Hasta La Gadget!

The Google+ Local iPhone app mysteriously disappeared from the App Store this past Friday—and now we know why. The Google-owned Zagat has just released a new app for both iPhone and Android today, all coming in Google’s new card-based UI.

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Apple has released iOS 7 beta 4 to developers, the latest iteration of the pre-launch iPhone and iPad software expected to make its public debut later this year. The new version, which arrives three weeks after Apple released beta 3, can be downloaded either directly to an iPhone or iPad running the existing version, or loaded via your Mac.

Last time around, Apple tweaked several aspects of the iOS 7 experience, including modifying the default font to change the overall feel of the UI across the board. It also improved how Retina iPhone apps were handled on non-Retina iPads in “2x” doubling mode.

Apple’s release notes for this new beta are not yet available, and in fact the company’s developer portal itself continues to show error messages. That’s been a long-standing issue over the past few weeks, however, though it’s likely to become more contentious today as keen coders attempt to get up to speed with beta 4.

However, most likely are performance improvements and the sort of general tweaks a fourth-stage beta might be expected to deliver. What’s apparently unlikely to change is the somewhat contentious interface and color scheme Apple has switched to in iOS 7, which has left some iPhone and iPad users nostalgic for the “skeuomorphic” layout used today.

A full changelog of the new additions and modifications in iOS 7 beta 4 is likely to be fleshed out over the coming hours, as developers get to grips with the software. As for regular users, the timescale for the new platform’s release is still the somewhat nebulous “later in 2013″, though it’s expected to take place alongside the launch of a new iPhone 5S and perhaps a cheaper variant of the smartphone.

Update: The first changes are being reported, including a modification to the lockscreen “slide-to-unlock” control, the ability to swipe between Notification Center panels, the ability to put all music tracks on shuffle, and more.

VIA 9to5Mac

iOS 7 beta 4 download goes live for developers is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

With the iPad 3 – aka the Retina display-toting iteration being taken-over in silence by the iPad 4, what with its first implementation of the Lightning port, the 5th generation appears to be aiming for a whole new form factor. What we’re seeing this afternoon is a series of mock-ups of this new device based on previous specification sheets leaked several weeks ago. In short – this device is not just short, but thin and a bit smaller around the edges, too.

Here you’ll find the iPad 5th generation mock-up (we can’t be clear enough at this point that this isn’t the real deal, it’s just an artist rendering) to take on a form not unlike the iPad mini. Its edges are rounder than its predecessor, its body is significantly smaller in both height and width, and it seems to be a bit thinner, as well.

For whatever reason the creator of this model didn’t see fit to compare it to the 4th generation iPad, instead sticking with the last model to use the original 30-pin dock, but no matter: it’s effectively the same. Here you’ll also see that this 5th generation iPad works with a screen size the same as its predecessor, and while no data thus far has suggested a change in screen resolution, based solely on the panel included on the Nexus 7 reboot this week, a boost may be ready to hit.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see what we’ve seen of this next-generation machine over the past few weeks. It’s likely to launch later this year – probably before the end of summer, but you never know! This series of images comes from notorious device rendering artist Martin Hajek, delivered through C Technology.

iPad 5 specifications leaks produce HD mock-up is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Fantasy sports! Fantastic photography! A radio fantasia! All of these and more, in this week’s best iPhone apps.

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If you’ve been following along with the way T-Mobile is attacking the mobile service provider market this year so far, you know that they are (at least appearing to be) doing a pretty good job of shaking things up. They started by introducing the “un-carrier” plans that tossed out the idea of a 2-year contract, added “JUMP!” to allow users to switch from one device to the next when new technology is introduced to the market without penalty (effectively), and this week aim to set another fire a their competitors’ feet with a zero cash down plan for every single service-providing device in their store.

So you’ll still be kicking out the full cost of any device you purchase, should you decide to team up with T-Mobile for a smartphone or tablet with this deal, but it won’t hurt your wallet quite as much as it would have otherwise had you purchased a device from T-Mobile outside this structure.

What T-Mobile has done with its pricing structure is to make the full cost of the phone itself apparent – this is in contrast with many major carriers who charge what appears to be a small amount of cash for a device connected to a 2-year contract, then having the rest of the cash included in the monthly service price as a sort of “hidden” cost. You won’t see it written in on your bill as a separate entity, but it’s there.

T-Mobile’s plan this summer – starting on the 27th of July (no end date yet stated) – includes what the company describes as “4G LTE smartphones, tablets, mobile hotspots and feature phones”, meaning you’re not going to be getting any free accessories any time soon. This does include the iPhone 5 16GB edition, but not the two larger internal storage sizes. It would appear at the moment that no other devices have such restrictions, including brand new devices for the carrier like the Nokia Lumia 925 and Sony Xperia Z.

Have a peek at the monthly payments and rack that price up all at once, and remind yourself – no matter what carrier you’re on, you’re going to eventually be paying several hundred dollars for that brand new smartphone. They’ll get it from you, one way or another.

T-Mobile’s “Zero Dollars Down” announcement takes another stab at game-changing is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.