Iphone 3g

New to iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and trying to figure out how to change the default search engine to something other than Google? For many users Google is all but synonymous with search but if you prefer Yahoo! or Microsoft Bing, it's an easy change to make. And we'll show you how after the break!

The popular Google Mobile app has just received a major update and a complete name change too. The app will now be known simply as Google Search.

The update offers more ways to interact with the app using swipe gestures. Swiping down in a page will reveal the search bar whilst browsing. There is also a dedicated apps button for quick access to mobile versions of Google Apps. A new toolbar is available to filter search results; again a swipe is initiated to access this toolbar, left to right.

If you leave the app and come back later, you’ll be able to either start a new search by typing in the search box, hit the microphone button to do a voice search or tap on the camera icon to use Google Goggles. If you want to get back to exactly where you were before you left the app, you can simply tap the lower part of the page and it will be restored.

Google Goggles, Voice Search, My Location and Gmail have also all been improved in this new app. There is a short video after the break, demonstrating the new features.

[iTunes Link]

UK news paper, The Sunday Times is reporting that Jonathan Ive, the Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple, wants to return to the UK to live! Ive is the principal designer of the iMac, MacBook, unibody MacBook Pro, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

Ive supposedly wishes to commute to Cupertino from his home, which is based in Somerset, England, and the Apple board is not exactly thrilled by the idea. A friend of Ive’s family has allegedly confirmed the dispute and told The Sunday Times:

The New York Plaza hotel has turned to the iPad to offer guests a little extra comfort during their stay. The rollout was completed in January and gives guests access to a huge list of features.

Some of the features include ordering of room service, restaurant reservations, wake up calls, city guides, check airline schedules and even printing of boarding passes. The iPad can even control the rooms lighting, heating and air conditioning as well as offering guests’ access to the web. The hotel worked with developer Intelity who customised its ICE software (Interactive Customer Experience) to provide the experience.

“Before in the guest rooms, we had another digital panel that controlled the lights, the temperature and some guest services," Shane Krige, general manager of The Plaza explained to Luxist. "But it wasn't sophisticated enough for what we wanted to do. So we teamed up with Intelity to devise the software for the program.” "We chose the iPad because it is a great piece of equipment that is here to stay and won't disappear tomorrow," adds Krige. "It brings another five star element to the hotel."

The iPad will not replace the current concierge service, but is meant to offer guests more choice should they wish to use it. The app will also be available in iTunes for guests to download and use on their iPhone too. There is a video after the break showing how it works!

[Luxist]