Mar 10

Apple doubles down on in-app purchasing security in iOS 4.3, password now required

Posted in: Apple, ios, ipad, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, os, security, Today's Chili

As you might recall, a certain game was racking up credit card bills because of its in-app purchases — something which probably resulted in some angry parents (or as the folks in Finland say, “birds”). In Apple’s latest iOS update, a feature has been implemented that requires the user to input their password whenever an in-app purchase is made. Will this new security measure actually prevent those children from purchasing hundreds worth of virtual fruit? A big boon for grown-ups, a big downer for those who no longer have an excuse to explain their Smurfberry obsession.

Apple doubles down on in-app purchasing security in iOS 4.3, password now required originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 01:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 09

LookTel’s Money Reader iOS app helps the visually impaired count money

Posted in: Apple, ios, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, money, Today's Chili, video
We may not use cash as often as we once did, but there are still times when it comes in handy or is necessary, and that can pose some problems for the visually impaired. They now have one other possible solution courtesy of LookTel, however, which has just released its new Money Reader app for iOS devices. Using a “patented and proprietary object recognition technology,” it’s able to recognize paper bills (from $1 to $100) instantly, and simply speaks the value aloud. What’s more impressive, though, is that you don’t need to hold the bill steady in front of the camera, or even have the whole thing in the frame — even just thumbing through a stack will work. See for yourself in the video after the break, and hit up the App Store to grab it now for $1.99.

Continue reading LookTel’s Money Reader iOS app helps the visually impaired count money

LookTel’s Money Reader iOS app helps the visually impaired count money originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 19:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 09

Peel universal remote adapter for iOS now available, $99 buys you expensive Fruit

Posted in: Apple, ios, ipad, ipad 2, Ipad2, iPhone, ipod, ipod touch, IpodTouch, Today's Chili
Peel universal remote adapter for iOS now available, $99 buys you expensive Fruit

You know your product name is clever when not one but two companies go for it. Such is the name “Peel.” This offering we’re talking about is not the sort that turns an iPod into an iPhone, rather it’s the kind that turns an iPhone into a universal remote — though it’ll work with all the other iOS devices too. It’s a combination app and hardware that we’ve been tracking since last year, and now it’s up for order. The iOS app talks to a goofy shaped IR blaster, called the Fruit, which costs $99. The combination turns your mobile device into a Harmony-hunting universal remote, but a smarter one that not only knows how to turn on your TV but also how to tune it to the latest episode of Glee, apparently, since every promo shot seems to feature some bit of gleekery. The app is free now and the Fruit is up for purchase — though it’s currently showing as back ordered. Let’s hope it doesn’t spoil.

Peel universal remote adapter for iOS now available, $99 buys you expensive Fruit originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 09

Apple Releases iOS 4.3 for AT&T iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

Posted in: Apple, att, ios, ipad, iPhone, ipod touch, Phones, Today's Chili

iOS 4.3 adds a wireless hotspot option for the AT&T iPhone. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Apple this morning released a software update for its mobile operating system, introducing a wireless hotspot feature for AT&T iPhones, a faster Safari browser and expanded AirPlay video streaming, among other features.

The Verizon iPhone 4 gets the shaft, as the update is not yet available for the device.

The free update requires plugging iDevice into a computer and clicking the Update button in iTunes. Wired.com recommends syncing your device to back it up, because the update requires restoring the software to factory settings before installing it.

Wired.com previously covered the new features of iOS 4.3. Most significantly, the update includes a faster JavaScript-rendering engine for Safari, meaning JavaScript-heavy websites will work much faster than before. Also, the AT&T iPhone can now be turned into a wireless hotspot that can be shared with up to five devices, similar to the hotspot tool that shipped with the Verizon iPhone.

Other minor changes for the iPad include:

  • Bigger spacebar on the virtual keyboard
  • Resurrection of the physical lock switch for screen orientation
  • A new Events mode when playing slideshows of your photo roll
  • Expanded AirPlay support, so you can now stream video playing in third-party apps or Safari to the Apple TV.
  • Push notifications and parental controls for Ping

And other minor changes for the AT&T iPhone and iPod Touch include:

  • A streamlined Location Services menu to enable or disable geotracking inside apps.
  • Expanded AirPlay support, so you can now stream video playing in third-party apps or Safari to the Apple TV.
  • Push notifications and parental controls for Ping

The Verizon iPhone isn’t missing out on much, as it can already be turned into a wireless hotspot. However, Verizon iPhone owners who have an Apple TV 2 may be annoyed that they’ll have to wait for the expanded AirPlay support.

It’s unclear when the Verizon iPhone will get iOS 4.3. An Apple representative told ArsTechnica that it wouldn’t be happening anytime soon because the product had just launched, but that the OS versions will probably converge in the future.


