Google Maps for iOS updates with Google Contacts, local search improvements

Google Maps for iOS received its first major update today. Google Contacts are now integrated into the app, so it’ll now show your contacts’ addresses on the map when you search for their name. Plus, local search results have been improved, allowing users to narrow down options by choosing from categories like restaurants, etc.

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What’s perhaps the best part about the new Google Contacts feature is that Google Maps will import your contacts’ addresses from your Google account, so there’s no need to keep the addresses stored on your iPhone. However, you will have to be signed into Google when using Google Maps in order for that particular feature to work.

The improved local search options include a section called “Nearby Places” where you can browse and discover new places that are near you. Categories consist of restaurants, bars, hotels, post offices, gas stations, and more. It can certainly be helpful in your hometown, but it can be an asset if you’re roaming around in unfamiliar territory.

Google Maps made its return to iOS back in December by releasing a completely native app. This came after Apple ditched Google Maps in favor of their own mapping solution when they released iOS 6 back in September. YouTube was also ditched, but Google quickly released their own YouTube app to make up for the loss.


Google Maps for iOS updates with Google Contacts, local search improvements is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

PSA: Chrome for iOS update crashes on jailbroken devices

Yesterday, Google released an update to its Chrome web browser for most of the major platforms, including Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. However, it appears that a lot of users have been experiencing crashing issues with the new update on iOS, including many of our readers, as well as myself. It turns out that the update doesn’t quite work well on jailbroken iDevices.

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According to Jay Freeman (a.k.a. Saurik, who operates the Cydia jailbreak store), the latest Chrome update for iOS adds “untested jailbreak-specific code,” and the only way to fix the crashing issue is to enable “send crash reports” in Settings. However, that’s not exactly possible when the app keeps crashing on its users.

Then again, you can change the setting by digging deep into your iOS device’s file system by navigating to Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Local State and changing the “reporting_enabled” option to “true.” Jailbreakers can use iFile or any other file explorer jailbreak app to get access to this setting. However, you do so at your own risk.

Google says they’ll be releasing an incremental update to fix this issue, but there’s currently no timeline as to when it will be released. Google also says that if you’re not comfortable with digging into the file system, you can uninstall and reinstall Chrome and then enable crash reporting, but there’s the chance you may lose data if you don’t use sync. However, some SlashGear readers have mentioned that reinstalling didn’t work for them, so your mileage may vary.


PSA: Chrome for iOS update crashes on jailbroken devices is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google Chrome updated on Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android

Today is a big day for Google’s Chrome web browser. It received an update on four major platforms, including Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. While Windows and Linux users aren’t getting huge updates for their versions of Chrome, both iOS and Android are getting their own new features that they’ll definitely enjoy.

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The Windows and Linux versions of Chrome are receiving mere security updates and bug fixes — nothing that you’ll probably get overly excited about. However, the Android version has optimized scrolling with an updated Javascript engine — perfect for smaller screens, according to Google, which mostly applies to older devices.

As for iOS, there are a couple of nifty new features that users will get a kick out of. Holding down on the back button will bring up the history tab, and will allow you to quickly access any page that’s stored in your history. Furthermore, you can also quickly share web pages through Messages on iOS.

Sadly, the iOS update of Chrome resulted in the app crashing every time I would start it up, so if you’re still on iOS 5.1.1, let this be a word of warning if you’re thinking about upgrading. Hopefully Google will soon release a smaller, incremental update to fix the bugs present in this big update, but for now I’m stuck with an unusable Chrome app.


Google Chrome updated on Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

YouTube for iOS updates with “send to TV” feature

The YouTube app for iOS updated today with a cool new feature that allows your iOS device to pair with a select number of smart TVs and set-top boxes in order to push videos from your device to the television. YouTube says it’s just another way they’re working to make it “super easy to watch YouTube on any screen.” The update is available now.

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As for what smart TVs and various other home theater devices that the YouTube app works with, the company says that it’s compatible with Bang & Olufsen, LG, Panasonic and Sony devices right now. However, companies such as Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, and Western Digital will add support later this year, with even more companies to add to the list later on as well.

