Earlier 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}

Rumors of Apple abandoning Google Maps in iOS 6 have been around for quite some time, however, Google recently announced an event to discuss the next dimension of their Google Maps design.

In a report from 9to5Google, it was revealed that Google is looking to unveil “The Next Dimension of Google Maps”, only about a week prior to Apple’s own WWDC 2012 keynote event, where they are expected to release the details on the next version of its iOS platform.

At this invitation-only press gathering, Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps and Google Earth, will give you a behind-the-scenes look at Google Maps and share our vision. We’ll also demo some of the newest technology and provide a sneak peek at upcoming features that will help people get where they want to go – both physically and virtually. We hope to see you there.

Apple has been reliant on Google’s Maps technology since the launch of the original iPhone in 2007. According to a number of reports over the course of several months, the Cupertino company has been working on its own map technology for quite some time and will finally be moving away from Google Maps.

Apple and Google have been competing over the mobile space for a number of years, with Apple accusing Google of stealing their ideas and calling Android fragmented, and Google stating that iOS is tightly controlled and too closed. Google’s timing to release new updates is likely in response to Apple’s transition to inhouse operations on Maps technology, and to soften the blow of such a sudden loss in the mobile space, with Apple getting Google a large percentage of its mobile users.

{via MacRumors}

Apple on Monday released iOS 5 beta 3 to developers which address a number of bugs, makes the iOS devices a lot more stable and brings some minor tweaks. The new beta is available for download from the iOS developers portal.

iOS 5 beta 3 brings enhanced location services controls which allow users to pick and choose services which use locations and for what purpose. For example now you can allow or disallow your iPhone to use location for Diagnostic & Usage, Location-Based iAds, Setting Time Zone, Cell Network Search or Traffic.

Apple has also added clear notification which explains that location services uses GPS along with crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower locations to determine users approximate location.

Beta 3 feels a lot more snappier when compared with Beta 2 as the previous release had a number of issues and the device crashed very often. However, with iOS 5 beta 3 we are noticing much improved reliability and performance.

Among other tweaks Apple has added an option to the ability to toggle “voice roaming” which will save you from connecting when on roaming networks which are not included in your carrier’s service package.

iPhone users will notice that when they launch the new Videos app a notification will alert users with a message that mentions video content such as movies, TV shows, and music videos have been moved to the “Videos” app.

“Reminders” app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch now has a new icon and you can even create new Mailbox from within the Mail app.

iOS 5 is expected to be made available this fall and if rumors are to be believed then the release could coincide with iPhone 5 launch in September.

Are you excited about iOS 5? Which is your favorite new feature? Let us know in the comments below.

We recently reported that iOS 4.3.3 release was expected soon and Apple on Wednesday released the latest software update which fixes the location tracking bug in iOS devices.

Apple was quick to respond to questions concerning location data which was being stores locally on the device and backed up to the computer. The Cupertino based company in its detailed Q&A on location data explained that they do not track location of customers device. And further explained that the database the device collected was being used to cache the location coordinates of WiFi hotspots and cell towers to quickly deliver results for location based services.

Apple intends to use this “crowd-sourced database” to provide, “iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years.” However, the main issue was that the location information the device was logging was reported to be up to a year’s worth of data and was recognized as a bug in iOS 4.x version.

iOS 4.3.3 software update reduces the size of the cache, no longer backs the cache up to iTunes and deletes the cache when Location Services is turned off.

It’s interesting to note that Apple has promised that the next major release of iOS (iOS 5) will offer the ability to encrypt the location data when it is backed up to iTunes.

The data uncovered revealed than it had entries ranging more than a year and was obviously a major reason of concern for many users as it conveyed that Apple was tracking user location.

Apple responded to users concerns and said that the company does not track users’ location. The location data stored on the device was used to enable the device to quickly discover WiFi spots and be able to fetch GPS coordinates quickly. However, the main concern was regarding the nature of historical data ranging more than a year. The Cupertino based company acknowledged this to be a bug and said that the data should not have been more than 7 days old.

We also reported that WSJ findings revelaed that iOS devices continued to track location even when a user deactivated “Location Services” feature in the settings option.

Now, BGR is reporting that Apple is expected to release iOS 4.3.3 software update which will address all these issues and will even improve the battery performance.

• The update will no longer back up the location database to iTunes.
• The size of the location database will be reduced.
• The location database will be deleted entirely when Location Services are turned off.
• Battery life improvements.
• iPod bug fixes.

The update is expected to be available in the coming week.

Apple’s and Google’s smartphones both collect location data and transmit the data anonymously  back to the companies’ servers. The general understanding is that the location data is stored and transmitted via opt-in menu and if the user doesn’t want to share the location then this feature can be turned off.

However, today WSJ published a new report which claims that iPhone continues to store location data even when the ‘location services’ option is turned off. It wasn’t clear if Apple continues to receive this data but it does raise some serious questions about such sensitive information being collected and stored on users device.

The report also highlights the fact the even though the location wasn’t very accurate at all times, it does present the details with frequent data and time stamps. If someone loses their iPhone then they could be exposed to anyone gaining access to all the places they usually visit and at what times.

Apple is yet to release an official statement regarding this issue. But its clear that people and media will certainly follow this story closely until they get an answer from Apple. We’re already hearing reports about iPhone customers suing Apple for “privacy invasion and computer fraud.”

Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs reportedly responded to an email from an iPhone user regarding location tracking and said:

We don’t track anyone. The info circulating around is false.

