During Apple’s keynote event on Wednesday, the company confirmed iOS 6 release date for Wednesday, September 19th. With that, they also released the Golden Master (GM) version of iOS 6 to developers on Thursday, essentially finalizing the new software update for iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, 5, Fourth and fifth gen iPod touch, iPad 2 and 3.
Apple’s iOS 6 preview page mentions that the update is coming soon and the company gave an extensive preview of the software running on the new iPod touch 5G and the iPhone 5 during the music event. The sixth major release for iOS devices is aimed at introducing some new native apps such as Apple’s new Maps app, Passbook and other features are basically enhancements to existing features. With this release Apple has moved to completely get rid of it’s reliance on Google’s maps app and to provide it’s own turn-by-turn directions.
Some main features of iOS 6 include an entirely new Maps application with turn by turn navigation and FlyOver, a Passbook app for storing bank cards, boardpasses, Siri enhancements, and Facebook integration. iOS 6 will be available as a free download for users although not all features will work on all of the devices. iOS 6 will ship on the new iPhone 5 and the 5th generation iPod touch 5G.
{Via MacRumors}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/ios-6-release-date-19th-september-nears-apple-releases-golden-master-version/feed/ 3Apple released OS X Mountain Lion late last month after announcing the software update during the company’s annual WWDC conference. On Friday, reports on the web revealed that Apple seeded the first beta of 10.8 to developers, labeled as 10.8.1, and build number 12B13. The update is available from the Mac Developer Portal and according to Apple does not have any known issues.
According to 9to5Mac, Apple requested that developers focus on testing Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange in Mail, PAC Proxies in Safari, SMB, USB, and WiFi and Audio for the Thunderbolt Display. The download is only 38.54 MB and takes up 36.4MB of space on a Mac running Mountain Lion.
According to the report and developers, Facebook integration has yet to be included in OS X Mountain Lion with this update. As Apple works out the kinks in OS X Mountain Lion with each update, the company will likely begin to work on 10.8.2 as developers begin to report new issues with the update.
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-seeds-os-mountain-lion-1081-beta-developers/feed/ 2Earlier this week, a report from Bloomberg mentioned that Apple is likely integrating Yelp check ins directly into the Maps application. This would allow users to easily track their location in Maps and then check in to the restaurant or venue they go to, right away.
At this point, neither Yelp nor Apple have confirmed that this feature is in fact part of the Maps update in iOS 6. However, if Yelp Check-In is added to Maps, it can also be assumed that other features such as Facebook Places may become part of Maps with iOS-wide Facebook integration being one of the big features.
Other location services such as Foursquare can also be integrated, although Yelp is currently the only service rumored to be part of the redesigned Maps application in iOS 6. Yelp has been part of Siri on the iPhone 4S since its introduction last year and will expand to give more information on reviews, prices, and locations. With Yelp Check-In and Yelp on Siri, discovering new restaurants and venues will likely be simplified over voice commands.
The final public release of iOS 6 is expected to be released during the same October timeframe of the next generation iPhone 5, as both will likely be released together.
{Image Credit: 9to5Mac}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/ios-6-maps-reportedly-yelp-check-in-feature/feed/ 1On rare occasions I will tell you to go and grab a game immediately and then come back and read this review…….this is one of those occasions and to be honest what do you have to lose when all you’ll be spending is 99 cents on a universal app that will work on both your iPhone and iPad should you be lucky enough to have both.
You may be thinking, especially if you already have Asphalt 6, why should I even spend more money on the next version of Gamelofts arcade racer and the simple answer is this, it’s Bigger, Better, Faster and there’s more of it, so much in fact this review may only scratch the surface of all the features that are packed into this racing game.
If you have played any of Gamelofts games before then you will know what to expect when it comes to sound and graphics, and in Asphalt7 Heat they continue to lead the way a rainbow of electric lights that illuminate 15 different tracks from all around the world and with a pumping soundtrack the game is a dream to both see and hear.
There are four control options to choose from so you are bound to find one that suits your driving preferences, from using the accelerometer, on screen steering wheel or the screen itself the controls work very well, and you can also choose from auto or manual acceleration depending on your preference.
The quality of the controls are highlighted due to the fact that you can jump straight into Quick Play mode and start winning races immediately. Quick Race is just the beginning though, as the Career, Online and Multiplayer modes are where the real value comes in.
