Siri in iOS 8 will let you identify songs and buy from iTunes
Siri is going to learn a few new tricks in iOS 8. As rumored, the voice assistant will now identify songs using Shazam; if you want to find out the name of a catchy track, you don’t have to fire up a separate app. You’ll also have the option of buying iTunes content. The speech recognition system is smarter, to boot — it now shows what you’re saying in real time, and you can start commands by speaking “hey, Siri” (much like Android KitKat’s “OK Google”) instead of holding down the home button. There’s no mention of integration with third-party apps so far, but this is still a big step forward for iOS users who prefer voice dictation for all their tasks.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple
Apple reveals iOS 8 at WWDC 2014
We all knew it was coming, and now it’s here. Apple CEO Tim Cook just put months of breathless speculation to rest by pulling back the curtain on iOS 8 during the company’s WWDC 2014 keynote address in San Francisco. It doesn’t look like the sort of quantum leap that iOS 7 was, but Apple’s head honcho assures us that it interacts in some fantastic ways with the new version of OS X and that it pairs great end user features with great developer features. Well, we’ll be the judges of that. The big keynote is still underway, but here’s what we know so far.
Interactive Notifications
We’ve all been there — you get a message while you’re doing something else, and you just can’t be bothered to switch apps. With iOS 8, you can pull down from that notification shade and respond from right there. It’s not limited to messages, either — you’ll be able to like/comment on Facebook messages or handle your calendar events.
Improved Mail
Apple has introduced Mailbox-style actions to its stock Mail application, too. You can easily tag or dismiss certain missives without even having to open them up, and all it takes is a quick swipe on the contents of your inbox.
Spotlight
The company made a big to-do about how much better Spotlight is in OS X Yosemite, so it’s only natural the iOS version gets an upgrade as well. Among other things, it’ll let you search for apps you haven’t even installed yet, songs in the iTunes store, movie times and locations and more. Media isn’t the only focus here, though. It’ll also show directions to locations you type in to even news.
QuickType
At long last, iOS is getting an improved on-screen keyboard. In short, we’re looking at an improved recognition service that can more accurately predict what it is you’re trying to say. Hopefully this means an end to all the “ducking” typos going on out there.
iMessage takes on Whatsapp
Facebook just bought Whatsapp for an obscene amount of money, but that hasn’t stopped the folks in Cupertino from replicating some of the app’s most-used features. Among other things, you can send audio and video messages from within the app — in the old days, you’d have to pop out into the camera or Voice Memos to create your content and then send it over. Even better: you can respond to one of those audio messages right from the lock screen if you just raise your iPhone to your face.
Continuity
We’ve touched on this elsewhere, but the newly announced Continuity between iOS and OS X is a very, very welcome shift for Apple. You’ll be able to pick up and initiate phone from within OS X, even when your iPhone is across the house. Is someone calling you? You’ll get a caller ID notification, and a quick touch lets you use your Mac as a speakerphone. And if one of your non-Apple pals shoots you a plain ol’ text message, your iPhone will relay it to all your other iDevices.
HealthKit and the Health app
Think of HealthKit as a one-stop shop for all the health data that gets collected from all the tracking apps on your phone. Apple’s teaming up with a few key partners to use that data — Nike can provide access to your fitness and activity data, and the Mayo Clinic hopes to get actual, real-time health information from patients through HealthKit. And for you, the end user? You’ll be able to keep tabs on the measurements that matter most to you by way of a (startlingly pretty) new Health app.
Family Sharing
Apple is being embraced by businesses all over the place, but that’s not the only organization the company is concerned with winning over. With its new Family Sharing push, those even smaller groups (up to 6 people, if you were curious) can share a single calendar and app and content purchases. If you’re a parent and your lil’ whippersnapper has an affinity for buying things from iTunes with your credit, well, never fear. Once connected, those young ones will be told to seek your permission and you’ll get a notification on your phone to that effect.
