DTS has announced that its Play-Fi wireless streaming system is now supported by iOS devices. Users can now stream audio from iPhones and iPads, along with Android devices and Windows PCs, to audio equipment located throughout a home via an existing Wi-Fi network....
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Unsurprisingly, Apple’s front of store displays for the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c focus on color. Both displays seem to be comprised of colored balls inside of a large glass box. The 5s side features the blue, pink/red, green, yellow, and white colors, while the 5s side promotes gold, gray, and silver. More photos below. Thanks, Ben!

Check out 9to5Mac for more breaking coverage of AAPL...

QuickOffice for iPad and Android. Google

Today Google made Quickoffice—its app for creating and editing Microsoft Office documents—free to all users of iPhones, iPads, and Android devices.

Quickoffice was bought by Google a year ago, and it has provided editing of Microsoft Office documents in their native formats on mobile devices for more than a couple of years. The app cost $20, but for the past year Google made it free to companies that are paying subscribers of Google Apps for Business. With today's update, it's free to everyone with a Google account, whether you pay for a Google Apps subscription or not.

Google already provided editing of Google Docs...

I've reviewed Diptic in the past. It's a great iPhone app for creating photo collages on the fly. Now, Diptic PDQ (US$0.99, universal) gives you many of the same features with a new look and a quicker workflow.

The developers call it a "stripped down" version of Diptic, but don't let that fool you. Diptic PDQ has the same wide feature set but far fewer design templates. While Diptic has 200, Diptic PDQ offers just 35 templates.

It's easy to manipulate your image within the frames for the best composition, and you can adjust the size of each frame. Images can be zoomed and rotated, and reversed for a mirror image. Borders can be customized by color and size. There are 14 filters you can apply to your images.

I made some impressive collages with very little trouble. Your collage can be saved to your...

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GigaOM:

Low broadband caps in Canada put that country close to third-world countries, and overage charges almost amount to human rights violations: Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos blasted broadband caps and usage-based-billing employed by Canadian ISPs during an investor event Thursday afternoon.

Well, That’s embarrassing for us.

∞ Read this on The Loop

When Apple introduced the iPhone 5c, analysts and pundits were taken aback that the device was not as cheap as they were anticipating. How, they pondered, would Apple be able to increase marketshare without a more affordable device aimed at emerging markets?

The result? A huge sell-off in Apple shares.

As is typically the case with respect to Apple-related panic, however, the reality is much less alarming than the hysteria would have you believe.

AllThingsD, for example, recently pointed out that both China Telecom and China Unicom are offering substantial subsidies for Apple's newest iPhones.

At 4,488 yuan - about $730 - the off-contract price of Apple's new iPhone 5c may well be too heady for China, the world's most populous mobile phone market. But the carriers distributing the device there are offering plenty...

If it seemed like everyone on planet Earth was trying to install iOS 7 at the same you were, well, you're probably not wrong in that assumption. Information from Chitika Insights and others who have been following the action of the past 24 hours shows that anywhere from 18.2 percent (Chitika) to 36.10 percent (Mixpanel at 10:30 AM PT, see figure below) of all iOS devices are now running Apple's latest mobile OS.

Why the difference in the numbers? Well, it probably has to do with the methodologies used by the two companies. A Mixpanel spokesperson responded to this question as follows:

The data in the iOS 7 adoption report on Mixpanel Trends is based on an aggregated set of the more than 15 billion actions analyzed by Mixpanel each month. The report shows the share of total activity on devices running a version of iOS...

Update: Apple confirmed in a statement to AllThingsD that it is working on a fix for a future software update:

“Apple takes user security very seriously,” Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told AllThingsD. “We are aware of this issue, and will deliver a fix in a future software update.”

Forbes publicizes a bug in the iOS 7 Lock screen and Control Center implementation that could allow a person to bypass the device’s passcode and access the photo library. This bug is more of a potential security issue as it requires users to both be running their camera app (so it shows up in multitasking) and have Control Center activated for the Lock screen. Here are the steps (which we have...

