Software : Apple Maps update returns missing Statue of Liberty to New York City

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Apple Maps update returns missing Statue of Liberty to New York City Posted: Apple has started to roll out the first updates to its Maps application, starting with the restoration of some major New York City landmarks. The missing Statue of Liberty, which presumably was visiting friends and family back in France, is now safely back on American soil according to Apple Maps' updated 3D satellite imagery. Also, the once hopelessly-distorted Brooklyn Bridge now appears in all its majestic glory, in the ongoing, but unannounced updates. The 3D Flyover feature for Apple Maps was touted as one of the headline features of the new offering but has been subject to ridicule since the app's launch within iOS 6 in mid-September. Glaring omissions It is, of course, wise for Apple to tackle the most glaring omissions to the Maps app first as they have been subject to the greatest level of mickey-taking. However, there remains huge amount of work to be done before the product meets the expectations of Apple fans and the company itself. Last week Apple CEO Tim Cook made an unprecedented apology in which he admitted the company "fell short" on its commitment to deliver the best experiences for its users. Now New York is on the way to being fixed, perhaps Apple could work on removing the omnipresent cloud cover, currently enshrouding the whole of England?

Motorola abandons Lap Dock and Webtop experiment, amid poor sales Posted: Motorola has announced that it will no longer develop the Lab Dock accessory and accompanying Webtop software, which allows an empty-shell laptop to be powered by Moto smartphones. The Google-owned company said adoption of the Lap Dock and Webtop software, which arrived alongside the Motorola Atrix smartphone in early 2011, had not been strong enough to justify further development. The accessory, which was the subject of much excitement upon its debut at CES 2011, used the Atrix's processing power, memory and connectivity to bring the dock or a desktop monitor to life. As a result, Moto told CNET, the Webtop app, which appeared on its smartphones and gave Lap Dock users a separate operating system more akin to what they'd experience on a laptop, would be discontinued. Redundant The company said that, as the Android OS itself integrates more desktop-like features, Webtop would ultimately become redundant. In a statement to CNET, Moto said: "Motorola's Webtop app helps users extend their smartphone experience to larger screens. "While consumers around the world have adopted Webtop and the concept spurred a lot of innovation in the industry, the adoption has not been strong enough to justify continued resources being allocated to developing Webtop on future devices. "We have also seen development of the Android operating system focus on the inclusion of more desktoplike features. Beginning with Photon Q and Droid Razr M/Droid Razr HD/Droid Razr Maxx HD, we will no longer be including Webtop on our products moving forward." More Google cuts? The cuts may be a result of Google trimming the fat at Motorola, following its multi-billion dollar acquisition of the hardware giant. Reports on Friday claimed that Google has already shelled-out $340m (£210m) on "severance packages" to those Moto employees deemed surplus to requirements. Overall, Google plans to cut approximately one fifth of all Motorola staff, so these hefty redundancy payoffs are likely to continue well into next year.

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