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Showing posts with the label ios

PhotoFast i-FlashDrive does USB on one end, 30-pin dock connector on the other

Apple's iOS devices may lack native memory expansion, but PhotoFast has now come up with solution that just about bests the official camera connection kit. What you're looking at here is the i-FlashDrive, a memory dongle that sports both a USB plug and an Apple 30-pin dock connector, and it comes in three flavors starting from 8GB at $95 up to 32GB at $180. What's more, the drive also works with a free Cupertino-approved app that provides both external  and  internal file management (for music, photos, movies, and more), contact backup, and native MP3 playback. Want one? Then head over to Taiwan for a mid or late June launch, or watch out for its US debut shortly afterwards. Demo video after the break. PhotoFast i-FlashDrive does USB on one end, dock connector on the other Stone Ip

iTunes leak suggests 'Automatic Download' over-the-air updates are coming in iOS 5

In the lead-up to this year's WWDC, we so far know three things for sure: Apple will unveil OS X Lion,iCloud, and... automatic, over-the-air app updates for iOS 5, apparently. While searching for updates in iTunes, a  MacRumors  reader stumbled upon this page, which alludes to an "Automatic Download" feature that allows for wireless syncing. Also, the fact that Apple went out of its way to say "...if your device has Automatic Download enabled for apps" makes us wonder what else we'll soon be able to update over the air. The company has since pulled the tattletale page in iTunes, but  MacRumors  grabbed a screenshot while it was still live. Looks like the cat's out of the bag, but we'll let you know when Jobs & Co. make it official on Monday. MacRumors

MobileNotifier dev snapped up by Apple to work on iOS framework?

We said that MobileNotifier unobtrusive notifications might be the single best reason to jailbreak your iOS device, and it sounds like Apple may agree --  Redmond Pie  reports that lead developer Peter Hajas has been spirited away by the Cupertino computer company to work on iOS itself. Hajas wrote that he was taking a break from MobileNotifier, and some newfangled detective work dug up the rest -- a thinly-veiled reference to Steve Jobs, a tweet mentioning a California "fruit" company, and finally an alleged screenshot of Hajas' entry in Apple's employee database. We're feeling slightly bittersweet about the whole thing, to tell the truth, as while we'd rather not have to smash our iPhone chains, the notion that this is all happening  now  suggests we  won't  see greatly improved notifications in iOS 5, come Monday.  Redmond Pie

Podcasts down in iTunes desktop store (update: it's back!)

Want to download the latest Engadget Show from the iTunes Store on your Mac or PC? Well, you probably can't -- right now, at least. That section appears to be down for most of us at the moment, with the Podcasts tab presenting a "not enough memory available" error message on each click. We've confirmed the error on iTunes 10.2.1 and 10.2.2.12 -- the latest version -- and aren't able to get past the home page. We're sure Cupertino is working on a fix, but you may need to put your podcast obsession on hold, or jump on your iOS device for all that tech talk in the meantime. Update:  We're also unable to download apps from both the Mac and iOS App Stores. After clicking to download an app in iOS, it appears on the home screen briefly, then disappears. We're also prompted to re-enter passwords with each attempt, so this may be related to an authentication issue. Jump past the break for the App Store error. Update 2:  The outage extends to all iTunes St...

Apple wants to make your calendar sensitive to location and traffic, get you there on time

As Apple rushed to allay privacy concerns over its handling of location data, it also let slip that it was working on a "crowd-sourced traffic database". Now a patent application dating from 2009 has been made public which suggests Apple is thinking of this technology not merely as an add-on to iOS Maps, but as something which could feed into other areas such as calendars and alarms. The implicit suggestion is that if Apple can figure out how long it will take you to get from A to B, then it should be able to adjust your appointments to make sure you get there on time without having to go on a rampage. Until then, if everyone just stays out of the way, then no one will get hurt. Apple Insider USPTO

Apple camera patent could stop smartphone bootleggers in their tracks

Apple is always filing patents for strange and fantastic things that never seem to find their way into actual products. But an application published today details some interesting tech that we could actually see getting jammed into a future iPhone (for better or worse). By pairing an infrared sensor with the camera already on board, portable devices could receive data from transmitters placed, well, wherever. Beyond simply blasting out text and opening links like a glorified QR code, transmitters could disable certain features, such as the camera, to prevent recording at movie theaters and music venues. If completely shutting off the cam seems a bit heavy-handed, watermarks can also be applied to photos identifying businesses or copyrighted content. Some potential uses are a little less Big Brother, like museums beaming information about exhibits to a user's or launching an audio tour. Obviously third parties would have to get behind the IR push ...

Kingston Wi-Drive wireless storage for iOS preview (video)

Thinking about upgrading your iPad or iPhone just to add more storage for videos, photos and music?Kingston hopes to save the day with its Wi-Drive, a WiFi-enabled battery-powered storage device designed exclusively for use with iOS. Several factors make the pocket-sized device a tough sell, however, including its cost ($130 for 16GB, $175 for 32GB), and the fact that this otherwise clever content sharing contraption adds yet another gadget to your already crowded portable mix. We'd probably save up for a new, higher-capacity device before accessorizing our old gadgets, but a compact media server does seem like the perfect companion for a road trip, serving up HD videos and other content simultaneously to multiple devices using the free iOS app. This is strictly a content server -- while you can move move content off the drive and later transfer it back, there's no backup tool included, and Kingston says we shouldn't expect one in the future, either. Click past the break f...

