Honda Introduces 2016 Civic With CarPlay and Android Auto Support
Honda on Wednesday at YouTube Space LA introduced the redesigned 2016 Civic with CarPlay and Android Auto support. The tenth-generation sedan will be the second Honda vehicle to support CarPlay alongside the 2016 Accord as the Japanese car maker continues its 2016 vehicle rollout.
Apple has listed Honda as a CarPlay partner on its website for quite some time, but the car maker waited until its 2016 lineup to introduce the iPhone-based dashboard system. GM is also supporting CarPlay and Android Auto in 2016 across its Chevrolet, Cadillac, Corvette, Buick and GMC vehicle brands.
CarPlay connects to iPhone and provides hands-free or eyes-free access to Maps, Phone, Messages, Music, Podcasts and third-party apps such as Spotify, Rdio, iHeartRadio, CBS Radio and MLB At Bat. The in-dash software uses Siri and also interfaces with your vehicle’s knobs, dials and buttons.
T-Mobile Expands Simple Global Coverage to All of Europe and South America
T-Mobile has announced the expansion of its Simple Global coverage to an additional 20 countries to now cover all of Europe and South America. Simple Global is now available in the Bahamas and 145 total countries worldwide, covering more than 90% of the areas that Americans travel abroad each year.
Simple Global provides Simple Choice postpaid customers with unlimited data and texting at no extra cost, and flat-rate calls for 20 cents per minute, outside of the United States. It is complemented by Mobile Without Borders, which allows full talk, text and 4G LTE data usage in Canada and Mexico at no extra cost.
“We’ve just made your traveling even easier in 20 more destinations around the world, expanding Simple Global to cover all of Europe and all of South America,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “The carriers have made billions overcharging consumers who just want to stay connected overseas, and we’ve changed all that! Today, we made it even simpler to text, search or keep up on social media in a total of 145 countries and destinations, all at no extra cost!”
Simple Global is now available in the following countries and destinations:
- Caribbean: Bahamas, Haiti
- Europe: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, Guernsey, Alderney, Jersey, Sark, Isle of Man
- Others: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
Simple Global provides a standard data speed of 128 Kbps. No tethering is allowed.
2016 Civic is the second Honda with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay
In July Honda announced the 2016 Accord as its first car to support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, while now it’s revealed the next one up is its redesigned 2016 Civic. Our friends at Autoblog have some in person impressions of the new 10th generation model, but we’re mostly focused on the compact car’s new features. It has a 7-inch touchscreen display in the console (on EX models and above) that’s Android-based just like the Pilot, but is of course ready to let your phone take over for apps, navigation and more. Besides a markedly better interior to match a wider and lower frame, features it can have include the ability to brake itself or steer itself back onto the road when it senses danger, and it’s the first Honda to have Adaptive Cruise Control with low-speed follow. This year is also the first time we’ll be able to get a Civic Type-R in the US, and choices for power include a 2.0-liter 4 cylinder engine, or a 1.5-liter turbocharged version. There’s no word on pricing, but the new cars will be at dealerships this fall.Slideshow-320593
Filed under:
Transportation, Apple, Google
Tags: 2016Civic, AdaptiveCruiseControl, AndroidAuto, apple, carplay, Civic, DriverAssistance, google, Honda, HondaSensing, video
Ford’s smartwatch apps let drivers unlock their electric car
In recent months, both Hyundai and Volvo have launched smartwatch apps, allowing car owners to control some of their vehicle’s functions from the comfort of their wrist. Now Ford wants in on the action. In the latest update to its MyFord app, available on both iOS and Android Wear, the car maker is letting drivers of select electric and plug-in hybrid models access information on their vehicle battery status (including the estimated range), enable the air-conditioning, lock and unlock the car and follow directions to where their car is parked.
One particularly interesting feature is the addition of a personal driving score, which indicates how well you are driving by factoring in your average miles to the gallon, distance traveled and how efficiently you accelerate and slow down. The more green leaves you see on the display, the better you’re driving. If you drive a Ford C-MAX Energi, Ford Focus Electric or Ford Fusion Energi and either an Apple Watch or Android Wear smartwatch (or both, if you’re flash with the cash), you can download the app right now.
