The App Switcher in iOS automatically opens to the app you last used upon launch rather than the one you were using when you opened the interface, and love it or hate it, a new free jailbreak tweak called AppSwitchCurrent (9 % 10) by iOS developer DGh0st flips this concept around.
If you use a passcode to unlock your iPhone or iPad, then you know how important it is to keep other people from seeing the digits you tap on to get into your device.
Since people are inclined to pay more attention to the numbers you tap rather than the pattern of the buttons, a new free jailbreak tweak called DummyPass by iOS developer Wisy uses this concept to your advantage.
Apple today released a third beta of watchOS 4 (build number 15R5321h) for all Apple Watch models. The update is available to Apple's registered developers and members of the Apple Developer Program.
The software update can be deployed on your Apple Watch used for development via the Software Update mechanism in the companion Watch app. The paired iPhone running the Watch app must be on iOS 11 beta 3 or the update won't show up.
Your Apple Watch must be connected to your iPhone, have at least 50 percent power and be placed on its magnetic charging disk in order for the update to download and install.
The full watchOS 4 beta 3 installer can be downloaded from Apple's Dev Center portal. Once installed, subsequent watchOS 4 betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in the Watch app.
Apple currently does not provide watchOS 4 betas via its Public Beta Software Program. A developer-only preview of watchOS 4 was released at WWDC on June 5. watchOS 4 beta 2 was seeded to developers on June 21.
Here's Andrew's hands-on walkthrough of the changes in the previous watchOS beta.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNDJL6Ju2Qc
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watchOS 4 brings more intelligence and fitness features to Apple Watch.
The software update includes three new watch faces, including a new Toy Story face, a dedicated Siri face that displays dynamic information based on your habits and other data and the Now Playing and Apple News complications.
The Workout app now has built-in music playback controls and supports High Intensity Interval Training. Thanks to Apple's partnership with leading gym equipment makers, Apple Watch will interface with dedicated gym equipment to share data like your heart rate while using equipment data like steps taken to more accurately calculate calories burned and more.
In the Activity app, users will be able to access new monthly challenges and take advantage of intelligent coaching and tailored workout encouragement.
watchOS 4 will release for public consumption this fall for all Apple Watch models.
If you find new features and important changes in watchOS 4 beta 3, be sure to reach out to us via Twitter or drop us a message at tips@iDownloadBlog.com and we'll update the article.
Although fewer people are as excited to play Pokémon GO today as when the game first launched last Summer, it still stands as one of the world’s most popular mobile games.
A new Pokémon GO companion app called Pocketdex is now available on the App Store, and was created with love by two prominent members of the jailbreak community: iOS developer Majd Alfhaily and graphic designer Surenix.
Apple's new ARKit framework for building augmented reality experiences for compatible iPhone and iPad devices is off to a great start and already Facebook is taking notice, according to a new report Thursday from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The author claims that Facebook has been hard at work developing an inexpensive headset, code-named “Pacific”, that is expected to bring virtual reality experiences to the masses without requiring a beefy computer or a compatible smartphone.
“The idea is that someone will be able to pull the headset out of their bag and watch movies on a flight just the way you can now with a phone or tablet,” reads the article.
It should be priced aggressively at $200 and release at some point next year, representing “an entirely new category”. According to people familiar with the plans, the device will provide a similar interface to Samsung’s VR Gear that users could control by a wireless remote.
The headset should be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon mobile chip that would make it superior to Samsung's Gear VR headset in terms of gaming in virtual reality. Unlike the current Oculus Rift hardware, the upcoming gizmo won't include positional tracking technology.
An excerpt from the article:
This means that the device won’t be able to tell where its user is spatially, which is useful for tasks like virtual rock climbing. A future version of the product will have that technology, according to a person familiar with the plans.
According to sources, the headset will let users play immersive games, watch video, use social networking apps and so forth. It resembles a more compact version of the current Oculus Rift and will be lighter than Samsung’s Gear VR headset.
Handset maker Xiaomi and its manufacturers are said to build 2018's Oculus-branded device.
And later this year, Facebook allegedly plans to announce a more affordable wireless headset that it is betting will popularize virtual reality “the way Apple did the smartphone”.
Oculus spokesman Alan Cooper said via email:
We don’t have a product to unveil at this time, however we can confirm we’re making several significant technology investments in the standalone VR category.
Facebook's said it’s also working on yet another device, code-named “Santa Cruz” and best described as a wireless Oculus Rift “with the full power of the original device sans PC.“
Facebook acquired Kickstarter-funded Oculus startup in 2014 for about $2 billion.
