The e-book market on iOS is pretty crowded. There's Apple's iBooks, of course, and then there's Amazon's Kindle app and Nook by Barnes and Noble. And all of these services have extremely large e-book offerings and millions of users.
But apparently that isn't enough to stop Sony from throwing its hat into the ring. The electronics giant released its own free e-book app in the App Store today, entitled Reader — eBooks from Sony, for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch...
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...
So you're on Facebook and pride yourself with making sure only a select few apps are allowed to access your personal information. But you could be in for a surprise learning just how many apps actually are granted access to the data Facebook has collected on you.
Enter MyPermissions, a new iPhone app which - as the name suggests - scans your Facebook permissions and alerts you when new apps and online services gain access to your personal information on the web. It's a free download and I urge you to check it out right now and take control of your privacy.
You can also revoke Yahoo and Facebook apps right from within the app itself and do more with a handy Chrome extension. More info and a nice video right below...
Carrier AT&T today launched an interesting cloud-storage app for iOS and Android devices, similar to the likes of SugarSync, Dropbox and Google Drive. It's called Locker and you can use it to safely store, sync and share your photos, videos and documents to the AT&T cloud, the promo page says. The program can also automatically back up every photo or video, if that's how you roll. AT&T Locker comes with 5GB of free storage, with upgrades to 30GB for $3.99 per month or 100GB for $9.99 per month...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Dxy-gOQUE
This above is a trailer for Air Patriots from the recently launched Amazon Game Studios, the online retailer's first foray into the mobile gaming space. The game is available on Kindle, iOS and Android devices via Google's Play Store, Amazon's own Appstore and Apple's App Store (aren't you getting tired of so many unimaginative monikers already?).
The iOS version is provided free of charge as a 83MB universal binary download with native support for all iOS form factors and Retina graphics. Though the Play Store page originally suggested that Air Patriots couldn't run on the Nexus 7 tablet, Google said it was a "minor hiccup" and has updated the entry...
Apple's new 12W power brick enables faster charging of your iPads, iPods and iPhones. Apple stopped short of divulging specifics when asked to quantify the “fast, efficient charging” claim on its online store. "We don’t have an exact percentage of how much faster it would charge but you should see an increase in speed", the company told 9to5Mac.
Enter Mike Flaminio of Insanely Great Mac, who took it upon himself to figure out non-scientifically the exact difference. An interesting video he posted claims the new power brick is able to charge an iPad between 30 and 45 minutes faster compared to the old (now phased out) 10W adapter. Yes, two extra watts of power make a difference. Check out his clip right below...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrdmZhswHkU
2K Games has released its first iOS game from the Borderlands Legends franchise. The game puts you in control of four characters named Control Mordecai, Lilith, Brick and Roland. Developed by Gearbox, this title is being released on tablets and borrows heavily from its console counterpart, though it's not quite the same. Nonetheless, it should appeal to fans of the series.
Expect the usual assortment of enemies and eye-candy high-definition graphics. Each character has their own set of unique skills and abilities and you can collect in-game cash by destroying enemies to purchase new weapons and upgrade your character with new unlockable skills and abilities...
As Apple prepares to convene with accessory makers next month in order to lay out new rules pertaining to third-party Lightning gear, companies like iPhone5mod continue to exploit the supply-demand imbalance in order to produce unofficial accessories like cables and adapters that all use cracked Lightning chips.
iPhone5mod already has a few of these in its offering and they've just announced another accessory which could easily strike a chord with long-time Apple fans: a Lightning dock. Just like it removed the optical drive from the new iMac, Apple with the iPhone 5 stopped making docks for Lightning devices. Therefore, this opportunity has basically presented itself...
I recently got my hands on an iCade 8-Bitty Bluetooth controller from Think Geek. The controller harkens back to the 8-Bit days with its boxy design, hence its name.
The 8-Bitty plays nice with all iOS devices, and even works with Android phones and tablets as well. Take a look inside as I unbox the controller, and check back soon for a more in-depth review...
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...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpGS1K9mLPQ
Electronic Arts today in North America released Need for Speed: Most Wanted on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and Xbox 360 consoles, as well as on Windows PCs and Apple's iOS and Google's Android mobile platforms. The game is available now for seven bucks both over at the App Store and Play Store. Need for Speed: Most Wanted rolls out in Australia on November 1 and in Europe the following day.
A version for Nintendo's new Wii U console is slated to hit North American shores, Europe and Australia some time next year. The game invites you to drive "the world's hottest cars ripping through the open world, screwing with the cops and get away in style". In addition to the above launch trailer, I've also included several nice videos below the fold...
Apple has updated its Find My Friends app for iOS devices and iBooks 3, which launched alongside the iPad mini last week. iBooks version 3.0.1 is a minor update which resolves an issue where iBooks may unexpectedly quit. With last week's release of iBooks 3, a free download, Apple added a new continuous scrolling theme akin to the Instapaper app, the ability to see iCloud purchases on your bookshelf, social sharing of quotes and more. Find My Friends version 2.0.1, also a free download, now features friends' notifications regarding your location right under the Me > Followers section. You will also find your temporary friends listed under Followers in the Me tab as well...