Filed under:
Transportation, Wearables, Mobile, Apple, Google
Via:
Ford
Source:
MyFord (App Store), (Google Play)
Tags: android, android wear, apple, applewatch, ford, google, ios, mobilepostcross, myford, smartwatch
iMovie for iOS is ready to handle your 4K video editing
If you’re determined to produce a 4K masterpiece on an iPhone 6s, 6s Plus or iPad Pro, you now have one of the tools you need to get the job done. Apple has delivered an iMovie update that switches on 4K editing for its most powerful iPhones and iPads, giving you an easy (though not professional-grade) way to edit extra-sharp videos on the move. You can’t capture 4K on the iPad Pro, alas, but it’s powerful enough to edit multiple 4K streams. The giganto-tablet also has room for a larger media browser and a video viewer that shows every single pixel of a 1080p clip.
Those aren’t the only improvements, either. You can use 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s or 6s Plus to start movies from the home screen, and you can pair a keyboard with your device (including the iPad Pro’s Smart Keyboard) to use some handy shortcuts. iMovie will also accept 1080p videos at a glass-smooth 60 frames per second (on an iPhone 6 or newer). And if you’re already running iOS 9, it’ll do iPad multitasking through the iMovie extension for Photos. This upgrade won’t really live up to its potential unless you pick up one of Apple’s latest gadgets, but you’ll still want to download it if you’re iOS device owner with cinematic ambitions.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple
Source:
App Store
Tags: 4k, apple, imovie, ipad, ipadpro, iphone, iphone6s, iphone6splus, mobilepostcross, ultrahd, videoediting, videoeditor
Apple launched its first app ‘Move to iOS’ on Android
Apple has launched its first application on Android. Dubbed Move to iOS, the application aims to help Android users seamlessly move contacts, SMS history, photos, bookmarks, and account information to an iPhone or iPad.
Apple announced the application back in June during WWDC 2015. Some wonder why it’s taken Apple so long to bring it to Android, however, iOS 9 launched today so it wasn’t surprising that they waited to launch the new Android app alongside that.
Keep in mind that to use Move to iOS you’ll need either your iPhone or iPad and your Android device on the a secured Wi-Fi network. Applications will, of course, not transfer over, but just about anything else will.
Unfortunately, the Move to iOS app has already been plagued with condescending reviews on the Play Store, largely from users that hate Apple simply for the joy of hating Apple. However, If you’re moving to iOS, it might be worth a shot. Be sure to hit the download link below to give it a try.
Come comment on this article: Apple launched its first app ‘Move to iOS’ on Android
Screen Protectors Will Work With iPhone 6s and 6s Plus Despite New 3D Touch Feature
The iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus have a new screen technology called 3D Touch, allowing the devices to support new gestures that are based on pressure, as well as touch. 3D Touch works through capacitive sensors embedded in the backlight of the devices, measuring microscopic changes in the distance between the glass cover of the display and the backlight, combining signals from the touch sensor and the accelerometer to respond to finger pressure.
Because of the way 3D Touch operates, there was some speculation that screen protectors might not work with the new devices, but Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller appears to have confirmed in an email to 3D Techtronics that screen protectors that comply with Apple’s design guidelines will work with 3D Touch. “Yes. screen overlays that follow our guidelines will continue to work with 3D Touch,” Schiller wrote.
Apple’s design guidelines for iPhone cases say any screen overlay must be electrically conductive, must not exceed 0.3mm in thickness, and must not introduce air gaps between the touchscreen.
There are several Apple-approved screen protectors that are available for purchase from the online Apple Store and through Apple’s retail locations, including products from companies like Tech21, Belkin, and 3M. Because the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s plus are similar in size to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, it’s likely these screen protectors will fit Apple’s newest devices, but customers concerned about fit should wait for confirmation from the manufacturers.
Apple’s iPhone 6s and 6s Plus with 3D Touch are currently available for pre-order from Apple’s online store and in Apple retail stores. The two new iPhones will officially launch on September 25.
Inside iOS 9: Under-the-Hood Improvements for Battery Life, Security, and More
In iOS 9, some of the best features are the ones that aren’t readily visible. iOS 9 has several under-the-hood updates that boost battery life, improve security, and cut down on the amount of storage space iOS updates and apps use on iPhones and iPads.
Even disregarding all of the consumer facing features, these quiet improvements make the upgrade to iOS 9 from iOS 8 or iOS 7 well worth it on all supported devices: the iPhone 4s and up, the iPad 2 and up, and all iPad mini models.