Apple to unveil iCloud, iOS 5 on Monday, June 6

Had some doubts that Apple was heading skyward? Those lingering concerns can now be put to rest. Apple has confirmed that it will be announcing iCloud on June 6th, what it's calling an "upcoming cloud services offering." That will be part of the keynote for this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, known to the cool kids as WWDC. This is, of course, where everyone has come to expect new iPhones to come to light, but this year we're thinking the focus will be more on software, and indeed Apple's event notice indicates that the big highlights will be Mac OS X Lion and the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 5. This is a decidedly non-Apple way to announce something big like iCloud, making us wonder what other surprises Steve Jobs will have for us at the event -- yes, he'll be kicking things off. Apple

Apple brings iWork to iPhone and iPod touch

It's been available on the iPad since that device launched, and now Apple has finally brought its iWorksuite of productivity apps to the iPhone and iPod touch. That, of course, includes Keynote, Pages and Numbers, which are all now universal apps that run the same $9.99 apiece as their iPad-only predecessors -- current users can simply upgrade for free, thankfully. Keynote ,  Pages ,  Numbers

BlackBerry finally sees competition within US government

Despite our commander-in-chief's seemingly undying allegiance to BlackBerry, it looks like the federal government could be ready to make a break from RIM. According to a  Washington Post  article published yesterday, a number of agencies within the federal government are questioning their attachment to the standard-issue BlackBerry devices, and allowing government employees to bring in their own preferred methods of communication -- among other things,Congress now allows the use of iPads and iPhones on the House floor and use of BlackBerrys at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has dropped from 1,000 to 700 in the past year. What's more, the General Services Administration is currently shifting 17,000 employees to Gmail, a move it says could reduce expenses by 50 percent in the next five years. Likewise, the USDA will also move its email services to the cloud with Microsoft's services, claiming $6 million in annual savings. Now, we doubt Obama's going to...

Switched On: Devices designed to disrupt

Industry conferences that include competitions among scores of startups generally don't look too kindly upon companies producing hardware. Nonetheless, there were quite a few physical products shown off this week at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York. These were either the main offering of companies or complements to their service offering, and judging by their demo platform of choice, the iPhone appears to be a leading agent of disruption -- the companies introducing hardware used Apple's handset to do everything from avoiding stress to measuring its biological impact. Switched On will introduce four such products after the break. CarKit by Getaround.  Disrupt Cup winner Getaround is a peer-to-peer car rental competitor to Zipcar et al, and the vehicular counterpart to Airbnb. One way it hopes to get a leg up on its competitor RelayRides is with a user-installable CarKit that combines GPS, WiFi and a remote keyless entry solution. The idea is that prospective renters can ...

Lodsys shifts in-app purchasing target to Android devs following Apple response

We figured Apple's firm response to Lodsys earlier this week regarding its claims against iOS devs would prompt the patent holder to move on to its next target, and sure enough, it looks as if said target has been selected. Unfortunately, a group of Android app devs have now found themselves in the Texas-based company's crosshairs, which is citing the same patent infringement that Apple recently addressed, relating specifically to in-app upgrade purchases. As was the case with the last round of letters, Lodsys is demanding licensing fees from small, individual developers, who don't have the resources to fight back. Lodsys appears to be maintaining its trend of ignoring media requests, so we're keeping an eye on the patent troll's blog to see if anyone comes up to the surface to defend this latest round of allegations. In the meantime, plugging your ears while humming and ignoring the mailman might not be such a bad idea... you know, if you do this kind of ...

WatchESPN app upgraded for iPad, still restricted to just a few TV providers

The free WatchESPN app that lets users tune into the family sports channels (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com) has been upgraded to version 1.1 on iOS (also available for Android) and in the process added a new UI designed just for the iPad. It sports a new tablet friendly UI, but the key restriction is still that you need to subscribe to Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks or Verizon FiOS TV to make use of the service. If you don't have one of those and need a quick hit of sports TV without your TV, there is an account preview option that gives a few hours of viewing, no authentication necessary. You can download it yourself at the iTunes link below or check out the commercial embedded after the break.

New Signal Process introduces BreakOut Stereo and Stomp for the most serious of iOS musicians

If your iPad or iPhone is set to play a starring role at your next, sold-out concert, you may want to check out two new, iOS-friendly interfaces from New Signal Process. Pictured above is NSP's BreakOut Stomp -- a die cast aluminum-encased pedal that promises to transmit guitar signals to and from your iDevice, without any unwanted distortions or detection interference. All you have to do is slide the stompbox into your pedal board, hook it up to your iPhone's headphone jack and fire up your favorite recording or mixing apps. Whereas the stomp was designed with guitarists in mind, the recently unveiled BreakOut Stereo is geared more toward the DJ demographic. The device offers essentially the same iOS-interfacing capabilities of its pedal-based counterpart, serving as a portable conduit between an iPad and an amp or tabletop unit. Boasting two mono output jacks, this little guy can also be used with guitars, mics or mixing boards and is durable enough to surviv...

AirStash wireless flash drive (and iOS app) review

We love ourselves extra storage as much as the next guy, and we also happen to hate cables as much the next guy, so whenever a device promises some extra wiggle room with no strings attached, we're all ears. The AirStash is a wireless flash drive that lets you expand the capacity of your mobile device up to 32GB at a time through swappable SD cards, freeing up local storage for apps and the like. We first got our paws on one back at CES, but now that it's a shipping product and has a finalized iOS app, we gave it a quick shakedown as promised to see whether this gadget is worth dipping into your personal stash for. AirStash Wireless Flash Drive The AirStash is much like the Seagate GoFlex Satellite hard drive we reviewed earlier this month, but unlike the GoFlex this is a BYO storage affair. It's essentially an SD card reader that creates its own WiFi network, enabling you to access the content on whichever card is inserted as long as you're connected to the...