Apple's iOS 7, announced earlier this week, brings a lot of changes to all areas of the operating system, and security is no exception. iOS 7, at least as much of it as has been publicly disclosed by Apple to date, includes a number of security-related enhancements, seeking not just to make your data more secure, but also make security more convenient.
We're a whole week removed from the Talk Mobile 2013 launch party in New York City. For those who were able to make it -- well, you know it was a bit of a rager, as the kids like to say. (And if they're not saying that, give it time. It'll catch on.) Just us and 600 of our closest smartphone nerd friends, men and women from all walks of life, coming together to hang out, have a couple beverages, swap a few smartphone stories, and talk about the first week of Talk Mobile 2013.
Our thanks to all who were able to make it out. It was awesome, you were awesome!
For those who weren't able to make it out, we present the above highlights video, plus a few photos below and a bunch more on Facebook (where you should have already Liked Talk Mobile) and Google+ (where Talk Mobile should already be in your circles).
One of the many new additions to iOS 7 is Control Center. Apple bills it as "quick access to the controls and apps you always seem to need right this second." There's plenty packed in there, too; a series of quick toggles for such things as WiFi and Bluetooth, quick brightness settings, music player controls, AirDrop, AirPlay and quick shortcuts to some of the stock apps and a flashlight. All of this is accessible anywhere within the OS with a simple swipe up from the bottom of the screen, so the quick access part is definitely correct. But, we want to know your thoughts on whether you think Control Center is really a useful addition to iOS?
I meant to publish this on Monday but I messed up and forgot to. Sorry about that. But it's the same every year. The iOS 7 beta is intended for developers to test for bugs and software compatibility. It's not intended to be an early release preview, or the daily driver for anyone's main phone. This year more than ever, iOS 7 is really beta. It's not done. It's not cooked. It's cool as hell but there's a reason there's a lineup at the Apple Store outside Moscone for iPod touches. Not even developers want to risk their main phone. (I don't have it on my main phone either.) So here's the deal...
First announced on Monday in the WWDC 2013 keynote, the iWork for iCloud beta is now live for registered developers to preview. Essentially, this is Apple's answer to Google Drive's online document editing tools, and promises almost the same experience as the desktop versions of the iWork apps.
iOS 7 is turbulence. It's change. That scares some people, and makes others hungry. It divides sentiment and reaction, and creates as much fear and noise as it does thoughtful analysis and future thinking. That iOS 7 in its current form had to be realized in under 8 months, that it involved designers at Apple outside the usual interactive team, and that the beta came in so hot the iPad version wasn't even ready, adds to the turbulence, and to the uneasy feeling that we're still in the midst of change rather than comfortably through it.
Reveal is a new debugging app by Itty Bitty Apps. It gives you the ability to inspect view elements and hierarchies in your iOS apps in realtime, providing a unique perspective to developers for debugging their apps.
In Mac OS X Mountain Lion, you can tie your actual Apple ID to your OS X user account fairly easily. In most cases, this will be your iCloud account. There are many good reasons to do this, but this biggest is that if you ever forget your desktop login password, you can reset it via your Apple ID leaving no need to use recovery mode to reset it.
Yahoo! just bought my favorite camera app for iOS, Kitcam, and removed it from the App Store. It's not the first time a great third party app has been been bought. Google has bought many apps, from the Slide apps to Nik Software apps (including Snapseed) to Sparrow. Facebook has bought Instagram, the Sofa apps, and Push Pop Press. Hell, Apple bought Siri and many others themselves. Not every third-party app that gets bought gets removed from the store, even if it's bought by Apple's biggest software competitor, Google, or an up-and-coming ones, like Facebook. (Yahoo! hasn't announced a mobile OS competitor, and may not be in the organizational shape to do so any time soon, but would be crazy not to have a project ongoing.)
This is why we can't have nice apps. And this is what Apple could do about it...
Rumors about Apple releasing iPhones with larger screens and multiple colors aren't anything new. This time Reuters is reporting that it could happen next year due to pressure from the market and rival handset makers, namely Samsung. According to Reuters, sources familiar with the matter say Apple could be looking at 4.7" and 5.7" models as well as up to 6 color choices instead of the standard black and white options.