A Slightly Smarter Siri
Craig Federighi just glossed through a spate of Siri modifications, none of which were as interesting as what we were hoping for. She’s still in solid shape, though: You can invoke her presence in the car by saying “Hey, Siri,” and the virtual assistant can listen to music and identify it (thanks to a little help from Shazam). In case you happen upon something you like, you’ll be able to download that track right from Siri’s results page.
This is a developing story, please refresh for updates (or check our liveblog!)
Filed under: Mobile
Apple now letting UK customers trade in their iPad at retail stores
Seven months after it began letting customers trade in their iPhones at its retail stores, Apple’s expanded its Reuse and Recycle programme to include iPads. From today, anyone with an iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4 and iPad mini can walk into an Apple Store, hand over their tablet and receive credit towards a new iOS device. However, the company will not accept current-generation devices like the iPad Air or iPad mini with Retina display. As with its iPhone programme, Apple will assess the condition of devices before providing a trade-in value, so don’t expect a huge return if your iPad has seen better days.
Via: 9to5mac
Source: Apple Retail
Groupon Introduces Gnome, an iPad-Powered Point-of-Sale System [iOS Blog]
Groupon today announced Gnome, a new point-of-sale system that integrates with the company’s network of daily local deals. The iPad-based system provides a payment processing system as well as customer management tools for merchants that offer Groupon deals.
In addition to serving as an all-in-one cash register solution, Gnome allows customers to redeem their purchased Groupon offers either manually through the system or automatically if they have the Groupon app installed on their smartphone. Merchants can then access this customer data and use it to help improve future deals. It also improves the overall experience by minimizing those unfortunate occurrences when a user enters a business to redeem a deal, and the business is not equipped to process the offer.
“When it’s complete, Gnome will serve as an operating system for merchants to run their entire operation and enable them to create real-time promotions that bring customers into their business when they need them the most,” Groupon CEO Eric Lefkofsky said in a release. “Gnome is an important step towards our long-term mission of creating a world where merchants are constantly connected to the Groupon local commerce platform.”
Extending beyond Groupon vouchers, the POS system also can accept traditional payments, similar to Square’s Square Register. This Gnome system provides emailed receipts, calculates taxes, and helps manage inventory for the retailer. According to Re/Code, Groupon is charging 1.8 percent plus 15 cents for Visa and Mastercard transactions, along with a $10 monthly Gnome fee, for the POS service.
Groupon Gnome is already in use by select retailers with “tens of thousands” of merchants expected adopt the system in the coming months.
Groupon lets merchants process cards, track customers with iPad-based Gnome
Gone are the days when restaurants and retailers needed to drop five figures for the privilege of tracking and ringing up customers. Square’s Register app has been letting merchants process transactions with “cheap” consumer hardware since 2012, and now Groupon’s reinforcing its own position in the point of sale game with a new iPad-based solution. Gnome, which is expected to cost merchants $10 per month, will let customers redeem their Groupons via Bluetooth, or simply by providing their name at checkout. Customers can receive email or printed receipts, and they can pay entirely with cash or a credit card whenever they’re not redeeming a voucher. The company plans to move all merchants over to Gnome within the next few months, so expect a more streamlined Groupon experience soon.
Google Play Music for iPad found lurking inside iPhone app
If you’re a Google Play Music fan and have been limping along with the iPhone version on your iPad, you may already have the big-screen version without knowing it. That’s because the iPad bits are already baked in to the iPhone app, according to 9to5 Mac. In fact, you can even activate it now just by changing a setting called “UIDeviceFamily” from 1 to 2, though your iPad will need to be jailbroken (which is currently impossible on iOS 7.1.x). Google Play Music has been a success since it launched on the iPhone in November — likely helped by a month of free music — so a pending app redesigned for the iPad’s larger screen wouldn’t be a surprise. In fact, when contacted by 9to5, a Google rep thought the app was already out, meaning it might just be awaiting the nod from Apple.
