Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve heard plenty of you are receiving various error messages while attempting to install iOS 5, and some of us haven’t had much luck either. But have you been able to upgrade? Let us know in the poll below, and jump past the break to sound off in the comments.

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Poll: Have you upgraded to iOS 5? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now well into its fifth year of life, iOS has always been known for its exceptional polish — and also, its glaring feature holes. But, just like clockwork, each year since its 2007 debut, those shortcomings have been addressed one by one in a sweeping annual update. In 2008, the platform was opened up to developers giving us the App Store, 2009 saw the introduction of copy and paste — which we’d argue is still the best implementation to date — and last year “multitasking” finally made a presence. So what has Apple chosen to rectify in 2011? Well, for starters, notifications gets a complete overhaul with Notification Center, tethered syncing dies at the hands of iCloud and messaging gets a do-over with the birth of iMessage.

If you recall, we first got acquainted with iOS 5 in May after downloading the developer preview, but how does the final release stack up? And does it have the chops to compete with the latest from Mountain View and Redmond? After drudging through seven betas, we’re ready to conquer all that the final release has to offer, so join us, if you would, past the break.

Continue reading iOS 5 review

iOS 5 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Four players with their own iDevice combined into one split-screen view via AirPlay

This is pretty awesome. The already great Real Racing is about to get “Party Play.” Party Play lets up to four people play the game on their iOS device, and all four of their views can be combined in a split-screen view on your TV via AirPlay.

Party Play is the next step on from AirPlay video mirroring (also coming in the next update). Any AirPlay-capable device can be used to join in, but at least one of them has to have an A5 chip inside to do the heavy lifting. This means an iPad 2 or iPhone 4S.

Aside from making a great way for non-players in the room to follow along, and to sneakily peek at what your opponents are up to, you can also switch to a map view on the iDevice’s screen and use the big-screen view for actual playing. It’s a little like the one-player split-screen view in the original Super Mario Kart.

Party Play will be added to Real Racing in the “next major update.” Now might be a good time to get out and make some friends.

iPhone 4S: Massive Real Racing 2 update featuring Party Play [Firemint]

See Also:

• 15 iPad Apps You Should Download Today
• The Hidden Secrets of Apple's AirPlay
• AirPlay Can Stream to Apple TV From Any iOS App – Not Just …
• AirPlay App Projects iPhone Browser Onto Your TV

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Believe it or not, it was way back at CES that we first caught an in-person glimpse of iHome’s flagship AirPlay-enabled audio system — a guy dubbed iW1. We’ve seen a steady trickle of AirPlay devices announced in the time since, but the iW1’s been one of the earliest to splash down for the fall season. Priced at a moderate $300, it’s a potential option for A) those who aren’t keen on smacking down at least double the Benjamins for systems like the B&W Zeppelin Air or Libratone’s Live or B) an alternative to other wireless systems like the similarly priced Sonos Play:3.

Despite the iW1’s low(ish) cost of adoption, though, it’s packed with a bevy of tantalizing features (including app support, capacitive controls and a rechargeable battery), and a classy appearance, to boot. We put this modern-age boom box through its sound-reproducing paces for the past few weeks (much to our neighbors dismay). So, if you want to find out whether or not the iHome iW1 will pack a bang for your buck, hit that “read more” link below for our full review.

Gallery: iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless audio system review

Continue reading iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless audio system review

iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless audio system review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pioneer’s two new iPod docks allow wireless playback of anything that’s Airplay-ready, as well as basically anything connected to Wi-Fi. The tabletop-sized Pioneer X-SMC3-S Music Tap and X-SMC4-K Elite Music Tap are flexible little music systems. More »