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Mar 09

Apple releases iOS 4.3

Posted in: Apple, breaking news, ios, ipad, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, Today's Chili
Well, it’s not March 11th, but you can now download iOS 4.3 for you iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (most of them, anyway). That, of course, brings with it mobile hotspot functionality for iPhones, along with a variety of new AirPlay features, a new and improved version of Safari, and a number of other more minor improvements and fixes (like an option to control how your iPad’s side switch behaves). We’re already busy testing it out ourselves and will report back on what we find, but you can feel free to leave your own first impressions in the comments below in the meantime — Apple’s complete list of what’s included in the update is after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Apple releases iOS 4.3

Apple releases iOS 4.3 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 08

Apple’s iOS Update Speeds Web Browsing, Expands AirPlay

Posted in: airplay, Apple, ios, ipad, iPhone, ipod touch, operating system, Phones, Today's Chili

The iPhone's multitasking drawer contains a playback widget for controlling audio apps. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

The next operating system upgrade for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad is landing sometime this week, and customers can look forward to major improvements in Safari performance and AirPlay media streaming.

Wired.com reported on most of the changes in iOS 4.3 when the beta released January. The newest additions that Apple announced last week included a significant speed boost to the Safari web browser, using the new Nitro JavaScript engine, which should make JavaScript run twice as fast.

Additionally, the AirPlay streaming feature has been expanded so that you can stream video played inside Safari or a third-party app to an Apple TV. Previously, AirPlay video streaming was limited to the Videos app on the iPad.

Wired.com got an early look at the iOS 4.3 gold master (usually the official version that ships), and it’s pretty slick.

Benchmark tests Wired.com ran using SunSpider showed a significant speed boost in Safari’s JavaScript performance between iOS 4.2 and iOS 4.3.

An iPhone 4 running iOS 4.3 completed the test in 4,340 milliseconds, and an iPhone 4 running iOS 4.2 completed the same test in 10,626.4 milliseconds (fewer milliseconds is better). That makes iOS 4.3 about 59 percent faster than iOS 4.2 with JavaScript rendering. (See below the jump for the full benchmark results.)

So when iOS 4.3 ships this week, iPad 2 owners won’t be the only people getting a big speed boost. A significant increase in JavaScript performance means web browsing on JavaScript-heavy sites such as Google’s mobile apps (Voice, Docs and Reader), Facebook and others should be zippier.

As for AirPlay, I used an iPhone 4 to play a YouTube video and was able to hit the AirPlay button to send it to straight to the Apple TV 2. Being able to AirPlay YouTube is pretty nifty, because using the Apple TV’s remote control to browse YouTube is a huge pain in the rear; it’s much easier to search for YouTube clips using the iPhone. iOS 4.3’s expanded AirPlay support will be a nice addition for anyone with the new Apple TV.

The iOS 4.3 is due out sometime this week, possibly as soon as Wednesday, according to well-sourced Apple blogger Jim Dalrymple.

SunSpider results on iOS 4.2
============================================
RESULTS (means and 95% confidence intervals)
——————————————–
Total: 10626.4ms +/- 6.8%
——————————————–

3d: 1437.6ms +/- 6.8%
cube: 443.0ms +/- 14.8%
morph: 534.6ms +/- 5.3%
raytrace: 460.0ms +/- 2.0%

access: 1635.8ms +/- 33.6%
binary-trees: 146.2ms +/- 5.8%
fannkuch: 671.2ms +/- 0.6%
nbody: 429.6ms +/- 32.4%
nsieve: 388.8ms +/- 106.4%

bitops: 877.0ms +/- 0.5%
3bit-bits-in-byte: 180.8ms +/- 0.8%
bits-in-byte: 185.2ms +/- 2.7%
bitwise-and: 163.2ms +/- 0.6%
nsieve-bits: 347.8ms +/- 0.5%

controlflow: 143.0ms +/- 1.1%
recursive: 143.0ms +/- 1.1%

crypto: 643.6ms +/- 2.9%
aes: 295.0ms +/- 2.8%
md5: 163.6ms +/- 1.2%
sha1: 185.0ms +/- 11.1%

date: 744.8ms +/- 3.3%
format-tofte: 377.2ms +/- 3.5%
format-xparb: 367.6ms +/- 3.1%

math: 1134.6ms +/- 0.9%
cordic: 425.6ms +/- 1.7%
partial-sums: 372.0ms +/- 0.6%
spectral-norm: 337.0ms +/- 2.6%

regexp: 1444.8ms +/- 1.1%
dna: 1444.8ms +/- 1.1%

string: 2565.2ms +/- 21.6%
base64: 355.8ms +/- 4.3%
fasta: 422.0ms +/- 15.0%
tagcloud: 458.6ms +/- 18.8%
unpack-code: 744.8ms +/- 5.6%
validate-input: 584.0ms +/- 70.2%

====

SunSpider results on iOS 4.3

============================================
RESULTS (means and 95% confidence intervals)
——————————————–
Total: 4340.1ms +/- 0.7%
——————————————–