Battery Life
With operating system optimizations, Apple is able to eke out an additional hour of battery life on iPhones under normal usage conditions. One of these improvements, for example, pertains to the iPhone’s ambient light and proximity sensor. When the iPhone is placed facedown, it now detects that the screen isn’t visible, so an incoming notification does not light up the screen.
There’s also a new Low Power Mode on the iPhone that can add another three hours of battery life by cutting down on battery-draining features. Low Power Mode turns off automatic Mail fetch, disables background app refresh, disables motion effects, and disables animated wallpapers.
Low Power mode also throttles the performance of the iPhone so it drains less power. Benchmark testing suggests Low Power mode reduces an iPhone’s performance by about 40 percent to cut down on power usage.
Security
iOS 9 prompts users to create 6-digit passcodes instead of 4-digit passcodes for additional security. It’s still possible to create a 4-digit passcode, but Apple recommends a 6-digit code because it adds one million possible combinations instead of 10,000, making a passcode harder to crack. Two-factor authentication support is also enhanced in iOS 9.
Installation Size
With iOS 9, Apple’s cut way down on the installation size, so far less free space is required to download the new update. While iOS required 4.58 GB of space to install, iOS 9 requires only 1.3 GB of space to install, making it more accessible to users who have 16 GB iOS devices.
For devices that still don’t have enough space to install the iOS 9 update, Apple has a new auto app delete/reinstall feature. When attempting to install iOS 9 on a device with insufficient space, there’s a popup that offers to temporarily delete some apps in order to make room for the update. Apps that are deleted are then reinstalled and replaced after the operating system update is completed.
App Thinning
Apps from third-party developers also require less installation space thanks to a feature called App Thinning. With App Thinning, apps can be optimized for specific devices, allowing them to take up less space on iOS devices.
An app for the iPhone doesn’t need all of the iPad assets, so those won’t be downloaded. That means faster installs, faster launch times, and more storage space left for other apps and content.
App Thinning also includes on-demand resources like image and sound files, which can be downloaded only when needed. The imagery for later levels in a game, for example, might not be downloaded until it’s necessary.
Metal
Apps in iOS 9 take advantage of Metal, making more efficient use of the CPU and GPU for faster scrolling, smoother animations, and better performance. Email, messages, web pages, and PDFs all render faster.
Apple TV game developers are required to support the Siri remote
The new Apple TV will support third-party game controllers in in its attempt to bring iOS-style gaming to the living room — but developers can’t make those controllers a requirement. In a programming guide for Apple’s new tvOS platform, the company notes that every game developed for the Apple TV is required to support the touchpad-enabled Siri remote. That’s a change from what Apple originally announced last week. Developer Rusty Moher tweeted a section of the same programming guide back on September 9th when Apple first announced tvOS; at the time, it said developers could require an “extended” game controller, though developers were discouraged from doing so. Since then, it appears that Apple has changed its tune.
@austin_walker Ahh, found. Yes, confirmed. https://t.co/MP22DyKWn9 pic.twitter.com/ahUWMMhWQF
— Rusty Moyher (@rustym) September 9, 2015
This new requirement could significantly change the kinds of games developers are able to target for the new system — the new Siri remote is certainly more capable than the one it is replacing, but it’s still not the ideal game controller. And at least one notable game — Guitar Hero — is clearly not going to work with the Siri remote. It’s possible Activision has a deal with Apple here, but that won’t help the other developers who may have already started building Apple TV games with specific third-party controllers in mind. It’s still over a month before the new Apple TV launches, so we’ll likely here more on this front as developers continue to try and get their games ready for Apple’s latest app store.
Filed under:
Apple
Via:
Touch Arcade
Source:
Apple
Tags: apple, appletv, appletvgames, appletvremote, siriremote, tvos
Apple’s ‘Move to iOS’ app is ready to help Android users jump ship
We knew it was coming, and now it’s here. Before the new wave of iPhones make their way to your hands, Cuperino’s app that’ll help you switch from Android is now available at Google Play. The “Move to iOS” app will transfer images, messages, contacts, calendars, mail accounts and more to one of Apple’s devices. That new iPhone or iPad will create a private WiFi connection with your Android device (4.0 and later) to handle the transfer, promising to put all of the gathered content “in the right places.” We’ll be curious to see how well it actually works. Oh yeah, when you’re all finished, Apple even offers to recycle your old phone at any Apple Store.
Filed under:
Software, Mobile, Apple
Via:
PhoneArena
Source:
Google Play
Tags: android, app, apple, ios, mobilepostcross, movetoios, software
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