Despite recently obtaining a green apple logo, the iPhone maker's ranking when it comes to green issues took a beating. The consumer tech giant ranks 118 among U.S. companies, a 68-point drop from a year ago. According to one report, Apple failing to answer a survey on greenhouse gas emissions from its American facilities via the Carbon Disclosure Project in both 2012 and 2011 was the chief reason for the poor showing...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC9ZJf_CUTA
Say what you will about Samsung, but it's always been a multi-platform player. True, the company's bet on Android has paid off big time, but Samsung also maintains another smartphone operating system, its own Bada software, and pledges to build a plethora of desktop and mobile products driven by Microsoft's new Windows 8 desktop operating system and its Windows Phone 8 counterpart.
The South Korean conglomerate currently makes Windows-based Smart PC and Smart PC Pro, in addition to a Windows Phone 8 tablet and smartphone. All are marketed under the new ATIV moniker (whoever thought of that one?). I kinda like how the commercial above highlights different usage scenarios for these devices. By the way, what's up with the evident James Bond theme to advertising recently?
Google’s most advanced voice search has arrived on iOS! The company yesterday issued an update to its Voice search app for Android with new Google Now features for Android 4.1 devices. And today, the search Goliath has finally released a long-expected update to its iOS app. It brings a bit overdue iPhone 5 compatibility in addition to - and this is huge - the vastly improved voice search capability with artificial intelligence aspects akin to Google Now on Android Jelly Bean devices.
Give it a few more releases and this app is bound to compete with Apple's Siri. Also on tap are the usual bug fixes and a few other tweaks and enhancements. It's a free universal binary that supports all iOS form factors natively so make sure to update to the latest version. Jeff had a chance to take it for a spin, I've included his video hands-on right below...
If there's one thing that really came as a surprise this month, it's certainly not the iPad mini, or any other product announcement, but the executives shake up and shuffling at Apple. SVP of Retail John Browett is gone, and that's a good thing, and really, hardly a surprise. The biggest surprise was that he was hired in the first place. The real bombshell in yesterday's abrupt announcement is the departure of SVP of iOS Software, Scott Forstall.
Although it was the biggest kick, Apple's press release also told us that Ive would now be in charge of Human Interface (aka everything design), iOS and OS X groups are now one, Maps and Siri are now part of the Internet Services unit, and Mansfield will lead the new Technologies group.
Now that we've gathered a little more information about the news and that I've had time to really soak it in, I'd like to share my thoughts on the situation, and what it all means for the new Apple...
The departure of Scott Forstall, long-time aide to the late Steve Jobs, leaves Apple "in good hands," analysts are assuring investors. Additionally, Jonathan Ive, the design guru, will likely gain even more power, overseeing both hardware and software. Forstall, head of iOS until Monday, was in charge of the company's move toward Apple Maps. He reportedly was forced out after refusing to sign a public apology letter following the mapping debacle. But friction was building between Forstall and a cadre of executives now surrounding Apple CEO Tim Cook...
Everything Everywhere today launched its 4G LTE network in the United Kingdom, giving UK shoppers plenty of reasons to buy the new iPad mini, the iPhone 5 and the fourth-generation iPad this holiday season. All these devices feature improved cellular connectivity that supports a wider gamut of LTE frequency bands across the world's carriers.
Apple's web site also lists Everything Everywhere as being compatible with the 4G LTE flavors supported by Apple's late-2012 iOS devices. Go past the fold for plans and pricing information...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpGS1K9mLPQ
Electronic Arts today in North America released Need for Speed: Most Wanted on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and Xbox 360 consoles, as well as on Windows PCs and Apple's iOS and Google's Android mobile platforms. The game is available now for seven bucks both over at the App Store and Play Store. Need for Speed: Most Wanted rolls out in Australia on November 1 and in Europe the following day.
A version for Nintendo's new Wii U console is slated to hit North American shores, Europe and Australia some time next year. The game invites you to drive "the world's hottest cars ripping through the open world, screwing with the cops and get away in style". In addition to the above launch trailer, I've also included several nice videos below the fold...
Because Google's free Android software is available in many shapes, price points and across a variety of carriers and manufacturers, the search giant has relatively easy and early on taken the lead in terms of device activations. But even with its clear lead in terms of unit sales, Android has always lagged behind iOS in terms of quantity of the apps found on its store, dubbed the Google Play Store. Today, Google has announced that its store now carries 700,000 third-party apps, which means that the Play Store has officially matched the App Store in sheer number of apps available...
Deliveries of orders of the fourth-generation iPad with Retina display have been postponed until one week on the online Apple store. This comes just after shipments of the new iPad mini were delayed two weeks following its arrival to stores last week. Both devices became available for pre-order four days ago. 72 hours later, the initial stock of the 16GB iPad mini was sold out. First, the more popular black model was gone and was quickly followed by iPad mini shortages across the board. Both tablets were introduced at Apple's October 23 media event...
If you've been anywhere near a computer for the past 24 hours, chances are you've heard the news: Scott Forstall, Apple's SVP of iOS Software will be leaving the company next year.
The word is, Forstall was pushed out for a number of reasons, but the tipping point was the recent iOS 6 Maps debacle. And today, even more details have emerged about his ousting...
We all know the scenario. You're away from home, with no charger, and your iPhone just alerted you that its battery is now down to a measly 10%. What do you do?
Well, if you had the new ZOpro case on your iPhone, you could use its integrated charger to breath life back into your handset. But wait, what's a ZOpro case?
Heads up Pandora users, the internet streaming company pushed out a significant update to its iOS client last night. The update brings the app to version 4.0, and includes loads of new features and improvements.
The app now supports the iPhone 5's 4-inch display, and it also now offers new social network sharing options. So now you can tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter what song you're jamming out to...