Apple has seeded the first OS X 10.9.3 to registered Mac developers this evening. The release comes just a week after Apple released OS X 10.9.2 with fixes for SSL bug, Mail and FaceTime audio.
The new beta build is available to registered Mac developers through the Software Update tab in the Mac App Store, or as a full download via the Mac section of Apple’s online developer portal…
Since Apple introduced CarPlay earlier this week, it seems like it's all anyone can talk about. We know that the feature runs on BlackBerry's QNX platform, we know that it's going to launch first in Volvo, Ferrari and Mercedes Benz vehicles, and we know that aftermarket solutions will be available.
But what about third-party software support? According to a new report, driver safety is Apple's main concern right now, so it's taking a “slow and steady” approach with the CarPlay API. But the good news is, when it does grant devs access, the feature will be fairly easy to integrate into existing apps...
It's Thursday and those who frequent iDownloadBlog know what that means as the App Store editors get to chose a new app to go free for the next seven days.
After slashing Tiny Firefighters to zero bucks last Thursday, that interactive app/book/game for kids has now gone back up to its regular asking price of $2.99. Not to worry - Apple's already named Sega's Go Dance the App Store's new App of the Week.
Launched last September and normally selling for $1.99, Go Dance was named one of the App Store's Best Of 2013 games and it's easy to see why: the game uses advanced motion-capture tech to turn your device's FaceTime camera into a motion sensor of sorts that picks up your movements while imitating avatars dance on screen.
Movements are recognized and scored in real-time and you really have to see it for yourself to fully appreciate the effect. What are you waiting for? Hit the App Store and grab your free copy of Go Dance now, go, go, go!
Apple has released version 5.0 of its iTunes Festival app this afternoon, updating the app with information pertaining to next week's Festival at SXSW and an all new iOS 7 design. The Festival takes place March 11-15 at ACL Live at the Moody Theater in Austin, TX.
This will be the first time Apple has hosted one of its iTunes Festivals within the United States, and the lineup we've seen so far has been star-studded with musical acts like Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Pitbull, ZEDD, Kendrick Lamar, Soundgarden and several others...
SXSW, the annual music, film and interactive conference and festival held in Austin, Texas, will use Apple's indoor positioning and microlocation technology dubbed iBeacons to improve the experience by enabling attendees to pick up badges faster using the official SXSW Go app, a free download in the App Store. Additionally, audience members will be able to use the app and nearby iBeacons to interact in real-time during sessions...
I immediately noticed writing about Apple's CarPlay that our commenters have been wondering whether this new feature that basically puts iOS in the car front and center would be available for older vehicles.
Turns out this just might be a possibility because Mercedes-Benz, one of Apple's launch partners for CarPlay, has now officially confirmed that it is working on aftermarket installations for older vehicles.
Jordan Kahn of 9to5Mac was able to confirm with a Mercedes-Benz representative that the car maker is looking into getting an “an after-market solution for previous cars”, confirming the option should become available by the end of the year...
In a settlement with the FTC earlier this year regarding a lawsuit over in-app purchases, Apple told the commission that it would issue refunds to those affected and modify its in-app billing system to make things more clear. The FTC agreed and gave the company until March 31, 2014 to make the changes.
In order to meet the government's orders, Apple must alter its billing practices to obtain a user's express consent before billing them for an in-app purchase, and provide them with an easy way to withdraw that consent. And according to a new report, Apple engineers are scrambling to meet the deadline...
Precisely 364 days ago, Facebook held an event announcing a major redesign which promised to turn your News Feed into a "personalized newspaper." As we noted in our hands-on with the new News Feed, the two-column layout featured prominent shortcuts to your About, Friends and Photos sections, with all-new Movies, Books and Photos items in your About view indicating what you read, watched and shared. There was also an Instagram Timeline app and a few other tweaks.
The problem is, users hated it so Facebook has never gotten around to rolling it out to its 1.2 billion users (it was enabled for a single-digit percentage of Facebook users). After spending months refining its look and implementing changed based on user feedback, Facebook on Thursday has finally begun switching its user base to the new News Feed where your "stories have a streamlined look with bigger photos"...
Titled 'The Most Human Phone Ever', LG's newest commercial for its curved G Flex handset must be one of the weirdest, most bizarre smartphone commercials we've seen to date. Trust me, it's really disturbing and will give you nightmares. The video is airing to viewers in The Netherlands.
The firm also posted a cool infographic with a visual timeline depicting the history of the smartphone.
In another 'what were they thinking' moment, the illustration makes absolutely no mention of the original iPhone's release back in 2007 - it's as if Apple's handset never existed...
As an incentive meant to drive customers to buy their iPhones straight from one of Apple's retail stores in the United States rather than from carriers and other retailers, Apple last August started offering free digital content through its Apple Store shopping app, a free download for the iPhone and iPad.
After offering Electronic Arts’ excellent take on the classic Tetris game last month, the iPhone maker has now updated its free content promo by replacing the block-dropping game with a few “exciting new tracks helping to define this year’s musical landscape".
Here's how to claim your free music now...
The popular Swedish music-streaming startup, Spotify, has just purchased The Echo Nest, a music intelligence company in the business of synthesizing billions of data points and transforming them "into musical understanding to power smarter music applications for our customers".
And just who those customers might be? Well, the startup powers a myriad of music services, among them Spotify rivals like Rdio, iHeartRadio, Nokia MixRadio, Twitter Music and others so this is clearly a well played move on Spotify's part.
While The Echo Nest will meet all contractual obligations to all customers, Spotify's Graham James made it clear his company will scrutinize these relationships and "determine the next business steps"...
Sunrise Calendar [review], a free iOS calendar alternative, has finally introduced long-expected support for Microsoft Exchange accounts for corporate calendars, making it on par with the stock iOS Calendar app.
Now available free in the App Store, this much-expected feature in the new Sunrise Calendar version 2.2 makes it easy to connect your Exchange account directly in the app to access your work-related tasks and events on the iPhone and iPad.
Support for Exchange accounts is in addition to the existing iCloud and Google calendar integration. Before linking your Exchange calendars with Sunrise, you must first add an Exchange account to your device in iOS Settings under Mail, Contacts, Calendars...