Apple’s ‘Move to iOS’ Android App Likely Rebranded Version of Existing App
Alongside the launch of iOS 9 yesterday, Apple debuted a new Android app called “Move to iOS.” The app is designed to help Android users transfer their content from an Android device to an iOS device. According to Phandroid, the app may not be developed by Apple and instead be a rebranded version of an existing app.
The app in question is Media Mushroom’s Copy My Data, one of two Media Mushroom apps that specialize in transferring data between devices. The other app is Device Switch, and both are available in the App Store and Google Play. Phandroid took a look at the code of Move to iOS and noticed that it included references to Media Mushroom’s Copy My Data app, like the tag android:name=”com.mediamushroom.copymydata”.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. The two applications share a vast majority of code and functionality. In fact, all of the com.mediamushroom.copymydata strings were left inside Apple’s rebranded version. Essentially, the only differences between the two apps are Apple’s artwork being added, the inclusion of Apple’s licensing agreements, and Media Mushroom’s UI elements being removed. That’s really it.
As noted by Phandroid, it’s likely Apple licensed the rights to use and rebrand Media Mushroom’s app. Move to iOS is Apple’s first Android app, and the app has gained numerous negative reviews in the Google Play Store. Of its 15,230 reviews, 12,184 are one-star reviews. Criticisms in the negative reviews include complaints about iOS, Apple, and that the app uses Apple’s design philosophy rather than Google’s Material Design. Apple’s second Android app will be Apple Music.
iPad Mini 4 Teardown Confirms Smaller Battery and 2 GB RAM
At its “Hey Siri” event, Apple announced an updated iPad mini 4 but largely glossed over any details, focusing its time on the iPhones 6s and 6s Plus, the new Apple TV and the iPad Pro. Today, iFixit completed its teardown for the device, confirming that it comes with a smaller battery than the previous iPad mini as well as 2 GB of RAM.
While iFixit’s teardown physically confirms that the iPad mini 4 has 2 GB of RAM, Ars Technica ran a GeekBench 3 test a couple days ago on the device, confirming that it runs a 1.5 GHz Apple A8 with 2 GB of RAM. This makes the iPad mini 4 faster than the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which run a 1.4 GHz A8, and both the iPad mini 2 and 3, which run 1.3 GHz A7’s.
iFixit’s teardown also confirmed that the device comes with a smaller, thinner single-cell battery. The iPad mini 4’s battery is 5,124 mAh while the iPad mini 3’s battery is 6,471 mAh. While the new battery is smaller, Apple claims the new iPad mini 4 retains the same battery life as the iPad mini 3.
Finally, Apple has also refined, slimmed down and moved around many of the new iPad mini 4’s parts due to shrinking the device’s thickness from 7.5 mm (iPad mini 3) to 6.1 mm (iPad mini 4). For instance, the FaceTime camera has slimmed down, the battery has shrunk, the LCD and front panel glass are fused together and antennas have been moved both to the top and bottom of the device. iFixit’s full teardown provides additional details on all the nips and tucks in the device.
Apple Watch Sales Expand to Additional Resellers
Apple Watch sales are expanding to additional authorized resellers in a trio of countries this month, including The Good Guys in Australia, Stormfront in the United Kingdom and Media Markt and Saturn in Germany (via iFun.de).
The Good Guys, Media Markt and Saturn have begun selling the Apple Watch as of this week, while Stormfront is expected to start selling the wrist-worn device next week. Each retailer will sell the Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch.
Apple Watch was initially sold exclusively through the Apple Store, Apple Online Store and select fashion boutiques such as Galeries Lafayette in France and Selfridges in the U.K., but Apple has been rolling out the wrist-worn device to Best Buy and other authorized resellers over the past few months.
List of Apple Watch Authorized Resellers:
- Best Buy (U.S and Canada)
- Currys and PCWorld (U.K.)
- John Lewis (U.K.)
- Stormfront (U.K.)
- Harvey Norman (Australia)
- JB Hi-Fi (Australia)
- The Good Guys (Australia)
- Myer (Australia)
- Fnac (France)
- Compustore (Germany)
- Gravis (Germany)
- Media Markt (Germany)
- Saturn (Germany)
The above list will be updated as more Apple Watch authorized resellers are announced.
