Hasta La Gadget!

Google may have a lot on its plate with Android and its ad business, but that doesn’t mean it can’t take the time to make quality apps for iOS. Lately we’ve been seeing Google make a push for Apple‘s mobile operating system, releasing new apps like Google Maps after Apple decided to give the navigation business a spin. However, iOS apps don’t just spring up from the ground – Google obviously needs developers to make these apps happen, so it has rolled out a new web ad campaign to attract the talent it requires.

It isn’t anything spectacular, just a small little box ad that switches through slides showing off Google’s iOS app offerings. It also invites developers to “Do cool things that matter,” and tells them that they “can reshape Google on iOS.” The ad is currently being shown on a variety of sites, but in case you haven’t seen it yet, one YouTube user has captured it on video and you can check it out below.

Clicking on the ad will take you to a page featuring a brief interview with Ken Bongort, who works on the Google Search App team. The interview is quite obviously meant to relay what it’s like to work as an app developer at Google, with Bongort talking about what kind of person these iOS app teams are looking for and what the most rewarding part of launching a new app is.

Those who are interested in working as an iOS app developer for Google can apply through that page, so if it sounds like something you’d want to do, it may not be a bad idea to fill out an application. This expansion seems to suggest that we’ll be seeing much more from Google in the iOS space moving forward, which is always exciting. Even though Google already has a number of its biggest apps available on iOS, we’re sure there’s plenty planned for the future, so stay tuned.

[via 9to5Mac]

Google’s new web ad campaign tries to tempt iOS developers is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The ever popular health and fitness tracking iPhone app RunKeeper has been updated to version 3.0 today. The update includes an all-new design that aims to make the user interface cleaner and simpler to use, it also comes with new features that make it easy to share your progress with friends and family.

Indeed, the user interface is a lot cleaner this time around. The team behind the app ended up cleaning up a lot of the code by scrapping the bold colors and text for a cleaner design that’s easier to read and navigate. They also wanted to design the app to showcase more of your personal fitness story, and they hope that the new look motivates its users even more.

One of the main selling points of RunKeeper is that the app makes it easy to set a goal and track your progress towards that goal, while also interacting and competing with friends right from the app. They’ve made it even easier by adding a few more features to the app, such as in-app photo features that allow you to take pictures before, during, and after workouts and share those with friends on Facebook or Twitter.

You now also enable live activity tracking, which allows friends and family to follow your progress in real-time and cheer you on as they do so. The company has more plans in the future for the app, including an update for the Android version of RunKeeper, but the company says they’ll have more features to come in 2013.

RunKeeper is a free download, and the update is available now in the iTunes App Store.

RunKeeper for iPhone updates with redesign and live activity tracking is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If the main reason you jailbreak your iOS device is because you want to downloaded pirated apps as opposed to tweaking the operating system to your liking, then you might be interested to learn that Hackulous has announced that they will be shutting down. What this means is that jailbreakers who jailbreak their iOS device for Installous will need to source alternative places for their crack IPAs. According to the folks at Hackulous, they claim that they are shutting down as less and less people frequent their forums, making it difficult for them to moderate and keep online. Considering that we’re pretty sure many people pirate their iOS apps, perhaps there might be another reason to them shutting down. Of course there are other means of downloading and installing pirated iOS apps on your iDevice, but Installous was known as being one of the more “professional” and user-friendly options out there.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iPhone 6 Tested By Apple?, US ITC Judge Recommends Import And Sales Ban Of Samsung Products,

Welcome to Friday evening everyone. The weekend is about to kick off, but luckily for us, it’s chosen to wait patiently while we recap the news. We heard today that the Samsung Galaxy S IV may ship in April with S-Pen functionality, which is exciting for all of us who love the Galaxy Note II. Speaking of the Galaxy Note II, we saw a leaked press shot of the handset in black today, while Instagram use was seen surging on iOS and Android but taking a hit on Facebook.

Samsung might be headed for a rather large fine ($15 billion to be exact) for trying to secure a ban on Apple products in Europe, and Apple dropped its infringement claims on the Galaxy S III Mini in the patent case against Samsung. One Android developer has unleashed a bunch of fake apps on the Google Play Store, so watch out for that, while Microsoft is trying to get the legions of iOS developers to start making apps for Windows Phone.

Crystal Dynamics confirmed that its upcoming Tomb Raider reboot will indeed have a multiplayer mode, and Microsoft’s Research lead announced that he will be retiring from the company in 2014. Quentin Tarantino was overheard suggesting that Killer Crow will be title of the third movie in his historical revenge trilogy, and we caught a glimpse of a handful of Apple prototypes from the 1980s. After this morning’s leak, more images of the Huawei Ascend Mate surfaced, while one analyst said that the iPad mini is proving to be a big hit over in China.

Fujitsu today said that it probably won’t meet its target for PC shipments in fiscal 2012 and blamed the miss on weak consumer demand for Windows 8, and Xbox Live cloud storage is currently down with Microsoft trying to implement a fix quickly. OneWed has arrived on iPad to give you ideas for your wedding, one very cool YouTube video is giving us a look at two Halo 4 armor abilities that were left on the cutting room floor, and Toyota has introduced its new 2013 Crown line in Japan. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, we hope you enjoy the weekend folks!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: December 28, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Both iOS and Android have a ton of apps to choose from — over 700,000 each, to be exact. However, Windows 8 and Windows RT aren’t quite there yet as far as having a rounded out app store. The Windows Store only has 100,000 apps available so far, but Microsoft is working hard to raise that number, to the point where they’re wooing iOS developers to build Windows apps.

According to MIT’s Technology Review, Microsoft invited a select group of iOS developers to the company’s headquarters to talk Windows apps. During the two-day meeting, Microsoft execs outlined how developers could create apps that meshed with its software for Windows PCs and tablets, and encouraged them to produce versions of their apps for the Windows Phone platform.

Microsoft hosted multiple development sessions over the two days in order to give developers a better grasp on how to make apps for the Windows Store. A Windows developer answered questions on stage, such as questions relating to design style, and the dos and don’ts to what developers can do with their Windows apps as far as functionality.

Some of the developers in attendance applauded Microsoft’s professionalism and the bold look of the new Windows platform. However, others questioned Microsoft’s decision to use one operating software for PCs, phones, and tablets, saying that writing apps for PCs, tablets, and smartphones is a “nightmare.” A lot of developers, though, turned out to be interested in making apps for Windows, especially since the Windows Store isn’t as clogged up as the iTunes App Store or Google Play store. It’ll only be a matter of time before we find out if Microsoft’s hard work is paying off.

[via Technology Review]

Microsoft enticing iOS developers to build apps for Windows is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.