iOS 6 beta dropped a few hours ago, and while some of us – including me – are struggling to get it installed, others like iDB reader @aligee97 are busy digging into the beta firmware.
And some little gems have already been uncovered. New in iOS 6 is the ability to set a song as your alarm...
The iTunes and App Store apps aren't the only one to get a make over with the introduction of iOS 6. Next on the list is the Music app, which was in serious need of a redesign as well. Not that it was bad, but after 5 years, it just gets old.
The Music app now has a slick grey skin and the music player a black skin that could make jailbreak themers jealous. More screenshots below...
You might remember the privacy fiasco that started earlier this year when it was discovered that Path was uploading your whole address book to its servers. Of course, Path wasn't the only app to do that, but it was the first to get the backlash that followed, forcing Apple to slightly change what the company requires app developer to do with your data and how they notify you.
Because privacy is such a hot topic these days, Apple has gone the extra mile in the beta release of iOS 6, giving "privacy" its very own tab inside the Settings app...
While we knew that Apple was looking to knock off Google as the Maps provider for iOS, we weren't exactly sure how it was going to do it. Was it building an in-house database? Using OpenStreetMaps?
Well as it turns out, neither of those answers were correct. According to the Acknowledgement page from inside the new iOS 6 Maps application, Apple is using mapping services from TomTom...
Ok, so it isn't the NCSettings or SBSettings-like feature we were hoping for. But Apple did make the Bluetooth toggle more accessible in iOS 6.
As you can see in the screenshot above, the Bluetooth option has been relocated in the Settings app. Now it takes a few less taps to access...
Those hoping that the default Mail app would get a major overhaul in iOS 6 will likely be disappointed. Despite a few new features, Mail is nearly identical to its predecessor.
But the few additions that did make the cut seem like they're going to have quite an impact. The first is a new VIP inbox feature, which allows you to customize Mail notifications...
While it isn't necessarily the complete rebuild we were hoping for, Apple announced today that mobile Safari is going to be getting some improvements and a few new features with iOS 6.
The headlining new addition is iCloud Tabs, which will sync all of your open tabs from the desktop Safari app with iOS. Don't use desktop Safari? Don't worry, there's more...
Apple has just released a new iTunes version 10.6.3 that features support for iOS 6 beta. It looks like a maintenance release aimed at only supporting the new capabilities provided by iOS 6.
It's a bit surprising that Apple decided to make iTunes 10.6.3 available to everyone as iOS 6 is in beta and normally one needs a paid developer account to download and install iOS betas...
Apple has just published a dedicated WWDC keynote stream page to its website, it's available right here.
Apple will hopefully release the full presentation as a high-definition downloadable podcast via their dedicated Apple Keynotes section in iTunes...
Apple didn't have time to go into each and every new addition in iOS 6 in great detail today, so a lot of cool stuff flew under the radar. New content stores, for instance, would fall into that category.
As previously rumored, the latest iOS update features completely remodeled iTunes, iBooks and App Stores. A change, that Apple says, will give users a "new kind of shopping experience..."
If you're smart, then you won't use a Smart Cover alone to protect your new iPad. Instead, many people have opted for a polyurethane back cover to go along with their Smart Cover purchase. That's because Smart Covers, despite their name, don't protect the back of your device, making it susceptible to scratched ans dings.
Well it appears that Apple has heard the cries, as they're now providing a new Smart Case, which is basically Apple's own iteration of the solution mentioned above. Even better is the fact that the new Smart Case is now available for purchase on Apple's online Store...
Taking a cue from the jailbreak community, Apple has added the ability to update your social networking accounts from directly within iOS 6's Notification Center.
Using two new buttons in NC, users will be able to post new status updates to Facebook, and new tweets to Twitter, all without ever leaving the drop-down menu...