Hasta La Gadget!

Making friends is hard. Apple knows this. In fact, the company outlined such difficulty in a newly surfaced patent, highlighting the sort of “long and awkward conversation” sometimes required to discover common interests. The patent application, filed back in late-2009, describes a location-based social network that helps users discover people in their vicinity, based on common interests like books, movies, and, naturally, music. Of course, Cupertino already dipped its toes in the social networking waters with the iTunes-based Ping, which, in spite of initial excitement, failed to really capture the imagination of Apple’s dedicated base. And this isn’t the first time the company has flirted with the idea of location-based social networking either, as a patent that surfaced halfway through last year can attest. The company has clearly learned its lesson with this one, however, and that lesson is: more drawings of women winking and references to Springsteen songs in the application process.

Apple patent application highlights location-based social networking, encourages intimate pinging originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Men have struggled for millennia to find the most immediate visual signifiers for their wealth and status. Adafruit Industries has now added to their list of choices with a set of iCufflinks that disposes with the metaphors and speaks of power literally — by featuring a pair of power buttons. It’s not enough to merely cast some Mac-inspired On / Off switches out of aluminum, however; Adafruit has also inserted LED lights within the iCufflinks, which can be programmed to pulsate to your chosen rhythm. Because keeping it classy and LEDs go so well together. If you’ve got $128 to splash out on a pair of eminently prestigious shirt adornments, the source link is where you’ll want to head. And keep an eye out for the upcoming necklace version — it’ll be available to suave ladies and gents everywhere in the summer.

Continue reading Adafruit’s iCufflinks pulsate with the power of your Mac love

Adafruit’s iCufflinks pulsate with the power of your Mac love originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 08:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a common problem, really. You crack open your app haven of choice, stumble around for a few moments, and back out in frustration — it’s yet another round of Angry Birds instead of toying with something new. If Yahoo has its way, said scenario will no longer be a part of your routine, with the company’s App Search wizardry aiming to nix the guesswork so often associated with finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. It’ll be available on the PC (and momentarily, for iPhone and Android platforms), and will differ from those other app search alternatives by providing an all-in-one place that combines description, price, overall star rating from users, and screenshots. It’ll also pester you with daily, personalized recommendations of the iPhone and Android apps you should consider based on the apps you’ve downloaded, but only if you’re into that kind of thing. Head on past the break for the full spill, and feel free to Ctrl+F for the good stuff.

Continue reading Yahoo App Search, AppSpot make sense of App Store and Android Market

Yahoo App Search, AppSpot make sense of App Store and Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Sync has pushed Gmail messages, calendar updates, and contacts to iOS since its launch in 2009, but this half-baked solution previously lacked some key functionality. Beginning today, users can finally perform mail server searches and confirm appointment requests from their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. This means that you’ll be able to search for messages in your entire mailbox, not just for emails stored on your device — a feature that first appeared with iPhone OS 3, but without Google Sync support. You can also respond to calendar invites from within the Calendar app. Fancy that! A third update brings support for sending messages from other addresses listed in your Gmail account, though only the first two features worked when we took Sync for a spin this afternoon. (Curiously, Google omitted a “Send Mail as” screenshot on its blog, so this last update may not actually be available yet.) This latest trio of updates is available for both gratis and Google Apps accounts, so head to the source link for set up instructions and the full feature rundown.

Google Sync adds mail server search, appointment confirmation to native iOS apps originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you thought iOS5 looked tasty on the iPhone, it’s downright mouth-watering on the iPad. Here’s a video guide of all of our favorite new features—including that split keyboard you’ve been dreaming about. More »