So technically, you won’t need a smart TV, but a receiver or a set-top box will also do the trick. To get your TV and your mobile device synced up, just head into “Settings” and then tap on “Pair YouTube TV.” From there you’ll enter in the “Pairing Code” and the name you want to give the TV. To get the code, open up the YouTube app on your TV.

YouTube also announced that the app is available on over 400 million devices, and over 25% of YouTube’s video viewing comes from mobile devices. That’s technically not too surprising, though, as smartphones and tablets have been taking the world by storm lately, and video watching while on the go is becoming quite prevalent.


YouTube for iOS updates with “send to TV” feature is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Yelp for iOS updates with improved iPad business page, social features

Yelp updated its iOS app to even version 6.5, and it comes with a healthy amount of new features that users should enjoy. For starters, the business page on the iPad is streamlined with easier and quicker access to business hours, menu items, and phone numbers. The new update also makes the Yelp’s search more social by showing which of your friends are checked in to businesses right from the search results page.

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Business pages on the iPad also focus more on photos. Previously, only a few photos were visible on business pages, but now, even more show up on the page, giving users a better idea of the business’s atmosphere and environment. Plus, you can quickly browse through the photos using the new carousel view.

The updated app also now indicates if a business will be closing soon or if it’s just about to open, which is a nifty feature to have if you’re searching for a place either late at night or early in the morning. Yelp says that “getting to a restaurant just after closing is a major bummer,” so they’re looking to solve that issue with this new feature.

And of course, the update comes with “a TON of bug fixes and enhancements,” including showing your review first in the reviews list of a business, supporting updated reviews on iPad, the ability to swipe photos on a business page, as well as “huge speed improvements” on the iPhone 5. Yelp is a free download and the update is available now in the iTunes App Store.


Yelp for iOS updates with improved iPad business page, social features is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

MLB At Bat updates for the 2013 season

The MLB season is under way, with spring training beginning for all the teams, and to celebrate the start of the 2013 season, Major League Baseball has updated its At Bat app for the new season with cross-platform subscription support, sortable statistics, footage from classic games, and a lot more in this year’s version.

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The app is available on both Android and iOS devices, and it comes with new navigation features that makes it much easier to find your way around the app. iPhone users, however, will have a couple of exclusive features, including an improved video library that’s also searchable, and some customization features to the home screen.

As promised, though, MLB plans to bring the At Bat app to BlackBerry 10 devices soon — at least before the regular season officially starts which will be at the beginning of April. Plus, they plan to bring some more features to the app as the season gets under way. Users will also have access to a whole bunch of player and teams statistics to freshen up a bit before that heated debate with your group of friends.

The app is a free download, and it’ll give you access to all of these features mentioned above. However, if you want the full experience, including live game streams and radio, you’ll have to either pay $20 for the entire season, or pay $3 per month if you don’t want to get in for the entire year.


MLB At Bat updates for the 2013 season is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

iOS 6.1.3 update to fix lock screen vulnerability

Apple released iOS 6.1.2 a couple of days ago that fixed the annoying Microsoft Exchange bug plaguing numerous iOS devices. However, it didn’t address the recent lock screen exploit that allows nosy eyes to get a peek at your contacts and photos. However, iOS 6.1.3 beta 2 was just seeded to developers, and it looks like this update will fix the vulnerability.

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This is the third minor update to iOS 6.1 alone in just a few weeks, so it seems Apple is getting better at addressing issues in a quicker and more efficient manner. This latest release was just seeded to developers, and it’s actually the same update as iOS 6.1.1 beta 1, but is being rebranded as iOS 6.1.3 with a few more fixes added on, including the lock screen bug.

The update also includes several enhancements to the Apple Maps application for Japan users that we saw earlier this month. There’s no word on when the official iOS 6.1.3 update will roll out to all users, but it should be fairly soon. There’s also no word on whether or not this new update patches up the evasi0n jailbreak, so stay tuned for that.