3d: 557.6ms +/- 1.6%
cube: 213.5ms +/- 3.4%
morph: 136.0ms +/- 0.9%
raytrace: 208.1ms +/- 0.7%

access: 497.2ms +/- 2.4%
binary-trees: 122.2ms +/- 3.3%
fannkuch: 138.7ms +/- 3.0%
nbody: 164.2ms +/- 4.7%
nsieve: 72.1ms +/- 2.1%

bitops: 219.2ms +/- 2.2%
3bit-bits-in-byte: 28.9ms +/- 10.4%
bits-in-byte: 53.6ms +/- 2.3%
bitwise-and: 64.5ms +/- 3.3%
nsieve-bits: 72.2ms +/- 2.3%

controlflow: 25.7ms +/- 4.4%
recursive: 25.7ms +/- 4.4%

crypto: 246.7ms +/- 0.5%
aes: 147.1ms +/- 0.4%
md5: 58.5ms +/- 1.7%
sha1: 41.1ms +/- 2.2%

date: 588.8ms +/- 4.2%
format-tofte: 277.3ms +/- 0.9%
format-xparb: 311.5ms +/- 7.2%

math: 462.2ms +/- 1.1%
cordic: 167.2ms +/- 0.8%
partial-sums: 206.6ms +/- 2.8%
spectral-norm: 88.4ms +/- 1.2%

regexp: 115.4ms +/- 3.5%
dna: 115.4ms +/- 3.5%

string: 1627.3ms +/- 0.9%
base64: 226.3ms +/- 3.2%
fasta: 227.8ms +/- 0.8%
tagcloud: 310.8ms +/- 0.8%
unpack-code: 554.2ms +/- 0.3%
validate-input: 308.2ms +/- 1.9%


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Mar 08

JBL’s On Air Wireless AirPlay speaker dock gets official, unavailable to purchase

Posted in: airplay, Apple, charger, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, LCD, radio, speaker, speakers, Today's Chili

When we first peeked this AirPlay-enabled speaker dock, we were admittedly excited to see how things would turn out after it made rounds through the FCC. JBL just tossed up the splash page for the On Air Wireless speaker and we’ve gotta say — it looks to be a promising means of streaming your jams. The system connects wirelessly to your AirPlay-enabled Mac and iOS device on 4.2 or later and packs a screen that’ll display the track info of the song you’re rocking out to. What’s more, the rounded grill sports a dual alarm clock, FM radio, and a USB port for future firmware updates. As you might have surmised by now, the dock is not yet available for purchase and there’s no word on price. If you’re interested, though, be sure to hit the source link, sign up for more info and get ready to headbang this spring.

JBL’s On Air Wireless AirPlay speaker dock gets official, unavailable to purchase originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 07:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 05

Redpark Console Cable gives iDevices an RJ-45 connector, not Ethernet access

Posted in: adapter, Apple, cable, cisco, ipad, ipad 2, Ipad2, ipod, ipod touch, IpodTouch, Today's Chili

Ever find yourself wishing your iPad iPad 2 was free from the fickle whims of wireless internet connections? Neither do we — but, if you’re the cable-dependent type, your prayers may not go unanswered for much longer. Redpark (who gave the iPhone an RJ-11 dongle) has created the Console Cable with the ubiquitous 30-pin Apple connector on one end and an RJ-45 plug on the other. The $69 device is used in conjunction with a $9.99 Get Console app to allow Cisco engineers to use their iDevice of choice to perform maintenance out in the field. Cable and app are exclusively compatible with Cisco devices, however, so no Ethernet on the iPhone… yet. It’s only a matter of time before someone makes it happen — your move, hackers.

Redpark Console Cable gives iDevices an RJ-45 connector, not Ethernet access originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 04

CBS & Turner Sports are streaming all the March Madness games to PCs, iPhones & iPads for free

Posted in: app, Apple, ios, ipad, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, Sports, streaming video, StreamingVideo, Today's Chili, video

Every year CBS has enhanced its March Madness On Demand experience, from HD VOD on cable boxes to HD streaming on PCs before adding PiP and paid mobile access last year. For 2011, a new deal has brought in Turner Sports to not only provide enough channels to air all the games in high definition (we figure you’ll find CBS, TNT and TBS on the channel guide with no problem, but with some of the games diverted to lesser known TruTV HD check the HDSportsGuide link below to see if it’s in your area yet) but also expand the streaming experience by promising higher quality video, personalized channel lineup and social tie ins. If you’re on the go, the mobile client for iOS devices (sorry, no Android or other mobile OSes) is free this year so you can keep that fiver in your pocket this time. There’s another pic of the iPad client, a video trailer and all sorts of details waiting after the break, so click through to find out more or just wait for the free apps to hit iTunes March 10th.

Continue reading CBS & Turner Sports are streaming all the March Madness games to PCs, iPhones & iPads for free

CBS & Turner Sports are streaming all the March Madness games to PCs, iPhones & iPads for free originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 03

Apple iOS 4.3 GM available now to developers

Posted in: Apple, ios, ipad, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, Today's Chili
That’s right, kids! The Golden Master version of iOS 4.3 has become available — it’s seeding as we speak. If you do any development on the iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, and you’re ready to get to partake in (or even dev for) all the new AirPlay and Personal Hotspot capabilities (for starters), you know where to go. As for the rest of us, we guess we’ll have to wait until the OS gets its official release on March 11. By the way, there’s no word of an OS update for Apple TV yet. Sorry, kids. That’s what they call “tough love.”

[Thanks, Gregg!]

Apple iOS 4.3 GM available now to developers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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