Can’t function in a cluttered environment? Hate all those cables and wires on your work station? Need a place for everything and everything in its place? The AluPocket from Just Mobile holds your iPhone and hangs on the wall.

Whoa, this one caught our newsroom off-guard: Google has finally brought Google Wallet to iOS, with a version that came out for the iPhone today.

Along with the iOS release, Google has added the ability to send money from within the app. My husband, who uses Google Wallet on his Galaxy Nexus, pointed out that the interface has received an overhaul across the board with this release. You'll also be able to keep track of loyalty programs and receive offers targeted to Google Wallet users. About the only thing iOS users do not have is the ability to use tap-to-pay (obviously for NFC reasons).

Google Wallet is a free download and requires iOS 6 or above.

[via Engadget]

Google Wallet released for the iPhone originally...

Turns out our furry friends have enough going on in their paws to register with an iPhone 5s's Touch ID. TechCrunch tested the concept out on a review unit, and found that a cat's paw could be mapped by Touch ID, and that said cat's paw could then unlock that device. Pretty cool, eh? It's not particularly useful or practical, but it's interesting to see. We asked an expert in biology and physiology about it, and he told us, "It's got sweat glands and enough dermal structure to create a pattern.  Knew you'd ask." Smart chap. A couple of notes: It's a space gray iPhone 5s in a red case, not an iPhone 5c. Also, this isn't some kind of fail of Apple's Touch ID. It's more of a testament to how awesome Apple's sensor is.

On the eve of the iPhone 5c and 5s launch, Apple executives Tim Cook, Craig Federighi and Jony Ive sat down for an all encompassing interview with Bloomberg Businessweek. It's not often that Apple execs sit down for in-depth interviews, but when it happens, it is usually chock full of interesting information. The Businessweek interview is no different.

One of the many persistent criticisms regarding Apple's iPhone strategy is that the company needs a cheap handset to appeal to more cost conscious consumers. Cook, however, explained that Apple's business model isn't predicated on churning out low value devices at cheap pricepoints.

To Cook, the mobile industry doesn't race to the bottom, it splits. One part does indeed go cheap, with commoditized products that compete on little more than price. "There's always a large junk part...

Legally blind accessibility expert Steven Aquino took iOS 7 for a spin to evaluate how Apple’s new mobile operating system works — both in terms of its redesigned interface and overhauled accessibility options — for those whose vision isn’t as sharp as it could be.

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Yep, these guys pressured Apple into this.

Secure Our Smartphones Coalition Statement On Release Of Apple’s iOS 7

Gascón & Schneiderman: After Months Of Pressure, Apple Responds With The World’s First Attempt To Implement A Technological Solution To The Global Smartphone Theft Epidemic

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón and New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman released this joint statement following today’s deployment of Apple’s newest operating system, iOS 7:

“After months of pressure from a global coalition of elected officials and law enforcement agencies, we are pleased that Apple is set to release a new mobile operating system that includes a theft deterrent feature called Activation Lock. This is an important first step towards ending the global epidemic of...

France plans to push for new Europe-wide regulations and tax rules on U.S. Internet giants when European Union leaders meet next month to discuss the bloc’s digital challenges.

According to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, France is calling on the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, to draw up proposals by spring 2014 aimed at “establishing a tax regime for digital companies that ensures that the profits they make on the European market are subject to taxation and that the revenues are shared between the Member States, linking the tax base to the place where the profits are made.”

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

Apple rolled out iOS 7 yesterday to the public, and app developers were ready with their iOS 7 compatible apps. Yesterday, we looked at notable iOS app updates, and today, it is time to look at the new apps that debuted alongside iOS 7 . Here is a list of new apps that hit App Store just in time for iOS 7.

• La Luna: The Story Project [iPad; Category: Entertainment; $3.99] Pixar's Academy Award-nominated short film comes to life in a new interactive storybook experience for your iPad.

• Disney Infinity: Toy Box [iPad; Category: Games; Free] Captain Jack Sparrow in a sports car...

