Hasta La Gadget!

In a relatively giant update for the Facebook app for all Apple iOS devices, the development team behind the mobile version of the social network have emphasized one thing above all else: speed. This update has the app rebuilt from the ground up, with those responsible for making sure the app is top-notch assuring users that this is indeed the best way to view the Facebook universe from your Apple device. This update also has a brand new banner to tap right in your most-viewed page for refresh of stories – news feed forever!

Facebook’s mobile representation has not yet been updated with these changes for Android or Windows Phone, but given the update schedule the developers have followed behind the scenes thus far, they’re probably not far off. This update also has users now able to get instant access to notifications – a slight upgrade if you’re otherwise less than impressed with the bit of lag otherwise in place.

Photos now open faster than ever and there’s a new gesture in play as well. Once you do open a photo in a gallery, you’ve only to swipe downward to make it minimize once more. Scrolling through your news feed has been made faster by a significant factor, and the whole application is just a bit swifter at loading media of all kinds.

Facebook is available for download or update – depending on your Facebook situation, of course – right this minute. This update came down for iOS just today, August 23, and should be available around the world throughout the day.

[via iTunes]

Facebook 5.0 hits iPhone and iPad is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Although they’re called hearing aids, they can sometimes be as much of a hindrance as a help. Catch an unfamiliar accent and the attention might be on just parsing the words, let alone moving the conversation forward. Apple is applying for a patent on a technique that would take the guesswork out of listening by smoothing out all the quirks. The proposed idea would convert speech to text and back, using the switch to remove any unusual pronunciation or too-quick talking before it reaches the listener’s ear. Not surprisingly for a company that makes phones and tablets, the hearing aid wouldn’t always have to do the heavy lifting, either: iOS devices could handle some of the on-the-fly conversion, and pre-recorded speech could receive advance treatment to speed up the process. We don’t know if Apple plans to use its learning in any kind of shipping product, although it’s undoubtedly been interested in the category before — and its ambitions of having iPhone-optimized hearing aids could well get a lift from technology that promises real understanding, not just a boost in volume.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables

Apple seeks patent for hearing aids that deliver speech at an even keel originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The next generation in Apple USB connector cables has appeared in a relatively clear photo presented to the world hoping for every detail they can get on the iPhone 5 – another piece of Apple hardware that’s not yet even been announced by the manufacturer. Rumors up to this point have converged on a new dock connector for the new iPhone, a newly improved iPad 3, and an iPad mini, each of them with the same port for a 16-pin cord. This cord appears to have two sides, each of them with 8 pins that are able to face upwards or downwards interchangeably.

The photo appears to show a scannable code for the USB connector end of the cord and a brand new (familiar) connector on its opposite end. This cord doesn’t appear to be a standard length, strangely enough, or it certainly doesn’t seem to match the length of the cords currently appearing in iPhone and iPad boxes in stores at this moment. Because of this, we’re going to go ahead and guess that this is a 3rd party component cord leaked from a manufacturer who has Apple’s plans well in advance of the final reveal.

Apple’s 30-pin connector is not restricted to construction by Apple alone at the moment, appearing in connection kits of all kinds across the Apple-loving accessory spectrum. You’re currently able to head out to your local department store and pick up a wide variety of 3rd party iPhone, iPad, and iPod connection cords, so a future cord made by a group other than Apple is certainly within the realm of possibility.

This cord’s abilities are as unconfirmed as the technology is in and of itself, but tips and rumors are abundant. What we’re assuming at the moment is that this cord will clip in to the device but with much less of a hard snap than the 30-pin connectors of the past. With this new technology presented by Apple, this cord will be much closer to the MagSave connectors currently working on the MacBook Pro – if you trip on the cord, it’ll pop out – that’s always been genius, and it’s high time Apple brought it in to their mobile device lineup.

Have a peek at our iPhone 5 portal for all the tips and rumors you could possibly want and head to the timeline below to see recent bits of news on the connector specifically – this one’s either one of the best hoaxes we’ve ever seen, or it’s verging on reality. Soon!

[via iLounge]

iPhone 5 mini dock USB cable photo leaked is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Maxthon has long since escaped the days when it was chiefly a customized version of Internet Explorer on the desktop, and nowhere is that more apparent than its just-launched version of the normally WebKit-based browser for the iPhone and iPod touch. All the core features of the app carry over from earlier Android and iPad versions, such as an Opera-like grid of favorite pages, a download manager and a unified address bar, but it’s arguably more useful than the iPad edition: conventional browser tabs aren’t coming to smaller-screened iOS devices in a future mobile Safari build anytime soon. Bookmark syncing and an optimized reading mode also persist to reduce the chance that Maxthon users drift back towards the official Apple browser, even after iOS 6 rolls around. With that all-important “free” price tag, there’s every reason to give it a try — let others know in the comments if Maxthon is enough to take precedence over comparable iOS alternatives like Chrome.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Maxthon web browser arrives in bite-sized form for iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It would appear that Apple is really, really interested in implementing fingerprint sensor technology with its devices. Last month, Apple announced that it had agreed to buy AuthenTec for $356 million, and today we’re getting a better idea of the events leading up to this purchase. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday (uncovered by The Next Web), Apple’s offer to purchase the company came when the iPhone maker decided it didn’t want to enter a commercial agreement with AuthenTec during talks of a licensing deal.

That wasn’t always the case, though. Apple and AuthenTec had been talking about a licensing deal for months before Apple came back with an offer to buy the company outright. The deal which was announced last month is still pending shareholder approval, but provided everything works out the way Apple is hoping (which it should), then AuthenTec will be wholly owned by Apple before long.

Now we know that this acquisition is the result of Apple wanting to begin using AuthenTec’s fingerprint sensor technology as quickly as possible. During licensing talks, AuthenTec was still entertaining offers from other companies, and it wasn’t long before Apple decided that an outright purchase was the best route for it to take. It isn’t hard to see why, either. Implementing fingerprint sensor technology on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad would make Apple’s line of products stand out from the competition in a big way.

It would also do a lot to put users’ minds at ease, during this time when device security is a high-profile issue. Apple has a lot gain from this deal with AuthenTec, so it’s no wonder that it wanted talks to progress as quickly as possible. AuthenTec’s share holders are getting a pretty good deal if they choose to allow an Apple buyout too – Apple is offering $8.00 per share, which is a 58% premium on AuthenTec’s stock price as of July 26 – so it seems like it won’t be long before we’re hearing that shareholders have approved the deal. After that, expect Apple to begin including fingerprint sensors in its devices and talking about it at every chance.

[via CNET]

Apple targets fingerprint scanners with incoming AuthenTec purchase is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.