Hasta La Gadget!

Several car manufacturers have announce partnerships with Apple in order to put iOS and Siri integration into their in-car entertainment systems, and it looks like this is a thing that might actually take off as Apple is looking for more team members to work in the company’s division meant strictly for developing in-car software.

Apple is looking for a few fellows to work on in-car technology, including a software quality assurance manager, as well as a couple of people to work on “iOS Car Services.” Specifically, the manager would be responsible for “iPod/iPhone/iPad integration testing with car stereos,” something that the company is growing in, thanks to partnerships with car makers like Chevrolet, Hyundai, and Honda.

We actually got our hands on the Siri integration in the new Chevrolet Sonic a few months ago, and it allows drivers to control their iOS devices using steering wheel controls and the car’s entertainment system, allowing for hands-free operation of your iDevice. It’s a pretty cool concept that both Apple and car makers want to take advantage of.

The job listings suggest that Apple is looking to bolster its efforts on in-car integration with iOS and Siri, and it looks like we should be seeing more car manufacturers jump on board with the initiative. Just this week, Ferrari announced a partnership with Apple that would see the car maker put two iPad minis in the back seats of its FF Coupes.

[via AppleInsider]

Apple looking to boost in-car integration prowess with new job listing is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Whenever you’re out with friends and you want to check in on Foursquare, the process can actually take longer than you really want it to. After all, it takes precious time away from chatting with your friends. However, Foursquare knows the feeling and has updated its iOS app today with a new tap-and-hold check-in feature.

To make checking in faster, all you have to do is press the check-in button at the top-right to bring up a list of places that are nearby. When you see the place that you’re currently at, just tap and hold on it to complete the check-in process — simple and quick! This is also great if you just want to check in, rather than also adding a photo or a status. The old way of checking in will still work, though.

Foursquare also guesses the place that you’re at by lowering down a blue bar that you can tap to check in. You can also tap and hold on the bar to quickly check in, making it literally a one-tap process. Plus, Foursquare is usually good at guessing the place that you’re at based on your GPS location, so checking in should be a super quick process now.

This has been a much-needed feature for Foursquare power users, and while it doesn’t take a lot of time to check in the old-fashioned way, any new way that’s quicker than before is always welcomed. Foursquare has been updating its mobile apps quite frequently lately, and we should expect the same kind of attention from them in the future if they want to keep users happy.

Foursquare for iOS updates with new tap-and-hold check-in feature is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Early last month, we reported that Temple Run: Oz edition would be hitting virtual shelves come February 27 in commemoration of the movie Oz the Great and Powerful. It’s a few days after that date, but the game is now available for both Android and iOS users to download from their respective app stores. This follows closely on the heels of Temple Run 2, which was released earlier this year.

This massively popular running game takes players into the world of Oz, where they run along the yellow brick road and flee from flying monkeys. The environment in the game was directly inspired by the movie, and so those who have seen the latter will recognize the common elements when playing Temple Run: Oz. This includes a trip in a hot air balloon, during which time the player will have a chance to grab more coins.

The environment itself changes as the gamer plays, something that will be familiar to those who have played Temple Run 2. Weekly challenges are provided as well, allowing players to compete with their friends. Those who download the game today will get 1500 coins for free, so don’t delay if you’re planning to play at some point.

The Android version requires Android 2.2 and higher, and is 28MB in size, while the iOS version requires iOS 5.0 or later and is optimized for the iPhone 5, coming in at a larger 45.9MB. Both versions are priced at $0.99, and are rated 9+ for fantasy and mild cartoon violence. Chinese, Dutch, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish versions are available.

[via Play Store, via App Store]

Temple Run: Oz now available via Google Play and the App Store is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

While Apple’s iBookstore is available in numerous countries, readers who sit outside of a certain privileged zone have had to make do with public domain e-books at best. The Japanese won’t have to settle as of today: a low-key iBookstore expansion gives them access to paid content, including manga and other more localized material. Accordingly, there’s an iBooks 3.1 app update rolling out that both unlocks “hundreds of thousands” of titles in the Japanese store and improves support for Asian languages as a whole. Residents who’ve been looking for the most official means of reading JoJolion on their iPads just need to grab the refreshed iBooks at the source.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Apple

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Source: App Store

Best Buy has been selecting a number of products to mark down in price as part of their “Deal of the Day” promotion for several months now, with products ranging throughout all of the different types of merchandise Best Buy carries.

Today’s Best Buy Deal of the Day features a Targus Rotating Case for Apple iPad 2, which features a hard-shell exterior that can provide three viewing positions, rotates and can convert itself into a stand. One thing they probably didn’t mean to advertise in their promotional image for the product was a jailbroken iPad.

The promotional image, which has since received some quick photoshopping, originally had the Cydia application displayed. When you consider how much Apple dislikes jailbreaking their device, and also considering Best Buy is a major retailer for Apple products, you could probably see why that’d be a problem for both companies. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple iBookstore Launched In Japan, Android 4.x Finally Overtakes Android 2.3 Gingerbread,