Filed under: Tablets, Software, Apple, Google
Source: 9to5 Mac
Belkin’s Ultra-Slim QODE Thin Type Keyboard Now Available for iPad Air [iOS Blog]
Belkin today announced the availability of the QODE Thin Type for iPad Air, adding an ultra-slim keyboard option to its popular QODE line of tablet keyboards. QODE Thin Type for iPad Air features an anodized aluminum design, 79 hours of battery life and iOS specific keys that pair nicely with the iPad. The keyboard’s main selling point is its 4mm thin profile that barely adds any heft to the already slender iPad Air.
An early review of the device from ZDNet’s James Kendrick is favorable, noting that the keyboard is “different in a good way” from competing iPad tablets from Logitech, Kensington and Annker.
The Belkin is a simple cover with a keyboard on one side. The metal cover is not flat like the competitors’ models. There is a hump toward the back of the cover that gives the Belkin three advantages over the competition. The hump houses a large battery that Belkin claims gives six months of use on a charge. This is double that of other iPad keyboards. Having this hump on the cover provides an ergonomic tilt to the keyboard, perfect for typing. Last but not least, the protrusion provides a secure grip for handling the tablet in the cover.
The QODE Thin Type keyboard for iPad Air is available now for $99.99 at Belkin.com and will land soon at select retailers worldwide.
You can now spice up those iPad docs with Hoefler & Co. fonts
Sure, you’re likely not buying $300 fonts just for your Pages and Keynote work on an iPad, but for those who’ve already splurged for a bite of Hoefler & Co.’s catalog, the option is pretty tempting. The popular type foundry has made purchased fonts available for use on devices running iOS 7, with the ability to download the requisite files directly from the site. A quick jaunt over to your Font Library page will show the options you’ve licensed with the option to “add to device” for an easy install. One thing’s for sure: those cover letters typed out in a pinch are about to get a major aesthetic upgrade.
Source: Hoefler & Co.
Beats Music finally outfits the iPad after an iOS update
Spotify and Rdio have offered iPad-friendly apps for quite some time, but Beats Music didn’t appropriately outfit Apple’s slate with its streaming service until today. Thanks to iOS update, subscribers can snag the dedicated tablet version and swipe through unique sections like Just for You and The Sentence. That’s all the new features that the update offers, but at least now streaming playlists on an iPad doesn’t require you to ogle an enlarged smartphone app to do so. Of course, we still have to wait patiently for a desktop app so we can blast Kendrick Lamar at the office without being tethered to a handset.
Filed under: Tablets, Software
Via: The Verge
Source: Beats Music
Beats Music Expands to iPad With New Update [iOS Blog]
Streaming music app Beats Music for iOS was today updated to version 2.0.0, adding compatibility with the iPad. The app, first released in January, was previously limited to the iPhone.
The new iPad app includes an interface that has been designed specifically for the tablet’s larger screen, incorporating features like Just for You, the Sentence, Find It, My Library, and Offline Mode. Support is included for both landscape and portrait modes.
Along with iPad support, the app has also gained “Find Your Friends,” a feature that allows users to find and follow their Twitter friends on Beats Music.
What’s New in Version 2.0.0
You asked for it, and we listened! Introducing Beats Music for iPad:
– A stylish and sophisticated interface designed specifically for the iPad’s larger screen
– All your favorite features including Just for You, the Sentence, Find It, My Library and Offline Mode
– Dedicated support for both landscape and portrait modes
– In-app subscription and account management via your iTunes accountAdditionally, so you aren’t listening alone, for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch:
– Find Your Friends — adds the ability to find and follow your Twitter friends on Beats Music
and much, much more!
Beats’ streaming music service has a heavy focus on curation to distinguish it from competitors like Spotify, Rdio, Pandora, and iTunes Radio. The company hires music experts to curate stations and create playlists from the service’s music catalog of 20 million songs.
Beats Music can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but accessing requires a $9.99 per month subscription. Unlimited streaming and unlimited downloads are included in the purchase price. [Direct Link]
AIVAnet 