Chrome app for iOS 6, makes it friendly with the iPhone 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gyft for iOS now compatible with Passbook, adds gift cards from more than 200 retailers

Posted on 24/09/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

With Apple having recently introduced its novel Passbook feature in the latest version of iOS, it's only natural for app makers to try and take advantage of such miscellaneous hub. With that in mind, Gyft -- a 2012 TechCrunch Disrupt finalist -- has made its application fully compatible with Cupertino's newfangled iOS 6, adding support for the iPhone 5's 4-inch screen and, most importantly, the ability to add gift cards from many retailers to Passbook; some of which include Amazon, Target, Lowe's, GAP, American Eagle and Starbucks. You can grab the Gyft (v1.2) application now directly from your iDevice, or there's always the link below if that makes it slightly easier for you.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software

Gyft for iOS now compatible with Passbook, adds gift cards from more than 200 retailers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Editorial: Apple’s smart Maps maneuver

Posted on 24/09/2012 by Brad Hill

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It might seem as if Apple chose its iOS 6 release last week to practice the biblical directive to love one's enemy. For, by ejecting Google Maps from updated iPads and iPhones, Apple hath caused glorious comparisons to shine upon its foe. If most people were unaware of comparative feature sets and quality aspects that distinguish Google Maps from Apple Maps, every tech-loving person on God's earth is an expert now.

The media love a bloodbath, and Joe Nocera led the rhetorical pack by calling Apple Maps an "unmitigated disaster" in a NY Times piece. He wondered whether such calamity would have ensued if Steve Jobs (who called the 1998 "hockey puck" mouse the world's best pointing device) were guiding the company's product evolution. Mr. Nocera argues the Maps replacement as an indicator that Apple has peaked.

I argue that replacing Google Maps with Apple Maps was shrewd, inevitable and an indicator that Apple understands the true battle it wages.

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Filed under: Transportation, Wireless, Software

Editorial: Apple's smart Maps maneuver originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 5 camera gets tested in Iceland, panorama and low-light comparison with iPhone 4S included

Posted on 24/09/2012 by Darren Murph

Sure, we tested the iPhone 5's camera in the well-lit streets of New York City, but if you're wondering how Apple's latest functions when used primarily as a shooter, TREK has a pretty remarkable look. Photog Austin Mann and a few of his closest pals took a pair of iPhone 5s to Iceland following launch weekend in a bid to test the unit's durability, capability and image quality next to the 4S. After two days of geyser spray and admitted "drops in mud," the uncovered 5 seemed to be a-okay, and when it comes to output from the sensor, that's worthy of praise as well.

The low-light capabilities of the 5 are perhaps the most impressive upgrade compared to the 4S, with much less noise seen in shots from the former. He also gushed over the panorama mode, which admittedly churned out some pretty seamless results of the Icelandic countryside. As for shutter speed? That too has been "significantly" improved over the 4S. He interestingly noted that Snapseed was acting a bit wonky with iOS 6, but one has to wonder how much smoothing will be done by the Nik team now that Google's calling the shots. Hit the source link below for the full rundown, comparisons included, and a video that shows how the iPhone 5 reacts after sunset.

Gallery: iPhone 5 shooting landscapes in Iceland