As we told you yesterday, a growing number of users report problems with the Google Now feature depleting their iPhone’s battery fast due to its reliance on iOS location capabilities. On Monday, the Internet giant finally brought Google Now capabilities to iDevices via an update to its native Search iOS app.
Responding to the battery life concerns, Google on Thursday issued a statement denying any problems with the app draining your iPhone’s battery… Read More
Waze, a free social GPS application developed by the Israeli start-up Waze Mobile, at point was supposedly going to be acquired by Apple in order to improve iOS 6 Maps data, though later reports dismissed the rumor as wishful thinking.
Its CEO Noam Bardin was interviewed at AllThingsD’s Dive Into Mobile conference yesterday.
Among the topics discussed, Barding shared his observations concerning Apple’s Maps service which debuted as part of iOS 6 in September 2012, here’s what he said… Read More
Celebrating its fourth anniversary, the location-based social networking service Foursquare today pushed a major new version of its mobile app, bringing out new features that tap over 3.5 billion check-ins users have made on the service thus far. “With the new Foursquare 6.0, we’re crunching all our data to show the best of what’s nearby, anywhere in the world, the second you open up the app,” the team wrote in a blog post Wednesday. Here’s what’s new… Read More
Is Apple preparing to take another chunk out of Google’s mapping franchise? A patent filed in 2011 and entitled “3D Position Tracking for Panoramic Navigation,” discovered Thursday, suggests the iPhone maker is considering adding street level navigation to its own iOS 6 Maps technology.
By virtue of the description, the invention suggests using movement sensors built into the iPhone and iPad to make it easier for mobile users to move within virtual maps. Currently, Google’s Street View feature makes use of mouse movements and touchscreen input for navigation. A key difference between Apple Maps and Google Maps may also include the ability to navigate within structures… Read More
Google has added another new app to its massive library of iOS offerings today. Previously reserved for Android users, Field Trip is a location discovery app, built to help you find local points of interest.
The app is billed as a way to help you “discover thousands of interesting places and experiences” that fall under a number of categories including places and events, food and drinks, and more… Read More
Apple is once again in U.S. District Court, attempting to derail a lawsuit claiming apps for the iPhone and iPad collected location data and other personal information without explicit permission from users. Responding Thursday to an effort by plaintiffs’ attorneys to classify the lawsuit a class action, Apple’s legal team argued no harm was suffered and suggested the call for class action status is a “desperate attempt” to collect legal fees… Read More
Apple Tuesday was issued an interesting patent that could relate to recent headlines about a device known as the iWatch. The patent approved by the United State Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) describes an “accessory device” that could receive GPS data from your iPhone. For some time, speculation has surrounded Apple was working on a wristwatch device that can communicate with your smartphone or iPad.
According to the patent, location data could be transmitted either wirelessly or through a hard connection, displaying either a map with navigation or simply points of interest. The technology permits either data to be sent from the iPhone to an accessory device, from the accessory device to the iPhone or to whichever device is deemed most accurate… Read More
If you own a business and spend time and money promoting it on the web, you should definitelly check out Foursquare’s brand new iOS app. Released Tuesday morning, Foursquare for Business is a handy sidekick that promises to help you get more customers walking through the door. The app can be used to post photo updates as your business, activate and deactivate specials, view customer tips, access analytics and more… Read More
Back in 2011 a group of 29 people took action against Apple, claiming that the iPhone-maker was illegally enabling location-based features without their consent (you remember locationgate, don’t you?). Today, however, they’ve backed down after failing to provide sufficient evidence.
The group had been seeking 800,000 won (or $757 USD) per person, but will now turn their attention to a separate class-action privacy suit filed with a regional court, which involves claims from roughly 27,000 iPhone owners in the country and could be worth up to $25 million… Read More
Facebook has announced this morning that it will be rolling out an update to its iOS and Android apps later today that will substantially beef up the Nearby feature. The refreshed feature will allow users to discover new places around them and view Yelp-like ratings and reviews from their friends… Read More
Hot on the heels of last week’s screen rotation lawsuit comes another infringement claim aimed at Apple. NovelPoint Tracking, which fits the usual patent troll description, filed a lawsuit against the Cupertino company yesterday in the troll-friendly Texas Eastern District Court regarding its location-based patent…
We’ve been tracking down new features in iOS 5.1, and besides the obvious addition of Japanese support for Siri, there isn’t much exciting going on.
Earlier this week, we reported about a subtle change in Safari, which now adds a “go to this address” message in the address bar. Today, courtesy of iDB reader Tyler, we found out about a new feature that’s been added to the Location Services settings… Read More
The location-based aspect of the Reminders app is convenient but limited. As of now, all you can really do is setup reminders based on your current location or the contents of your Contacts app.
With MapReminders, you can peruse an entire map to setup reminders for certain locations easily. Check out our video walkthrough of this upcoming jailbreak tweak… Read More
Want to travel across the globe without leaving the confines of your humble abode? If so, then look no further than LocationHolic, a location-spoofing jailbreak tweak for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
LocationHolic works by essentially overriding your device’s location data with a location of your choosing. Choosing the location is as simple as searching or even placing a pin on a map. It really doesn’t get any simpler than LocationHolic, as you’ll see in our video walkthrough… Read More
It’s that time of the week! We frequently comb the far reaches of the App Store to bring you awesome apps for your downloading pleasure.
This week, we’ve got a new file-sharing tool, movie finder, and updated location/navigation app for the iPhone. We hope you enjoy this week’s picks! Read More
Want to see something really creepy? I mean, really creepy?
MobileMonitor is a jailbreak app that just appeared in Cydia, and as its name implies, it lets you monitor mobile devices remotely.
It really has to be seen to be understood, but MobileMonitor basically allows you to track virtually every facet of an iPhone’s usage remotely, completely unknown to the user of the device. Full video inside… Read More
Today I’m reviewing a personal assistant for the iPhone, and its name isn’t Siri.
Alfred is your intelligent assistant for wining, dining, and generally having a good time. The app answers questions like, “What should I eat?” and “Where should I party?” Alfred learns over time, and pretty soon you’ll find that the charming little robot knows more about yourself than you do. Read More
Right before Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S on October 4th, The Next Web published a story where they claimed the new iPhone would have “more definitive GPS features.” Turns out they were right, even though it hasn’t been officially confirmed.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but location services on the iPhone 4S are sharper than ever. That’s because Apple added support for some Russian technology to the mix… Read More
As noted by MacStories, Apple just released the Find My Friends social network for iOS 5. Find My Friends was introduced at Apple’s “Let’s Talk iPhone” last week.
Find My Friends runs on iCloud and enables users to share their location with friends while also seeing the location of other friends. The app integrates with the Maps and Contacts app in iOS 5. Read More