As expected, Apple has added a 'Kids' category to the App Store. Users can view content geared for specific age groups, such as "Best for Ages 5 & Under," with a primary focus on educational apps. The listings also include popular games for kids, along with rankings for top paid apps, top free apps and top-grossing titles....
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Yesterday iOS 7 came out. There was a massive rush to try to install and it download it. The one thing that we were not prepared for or made aware of was the need to have up to 3.3 GB of space available in order to download and install iOS 7. The reason you needed 3.3 GB available is that the 900MB download of iOS 7 also needs to move a lot of stuff around during installation.

If you are like us, you might not have that 3.3GB of space needed on your iOS device. We’ve spent the last year downloading music, videos and apps to the point where our iPads tell us to stop. So now we need to delete some of our stuff.

Once you free up your space on your device, and back up your device, then you will be ...

Creators of iOS DJ software, Algoriddim, has released djay 2 optimized for iOS 7. Featuring a fully revamped user interface and new music library, users can now add an input track from their mixes directly into other audio apps for more creative opportunities. Inter-App Audio can be used with other participating apps. Also included in the latest update, "Artist Packs" consists of a collection of 12 exclusive audio and vocal samples that can be loaded to the integrated drum pad sampler, allowing the user to trigger beats and vocal samples from their favourite artists' live performances. Snoop D...
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The Activation Lock anti-theft feature Apple built into iOS 7 has earned slight praise from government officials, who are now urging iOS device owners to upgrade to the latest version of the operating system in order to head off device theft.
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Apple launched iOS 7 yesterday, and while adoption rates are soaring, some users are less-than-thrilled with the new look and feel of their phones. Typically Apple doesn’t allow iOS to be downgraded to previous versions, but at the time of this writing disgruntled users are still able to go back to the leather and green felt they know and love.

Just how do you accomplish this? Keep reading for a full walkthrough.

There are a few important things to cover before we start this process. If you’re...

When Tim Cook said that iOS 7 marks the biggest change to iOS since the original iPhone, he wasn't kidding. If you've been able to download iOS 7 without any hiccups, you've undoubtedly noticed that iOS 7 looks different, way different.

With Scott Forstall out of the mix, Jony Ive was put in charge of the look and feel of iOS and the end result is a flatter and arguably cleaner interface that does away with many of the textures users may have grown accustomed to with previous iterations of iOS. In short, iOS 7 is a whole lot flatter than its predecessor.

Highlighting this significant shift in design, Ars Technica put together an extensive gallery highlighting a number of instances where Apple opted for a completely texture-less existence, one devoid of drop shadows, gradients, and other visual cues.

In one example below, we see that the new...

Google has finally released a Google Wallet app (App Store) for iOS devices, enabling iPhone and iPad users to store and manage credit and debit cards, loyalty programs and promotional offers. The iOS title serves the same basic function as its Android counterpart, except for the tap-to-pay feature that requires NFC hardware unavailable on Apple's mobile devices....
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If you are like me, you have your eyes set on a Gold (or white) iPhone 5s because BLING! But if you are planning to go camp out in from of a non-Apple retail establishment tomorrow, you are going to have a bad time.

Every carrier source we’ve talked to and every US retail outlet we’ve heard from has told us that they are only getting in Space Grey iPhone 5s devices for sale. That’s not to say some stock might arrive late tonight and throughout the day tomorrow.

Further up the line, we’re hearing that a few white/silver and even fewer gold iPhone 5s deliveries are trickling in the warehouses but hardly enough for wide dispersal by retail stores. Perhaps a few high profile flagship stores will have stock on hand but as we’ve been told by one...

Yesterday, Apple released iOS 7 for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The major update, which includes 200 new features and a completely new interface aesthetic, not only effects Apple’s operating system, but it has a profound connection to the hundreds of thousands of apps available on the App Store. Since yesterday, we’ve been posting in-depth looks at the new operating system, how-to posts, and reviews & previews of new applications that fit the design of iOS 7:

- Our walkthrough post provides in-depth explanations, video tours, and tips on using some of iOS 7′s most important...