The Career Mode is spread over 13 cups each with 4 different races and these include normal races, elimination, knockdown, paint job and king of the hill which all offer slightly different variations on driving as fast as you can around the streets of the world.
As you work your way through the career mode you’ll have the ability to unlock and upgrade a great range of licensed cars, from a Mini Cooper S to the Shelby GT 500, from a BMW Z4 to the Lamborghini Countach and everything in between. There are 60 cars in total so there should be something for everyone.
The cars handle as well as you would expect for an arcade racer, the game relies heavily on drifting but this is relatively easy to control, early on at least, only when you start to unlock the bigger, faster cars does it get a little trickier, by the time you unlock them though you’ll be well practised, right?
Of course you don’t have to work through the game and earn your racing stripes to unlock all the flash cars, instead you can purchase your in game dollars by spending your hard earned dollars via in-app purchase but it’s well balanced, meaning that if you are willing to put the time in you can achieve your rewards without the need of spending above and beyond the original $1 outlay.
The online options are really where the game comes to life and it does this in two ways. First up is the online multi-player where you can race against your friends, and enemies, in any combination of race types and locations. The online mode works well, the games come thick and fast and there is relatively little slow down, it adds a whole new dimension to the gameplay that will keep you playing Asphalt 7 for a long time to come, or at least until Asphalt 8 comes out!
If you don’t want to want to race against people online in real time you can choose the weekly event that makes up the Asphalt Academy and see how far up the world rankings you can get.
With the game being a universal app it’s good to see that your progress can be transferred between devices. Asphalt Tracker allows you to transfer your progress between devices using either Facebook, or Gameloft’s own servers and while this isn’t quite as seamless as iCloud syncing would be it works and prevents you having to play the game twice across all of your devices.
Asphalt Tracker also enables you to send offline challenges to your friends via Gameloft which just adds more depth to an already deep game and that’s before mentioning the goals are Gameloft’s equivalent of GameCenter Achievements.
After all this eulogizing you’d think that perhaps I didn’t have anything bad to say about the game, that’s not the case. Asphalt 7’s all about social gaming and this takes the form of Facebook integration, the problem with this is though that between races and for every earned goal you are prompted to confirm whether or not you want to publicize the achievement and if you don’t want to bombard your Facebook newsfeed with your progress it can get a little frustrating.
If you’ve got this far and have not been simultaneously downloading Asphalt 7 on your iOS device you have permission to do so now!
[rating: 5/5]What we like
What to know
Apple introduced Siri with the introduction of the iPhone 4S last October. During the company’s WWDC keynote event, SVP of iOS Software Scott Forstall took the stage to announce new updates to the personal assistant, Siri, to be included in iOS 6. The software update includes improved features such as asking Siri for sports scores, history of college and professional sports teams, as well as stats, and detailed info on other professional athletes. It also provides up to the minute updates on live sports games.
With Siri on iOS 6 now being able to provide sports information, users will no longer have to go to websites to see updates and scores. Apple also improved on Siri’s abilities to access applications on the device, by allowing Siri to open applications via voice command. Upon a command, Siri does not pull up a menu or navigation menu of any sorts and instead, jumps directly into the app and begins to run it.
The Cupertino company also improved on Siri’s movie and restaurant search capabilities. With restaurant searches, Siri on iOS 6 utilizes data from Yelp, giving information on prices, and reviews and is also connected with OpenTable for quick reservations. Siri is also hooked up with Rotten Tomatoes for movies, giving users direct access to reviews of the movie and the option to watch the trailer without closing the queue. Siri can now also provide quick access to information about directors of movies, actors, actresses and a variety of other details.
Other features include Eyes Free and Facebook integration. Apple introduced Eyes Free by teaming up with a number of car companies to directly build Siri functionality into new models of their cars. The feature can be directly accessed via a button on the steering wheel and will not switch on the screen of the iPhone but will entirely operate through voice commands. Facebook integration operates similarly to Twitter on iOS 5 and allows users to post photos, web pages, and other forms of media through a pop-up menu anywhere in the OS. The company also released this feature as a public API to give developers the option to build this feature into their own apps.
Forstall introduced these updates, and following the explanation of all of the features, mentioned that Siri would now also be coming to the new iPad as well, following the public release of iOS 6 later this year. iOS 6 will be introduced later this year, during the same fall timeframe that the next generation iPhone is expected.
