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  • Top five discoveries in Apple's iOS 4.3 beta

    Apple isn't wasting any time getting to work this January after bringing the iPhone to Verizon earlier this week. The company released the first beta version of iOS 4.3 for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Apple TV on Wednesday night. The new version of iOS promises all kinds of new features such as AirPlay support for third-party applications, four- and five-finger multitouch gestures and the return of the iPad's screen orientation lock switch.

  • Windows 7 tablets are a terrible idea

    I keep hearing about Windows tablets. Steve Ballmer got up on stage with an HP slate at last year's CES, and nobody was particularly impressed. Now we're hearing rumors that he'll give it another shot this year, perhaps even revealing a bit about Windows 8 (I don't think that's likely, given that we don't expect Windows 8 to be released for almost two years). Redmond, if you're listening: stop it. Windows on tablets is a terrible, terrible idea.

  • Google demos Motorola Tablet running Android 3.0

    Android fans won't have to wait much longer to get their hands on an optimized version of Android for tablet devices. Andy Rubin, Google's vice president of engineering, debuted an early version of Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) running on a Motorola one-panel tablet device on Monday during the D: Dive Into Mobile Conference in San Francisco. The introduction of Honeycomb came shortly after Google launched Android OS 2.3 (Gingerbread) on the Samsung Nexus S.

  • iPhone and Android equally desirable, says Nielsen

    In the popularity contest between Android phones and the iPhone its tie. A Nielsen survey found even though Android phones are currently outselling the iPhone, potential phone buyers are equally likely to want either platform.

  • AirPlay's support for third-party apps may expand

    AirPlay, one of the main feature additions in iOS 4.2, could soon work with third-party apps and Safari, according to a purported Steve Jobs e-mail that a reader sent to the MacRumors blog. The e-mail suggests that in 2011 users will be able to stream video to their Apple TVs from third-party applications and the Safari browser.

  • iOS 4.3 release rumored for December

    Days after Apple released the iOS 4.2 software update for iPhones and iPads, another update to the OS is rumored to be arriving in December, together with News Corp's iPad-only news app. A corroborated report from Apple-centric blog MacStories claims that at some point in mid-December Apple will release iOS 4.3, which will enable publishers to charge for recurring subscriptions.

  • How to 'tether' your iPhone free without jailbreaking

    The solution I came to was to write my own "NetShare"-like app for personal use. After poking around the web for some jumping off points (and a tip from the developer of the controversial "Handy Light" app), I stumbled on a GitHub project called "iProxy". While it does not use true "tethering" (thus the quotation marks) but rather HTTP and SOCKS proxy, it turns out that is exactly what NetShare used.

  • Apple releases iOS 4.2

    Apple has just announced that iOS 4.2 will be available today for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users.

  • What not to do when designing your app

    The other night, I was using the Netflix app on my iPhone 4 and had a shocking revelation: this is one of the worst designed, "professional" apps I've ever seen. Yes, I can stream video over 3G. I can search for movies and manage my queue. In most areas of functionality, Netflix for iPhone delivers. It is relatively new and I'm sure a work in progress but as of the current version, it is a prime example of what not to do in terms of iOS app design. Here are some reasons why.

  • iOS 4 lock screen flaw grants access to contacts

    MacRumors reported today a security flaw in iOS 4.1 that would allow someone to bypass the 4-digit passcode lock in order to access the Phone app. While the home screen and other apps appear to remain secure, access to the Phone app is no small prize, granting the unauthorized user the ability to view or edit contacts and voicemails, as well as make non-emergency calls. You can also apparently start Voice Control to play music or *gasp* ask what time it is.

  • Apple TV Hackers Produce a Weather App

    Well, that didn't take long! Earlier this week,GeekTech reported that the new Apple TV can officially be hacked, and already an app has been tested on the device. A small software company named Nito TV posted an image onits Twitter feed displaying the Apple TV running a simple custom weather app.

  • iPhone 4, iPad, Android leap in business adoption

    Apple's iOS and Google's Android OS dominate the new non-BlackBerry installations in enterprises across the globe between July and September 2010, according to Good Technology's tally of what the mobility management vendor's customers are deploying. Good's mobile management tool is typically deployed in large businesses and government agencies, and so is a good proxy for overall enterprise adoption patterns. But it does not support RIM's BlackBerry or Hewlett-Packard's WebOS, so Good's results do not include data on those platforms' activations.

  • Apple iMac may add touchscreen, but beware the gorilla arm!

    We’ve been hearing about Apple’s alleged plans for touchscreen-equipped iMacs for months now, and the rumors continue to swirl. The latest gossip arrives courtesy Digitimes, a Taiwanese trade publication that’s a bountiful source of Apple-related scuttlebutt. So what's new? Display manufacturer Sintek Photonics has reportedly shipped samples of capacitive touch panels to Apple, which plans to incorporate the technology into the next generation of its iMac all-in-one desktops, Digitimes reports.

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