You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
In the early days of the internet economy, the saying went that webpages were created on Macs, served on Unix and viewed on Windows. In the iOS app economy, it’s often the case that apps run on devices by Apple, but connect to services by Google. With the exception of many games, at this point, apps increasingly strive to be internet services.
Google has been investing in more of these services for a longer time and in a way more directly tied to apps than Apple has. Google Maps has been the best example, but others include Google Drive (with its editing features), Google Voice and Google+. In contrast, Apple’s biggest consumer online service success (other than the iTunes store) has been iCloud, which is less app-like and more of a silent shuttle for documents and files among iOS devices.
Pebble and its developer partners have been working at a manic pace in recent days, and they’ve just released a flood of status updates that prove they’re not easing up. Along with confirming that the first red watches have shipped inside of the past week, Pebble is now claiming one of its first notable golf apps through an updated version of Mobile Software Design’s Freecaddie. Would-be PGA stars can check the hole distance and par when paired up with an Android phone, with iOS support due soon. At least some owners can look forward to a bright future, too. An SDK update within the next month will allow two-way interaction between apps and watches, albeit only with Android devices in any realistic way — iOS releases bound for the App Store won’t support bi-directional use “at this time.” That’s certainly an unfortunate discrepancy, although we may be too busy perfecting our swings to notice.
[Image credit: Thomas Harbinson, Twitter]
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables
Source: Kickstarter, Google Play
Holy Magenta! T-Mobile TV is now available for iOS. Just a few weeks removed from the carrier’s launch of the iPhone 5, its entertainment streaming app offers a free 30-day trial run with content from Fox News, the Associated Press, Campus Insiders and ACC Digital Network. Those looking to extend their mobile media fix can opt for a $13 a month Prime Pack that opens up programming from the likes of ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, MTV, Spike TV, Comedy Central and VH1. In addition to its flagship package, the carrier offers a set of themed packs that range from $6 to $10 a month. To take the self-proclaimed UnCarrier’s mobile boob tube for a test drive, head on over to the source link below — just be sure that your device is running iOS 4.3 or higher.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, T-Mobile
Via: Electronista
Source: iTunes
Still completely absent from Android, the Google-made iOS only YouTube Capture video sharing app has received a minor update. Version 1.3 introduces a smorgasbord of colorless enhancements like a faster startup, an upload timer and HD previews of image enhancements. The real showstopper here is the addition of a WiFi only sharing option, which may prove useful for people trying to curtail their wireless data usage. To pull down this 28.3MB software bump, head on over to the source link below.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Google
Source: iTunes
Android-based Dropbox users got a crack at an even more photo-centric interface back in January; it’s now the iOS crowd’s turn to play. Dropbox 2.2 for their platform makes it easier for them to see their photos, organize them into albums and share them with others. The corporate set will also want the update now that it permits the single sign-ons that make Dropbox for Business tick. Version 2.2 isn’t the most dramatic update we’ve seen, but it should go some distance toward pleasing both shutterbugs and the suits.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Source: App Store
Yesterday we reported that it was possible that Google Now might be draining the battery of your iOS device. Google Now for iOS was only released late last month for both iPhone and iPad, though its not available as a standalone app, rather it has been added to the Google Search app. Since Now provides information such as traffic, weather etc, it needs to know the location of the device. For this purpose, Location Services is kept running all the time. A number of apps that keep it running, tend to drain the battery life. Google has claimed in an official statement that this is not the case with Now.
In its statement the company acknowledges that there are apps which keep Location Services running and end up draining the battery, but that is because they require very accurate information. They say that Google Now is built very differently and that it uses Wi-Fi hot spots and cell towers so as to have the minimum impact on battery life. Google says they extensively tested this service on iOS before release and did not find a significant impact on battery performance, so it expects that the users won’t too. Have you used Google Now on iOS and noticed your battery draining more than usual? Let us know by dropping a comment below.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Domino’s Now Lets You See How They Make Your Pizza, HTC Profits Dip 98% In Q1 2013, 
     |
This afternoon a new build is on the way to what appears to be only iPhone 5 users with iOS 6.1.4. This update does very little outside of bringing on an updated audio profile for the user’s speakerphone and weighs in at a generous 11.5 MB. This download is best made over wifi, and goes by the build number 10B350.
Though this update is a minor one, you’ll want to initiate it as soon as possible. It’s not unheard of that Apple will include minor security updates inside a software update directed at a single model device. Though we’ve got no official suggestion from Apple noting security specifically in this update, fixes for minor bugs have always been a part of software update pushes such as this.
The iPhone 5 has been tipped to be seeing iOS 7 before the end of the year, with the developer conference WWDC 2013 coming up quick. This developer conference, taking place at the Moscone Center in California as in years’ past, will play host to not only a new iteration of Apple’s mobile operating system, but will introduce a new edition of the desktop user interface as well.
With Jony Ive behind the wheel of the UI for Apple’s future here in 2013, users will see what’s been tipped to be a much more flattened-out set of graphics and an overall smoother experience. Have a peek at our Apple hub to follow the company into their developer conference WWDC 2013 June 10th through the 14th – we’ll be there!
iPhone 5 iOS 6.1.4 update brings updated speakerphone audio is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apple has filed a couple of patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office related to the new battery designs it is working on. The designs aren’t exactly conventional, Apple’s patents describe “Curved battery cells for portable electronic devices” and “non-rectangular batteries for portable electronic devices.” These patents detail the various methods which can be used to design curved batteries that can be fit in to devices which have non-rectangular or curved designs.
The complex methods for developing such batteries that Apple lists in these patents aim to reduce wastage of internal stage. The idea is to fit such batteries in a device housing so tightly that there’s almost no space that being wasted. This advancement in battery manufacturing opens up a new door for the device manufacturing team. If Apple decides that batteries for future products will be made through these methods, we might see iOS devices tout major design changes while being very slim. Do keep in mind that companies like Apple patent dozens of technologies each year and it doesn’t necessarily mean that these technologies or techniques will ever see the light of day. Both patent filings can be read in detail here, and here.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple Begins Countdown To 50 Billion App Downloads, Apple Releases iOS 6.1.4 Firmware For iPhone 5, 
| |
Blockbuster On Demand has been available on a heap of devices for a while now, but the app just launched on iOS today, allowing users to stream Blockbuster content on their devices using a per-movie payment scheme. The app launched on Android back in January, and it looks like the company is wanting to spice things up again with an iOS release.
Frankly, the app is a bit overdue. Over the years, Blockbuster has been on the decline, due to the failure to adapt to a changing world, where streaming movies was becoming more popular than physically renting them. The company released mobile apps, but they didn’t include any streaming component, until now.
The iOS version of the app is similar to the Android version, and unlike Netflix, where you pay a monthly fee for unlimited streaming, Blockbuster On Demand has you paying on a per-movie basis. The benefit, though, is that you get access to a lot of movies that you don’t have access to on Netflix, which is a service that has been lacking a good movie selection for some time now.
Plus, the Blockbuster On Demand app streams movies in high definition with support for surround sound, which would seem a bit overkill if you were to watch films on your smartphone, but you could easily hook up your ipad to a stereo system to boost the sound level a bit, given that any speaker will provide better quality than the built-in speaker on the iPad or iPhone.
Blockbuster On Demand for iOS looks to take on Netflix is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
