Google Maps for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch yesterday received an interesting update in the App Store. The new version brings out a few enhancements such as integration with popular food delivery services, support for plus codes—identifiers for locations that don’t have their own street address—and other perks. These new features require Google Maps 4.24 for iOS or later, which can be downloaded free of charge from the App Store.
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Pokémon GO update adds new egg designs, Pokémon type indicators, and other minor improvements
Pokémon GO for both Android and iOS has been updated this week with a number of aesthetic changes and fixes that will make egg hatching and Pokémon type deciphering easier, among other things.
The update brings the game up to version 1.13.3 for iOS.
Apple releases iOS 10.1 with Portrait mode and other improvements
Apple on Monday pushed out the iOS 10.1 software update for iPhone and iPad. The release comes after more than a month of beta testing, and it includes various improvements and one major new user-facing feature: Portrait mode, which is exclusive to the dual-camera iPhone 7 Plus.
First introduced at Apple's iPhone event in September, Portrait mode is a new setting in the stock Camera app that uses the 7 Plus' wide angle lens to gather perspective data for a photo. This allows the handset to take photos with a depth-of-field, or 'bokeh,' effect with blurry backgrounds.
iPhone manufacturer Foxconn planning to expand its operations in India next year
A May report from The Economic Times alleged that Apple had approached Foxconn about assembling iPhones in India in the next two to three years. The Economic Times of India confirmed Monday that Foxconn will be expanding its operations in India next year, backing its $600 million investments already made in the country.
Instagram is testing live video broadcasts in its Stories feature
According to Russian news outlet Tjournal.ru a few days ago, the popular photo-sharing service Instagram is testing live video functionality in its recently-launched Stories feature which permits users to create slideshows from their photos that automatically disappear after 24 hours.
Facebook added live video to its mobile app in August 2015. Facebook Messenger gained the ability to share live video with contacts while chatting in September 2016.
Pokémon GO celebrates Halloween with first in-game event
Halloween is approaching and Pokémon GO has a treat for you in the form of a special Halloween-themed event, the first in-game event since the game's release in July 2016.
Developer Niantic Labs has said that players will have a chance to earn double the amount of Candy every time they catch, hatch and transfer Pokémon from October 26 to November 1. Other perks will be available to trainers as well.
T-Mobile sees improved customer retention on strength of iPhone 7 release
Wireless carrier T-Mobile on Monday announced earnings for the September quarter. Total revenues for the quarter were $9.2 billion, an eighteen percent year-over-year increase. T-Mobile said it was able to increase revenue thanks to new T-Mobile One plans and add-ons, the launch of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in September and an influx of prepaid customers who migrated to postpaid plans.
Services revenue during the quarter came in at $7.1 billion, a thirteen percent year-over-year increase. The carrier has added two million new customers during the quarter.
Why Apple should be more bullish on Virtual Reality
2016 will unquestionably be remembered as the year Virtual Reality made a meaningful entrance to the tech world. Granted, there were murmurings and early adaptations long before, but with the staggered release of Oculus Rift in March, the HTC Vive in April, or the new Samsung Gear VR in August, Virtual Reality (of varying degrees) appears to have accomplished the shift from nascent tech-demo material to becoming a more legitimate contender for a share of your wallet.
On October 13, Playstation joined the fray, releasing the arguably most consistent and yet affordable VR experience with Playstation VR. If early numbers and reviews are anything to go by, this could be the product to help the technology cross the consumer chasm once and for all and attract mainstream interest.
Conquer the sea in easyBoat, an arcade style shooter game for iPhone and iPad
EasyBoat is a new arcade-styled action shooter game for iPhone and iPad with a great balance of both fun and challenging game play.
It comes with clear inspiration from the sailing feature in the Zelda Wind Walker game for Nintendo devices, so if you're familiar with it, you might like this release. Bundled together with fluid graphics and well-executed game mechanics, this is a game for people of all ages.
Jailbreak tweaks of the week: OneHanded, ShutterSoundSwitch, & more…
As the weekend comes to an end, we have another roundup for you all that showcases all the jailbreak tweaks released in Cydia this week.
We will start by showing you all our favorites first, and then we'll get into the rest of them.
Video showdown: Siri on iPhone 7 Plus vs. Google Assistant on Pixel XL
Siri continues to receive criticism over at times unreliable performance although Apple's been advancing its personal digital assistant by leaps and bounds since its debut in October 2011.
Google, on the other hand, is regularly praised for its powerful knowledge graph and accuracy.
You probably know that the search company's exciting new feature, Assistant, recently made its debut on the new Pixel smartphones.
With that in mind, YouTuber Marques Brownlee took it upon himself to pit the Pixel's Assistant against the iPhone's Siri in a cool side-by-side video comparison.
Let the battle of the smartphone voice assistants begin!