Phiaton has announced two new headphones — the Chord MS 530 ($349) and Fusion MS 430 ($179). The Chord MS 530 headphones use Bluetooth 4.0, and two Bluetooth-enabled devices can be connected at the same time. A 40mm titanium driver powers the sound, which benefits from active noise…

The iPhone 5s has just gone on sale in Australia. However, as has been noted several times, supply of the 5s is extremely constrained. As a result, Apple is already quoting 7-10 day shipping estimates for the device. The prolonged availability applies to all models and all colors. 5s cases are similarly low in supply, to a similar extent, quoting 3-5 day shipping times.

Supply issues seem to apply to all countries. In the UK, O2 has announced that they will have no 5s’ in stock, but will order it for when it becomes available. Via CZ on Twitter, for the Apple Store in Hong Kong, the 5s has already lapsed into October for shipping.

@markgurman...

Honeywell has introduced a new version of its Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat that can be operated hands-free using voice commands. The Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with Voice Control is able to understand when the homeowner is speaking to it and to follow verbal instructions, thanks to its cloud-based voice recognition system....
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It took some iPhone owners a while to get it, but a ton of Apple users downloaded iOS 7 on Wednesday — the first day it was available.

A study from advertising network Chitika showed that, less than 24 hours after being made available, iOS 7 was accounting for more than 18 percent of North American iOS traffic on the sites it tracks. That’s three percentage points higher than Chitika saw for iOS 6 in its first day.

“This level of adoption represents another proverbial feather in the cap of Apple, as it bests the impressive adoption rates of iOS 6 in the same time period last year,” Chitika said in a report to be published on Thursday. Meanwhile, Mixpanel said it saw even higher numbers.

Although...

If you have been used to using different Apple IDs for different apps in iOS 6, you can still do that in iOS 7, but some of the details have changed.

One of the first complaints that came in was about Find My iPhone, with several people writing in worried that Apple had done away with the ability to use different Apple IDs with the app. But there is a 'Sign Out' button on the first screen. Simply tap that button, and you will be able to use a different Apple ID for Find My iPhone.

(Aside: you really should be using Find My iPhone, especially with the new improvements to it that came with iOS 7, which make it harder for anyone who might steal your iPhone to disable the feature.)

The same is also true for Messages, but the logout button is a bit harder to find. You have to go to Settings » Messages » Send & Receive. At the top of that window you will see the Apple ID...

iOS 7 sports a new look all the way down to the fonts used to display text and the time, and it turns out it's just a little too difficult on some people's eyes. If that's you, it's easy to make iOS 7's text more eye-friendly. Read on to learn how.

...

Google on Thursday released its Wallet transaction service for Apple's iPhone, giving users the ability to transfer money and store loyalty cards on their smartphone.
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iOS Heaven

This week's roundup focuses on apps that have been redesigned or relaunched to take advantage of features in (or the hype surrounding) iOS 7. Read on.

Chrome

Somehow, the newest update to the free Chrome browser for iOS makes it both more Apple-y and more Google-y. Yes, it’s undergone a redesign to match the look and feel of iOS 7’s leaner, flatter aesthetic. But functionally, the app ties itself ever more into the Google universe as it exists on iOS: Links from Chrome now open in the YouTube, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Drive, and Google+ apps, provided you also have them on your iOS device. The iPhone might just be the best Android phone yet.

Drafts

Version 3.5 of Drafts for iPad isn’t just compatible with iOS 7—it’s only compatible with iOS 7. And the $4...

There are so many good pieces in this story. You just have to read the whole thing.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Following the launch of an all new Google Wallet app for Android that brought the service to all Android devices in the US and customers on Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, today Google has launched an official Google Wallet app...

Updated with all the iOS 7 trimmings. I downloaded and and it works great.

∞ Read this on The Loop

If you enjoy listening to music via streaming music services such as Spotify, Rdio or Pandora, then you are going to get a kick out Apple's newly released iTunes Radio.

