Software : Apple Maps usage down to just 4 per cent? |
- Apple Maps usage down to just 4 per cent?
- Gmail app for iPhone 5 optimised for 4-inch display
- OnLive for iPad delay due to 'technological challenges'
- Opinion: Out of date apps litter the App Store: why isn't Apple doing more?
- Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar
- Apple's Pandora-like service talks reportedly derailed by music publisher
| Apple Maps usage down to just 4 per cent? Posted:  Only four per cent of iOS 6 users are making use of Apple's disastrous Maps app, according to new figures. Mobile data management company Snappli, which helps people stay within their limits by compressing data and video, pulled the numbers from its iOS 6-toting users in the United States and the UK. The company claims that 25 per cent of its users were using Google Maps on a daily basis before the switch to iOS 6. Shortly after installing the new update, 35 per cent of the 5,000 users with iOS 6 were giving Apple Maps a try each day. In the ensuing days, that number dropped to just four per cent, meaning only 1-in-25 iOS 6 users (that also use Snappli) are currently persevering with the service. Use still dropping offThat number, gleaned a couple of days ago, is still falling according to the company. On Friday Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a stunning apology for the malfunctioning Maps app, and openly suggested that iOS 6 users pin Nokia Maps or Google Maps to their homescreen while his troops fix the mess. If iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users heed his advice, the number of people still using Apple Maps may become negligible within the next few weeks. Of course, Snappli's data comes from only one source, so it's difficult to equate it with the entire iOS 6 community. However, it does offer an interesting look at the drop-off in users Maps has experienced in the last couple of weeks. |
| Gmail app for iPhone 5 optimised for 4-inch display Posted:  Google has issued an update for its Gmail application to ensure it fits beautifully on the iPhone 5's new 4-inch widescreen display. TheVerge reports that iPhone 5 owners will be able to see a couple more emails on-screen, while they will not have to exert as much energy thumb-scrolling to read messages. Every little helps. The Gmail update comes after Google released iPhone 5-friendly versions of Chrome and YouTube. The company will also roll out the changes for the popular Sparrow email client, which it acquired in June. Boxed outAt Apple's iPhone 5 launch event, the company made clear that it would be relying on the developer community to update its apps to fit the new screen size. Without these changes apps appear letterboxed on the new device. It seems, despite the ongoing squabbling between the two companies, that Google remains committed to providing the best services possible for Apple's range of iOS devices. The Gmail app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is a much different beast than the client which was pulled from the App Store after just one day in November last year. |
| OnLive for iPad delay due to 'technological challenges' Posted:  Cloud gaming service OnLive had admitted to suffering technical difficulties in its attempts to bring the platform to Apple's iPad. The recently-restructured company announced its plans to launch on the tablet in December 2011 but, approaching a year later, iPad gamers are still waiting for their fix of console-quality streamed titles. For once, Android users have bragging rights as they have a fully-functioning application for devices like the ASUS Transformer series and the Samsung Galaxy Tab line. Most folks assumed that it was Apple's approval process holding up the launch, as the subscription service could be seen as a threat to games sales through the App Store. 'Gee, this really works'However judging by comments made to Eurogamer for new CEO Charlie Jablonski, is seems Apple is more concerned with the quality of the experience rather than any impact on Angry Birds downloads. "Apple, and rightly so, is as concerned about what the end customer experience is as we are," Jablonski said. "I don't want to put something out there where you don't sit there and go, gee, this really works. "We are looking at ways to completely integrate a real game playing experience in the tablet that's mutually beneficial to both of us. There are technological challenges, and like with any partner discussion it's got to make business sense for them as well." Jablonski refused to be drawn on speculation that the hold-up is due to Apple's instance of taking a 30 per cent cut of any in-app purchases made using the application. "I'm not declaratory about discussions that may or may not be ongoing that lead to something in the future. It's just not my style. It's impolite to declare those things." The discussions, and the wait, will continue. |