A peek inside the new iPad Mini 4 reveals how it got so thin
The super-sized iPad Pro may have been the star of last week’s festivities, but what about the iPad Mini 4? It brings the first major update to the line in a couple of years, and of course, the folks at iFixit wasted no time cracking one open. The spec sheet showed it’s both thinner and lighter than the version it’s replacing, and now we know what had to change to make that happen. First, the battery is a little smaller, at 5124mAh compared to the iPad Mini 3’s 6471mAh. It’s still rated for the same 10 hour runtime by Apple, but worth considering if you’re looking to upgrade. It also has a fused, fully laminated display that helps a lot with weight, but could it make it more expensive to replace if it breaks. Whether you’re considering its DIY potential or just curious about exposed wiring, check out the full teardown to see what’s hiding within.
Source: iFixit
Android fans are trolling the Move to iOS app on the Play Store
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Yesterday, Apple released the Move to iOS app on the Play Store in an attempt to make it easier for Android users to migrate over to an iOS device. It’s the first Apple-designed app on the Play Store, and unsurprisingly, it caused a reaction akin to an uproar – and the form that this uproar is coming in? Reviews. At the time of writing, the Move to iOS app has rating of 1.7 (out of 5) and has 11,245 1 star reviews (vs 2,452 5 star reviews). But it’s not even the low ratings that are the most amusing thing among all of this – it’s the comments that are accompanying the reviews that will give any open-minded techie a chuckle or two.
It’s almost hard to tell which reviews are complete trolls or genuine Android fanboyism (“my micro USB would not fit”), though it does appear that some of the reviews have come from people who have actually used the app for the purpose it was designed for – and still disliked it. Then there are also the reviews that compare Apple to North Korea, which has been by far the most amusing thing I have read this morning.
If you feel like having a good laugh this morning, or maybe even download the app to check it out for yourself, we’ve got the Play Store link for you down below:
http://playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.jsWhat do you think about the Move to iOS app? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Google Play Store via The Verge
The post Android fans are trolling the Move to iOS app on the Play Store appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Developers Now Receiving Apple TV Units for App Testing Purposes
Earlier this week, Apple began allowing developers who won the lottery for an Apple TV Developer Kit to place orders for the devices, and shortly after, Apple began shipping Apple TVs out around the world. As of today, a large number of developers have begun receiving the Apple TVs according to reports on Twitter and images shared with MacRumors.
Developers were selected to receive an Apple TV using a lottery process that started shortly after the Apple TV was introduced on September 9, which has now wrapped up. Developers who won were able to obtain Apple TV Developer Kits at no cost, with a $1 fee being charged to verify billing and shipping addresses.
Apple TV Developer kit just arrived in the mail. Pretty. Will play with it this weekend. pic.twitter.com/xKL8bXcTST
— Mark Lassoff (@mlassoff) September 17, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
With Apple TVs in the hands of hundreds of developers, we may be able to learn a lot more about the device and how it works ahead of its official late October launch date, and we’ll be able to get a closer look at what kind of apps we can expect on it. Last week, there was an unboxing of the Apple TV, which gave us a first glimpse at the new set-top box and the touch-based remote out in the wild.
The new Apple TV includes a powerful A8 processor, 2GB RAM, and a new operating system, tvOS, which supports Siri voice control and a full App Store, allowing games and apps to be played on the device.
(Thanks, Tom!)
Apple wins another patent victory against Samsung over lock screens and autocorrect
Samsung and Apple have been clashing heads in the courtroom for years, and while Apple tends to monetary damages from most of these cases, we’ve never actually seen any other manufacturers barred from using technical features that Apple is ruled to hold a valid patent on. That might change with this latest ruling, however.
This ruling states that Apple has grounds to force Samsung to stop using some of their features in their products. This includes the infamous slide-to-unlock patent, keyboard autocorrect, and quicklinks in text messages. These were things that Samsung only had to pay Apple for infringing on, but if this ruling holds up we might actually see devices kept out of market because of these features. Considering how many smartphones available today use autocorrect in their keyboards and have swiping gestures to unlock them, this would affect more than just Samsung.
Like all of these rulings and court battles, this decision will likely get appealed, probably multiple times, before we actually see anything come of this. It might get overturned, it might get changed, or it might hold up. At this point, we’ll just have to wait and see.
source: Bloomberg
via: Engadget
Come comment on this article: Apple wins another patent victory against Samsung over lock screens and autocorrect
Video Review: Logitech’s ‘Blok’ Case Lineup for the iPad Air 2
With Apple neglecting to update the iPad Air 2 during its fall 2015 event, accessories for the device will continue to be relevant and in-demand for the foreseeable future. We went hands-on with Logitech’s new Blok case lineup for the iPad Air 2, which debuted in July under its new Logi brand name.
