Hasta La Gadget!

Starting tomorrow, iOS users will be prompted to update their devices to the newest iteration of Apple’s mobile operating system. As difficult as it is to believe, we’re already onto the sixth version of the OS, which continues to be updated with new features on a yearly basis. After pushing out so many upgrades critical to plugging a few major feature holes, the vast majority of its 200 advertised enhancements are strictly granular, as Apple continues to polish its popular OS.

That doesn’t mean, though, that this build is coming to the masses without any jarring UI changes: Apple has declared independence from Google by adopting its own Maps, added a few nice features to Mail and iCloud, thrown Facebook integration into the mix and introduced the Passbook for paperless tickets. The question is, how does it stack up against previous refreshes? Read on to find out.

Continue reading iOS 6 review

Filed under: Software, Mobile

iOS 6 review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twitter’s iPad app is sometimes the neglected stepchild of its mobile app family: newer features usually come to the Android and iPhone versions first and are handed down to the iPad later, if they come at all. The company is making amends for that in style with a major update to the iPad version as of today. Whether you like them or not, expanded tweets are now baked in and will optionally show some photos, videos and web links within the timeline rather than disrupting the entire experience. The Connect, Discover and Me sections we’ve seen elsewhere also come to the tablet-tuned app, albeit at the expense of more quickly finding direct messages and lists.

You’ll soon notice a much more visual spin on people’s profiles, regardless of whether or not Apple’s slate factors into the daily routine. Both the Twitter site as well as the official Android and iOS apps now show a header photo behind the bio to provide a little more color than avatars and background pictures can manage. If you’re on one of the mobile platforms, you’ll also see a photo stream in the profile that will help relive memories without hunting down individual tweets. The phone and tablet makeovers require an update to shine, so hit the relevant source link if you’re ready for a prettier (if not always more functional) social experience.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Mobile

Twitter revamps its iPad app for expanded content, adds header photos and image streams originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shazam doesn’t want to let GetGlue control all our couch potato time — it just rolled out an upgrade to its TV component that lets the mobile app provide social sharing, soundtrack and trivia details for nearly any TV show in the US, not just those deemed worthy of special attention. The app mirrors the program it’s looking at — we’ll see stats instead of IMDb if we’re watching hockey, for example. Whether or not attention is locked on the bigger screen in the living room, Shazam’s little screen is making Facebook more a centerpiece of the experience. Media mavens can comment on friends’ tagging habits and post their own tags to their Facebook timelines for all to see. The wider universe of TV shows should be available today, although we’ll have to wait for an update in the “coming weeks” to broadcast our tastes in media with the rest of the world.

Continue reading Shazam now rides shotgun with any TV show in the US, gets cozier with Facebook

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Software, HD

Shazam now rides shotgun with any TV show in the US, gets cozier with Facebook originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple regularly likes to kickstart major launches with early retail openings, and it’s just confirmed that the natural order of things is intact: both its own stores as well as those for AT&T, Sprint and Verizon will open at 8AM local time on September 21st to take iPhone 5 sales from anyone who missed out on the pre-order rush. As for how well those pre-orders have gone so far? Apple’s statement on the subject doesn’t give us concrete numbers at this stage, but it certainly hints at an upbeat outlook:

“Pre-orders for iPhone 5 have been incredible,” said Apple spokeswoman, Natalie Kerris. “We’ve been completely blown away by the customer response.”

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Apple, carrier stores open at 8AM on September 21st for iPhone 5 sales, early pre-order tallies are ‘incredible’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When we suggested it would be a good idea to stay up late (or wake up early) to guarantee a launch day iPhone 5, we meant it. Those bent on pre-ordering through the Apple Store saw the company’s online portal exhaust itself within an hour of the 3:01AM availability — faster than the iPhone 4 and 4S, and no doubt crushing the hopes of North Americans who value their sleep. Individual US carriers weren’t quite so quick to sell out, although they weren’t far behind. AT&T is now quoting two to three weeks for any new orders, and Verizon doesn’t see any new orders on their way until September 26th. Only Sprint is left taking pre-orders with the expectation that they’ll arrive next Friday, and it’s certain that the supply situation won’t get better in the near future. We’re curious to see just how many iPhones sell before the weekend is out, or even the day; given the briskness of pre-orders for the iPhone 4S last year, we wouldn’t be surprised to see some braggadocio from Apple or the carriers by the time Monday rolls around.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

iPhone 5 shipping times slip almost immediately to 2 weeks, early birds feel validated originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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