]]> https://touchreviews.net/ios-6-siri-updated-launch-apps-new-ipad/feed/ 3Apple’s annual WWDC keynote event will kick off today at 10:00AM as Tim Cook takes the stage to announce the company’s latest products and updates. During this years live keynote event Apple is widely expected to unveil iOS 6, new MacBook Pro models and provide an update on OS X Mountain Lion.
Touch Reviews will be bringing you the All-in-One live feed of the keynote so you can sit back and know what’s the latest without refreshing this page. iOS 6 is the sixth version of Apple’s mobile operating system and is expected to bring many new features and enhancements that could include, deep Facebook integration, updated Siri, iCloud feature update and much more.
While in 2011 Apple’s WWDC keynote event was all about software, this year the company is rumored to introduce new MacBook Pro models and for the first time bring ‘Retina Display’ to the MacBook product line. The new models have been speculated to have design similar to MacBook Air however, the next gen MacBook Pro models could see a significant price increase.
iOS devices contribute towards the largest chunk of Apple’s revenue share so it’s safe to assume that the focus of this years WWDC live keynote event will certainly be iOS 6. During All Things D’s D8 Conference Tim Cook gave subtle hints by saying “stay tuned” when he was questioned about Facebook integration and Siri. So, we can expect those two enhancements to certainly be a part of iOS 6.
You’ll be able to download and stream the keynote soon after the event. What are your expectations from this years event? Let us know in the comments section.
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]]> https://touchreviews.net/live-coverage-wwdc-2012-keynote-event-ios-6-new-macbook/feed/ 7Snood for iPhone [rating: 5/5]
Snood has been around since 1996 in various forms for many different platforms and has been an underground hit for puzzle fans everywhere while the more mainstream console version of the game, Puzzle Bobble and Bust a Move have also seen success on the major consoles. However, Snood is now available on the iPhone/iPod Touch so how does it handle the jump to the iconic handheld device?
Snood is a classic puzzle game, the game starts with a screen full of Snoods and the aim is to clear the screen by shooting more Snoods one at a time from the bottom of the screen to create chains of three or more of the same Snood. This sounds easy, and it can be if you choose an easy level, raise the difficulty up a couple of notches though or complete a couple of levels and you’ll need a sharp eye, quick reflexes and an accurate aim.
One of the most popular casual games of all time is now available for your iPhone™ and iPod touch®!
There are many different ways to play Snood and there are both single and multi player options. Looking at the single player options there is the Single Player mode which in real terms is just a series of cut scenes being interrupted by a few minutes of Snoodling. It’s fun for what it is but the storyline where you have to help the real Snoods defeat their nemesis the Numbskull Legion just seems to get in the way. Other single player modes include Classic, Time Attack and my favorite Puzzle Mode. In puzzle mode the Snoods are cleverly positioned over the playing area in such a way that any Snood that you shoot incorrectly could mess-up the whole level. Puzzle Mode really challenges your brain and your reflexes.
While this, along with the ability to unlock achievements, the cutesy upgraded graphics, (along with the original Snood graphics for the old school players, the ability to play your own tunes and the fast and furious game-play would be more than enough for most EA have really taken this game up a notch by adding Facebook integration too.
And this is not just a simple post your high-scores to Facebook integration but also allows you to challenge your Facebook friends to beat your score or actually play a live game of Snood directly against you. There’s also no need to worry whether or not your Facebook friends are online or not as with iPhone OS 3.0 notifications enabled Snood will notify fellow players that you have challenged them a game so that they can fire it up and face your challenge.
While the two player game is the same as the single player game it adds a whole new level of fun and intensity to the game as a picture in picture screenshot of your opponents screen is displayed in the bottom right hand corner of the screen allowing you to see the havoc you are causing on their screen as your clear your screen of Snoods.
When first playing this game I didn’t think I would enjoy it, partly because I thought my colorblindness would limit my ability to succeed in the game but also I thought the game was a one trick pony. How wrong I was, for while the game may be simple there is so much content bundled into the app you’ll find yourself repeatedly coming back for more.
It’s so good everyone should have a Snood in their pocket.
Touch Reviews Highly Recommends Snood for iPhone!
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed By: Craig Willis
Snood for iPhone Screenshots
You can also view the official Snood for iPhone trailer here.
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