| Opinion: Out of date apps litter the App Store: why isn't Apple doing more? Posted:  Remember the days when every few months would come another proud announcement from Apple about the number of apps in the iOS App Store? First it was 10,000, then 50,000, then 100,000... and then Apple stopped making too much of a fuss, and started talking about the number of apps downloaded instead. And wisely too, because the game of "How many apps have ya got?" is one that ends up with nobody winning, certainly not customers. We've gone well beyond the stage of "There's an app for that" and into the era of "There's a dozen apps for that. I don't know which ones are any good, or even if some of them actually work any more." There's a lot of great stuff on the App Store, but it has become a place cluttered with abandonware, apps that were made a few years ago and haven't been updated for years. Thanks largely to their age, these apps litter search results, making it hard to find anything decent once you go beyond the curated selections on the home and category pages. Confused searchSearch for 'cooking', for example, and you'll get a fairly decent example of what I mean. There are some new apps, some quality ones, and a whole load of little apps that haven't been updated for years - one, in fact, was last updated over two years ago. What's the chances that app will work properly with iOS 6? That is something you'll only really find out once you've bought it. This is a problem that will only get worse as time goes on. Unfortunately, it will also start to make the iOS App Store look like its Android equivalent, where the good stuff is drowned out by cheap, semi-functioning crud and it gets harder and harder to actually find things you might want. Imagine if Apple decided that, in its physical stores, it wasn't going to get rid of old stock - instead, it was just going to leave it festering in the corners of the store, where customers could trip over it while trying to find what they really wanted. The App Store mess is a virtual equivalent. Sort it out, AppleGiven that the App Store is supposed to be a well policed environment, the onus is on Apple to sort things out, and there are a few steps it could take to make things better. The first is simply to start down-ranking apps in search results if they haven't been updated for a long time. No matter how good an app is, if a new version hasn't been added for two years it's likely to have compatibility problems with new iPhone hardware and versions of iOS. The second and more radical solution would be to decree that after each major iOS upgrade, developers build and upload a new version of their apps. If this isn't done within, say, six months of a public release, then their app should be placed in a kind of limbo: still on the App Store and available for download, but no longer appearing in search results unless the search matched the exact title of the app. If an app is then updated, it will be moved back into the proper search system. These steps would weed out apps that were one-off creations, and also encourage developers to update apps on a regular basis. Undoubtedly, some would complain, but for those who still had an interest in maintaining (and selling) their apps, it wouldn't be any extra work. It might also reinforce the idea that creating an app is a long-term commitment, and that if you want yours to be a success you have to be in for the long haul. |
| Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar Posted:  This week we've got plenty of new reviews for you. As well as Apple's new iPhone 5, there's the Galaxy Mini 2 at the following end of the price spectrum. Then there's Adobe's brand new version of Photoshop Elements, which is sure to be a big seller in the run-up to Christmas. We've also got a full review of Nikon's new D600, which will slot in nicely between the professional Nikon D800 and the enthusiast-level Nikon D7000. Check out everything we've reviewed this week below. The 105g Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 slides in at the lower end of Samsung's range and can be picked up for around £150 ($200) SIM-free. It's also available for free on contract starting at just £10.50 per month. The Galaxy Mini 2 isn't Samsung's entry level handset - that accolade goes to the Galaxy Y – which means it lines up against the likes of the Nokia Lumia 610, HTC Desire C and Sony Xperia U. Pick up the Galaxy Mini 2 and you're met with that undeniably plastic finish which graces Samsung's whole range of smartphones from the quad-core Galaxy S3 flagship, all the way down to the likes of the Galaxy Ace 2 and Galaxy Y. There's a 3.27-inch TFT display with a 320 x 480 resolution. It's a good looking, budget handset with a strong build quality and manageable size – and the bright colour option for the rear cover will probably resonate with fashion-conscious teens. Having developed its own passive Cinema 3D system and stuffed its TV ranges largely with Edge LED screens, you'd be forgiven for thinking that plasma tech is a low priority for LG. And you'd probably be right, but the 50-inch, Full HD and thoroughly feature-packed LG 50PM670T plasma TV represents - at least on paper - an increasingly tempting trend on the part of a handful of TV manufacturers of issuing low-key but huge plasma screens at startlingly low prices. Elsewhere, the LG 50PM670T is a typical example of an all-round living room TV, strapped with an extensive array of smart TV apps and LG's excellent new networking-friendly user interface called SmartShare, plus a Freeview HD tuner and a Full HD resolution. For a mid-range TV priced at £749.99 (around $1,214), that's not at all a bad haul of features. Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 review Adobe Photoshop CS6 may have gathered all the attention, but its baby brother Photoshop Elements has been quietly growing up. Now at version 11, it's a mature, sophisticated image-editing program that provides 90 per cent of the functionality of the full Photoshop, at a fraction of the cost. Pricing for new Photoshop Elements users is £79.10, or £119.14 for an Elements & Premiere Elements bundle. If you're upgrading from a previous copy of Photoshop Elements, it will cost £64.81, or £98.16 for the bundle. This time around, there are only a handful of new features - although these are very much worth having - since Adobe has concentrated on the look and feel of the program. Gone is the dark, grey-on-grey look of previous versions; in comes a bright, fresh livery with much more readable text, clear tool icons, and a far fresher and more appealing look overall. While every man and his dog is throwing SATA 6Gbps interfaced SSDs at us as if there's no tomorrow, where does that leave everyone that are still packing SATA 3Gbps systems? Surely they deserve some modern SSD love too? This is the premise behind Crucial's latest v4 family of drives: build a 3Gbps SSD at a good price so people with 3Gbps systems don't have to buy expensive 6Gbps models with features and performance they can't tap into. Seems vaguely sensible, right? While that would have been a sound idea when 6Gbps drives were relatively expensive, real life has dealt the Crucial v4 a kick where it hurts. The SSD market has become a little more cut throat sooner then most people expected and more than many ever thought possible. Nikon has been rather busy over the past year, having already released the D4 and D800 in quick succession. But the company isn't taking a break just yet. The Nikon D600 aims to fill the gap between the hugely capable and professional Nikon D800 and the enthusiast-level Nikon D7000. The D600 is Nikon's first 'accessible' full-frame DSLR. Its £1,955.99/$2,099.95 price tag comfortably undercuts the full price of the Nikon D800 or Canon EOS 5D Mark III, while the size and weight of the Nikon D600 are only a marginal increase over the cropped-sensor Nikon D7000. At the heart of the Nikon D600 is a new 24.3-million pixel, FX format CMOS sensor. It may seem quite a reduction from the 36.3MP chip in the Nikon D800, but it's still enough to outdo a Nikon D4 or Canon EOS 5D Mark III in terms of outright resolution. But has Nikon cut any corners to produce its smallest and least expensive full-frame offering? This week's other reviewsCameras Fujifilm FinePix F770 EXR review Games consoles Laptops Mobile phones Apple iPhone 5 (Verizon) review Apple iPhone 5 (Sprint) review Monitors Samsung Series 9 S27B970D review Projectors Storage |
| Apple's Pandora-like service talks reportedly derailed by music publisher Posted:  Rumors have been flying in recent weeks that Apple has been planning to take on Pandora with a music streaming service of its own - but those plans may have been scrubbed temporarily by a single music publisher. According to reports published Friday, Sony/ATV Music Publishing has been named as the major holdout in moving the service forward. Jointly owned by Sony and Michael Jackson's estate, industry sources claim Sony/ATV asked Apple to pay a higher per-song rate than competitors like Pandora. The company recently bought EMI Music Publishing, granting it power over 2 million music copyrights for artists ranging from One Direction to The Beatles - rights Apple needs to offer a competitive playlist and a leverage point for Sony/ATV. Opening Pandora's boxGenerally, it looks as though Apple's music service, created in partnership with music labels, aims to be a more flexible alternative to Pandora, one that allows it to take users directly to the iTunes store while letting labels promote an artist, band, or brand at any given time. Services like Pandora have traditionally paid music publishers a statutory rate for streaming web radio, rather than having to negotiate with each individual publishing company. Apple's rumored service apparently goes a step further than Pandora, enabling users to play a selected artist more times than Pandora-like services are allowed. Part of its plan requires Apple to negotiate with each individual rights holder and not just with the major copyright holders - and that's where trouble came into Cupertino's planned paradise. Turning down the volumeMusic label honchos are reportedly none too keen on Pandora's business model themselves as sources claim the service doesn't provide them with much revenue and takes away from sales. While the music industry has its issues with Apple, particularly over the legal scramble created when Apple first attempted to announce 90-second song samples in 2010, the industry also doesn't want to see Pandora become too big to topple nor have Apple create an identical service. Apple, it seems, offers an attractive alternative to the dominate Pandora. The new service was supposedly set to debut alongside the iPhone 5 earlier this month. As talks continue, iOS 6's iTunes Match offers songs that are fully streamable for now - eliminating the need to download to a device first. TechRadar has reached out to Sony/ATV for comment and will update this story if and when additional information becomes available. |
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