Apple has just issued a third beta build of iOS 6 to developers. The new software has not yet appeared on Apple’s iOS Developer Center though devices running iOS 6 Beta 2 can update over-the-air (go to Settings > General > Software Update). The update prompt mentions only "bug fixes and improvements" so we're doing some digging as we speak and will update when we find out more...
As it promised a few weeks ago, Facebook today has released a major iOS SDK update for developers. SDK 3.0 Beta is chock-full of features that will enable iOS developers to start taking advantage of Apple's newfound relationship with the social network.
During its WWDC keynote last month, Apple announced system-level Facebook integration into both Mac OS X and iOS 6. Not only does this give users an additional outlet to share content, but it also means there will soon be no more need for OAuth...
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) had a busy morning, publishing as much as 23 newly granted patents for Apple, one of them concerning NFC technology rumored to debut on the next iPhone and Passbook, a new iOS 6 application that Apple's marketing honcho Phil Schiller insists isn't a direct payment solution. The iTravel patent, as it's been dubbed, covers travel services such as a boarding pass and express check-in, amongst other stuff...
Early this morning, we all got a preview of what's in store for the next Twitter for iPhone update. In fact, we know pretty much everything about version 4.3, despite the fact that it hasn't been released yet.
The info came from a leaked change log, found in the 'History' section of the iOS 6 App Store. Apparently a glitch in the Store was allowing users to view release notes from upcoming app updates...
Having ditched Google Maps in favor of its in-house mapping solution in iOS 6, Apple could now be extending iOS 6 Maps to Macs running OS X Mountain Lion. This would seem logical and inevitable given Apple recently confirmed the use of OpenStreetMap data in iPhoto for both iOS and Mac. Apple conceivably has the maps.apple.com subdomain set up, which currently redirects to the iOS 6 section on its website...
The third beta of iOS 6 could arrive today at 10am Pacific, 1pm Eastern Time, iOS hacker iH8sn0w tweeted last night. Apple pushed the second beta to its registered developers on June 25, following the June 11 WWDC release of the first iOS 6 beta.
The company tends to release a few betas to squash bugs and test the software with its registered base of developers before going Gold Master...
Twitter's iOS apps have received a lot of criticism over the past year — particularly the iPhone app. Its lack of power features, and controversial redesign late last year, has driven millions of users to opt for third-party clients.
But according to a recently-leaked change log, Twitter's iPhone app is about to receive a major update. Twitter 4.3, which should hit the App Store in the next few days, will feature new in-app push notifications and several other enhancements...
Just as Apple has finally settled its long-standing legal dispute in China over the iPad moniker for a cool $60 million, paving the way for the official tablet launch in the country, a new patent infringement claim has been filed.
This one targets Apple's Siri digital personal assistant. As it would seem, Siri might have taken more than a few clues from an interesting voice-activated technology a local firm patented back in 2006, months before the first iPhone had been unveiled.
This development could potentially be devastating now that Apple is gearing up to launch the iPad in the country because the device will come preloaded with Siri as part of a fall iOS 6 software update...
While you were away: not to be outclassed by Apple or Google, online retailer Amazon has just entered the mapping business by allegedly acquiring a mapping startup UpNext, according to an exclusive GigaOM report. The New York-based company is behind an interesting three-dimensional mapping app for iOS devices, UpNext Maps for iPhone and UpNext HD Maps for iPad (Android and Kindle versions are also available).
Both free downloads, these programs offer both the traditional map view, but also have built-in deals and social features and offline mode. There's also a three-dimensional view with models of more than 50 cities in the United States. Something tells me the apps will soon be gone from the App Store as Amazon makes these exclusive to its own tablet...
Earlier this morning we told you about a note by Apple pundit John Gruber who challenged BGR editor Jonathan Geller's false report that Apple would release a software development kit for the Apple TV at WWDC, effectively opening up the $99 set-top box to third-party apps.
The rumor never came to be and Gruber noted in his trademark style that “something big is going on with Apple TV in Cupertino” (but it’s still being cooked, if I may add). An interesting new video evidence released today by the Brazilian blog MacMagazine has strengthened the belief that third-party apps are likely coming to the Apple TV...
Shared Photo Streams is a new feature in iOS 6 that allows you to selectively share photo albums with friends and family of your choosing. Unlike the My Photo Stream feature which is geared only towards individual photo sharing amongst iOS devices and computers owned by you, Shared Photo Streams brings a social element to iOS photography.
The streaming element comes from the fact that you can dynamically add or remove photos from a shared album and they will almost instantaneously appear or disappear on demand. Album viewers can also comment and like your photos, and you will receive push notifications any time someone does so.
Take a look at our full video walkthrough above for a look into how Shared Photo Streaming works.
One of the more intriguing iOS 6 features that Apple announced at WWDC was the new Passbook application. The app is essentially Apple's first go at a digital wallet.
But unfortunately, Passbook is broken in the developer beta — it's just a splash screen. So there's no way to play with it. That is, unless you follow these few easy steps...