Better late than never, as we say in French. Over two months after the iPhone 5 was launched in the US, Starbucks finally blessed us with an update that supports the device's taller screen.
Besides the iPhone 5 support and the usual bug fixes, this updated version added an option to turn On/Off the annoying sound of the stars dropping in the cup after completing a purchase...
Following the official release of iTunes 11 for Mac and Windows and an incremental Apple TV firmware update, today's update bonanza continues with the release of a minor update to Apple's Remote iOS app. It now plays nice with iTunes 11, of course, and includes a redesigned interface on iPad tablets that takes design cues from the new iTunes, just as the previous version was reminiscent of desktop iTunes. As for iTunes 11 support, the updated Remote app now includes overhauled library views, an expanded view for your media, improved search results, the new UpNext feature and more...
Hot on the heels of rolling out the improved Drive app with spreadsheet editing capabilities, Google today also refreshed its excellent Chrome browser for the iPhone and iPad. Google Chrome version 23.0.1271.91 (seriously? what's up with the versioning scheme?) is now available for download, bringing with it support for Apple's Passbook app on iOS 6 devices, better handling of PDF documents in external applications, new text encoding setting and more. Jump past the fold for your changelog and more tidbits...
http://vimeo.com/54298665
Vimeo has updated and reimagined its iPhone app to simplify video uploads and improve sharing via Facebook and Twitter. Vimeo was released on the iPhone back in March of last year. It was updated in January with native iPad support and full-screen video playback. Today's update is the first build created entirely in-house and features a cleaner interface that forgoes the grid system in favor of a tab-based navigation.
The clunky video editor is gone and the program now begins uploading your videos in the background while you're still editing tags, captions and other meta data. Go past the jump for more information and changelog....
Skype was recently updated with a taller UI tailored for the iPhone 5. Today, Microsoft pushed another update, bringing a few new features to the popular communications client. For starters, you can now merge your Skype and Microsoft account, which also enables the software to connect to Microsoft's other messaging properties. Most notably, this means you can now chat with Messenger, Hotmail and Outlook.com contacts right from Skype...
Cloud-storage startup Dropbox has quickly become my favorite solution for storing and sharing files in the cloud, collaborating on projects, backing up my photos and more. Today, an update to the free Dropbox iOS client has been issued, bringing with it a couple new features and tweaks. For starters, streaming of video files from your Dropbox is now improved. Another nice-to-have: Dropbox finally features support for password-protected Microsoft Office documents, an iOS 6-only capability...
After Apple rejected Sparrow's iPhone 5 update earlier in the month, critics cried foul and commentators happily pointed out Apple was attempting to derail the popular email client for iOS devices and Macs. There was little hope left for new features after Google acquired Sparrow in June. Plus, the search giant acknowledged as much when it said the Sparrow team would move to Google's Mountain View offices to work on new Gmail features. It's a welcome sign, then, that a new version of Sparrow just surfaced on the App Store. Though short of features, it does bring out two major nice-to-haves: support for the iPhone 5's taller display and Passbook integration...
Tap tap tap's Camera+, my favorite go-to iPhone photography app which in September finally got a dedicated iPad version, today received a massive update, bringing a number of new features. Version 3.6, for starters, brings accurate framing on the iPhone 5 for capturing snaps exactly as you see them - no more viewfinder cropping. Advanced users will love the new Live Exposure feature which displays ISO and shutter speed change in real-time.
You also get flash of sorts when using the front-facing camera. It's a trick akin to PhotoBooth on the Mac as the screen goes white for a moment to light up your face in darkness before the shutter-release. Another welcome addition: the horizon level feature for those who have trouble taking a straight photo. As you'd expect, the updated app also brings the obligatory bug fixes, minor improvements and a dozen tweaks that lead to a much better overall experience. Go past the fold for the full release notes...
Apple's (mostly) hated Podcasts app that launched in the summer last received an update in September, finally bringing iOS 6 compatibility, iCloud subscription syncing, the ability to automatically download new episodes only when on Wi-Fi and more. Earlier today, a new version surfaced on iTunes. Podcasts 1.1.2, an incremental update, includes stability and performance improvements, bug fixes and a few enhancements.
For example, tapping a podcast in Top Stations now reveals episodes you can play. Also new is the ability to turn on automatic downloads for all subscribed podcasts in Settings. Unfortunately, the dreaded 1980s animated tape-recorder interface is still there, but Jony Ive will no doubt see to it sooner rather than later...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0z2lXLlHeI
Finnish developer Rovio's really been an adept exploiter of the space theme. Its latest Angry Birds installment, Angry Birds Space, has just been updated with ten volcanic levels on planet Mars and the special Mars Curiosity Rover boss level. This release also contains an antenna egg level (get three stars on all levels to unlock it) and a "super-secret bonus level" that will unlock upon discovering the hidden rover.
Additionally, the company released a new interesting video giving us a hint of gameplay in the upcoming Star Wars tie-in called Angry Birds Star Wars, due November 8. An earlier trailer featured Princess Leia. Don't also miss another gameplay video from Monday that dropped humorous hints of a romance in the making between Luke Skywalker and Leia.
And while we're at it, as part of NASA and Rovio once again joining forces with the Red Planet episode for Angry Birds Space, Rovio released three interesting NASA clips about planet Mars. Plus, we also get to see R2-D2 and C-3PO characters in an exclusive Angry Birds Star Wars gameplay video. Don't worry, we've included all of the aforementioned videos right below...
Path, a social network where people engage in limited sharing of their daily habits and photos with only a select few closest friends, later today will launch its iPad app. Focused on full-screen experience in landscape, Path puts more of your network at your fingertips with fewer taps. Images of the iPad interface are promising and new features sound interesting enough to give it a a try. My favorite: the improved home screen displaying more activities from your network than is possible on the iPhone version.
UPDATE: a new version of the original iPhone app just went live with support for native iPad experience. Simply update your existing installation to get iPad goodies...
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...