Month: June 2012

Google Chrome now available for the iPhone and iPad

Well, that's a headline that's been a long time in the making. Google Chrome is now officially available on some App Stores — including the US App Store.

You can download Google Chrome here.

Google Chrome for iOS is a universal app for the iPhone and the iPad, and both versions cater to each device's form factor. As a Chrome desktop user, the biggest highlight for me is the ability to sync bookmarks and tabs between all devices...

Google Now pitted against Siri in voice assistant face-off

Google announced a lot of shiny new things yesterday during its mid-morning media event. Among those, was the next version of Android OS with a built-in voice assistant.

The company's Google Now voice commander is the latest in what's becoming a long line of "Siri competitors." But it looks like this one might actually be up to the task...

Hands on with Google Drive [Video]

A few minutes ago, Google released their official Google Drive app on the App Store. We've since then downloaded the app and have put it through its initial paces.

What we found was a first offering that's lacking a whole lot of what makes other apps like DropBox great. You can easily view your files, but that's where most of the fun ends.

Sadly, you can't create new documents, or even upload photos via this initial version of Google Drive. The interface is decent, and the app seems solid from a stability perspective, but there really isn't a compelling reason to choose it over something like DropBox thus far...

Google Drive is now available for iOS

Google Drive — the Cloud storage solution much in the same vein as Dropbox — will be making its way to iOS today. It joins Google's Chrome browser as the second Google developed offering to hit the rival iOS platform.

Back in April we covered the official launch of Google Drive, but at the time, the service lacked an iOS app.

All of that should change by the end of the day today, as Google Drive is slated to release some time today.

Google Chrome coming to iOS today

After many rumors, and much speculation, Google has confirmed that their popular Chrome browser is indeed iOS bound at day two of the Google I/O developers conference. When will we see Chrome come to iOS? Today.

Google Chrome has been developed to support both the iPhone/iPod touch and the iPad. This means that all of your bookmarks and other information synced to your Google ID should automatically be available once your sign into Chrome on iOS.

For Chrome desktop users, this means that our desktop and mobile browsing experiences may finally be in sync with one another. Needless to say, as an avid Chrome user, I'm totally pumped for this.

Analyst tells Apple investors not to worry about Nexus 7

Google grabbed some major headlines yesterday during its I/O keynote. The company unveiled a number of new products including the next version of Android, an orb-shaped media player, and an all-new tablet.

The tablet, in particular, has Apple shareholders asking questions. With its quad-core processor, and sub-$200 price tag, could it have a negative impact on Apple's iPad sales? This analyst doesn't think so...

Virgin Mobile opens its first 10 retail outlets tomorrow to showcase prepaid iPhone

We reported three weeks ago that Virgin Mobile will become yet another U.S. carrier to sell unlocked iPhones with month-to-month prepaid plans. It seems Virgin means business as a new report by Bloomberg Businesweek has it that the carrier will open its first ten retail stores in Chicago tomorrow, on the eve of its prepaid iPhone launch. These stores could lead to a national rollout and are said to be "aiming to profit from the iPhone’s expansion into the prepaid wireless market"...

Rovio teases Amazing Alex, a new puzzler launching in July

Angry Birds maker Rovio today formally announced its next big thing, a new puzzler for the iOS platform based on their IP acquisition of Casey's Contraptions, a charming and addictive puzzle game by Snappy Touch and Mystery Coconut.

Rovio hinted in early-May that it would re-write and re-brand Casey's Contraptions as Amazing Alex. The game will be launching in July on iOS and Android platforms, with Windows following soon after. Here's your trailer...

Apple reportedly facing a battery challenge with the next iPhone

A report from China claims Apple is facing a battery challenge in the development of the next iPhone. It's unclear whether this affects the planned October release, but apparently one of Apple's Taiwanese suppliers is having issues meeting requirements for the iPhone 5 battery.

Power-consuming 4G radios, a speedier processor and graphics and a taller display packing in more pixels will all require more juice so it remains to be seen if the next iPhone will be able to maintain decent battery life, especially given the iPhone 4S's disappointing battery performance...

T-Mobile confirms network upgrade won’t affect legacy data plans

Over the past few months, T-Mobile has been touting its plans to upgrade its wireless network to be more friendly with Apple's smartphone. Despite not being an official partner, the carrier sees a lot of business from unlocked iPhone users.

The upgrade, which allows iPhone users to enjoy 3G data speeds, has already started rolling out to a handful of areas. So that has some T-Mobile subscribers wondering, will they get to keep their old data plans on the new, faster network?

Bloomberg says iTunes will receive major makeover by year’s end

Late last year, we reported that Apple was preparing to give iTunes its first major overhaul in 10 years. The update would come in the form of iTunes 11, and feature a revamped UI and deeper iCloud integration.

Since then, the report has been independently confirmed by both TechCrunch and 9to5Mac, who are also hearing that such a change is on the way. And tonight, a major news outlet adds its weight to the story...