IDC estimated that Samsung leads the pack in terms of VR device shipments with 22 percent of the global market for VR devices, followed by Sony, HTC and Facebook's Oculus Rift with about five percent of the market, or less than 100,000 units sold.
A great little ARKit-powered hackathon project by Melbourne, Australia developer Jacqui Hyslop of RedBubble shows off the tremendous potential of Apple's new framework for building augmented reality experiences for iPhone and iPad with iOS 11.
The simple proof-of-concept app allows the user to place virtual cushions (and other home decor items) on a couch and other pieces of furniture in their real world, but without the psychedelic surface-shifting effect plaguing many other AR platforms.
This app clearly proves that home decor shopping in augmented reality beats having to drive to a store just to see how that cushion would look like on a bed that isn't yours in a showroom that shares little resemblance to your own home.
The video demonstration, embedded below for your viewing pleasure, highlights the full sophistication of ARKit's reliable plane and object detection and precision tracking. It's remarkable that all of this is happening so fluidly without any special hardware involved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwNAykf4IKw
ARKit uses machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision and sophisticated algorithms to analyze live camera feed and “see” the world around you. It also taps into data from on-board device sensors, such as the accelerometer and gyroscope, to detect horizontal planes in your real world, determine local lighting conditions and so forth.
Those kinds of ARKit-powered apps should be even better on iPhone 8 due to the rumored rear-facing 3D laser sensor that will allow the device to accurately sense depth and map objects.
Be sure to watch another sophisticated ARKit demo showing off an app that basically allows the user to map out the floorspace by walking around a room. It calculates total footage of the room and may even produce detailed blueprints that could be exported to CAD apps.
And here it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw9MPZoPqCQ
The future of furniture shopping looks bright, too, as furniture giant Ikea has partnered with Apple on an ARKit-powered app of its own that promises to let users try out virtual furniture at home before placing an actual order right inside the app.
Just imagine the possibilities: with Ikea's app, you could make sure that the bookshelf you've been eyeing for some time would fit in that corner—again, without being bothered to actually, you know, visit one of their stores.
Are you excited for ARKit-powered apps?
Today's aerial footage showing construction progress at the Apple Park site may be one of the last videos of the massive headquarters because Apple is reportedly cracking down on drone pilots in the area. AppleInsider has learned of the existence of a dedicated security force at the site with the sole mission to halt these flyovers.
“Another drone pilot claims that they were stopped by a hired security guard who has the express purpose of shutting down drone flights over the campus,” said the publication today.
Apple Park is not currently listed as a no-fly zone by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
The publication notes that FAA guidance requires drones to keep 360 feet away from structures, with pilots required to maintain visual line-of-sight to the drone at all times.
“Apple could have an avenue for restrictions, if they can demonstrate that the drones are causing a nuisance, or are violating one of California's privacy laws,” reads the article. “Drones landing or being flown from private property can result in a trespassing charge.”
Today's video from videographer and drone pilot Matthew Roberts offered a closer look at the nearly finished visitor center that will host an Apple Store and a cafe open to the public.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwxQnI98CKw
The historic Glendenning Barn has now been reassembled.
The video also offered a glimpse inside the entrance to the 1,000-seat underground Steve Jobs Theater, where Apple will unveil future products.
The glass auditorium is 20-foot tall and 165 foot in diameter.
Landscaping work at the site continues with additional trees being planted inside and around the ring-shape structure with each passing day. By the way, the final tree count is expected to approach 9,000. Also of note, the manmade pond appears to be nearly ready for water.
If the augmented reality (AR) tape measure app we recently featured has gotten you excited for the possibilities that Apple's ARKit framework brings to developers, you're wholeheartedly recommended to watch this video demonstration of an upcoming ARKit-driven app that will let you take precise room measurement by pointing your iPhone's camera at the corners.
The app will help generate 3D models and automatically calculate the footage for the user. It's a really cool-looking demo and I can't wait to try this app out when it releases.
Watch the demonstration video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw9MPZoPqCQ
The app was created by a company called Smart Pictures, which provides the Measurement Cloud system that enables dimensioning intelligence for the interior world.
Here's a recent ARKit-powered tape measure demo that set the Internet on fire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7DYC_zbZCM
This level of precision is made possible by ARKit's accurate plane detection and reliable object tracking. On existing devices, the ARKit framework leverages data from on-board sensors and uses computer vision algorithms constantly analyzing live camera feed.
