We've reported on several occasions that Apple has been looking to revamp its Maps application in iOS. After the purchase of PlaceBase and multiple suspicious job listings, we certainly have had reason to believe that Apple has some major changes in mind for the Maps app.
The big question has been (with Apple and Google quickly becoming competitors across multiple markets): will Google continue to have a hand in the Maps application?
When the iPhone's consolidated tracking file was first revealed last month, it took the jailbreak community 24 hours to respond. The day after the story broke, Ryan Petrich released a free Cydia tweak that would clear the iPhone's location history.
But if untrackerd and Apple's own iOS 4.3.3 update haven't dismissed your fears of big brother following your every move, Cydia once again has a solution for you. For all the folks wearing aluminum foil hats out there, here's Footprintz...
Though using your phone while driving usually makes for a dangerous combination, this app hopes to have the opposite effect.
The application from State Farm, called Driver Feedback, uses the built-in accelerometer and GPS of your iDevice to grade your driving. Don't worry, the results gathered from the app won't impact your car insurance rates, you don't even have to be a State Farm customer to use it...
Ever since the location bug was revealed in iOS, mobile privacy has been garnering a lot of attention. So much attention in fact, that Apple has been called to participate in a U.S. Senate panel discussion on the topic, courtesy of Al Franken.
If you haven't heard by now, Apple vice president Bud Tribble was sent by the Cupertino company to the hearing to set the record straight about location tracking in iOS. Not only has Apple corrected the location bug, they are apparently taking further steps to protect their user's privacy...
Gigwalk is a fairly new project with an interesting approach to user involvement. Instead of paying the folks at Gigwalk, they pay you. Sounds like a good deal, right?
Gigwalk gives you the opportunity to make some extra cash by taking pictures and video with your iPhone. There's no catch, and that's about as simple as it gets. Companies pay Gigwalk to receive photos of various establishments and locations in major cities. And you do the photography.
Are you the best navigation software developer you know? Do you love “innovative features” and “sophisticated user interfaces?" Then you may be what Apple is looking for.
The folks at Cupertino have a new job posting for a talented iOS Maps Application Developer. Does this mean that we'll see a revamped Maps app in the future?
Well, that was a wee bit quicker than we expected, but Apple has released iOS 4.3.3 to the public.
Although the update was initially said to be released sometime in the next few weeks (it was about a week ago when they stated this), it looks like Apple has finished testing and has opted to release iOS 4.3.3 ahead of schedule.
Why the rush to release such an minor update? It's just a sneaking suspicion, but it might have something to do with the bad press that Apple's been receiving as of late due to a certain location tracking bug...
We've reported in the past that Apple is looking to update the Maps app in iOS. Outside of turn-by-turn directions and Street View, the application is fairly limited in its current form. This has allowed other companies like Navigon and TomTom to compete in the App Store with their GPS applications, derived from years of navigation experience.
If Apple is looking to compete with the heavyweights, they really need to beef up the Maps app's feature set. Obviously we all hope to see spoken turn-by-turn directions added, but what other functions would you want in an iOS navigation app?
Apple will be pushing an update to iOS in the next couple weeks that reportedly addresses the location tracking "bug" that has stormed the media. The iPhone's location database retained too much tracking info, and Apple plans on fixing that issue in iOS 4.3.3.
A few minor bugs will be addressed, but iOS 4.3.3 looks like it will mainly focus on the iPhone's location database.
Want to buy a new phone from Verizon? Well now you've got yet another sticker to contend with upon purchase.
From this point forward all new phones sold from Verizon will include the label above, which warns users that the devices have the ability to determine your geographic location.
Now I know what you're probably thinking; Verizon's just trying to cover their butts in light of Apple's recent mobile phone tracking scandal; I thought the same thing too.
As it turns out, it just happened to be really good timing, as you'll see inside...
Ok ok, we get it. The secret location file that came to light last week is a glitch, and is being fixed. This article isn't about the potential dangers that are involved with this location information, but the possibilities it brings for future iOS features.
Apple posted a Q&A article this morning to set the record straight about the controversial tracking file. One of the questions was, "What other location data is Apple collecting on the iPhone besides crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data?"
It appears that iOS 4.3.3 could be dropping in the next few weeks. In Apple's recent response to the iPhone's location-tracking database, the company mentions that an update to iOS is coming, "sometime in the next few weeks."
Due to a bug in the iPhone's location database, Apple plans pushing an incremental update to iOS very soon. There's no word on an official release date, but we should be seeing iOS 4.3.3 before the end of next month.