Now, its important to understand that we already voluntarily store important information like contacts, emails and photos on our smartphones these days so obviously if we lose the device it will automatically give anyone access to all this information. So, the most important question Apple would need to answer as John Gruber of Daring Fireball highlights is; why does the iPhone contain historical location data instead of just recent history.

iOS 4 Software Update Features List

iOS 4 update contains over 100 new features, including the following:

• Multitasking support for third-party apps*
– Multitasking user interface to quickly move between
apps
– Support for audio apps to play in the background
– VoIP apps can receive and maintain calls in the
background or when device is asleep
– Apps can monitor location and take action while
running in the background
– Alerts and messages can be pushed to apps using
push and local notifications
– Apps can complete tasks in the background
• Folders to better organize and access apps
• Home screen Wallpaper*
• Mail improvements
– Unified inbox to view emails from all accounts in one
place
– Fast inbox switching to quickly switch between
different email accounts
– Threaded messages to view multiple emails from the
same conversation
– Attachments can be opened with compatible third-
party apps
– Search results can now be filed or deleted
– Option to select size of photo attachments
– Messages in the Outbox can be edited or deleted
• Support for iBooks and iBookstore (available from the
App Store)
• Photo and Camera improvements
– 5x digital zoom when taking a photo**
– Tap to focus during video recording**
– Ability to sync Faces from iPhoto
– Geo-tagged photos appear on a map in Photos
• Ability to create and edit playlists on device
• Calendar invitations can be sent and accepted wirelessly
with supported CalDAV servers
• Support for MobileMe calendar sharing
• Suggestions and recent searches appear during a web
search
• Searchable SMS/MMS messages**
• Spotlight search can be continued on web and Wikipedia
• Enhanced location privacy
– New Location Services icon in the status bar
– Indication of which apps have requested your location
in the last 24 hours
– Location Services can be toggled on or off for
individual apps
• Automatic spellcheck
• Support for Bluetooth keyboards*
• iPod out to navigate music, podcasts and audiobooks
through an iPod interface with compatible cars
• Support for iTunes gifting of apps
• Wireless notes syncing with IMAP-based mail accounts
• Persistent WiFi connection to receive push notifications*
• New setting for turning on/off cellular data only**
• Option to display the character count while composing
new SMS/MMS**
• Visual Voicemail messages can be kept locally even if
they have been deleted from the server**
• Control to lock portrait orientation*
• Audio playback controls for iPod and third-party audio
apps*
• New languages, dictionaries and keyboards
• Accessibility enhancements*
• Bluetooth improvements
• Better data protection using the device passcode as an
encryption key* (Requires full restore.)
• Support for third-party Mobile Device Management
solutions
• Enables wireless distribution of enterprise applications
• Exchange Server 2010 compatibility
• Support for multiple Exchange ActiveSync accounts
• Support for Juniper Junos Pulse and Cisco AnyConnect
SSL VPN apps (available from the App Store)
• More than 1,500 new developer APIs
• Bug fixes

Products compatible with this software update:
• iPhone 3G
• iPhone 3GS
• iPhone 4
• iPod touch 2nd generation
• iPod touch 3rd generation (late 2009 models with 32GB
or 64GB)

• Requires iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPod touch 3rd generation.
  ** Requires iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4. SMS/MMS messaging and Visual Voicemail require support from your wireless carrier.

To troubleshoot your iPhone or iPod touch, or to view additional support information go to: iPhone support or iPod touch Support

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

I am a self-confessed weather nerd. I watch The Weather Channel more than CNN. I have three web sites I check for weather forecasts. One of my constant searches in the App Store has been for a good weather app. One that combines the information I need with an interactive interface that is engaging and enjoying. Although I’ve been very successful in finding weather apps, I’ve found most to be lacking in some way or another. That is until I discovered Outside. Outside from Robocat combines an engaging interface with well presented and timely information.

Instead of going for the wide range of information most weather apps try to deliver, Outside is a very focused app. The application can either detect your location using Location Services or you can enter it in the application preferences. Once your location has been specified, the application interface is very simple and intuitive. An animated view out of a virtual window indicates current temperature and conditions. Drag the screen down to get a more detailed analysis of UV index, humidity, cloud cover, and wind as well as sunrise and set. Drag the screen to the left to reveal individual screens of a five day forecast. The date you are viewing is always displayed in the upper left hand corner of the screen.

Two things really made Outside stand out for me. The first was the display. Most weather applications I’ve tried in the App Store attempt to jam as much information as possible into one or two screens. Outside first presents you with the information you’re most likely to want when checking the weather; temperature and conditions. If you want a more detailed breakdown or predictions you can move around the interface and get that as well. It’s obvious that some thought was put into not only what people wanted out of a weather application but also how they want to access that information. The best part of it is that all of that thought was put into an easy to use interface that’s visually pleasing. It could be snowing out and I could read that in other applications but seeing the gentle flakes float around the interface are a great touch.

The second thing is the notifications system. I live in a part of the world where, especially in winter, the weather can catch you unaware. The Outside notification system can be configured high and low temperature thresholds, UV index thresholds, and whether rain is expected. This is a great option that other weather applications just do not offer. The only shortcoming of this system is that it is only available for free for a month after purchase. After that the notification system can be enabled for 90 day increments for $0.99 each. I would personally pay for this service but you may not think of it as feasible. If you need to know the weather conditions or when they vary this is money well spent.

Outside is the new king of weather applications on my device and it should be your’s as well. Its clean interface, engaging animations, and notification system puts it head and shoulders above the competition. This is a purchase you shouldn’t leave for a rainy day.

The Good:

• Simple, intuitive interface
• Good balance of information
• Notification system

The Not So Good:

• Notification system only free for 30 days

Reviewed by: Erin Peterson

Outside iPhone Teaser

Behind the scenes

Price: $2.99 (iTunes Store) as of 18 Jan
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 6.2 MB
Seller: icelantern