ARKit-driven apps should be even better on iPhone 8 because Apple's OLED iPhone is said to feature a dedicated 3D laser sensor on both its front and back for even better augmented reality features and faster, more precise autofocus.
Amazon is working on the next Echo accessory that should feature significantly improved sound quality over the current lineup of Echo smart speakers, Engadget reported Thursday.
The gizmo will reportedly include “several tweeters” versus the one large tweeter and a woofer in the existing Echo. The company is also improving the new Echo's microphone technology, “though it's unclear how it's doing so.”
Current Echo devices have seven far-field mics, while Apple's HomePod has six and Google's Home has two.
Shorter and slimmer than the original Echo, which released two years ago, the next Echo will be more stylish than its predecessors thanks to rounded edges and a cloth-like covering.
Amazon is allegedly planning for a fall release.
Echo has been lauded as the best voice-activated speaker on the market in terms of AI and voice features, but with poor audio quality. That's in stark contrast to Apple's upcoming HomePod, which many reviewers praised for being the best-sounding smart speaker out there, even outperforming Sonos in terms of sound quality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l_YjBiK7iM
With the next Echo, Amazon is clearly looking to close the gap with HomePod when it comes to audio quality and style.
HomePod features an array of seven horn-loaded tweeters, each with its own custom amplifier, a high-excursion woofer with custom amplifier, internal low-frequency calibration microphone for automatic bass correction and a six-microphone array for far-field Siri and room sensing.
The built-in A8 chip constantly analyzes the music being played through the speaker, as well as the room layout, to continually optimize audio quality using software-based features such as direct and ambient audio beam-forming and transparent studio-level dynamic processing.
HomePod is due to launch this December.
Image: Amazon Echo Show with a built-in display
Fast Company is out with a new report that basically reiterates what Barclays and KGI Securities said before: that Apple's OLED iPhone will actually feature two 3D sensors, one on the front and the other out the back. In addition, the device could feature completely waterproof buttons on its side that respond with haptic feedback.
According to the publication's sources, the rear 3D sensor will help iPhone 8 provide improved camera autofocus and enhanced augmented reality features, likely stemming from even more accurate object tracking and better depth detection in ARKit-powered apps.
Like the front-facing 3D sensor, the rear one is said to use a vertical-cavity surface-emitting (VSCEL) laser system that also includes a lens, a detector sensor and a dedicated chip. The VCSEL system would map objects in 3D by calculating the distance the light travels from the laser to the target and back to the sensor, using so-called time-of-flight measurement.
Suppliers Lumentum, Finisar and II-VI will reportedly be providing the VCSEL lasers for the device. STMicro, Infineon or AMS should provide the time-of-flight sensor. Apple could buy the whole modular system from either LG Innotek, STMicro, AMS or Foxconn, added the source.
The system costs about $2 per phone, as per the publication.
The laser-based sensor will also enable a faster and more accurate autofocus than the phase detection autofocus used on current iPhones. That's because the dedicated rear 3D sensor will determine precise object depth by measuring the time it takes the laser light beams to bounce off objects and return to the sensor.
This will let iPhone 8 focus the camera lens on the desired object in milliseconds. Laser autofocus systems are already used in phones from Google, Huawei, OnePlus and Asus.
Aerial videographer Matthew Roberts posted new birds-eye footage of the upcoming Apple Park corporate campus, showing that a visitor center is slowly but surely takin shape.
The historic Glendenning Barn that the company dismembered plank by plank has now been fully reassembled (it's adjacent to a 100,000-square-foot gym for employees).
Among other highlights: a closer look at the 1,000-seat underground Steve Jobs Theater where Apple will host future press and corporate events, additional trees being planted and more.
As for the visitor center, it will include an Apple Store and a cafe open to the public.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwxQnI98CKw
As you can see for yourself, a pond inside the ring-shaped structure looks nearly complete. If the large sheet is an indication, Apple may soon fill the pond with water.
Landscaping work will continue for a few months after the offices inside the main building have been completed. Since April, employees have been gradually moving into Apple Park.
Thanks to the 24/7 news cycle we have come to embrace, it seems no iPhone rumor today can be unhinged enough to not at least be regurgitated by a few online outlets. Over the last couple of days, this everlasting narrative has been dominated by two hot-button issues especially, since some respectable sources added their voices to the guessing game: Apple’s alleged failings to wrap up the iPhone 8’s assembly amidst design and component shortages for one, and of course the projected, steep price hike brought about by Apple’s anniversary iPhone.