The lock screen exploit that iOS 6.1.3 will fix allowed people who got a hold of your phone to bypass the lock screen and gain access to your contact list, as well as any photos stored on your iDevice. While the hack itself takes a bit of practice to learn, anybody could easily learn the trick to get a hold of your contacts.

[via 9to5Mac]


iOS 6.1.3 update to fix lock screen vulnerability is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Netflix for iOS updates with improved UI and zoom controls

Netflix pushed out a pretty significant update, which brings the streaming app up to an even version 3.0. The update includes an improved player user interface, where you can just tap to display the video titles if you’re using the app on the iPad. Netflix also brought the zoom control back, which allows you to watch shows in full screen.

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The app also has a slightly rearranged player as well, including better placement of the play/pause button, as well as the 10-second rewind button, both of which are on the left side at the bottom. We also want to say that the volume slider and playback slider are a little bigger, but that could just be our imagination playing mean tricks on us.

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The zoom control being brought back is certainly an interesting change that Netflix decided to change its mind on. They got rid of the feature in past updates, but brought it back this time around. While personally I never use the zoom button, some viewers enjoy switching between fullscreen mode and widescreen mode.

Netflix is a free download and the update is available now in the iTunes App Store. Of course, though, you’ll need a Netflix subscription to enjoy the app, which is $7.99 per month. Back in December, the PlayStation 3 was considered the number one device that Netflix users used, but it’s nice to see the streaming service give attention to other platforms as well with updates.


Netflix for iOS updates with improved UI and zoom controls is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Firefox 19 releases with built-in PDF viewer

The PDF file format is incredibly popular, and it’s almost always used when sending documents to someone over the internet. Mozilla recognizes the PDF’s ubiquity and has released Firefox 19 today, complete with a built-in PDF viewer. This allows users to skip the browser plug-ins altogether when opening up PDFs in Firefox.

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The built-in PDF viewer in Firefox is fairly interactive as well, and can do most of the basic stuff that external PDF readers are capable of, such as changing the size view, searching the document for certain words, viewing page thumbnails, printing PDF documents, saving the PDF to your computer, and even bookmarking it in Firefox for viewing later on.

Firefox 19 comes more than a month after Firefox 18, and this newest update also includes remote debugging, a handful of bug fixes, CSS improvements, as well as your general performance enhancements that are always welcomed. The PDF viewer is built on HTML5, so it’s fast and secure. However, there’s no pinch-to-zoom support on the Mac, which is a slight bummer. Hopefully they’ll add it in the future.

Of course, Google Chrome users have long been enjoying a built-in PDF viewer, so it actually took Mozilla a long time until they finally introduced the feature. Nonetheless, avid Firefox users (which seem to be dwindling in numbers lately), finally get to throw out those annoying PDF reader plug-ins for a handy default solution.


Firefox 19 releases with built-in PDF viewer is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple releases iOS 6.1.2 update to fix Exchange bug

As expected from last week, an update for iOS has been released today that fixes that annoying Exchange calendar bug that’s been plaguing a lot of users recently. iOS 6.1.2 should be rolling out now to all iOS 6.x devices, and the fix should also improve connectivity, as well as increase battery life.

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It’s not said whether or not this update fixes the lockscreen vulnerability that was discovered last week, but we’re guessing that Apple may have quietly put in a fix for that as well without mentioning it in the release notes for obvious reasons. The total update size is just a small 12.8 MB (the image above says 910 MB, but that’s simply because that specific device is still on iOS 5 and hasn’t upgraded to iOS 6 yet).

The Microsoft Exchange bug had led to many users reporting decreased battery life, as well as problems with network connectivity, which led to high amounts data and power consumption without a reasonable explanation. However, Apple has ended up fixing the issue today, just a week or so after it was discovered.

The update is available now through the Settings > Software Update section on your iOS device or by plugging it into iTunes and updating through your computer. It’s a targeted update, so it’s nothing too major, but if you’ve been having problems with Microsoft Exchange lately, the update will no doubt be a big one for you.


Apple releases iOS 6.1.2 update to fix Exchange bug is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.