Five months after it was initially announced, and after an unplanned delay due to unexpected demand, BlackBerry Messenger is finally launching on iOS. The app, which is similar to Apple’s own iMessage, was first announced back in May. It should launch on the App Store later today.
Back in September, the BBM for Android and iOS apps were delayed after an unreleased version of BBM was leaked that "caused issues" with the BBM servers...
Read the full story here... Source: Mac Rumours
Apple is set to reveal its revamped fifth-generation iPad later this month, and ahead of the event, new high-resolution images of the upcoming iPad’s casing and front panel have been released by Australian writer Sonny Dickson, offering a clear view of what can be expected from the redesign.
Though the iPad’s components have been shown off in multiple photos and videos, these high-quality images provide a better look at the slimmer, mini-style iPad 5...
Read the full story here... Source: Mac Rumours
Dating back to the launch of the original iPad in early 2010, Microsoft has been considering the possibility of releasing a version of its Office productivity suite for the tablet platform. But despite repeated claims of an imminent launch, the only iOS release so far has been an Office Mobile app for iPhone available for subscribers to the company's Office 365 service...
Read the full story here... Source: Mac Rumours
Apple is shaking up the display market with a multitude of upcoming product debuts and enhancements, according to Korean site ET News. The site summarizes several known product rumors that will impact display manufacturers, including larger iPhone and iPads, an OLED iWatch, and IGZO displays for its MacBook lineup...
Read the full story here... Source: Mac Rumours
If it weren't for the redesigned Home button and larger flash, the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5 would look like identical twins, at least on the outside. Take the new 5S apart, however, and the differences are more apparent -- even if only slightly so. And although it isn't the easiest phone to repair, with the right tools and a little patience, it is possible...
Read the full story here... Source: CNET
The Breffo Spiderpodium Tablet, a Tablet Stand designed to fit virtually all Tablet PC's. The most functional Tablet Stand in the world! Any Position. Any Angle. Anywhere.
Support for interactive e-books created with Apple's iBooks Author software may be coming soon to the iPhone, based on recent changes to iTunes Store wording noticed byMacworld's Serenity Caldwell. While iBooks Author e-books have been limited to the iPad since the software's January 2012 launch, Mac support will be coming as part of Apple's launch of the full iBooks experience in OS X Mavericks, and iPhone support may also be in the works...
Read the full story here... Source: Mac Rumours
The first seven exclusive "Steve Jobs schools" have opened their doors across a number of cities in the Netherlands. Starting from today, schools in the Dutch cities of Sneek, Breda, Almere, Emmen, Heenvliet and Amsterdam will start teaching students according to the principles of the O4NT, or Onderwijs voor een nieuwe tijd (Education for a new era), which emphasizes the role of the iPad in an elementary school environment. The program, which was first proposed by Dutch officials back in March 2012, gives every child access to a "virtual school" through an iPad and helps them develop information and communication technology (ICT) and information processing skills, collaboration techniques and a critical, problem-solving and creative mind...
Read the full story here... Source: Mac Rumours
Best Buy is promising customers a $200 trade-in value for older versions of Apple's iPad.
The promotion, which runs July 12 and 13, offers customers who trade in a working iPad 2 or third-generation iPad a minimum $200 gift card to the tech retailer. Customers also have the option of upgrading to an iPad with Retina display, which starts at $299.99 after applying the gift card. Best Buy currently sells the 16GB iPad with Retina display and Wi-Fi for $499.99.
Best Buy said customers could receive additional value depending on the model and condition of their tablets. The promotion is available at Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores that accept trade-ins.
In June, Best Buy ran promotions that offered customers a "free" iPhone 5 for trading in a working iPhone 4 or 4S. The retailer said it experienced the single biggest day for its trade-in business during that promotion.
Source: CNET
Last year, we reported on a Dutch proposal to launch so-called "Steve Jobs schools" for children, offering a peek at of Jobs' vision of how the iPad could help remake the educational experience.
Spiegel now follows up (via AppleInsider) with a new report discussing the country's plans to open 11 such schools this August.
Some 1,000 children aged four to 12 will attend the schools, without notebooks, books or backpacks. Each of them, however, will have his or her own iPad.
There will be no blackboards, chalk or classrooms, homeroom teachers, formal classes, lesson plans, seating charts, pens, teachers teaching from the front of the room, schedules, parent-teacher meetings, grades, recess bells, fixed school days and school vacations. If a child would rather play on his or her iPad instead of learning, it'll be okay. And the children will choose what they wish to learn based on what they happen to be curious about.
The article highlights the flexible nature of the schools with a look at an upcoming school being prepared in the city of Breda. The school building itself will be open from 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM every day of the year except Christmas and New Year's Day, with children free to come and go as they please as long as they are present during the core school day that runs from 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM...
Read the full story here. Source: Mac Rumours
This afternoon, a tipster who spoke to 9to5Mac pointed out a new feature in iOS 7's Accessibility menu, which allows iPhone users to control their devices using head movements.
The option can be found in the Switch Control area of the Accessibility menu, which is designed for users who need assistance with physical and motor movements.
Switch Control allows you to use your iPhone by sequentially highlighting items on the screen that can be activated through an adaptive accessory.
With the feature activated, specific movements can be used to correspond with actions. For example, the setting can be programmed to allow a left head movement to activate a tap, while a right head movement can be programmed to perform to another function.9to5Mac went hands-on with the feature:
We've tested this ourselves and found it to be quite accurate, but it's quite tedious to control your device this way since it cycles through all of the options on the screen and you move your head when it is bordering around the option you want.
You can also make the left or right head movement act as a home button, start Siri, open Notification Center, open the App Switcher, decrease volume, increase volume, or simply tap.
It is important to note that Switch Control head movements are a beta function and should be used with caution, as the setting disables touch input.
Apple has always had a heavy focus on accessibility, and over the years has worked to provide accessibility options for vision, hearing, motor skills, and learning, turning the iPad and the iPhone into fully featured assistive devices. iOS 7 promises to bring even more accessibility options, further increasing the utility of Apple's devices.
Source: Mac Rumours
Apple on Monday released the second beta of iOS 7, exactly two weeks after the first iteration of the software was doled out to developers.
The new version promises only to fix bugs and contains other undocumented "improvements."
But the big new thing in this release is a version of the software for iPads -- both the regular and Mini models. The first version of the software only came for iPhones and iPod Touches, with Apple promising to add support for other devices as time went on.
The software requires developers to sign a privacy agreement, but that hasn't stopped numerous developers and some blogs from posting extensive hands-on previews of the new OS.
It's been standard practice for Apple to roll out several beta versions of the software before it's released to the public, which Apple has said will happen in the fall. In terms of how many more of these to expect, iOS 6 had four different beta versions between its June debut and late September release last year.
Perhaps not since 2010's iOS 4 (which brought multitasking) has there been quite so much scrutiny on just what Apple's up to with these interim updates. iOS 7 is a massive visual and, in some cases, functional overhaul of the versions that came before it, and many things are expected to change before it's officially released.
Update: The software also brings back a reworked version of Apple's voice memos application, which has been a built-in utility since 2009's iOS 3.0, though was not provided in the initial beta of iOS 7.
Source: CNET