The service has been awesome over the last two months of beta testing, featuring a great mix of music and stellar quality playback. The one thing that has put a bee in my bonnet until the iTunes 11.1 update released today had been the butchering censorship of the music on iTunes Radio.

Talking about this with fellow TUAW Blogger Steve Sande, he showed me how to fix this. I was so excited I had to make a video to share with you.

In iTunes 11.1, click on the Music icon under Library in the side bar and click the Radio tab. Under the station choose slider you...

In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed the company’s new iPhones, most notably the iPhone 5c, which isn’t as inexpensive as some observers anticipated. “We never had an objective to sell a low-cost phone,” Cook said. “Our primary objective is to sell a great phone…

When I encounter a story on the net that just seems too outlandish to be true, the first thing I do is turn to Snopes.com. Nine times out of ten, I’ll find the questionable story on Snopes, with some background on the origins of the story and a big green or red graphic that says true or false.

Snopes is a great resource. But the site is seeded with a few stories that are just not true. Follow the link above to read the background. Or follow this link for the Snopes lost legends page.

∞ Read this on The Loop...

With less than 24 hours remaining before the launch of the newest iPhone models, more customers have begun to call the pavement with a view of Central Park their temporary home.
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Ahead of the iPhone 5s launch tomorrow morning in Apple Stores around the world at 8AM local time, Apple appears to be preparing for online orders with its websites for China, Hong Kong, Australia, and Singapore currently experiencing downtime. Orders from Apple’s online store are about to kick off in the coming hours in Australia, while China and Hong Kong opened up reservations for the device earlier this week and also plan 8am retail launches. In the U.S. and most other countries online orders will start at 12am (PST in the US) and local time in other locations. Word has it the iPhone 5s will be in short supply at launch, but it’s taken Apple’s iPhone 5c over a week before experiencing any significant...

30 percent of iOS users upgraded to iOS 7 in the first 16 hours, according to data from tracking company Mixpanel. As we fanboys love to do, compare with the Carrier-controlled Android ecosystem where you have to go back to last year’s Android 4.1 to find numbers close to that:

9to5Mac readers were of course way ahead of the game … 

9to5Mac was seeing close to the current numbers a full three days ago before iOS7 was released to the general public (Developers, Developers, Developers!) . This is September 15th:

And right now,...

Thanks to limited inventory, Apple will likely sell between 5 million and 6 million iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s models combined during their first weekend of availability. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster expects that number could higher, but constraints on iPhone 5s inventory will limit just how much the company can sell.

The Mac Observer Spin:
If Apple's iPhone 5 inventory is extremely low and sells out during launch weekend the company can say demand is high, but if units are still available come next Monday it's a safe bet the media will rake the company over the coals regardless of how high or low inventory levels were.

Releasing an app is stressful. Once you've got a great idea you need to start development process of getting the art, code, and text in order. And when that's done, and your shiny new app is ready for release, you face the review process which is largely just a waiting game. How many days will you wait to find out if your app has been approved? Good news, now there's a way to find out.

Shiny Development is helping out with ReviewTimes, a site that roughly tracks the average time an app waits for Apple to review it for both the iOS and Mac App Stores. Using crowdsourced data from iOS and Mac developers on Twitter, the site provides an average of how long developers are waiting to get approval.

Developers submit their data by tweeting their latest review time with either #iosreviewtime or #macreviewtime. As of press time the average iOS Store wait time was seven days based on 425 reviews in the past 14 days, while...

Apple now allows App Store downloads up to 100MB over cellular in iOS 7—the limit was previously 50MB. Apps larger than 100MB must be downloaded over Wi-Fi. [via MacRumors]

Apple released iCloud Control Panel 2.1.2 for Windows, a release that adds support for Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system. 

iTunes 11.1 introduces iTunes Radio, a charming and low-key way to listen to music, by genre, and occasionally discover a new gem to purchase. You basically build your own radio station that plays your favorites. There are built in interruptions, but they're rare and don't spoil the experience.