The simplest of the three cases, the Logi Blok Protective Shell, fits around the back of the iPad and changes the shape of the tablet, adding sharp corners and a blocky feel. The corners are designed to absorb shock better should the iPad be dropped, and we thought the Blok offered a lot of protection while leaving ports accessible and buttons easy to press.
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The Blok Protective Case is a lot like the Shell, but it adds a built-in flap that serves as a stand. We were impressed with the stand because it was rigid and stable, but we did find the flap hard to manage when it wasn’t in use as a stand.
The third case, the Blok Protective Keyboard Case, combines the shell and stand from the two previous cases with a detachable keyboard. Because the keyboard attaches to the rest of the case via magnets, it’s highly versatile and can be used in several ways. The keyboard itself is smaller than a standard keyboard though still pleasant to type on, but we weren’t a fan of its non-rechargeable batteries.
All three of the Logi Blok cases come in multiple colors and can be purchased from the Logitech website for the iPad Air 2, the iPad mini 2, and the iPad mini 3. The Blok Protective Shell is priced at $39.99, the Blok Protective Case is priced at $69.99, and the Blok Protective Keyboard Case is priced at $129.99.
Note: MacRumors received no compensation for this review.
Early iOS 9 Adoption Rate in Line With iOS 8 Adoption
iOS users are installing Apple’s latest operating system at roughly the same pace iOS 8 was installed last year, according to multiple analytics companies that are tracking iOS 9 adoption rates. iOS 9 has now been available for download for just over 24 hours.
Mixpanel’s live iOS 9 tracking site suggests iOS 9 is now installed on approximately 12.60 percent of devices, which is in line with iOS 8 adoption rates in 2014.
“iOS 9 has received 12% adoption in the last 24 hours and is being adopted similar to iOS 8 last year. This kind of adoption took Android’s latest operating system, Lollipop, in comparison 5 months to achieve. One huge advantage Apple got right this year over last year was that the update is much smaller than last year (3.5x smaller) < Apple has empathy for its users who have nearly maxed out the space on their phones. However, one issue for it being substantially slow compared to iOS 7 is that servers are having trouble keeping up right now as people update."
Because each analytics site tracks a different selection of iOS users based on app installs, iOS 9 installation numbers vary quite a bit across platforms. All of the sites tracking iOS 9 adoption agree that it is on pace with adoption numbers seen after iOS 8 was released last year, however. Tapjoy is seeing adoption rates spanning from 4 percent to 7 percent, based on device, while Fiksu is seeing 6 percent of its users running iOS 9.
According to GoSquared, iOS 9 users now represent 12 percent of total iOS traffic, a number that’s on par with both Mixpanel’s count and an 11.84 percent measurement from analytics company Paddle.
Two years ago, iOS 7 saw much quicker adoption rates than we’re seeing with iOS 9, but that is not surprising as iOS 7 marked the last major design update to the operating system. iOS 8 and iOS 9 brought many new features, but few visual changes.
What is surprising is that iOS 9 adoption is not outpacing iOS 8 adoption because iOS 9 has a much smaller installation size. While iOS 8 required 4.58 GB to install, iOS 9 only requires 1.3 GB, making it much more accessible to users who have little space open on their devices.
Appeals Court Rules Apple Was Entitled to Sales Ban on Samsung Products in Earlier Trial
A U.S. federal appeals court has ruled that Apple was entitled to an injunction on multiple Samsung products that a lower court ruled to be infringing on the iPhone maker’s patented technologies in an early 2014 trial.
As noted by Bloomberg, the ruling sets an important precedent, since it could have an impact on how damages are awarded in future trials involving patented inventions from large technology companies such as Apple, Samsung and Google.
The decision could have far-reaching consequences in how disputes are resolved when it comes to complex devices. The ability to block use of an invention is a powerful tool that increases the price tag when negotiating settlements.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington echoed that in its ruling:
“The right to exclude competitors from using one’s property rights is important,” the Federal Circuit ruled in a 2-1 decision. “And the right to maintain exclusivity — a hallmark and crucial guarantee of patent rights deriving from the Constitution itself -— is likewise important.”
In May 2014, a jury in the lower court Apple vs. Samsung trial found that Samsung willfully infringed on three of the five patents involved in the lawsuit, related to technologies including slide to unlock and data syncing. Samsung was ordered to pay Apple a settlement of $119.6 million.
Samsung informed the appeals court in March that only one of its products currently for sale infringes upon a single Apple patent, so any potential injunction would not have much of an impact on the South Korean company’s bottom line. Nevertheless, Samsung is in the process of appealing the lower court decision before the U.S. Federal Circuit.
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