Saturday, October 13, 2012

Software : Windows 8 Netflix app appears in Windows Store

Software : Windows 8 Netflix app appears in Windows Store

Windows 8 Netflix app appears in Windows Store

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Windows 8 Netflix app appears in Windows Store

Streaming giant Netflix has released a new 'built from the ground up' app for the forthcoming Windows 8 OS.

Microsoft's new software is not available for another two weeks, but the Netflix app now sits proudly in the Windows 8 store and can now be downloaded by those using preview versions of Windows 8.

"This Netflix App was built from the ground up to take advantage of new Windows 8 design principles and video player features," said the company on Friday.

The made-for-touchscreens application possesses a few of the design hallmarks of both Windows 8 and versions of the Netflix app for iOS and Android devices.

Touchscreen focus

Naturally, you'll stil be able to use the app on keyboards, but the UI is definitely focused on Windows 8 tablets like the Microsoft Surface and touchscreen PCs, rather than traditional desktop PCs.

"On the Netflix home page, for example, pinch to zoom out and get a birds-eye view of the catalog (or hit Control+Minus on the keyboard, or Control+Scrollwheel on the mouse)," Netflix explained.

The company has also pointed out that the app is also more efficient than its previous offerings and will allow users to get more viewing from a single charge.

Netflix said: "We accomplished this by taking advantage of new graphics acceleration capabilities in Windows 8, so playing HD movies barely uses your CPU.

"Our app is very thrifty with battery usage, too, so you can watch more on a single charge."

So as not to upset traditional Windows users too much, it seems likely that Netflix may launch a secondary app for desktop users that doesn't involve as much clicking and dragging. Then again, there's always Netflix.com for that crowd.

iPhone 5 generating more web traffic than Galaxy S3, sales haven't stopped due to Maps

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iPhone 5 generating more web traffic than Galaxy S3, sales haven't stopped due to Maps

Despite Apple's current struggles with the much-maligned Maps app, the company is still enjoying quite a bit of success.

The iPhone 5 has already sold more than 5 million units, and iOS 6 is being adopted by users at an impressive rate.

Even though Maps' struggles have been highly publicized, there are still plenty of consumers interested in purchasing an iPhone 5.

A new study from ChangeWave not only revealed more consumers were interested in the iPhone 5 than they were the iPhone 4S, but also that an overwhelming percentage of Maps users had no issue with the app whatsoever.

Maps issues overhyped?

ChangeWave's numbers found 19 percent of people polled were "Very Likely" to purchase an iPhone 5.

When it ran a similar survey during the iPhone 4S' launch in October 2011, ChangeWave found just 10 percent of those polled answered the same way,

In fact, the iPhone 5 results outclassed those of the iPhone 4S in every single category in ChangeWave's survey.

Additionally, ChangeWave polled current iOS 6 users in an effort to find out just how much of an issue Maps really was.

The majority of respondents, 90 percent, reported having no issue at all with Maps, while only 3 percent of those polled said Maps was a "Very Big Problem."

"In comparison to the iPhone 4 Antenna/Reception issue, the current Apple Maps issue is of marginal concern to iPhone 5/iOS 6 users," said ChangWave in its report.

"Simply put, Apple Maps is not considered a problem by the overwhelming majority of users."

iPhone 5 leads in web traffic

Perhaps even better news for Apple is the latest Chitika web browser report, which gives the iPhone 5 the lead over its competitor, the Samsung Galaxy S3.

With Apple already holding onto 72 percent of all smartphone web traffic, it should come as no surprise to learn the iPhone 5 is again leading the charge against its chief rival.

Pitting only the web traffic generated by the iPhone 5 against that of the Galaxy S3, Chitika found a slight majority in Apple's favor.

The iPhone 5 is responsible for 56 percent of all web browsing between two smartphones, compared to the Galaxy S3's 44 percent.

Considering the iPhone 5 is only a few weeks old, and Samsung's smartphone has been out for months, that much of a gap already existing between the two is quite impressive.

Teamed with the record-breaking sales of the iPhone 5, Chitika said "new 4G browsing speeds which encourage data usage, are the most likely explanation for this tremendous growth."

If those ChangeWave poll-takers soon pick up an iPhone 5, that gap could grow even more before the end of the year.

Apple agrees to licensing deal over iOS 6 clock dispute

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Apple agrees to licensing deal over iOS 6 clock dispute

Apple has agreed to pay a licensing fee to the Swiss railway network service after Cupertino was accused of ripping off its trademarked clock design for an iOS 6 app.

The timepiece in question belongs to the Swiss Federal Railway (SBB), and hangs in train stations around the nation. The clock is based on a 1944 design by one of its employees.

When Apple launched the "identical" Clock app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, SBB said it was pleased the design had been recognised, but said Apple definitely did not for permission.

Amicable agreement

"We are proud that this icon of clock design is being used by a globally successful company," Reto Kormann told The Associated Press on Sept. 21.

"We've approached Apple and told them that the rights for this clock belong to us," he added, before saying SBB would be seeking an "amicable agreement" with Apple.

It appears that the company got its lawyers on the case as Friday SBB confirmed that Apple has agreed to pay the piper on this one.

SBB told CNET that the details of the agreement will remain confidential. Apple is yet to comment, but TechRadar has reached out to the company.
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