There are plenty of iOS apps for forecasting the weather, but few of them carry the weight of The Weather Channel itself — and now the cable channel’s own App Store entry has received a slick update, at least for the free version.
The Weather Channel has announced the availability of a major redesign of its iOS app for the iPhone and iPod touch. Available today in the App Store, The Weather Channel version 5.0 offers a simpler user interface and a visually stunning design for a more personal weather experience.
“Our new app is more relevant — whether it’s showing a beautiful image that displays your local weather or allowing you to save your own personalized home screen image, it’s more about the weather and content that matters to each consumer,” said Cameron Clayton, executive vice president of digital product at The Weather Channel companies. “We’ve made changes based on consumer feedback to engage users through a deeper and more emotional weather experience.”
The update, which borrows a lot of style from the iPad-specific version, marks the first major redesign of the app since 2009, featuring an immediate view of weather conditions that conveys the feel of the weather and offers increased personalization and social integration with iWitness, Twitter, Facebook and email.
The only problem with the new version is that The Weather Channel isn’t saying anything about its paid, ad-free version, The Weather Channel Max, which has yet to receive the new coat of paint. That means weather junkies will have to choose between a slick new design populated by ads, or the tired old UI without them. Here’s hoping TWC will rectify the situation soon for its paid app users!
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We’re big fans of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 here at MacLife.com, but sadly the folks in Redmond don’t seem too eager about moving the platform to the tablet. But that hasn’t stopped a Dutch developer from giving it a go anyway, using RIM’s failed BlackBerry PlayBook.
BGR is reporting (via N4BB) that a developer in the Netherlands has successfully ported Microsoft Windows Phone 7 to a Research in Motion BlackBerry PlayBook. While that may sound like a match made in hades for iOS and Android users, the unholy union actually seems to work pretty well, judging from the YouTube video embedded below.
“‘Gamer109X,’ the developer behind this curious chimera, said he plans to release a Windows Phone build for the PlayBook to the public in the coming months,” the report reveals, which certainly could help RIM shove a few more deeply discounted BlackBerry PlayBooks out of its warehouses if true.
Among the feats of strength shown off in the video are browsing photos, downloading Angry Birds from Marketplace, posting a message and running Nokia Maps, which curiously places the developer in Barcelona, Spain instead of the Netherlands. Here’s hoping we’ll get some further details on exactly how the developer pulled off this trick, but in the meantime enjoy the video!
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(Image & video courtesy of BGR and N4BB)
We’ve been reporting on International Trade Commission decisions for what seems like forever, but it appears that one of them is finally making an impact — two of HTC’s latest handsets are being “indefinitely delayed” by U.S. customs as the result of an ITC ban Apple won against the handset manufacturer late last year.
The Verge is reporting that the HTC One X and HTC Evo 4G LTE have both fallen victim to an import delay by U.S. Customs “for potentially infringing an Apple patent.” As a result, the new handsets have been “indefinitely delayed” until Customs can investigate the situation further.
The move is likely to come as bad news to Android lovers ready to wrap their fingers around these handsets — the One X is currently out of stock from AT&T’s website and the situation appears grim as to when further units may arrive in retail stores.
The import delay is the result of a “wide-ranging exclusion order” won by Apple last December by the International Trade Commission (ITC), who found that “Android’s messaging app and browser infringed upon Apple patent #5,946,647, which covers automatically converting things like phone numbers and email addresses into actionable links that open a menu of options.”
Although a ban of infringing devices was delayed while HTC could figure out a workaround, that delay ended on April 19. HTC has likely fixed the problem with the One X and Evo 4G LTE, but the ITC order is fairly broad and prohibits importation of any “personal data and mobile communications devices” made by HTC.
Needless to say, HTC isn’t very happy about the delay, but appears confident that Customs will move quickly to clear the blockade.
“The US availability of the HTC One X and HTC EVO 4G LTE has been delayed due to a standard U.S. Customs review of shipments that is required after an ITC exclusion order,” the company said in an official statement. “We believe we are in compliance with the ruling and HTC is working closely with Customs to secure approval. The HTC One X and HTC Evo 4G LTE have been received enthusiastically by customers and we appreciate their patience as we work to get these products into their hands as soon as possible.”
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Chalk one up for the rumor mill once again! It appears West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin will indeed be writing the screenplay for Sony’s official adaptation of Steve Jobs’ biography after all.
Variety is reporting that Sony Pictures has confirmed the hiring of Aaron Sorkin to adapt the bestselling biography Steve Jobs into a major motion picture. While Sorkin may be better known to television viewers as the creator of The West Wing, more recently he wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay for The Social Network, a dramatic interpretation of how Facebook’s meteoric rise based on the book The Accidental Billionaires.
Unlike the independent feature starring Ashton Kutcher currently before the cameras, Sony’s biopic comes with the blessing of official Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson, whose bestselling book Sorkin will adapt for the big screen.
“Steve Jobs’ story is unique: He was one of the most revolutionary and influential men not just of our time, but of all time,” said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment. “There is no writer working in Hollywood today who is more capable of capturing such an extraordinary life for the screen than Aaron Sorkin; in his hands, we’re confident that the film will be everything that Jobs himself was: captivating, entertaining, and polarizing.”
As if Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs weren’t enough for Sorkin, the screenwriter is also hard at work adapting Andrew Young’s bestselling book The Politician, which chronicles the rise and fall of Senator John Edwards, which he will also direct.
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Still rocking grandfathered unlimited data through Verizon Wireless? Better enjoy it while it lasts, because the carrier plans to drive a stake through its heart when Big Red makes the switch to family data plans this sunny summer. Should make good fodder for Sprint’s future marketing, since they continue to be the only U.S. carrier offering truly unlimited data plans. Meanwhile, here’s the rest of what’s making news for this Wednesday, May 16, 2012.
Fierce Wireless is reporting that grandfathered unlimited data plans may soon go the way of the dinosaur, at least if Verizon Wireless CFO Fran Shammo has anything to say about it (and sadly, he does). Speaking at the J.P. Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference this week, Shammo explained that as its 3G data customers migrate to 4G LTE, Verizon will require data sharing plans that will not be compatible with the faster speeds, nor sharing between multiple devices. The move is part of the carrier’s plan to shift to a “revenue per account” metric, rather than the current model which measures individual users’ data usage. With shared data plans in the works for mid-summer, there’s likely to be a lot of unhappy veteran users longing for the unlimited data days…
Cnet is reporting that the Retina Display screens everyone assumes will soon find their way to the MacBook line could be a pricy endeavor for Apple — almost 0 more, judging from component costs of 15.4-inch display panels already in the supply chain. The real question becomes, will Apple eat those costs or pass them on to Mac users in the form of increased prices? “What’s clear is that Apple’s pushing it. They’re pushing panel makers to come out with higher resolution panels because they’ve created a market demand for it, starting with their phones, now going to their tablets,” explains NPD DisplaySearch senior analyst Richard Shim. “Now what we’re seeing in the supply chain is that they’re going to move that to their notebooks, and it’s becoming a premium feature.” Apple currently spends for the display panel of a 15-inch MacBook Pro, but that figure is estimated to balloon to 0 if and when the rumored Retina upgrade arrives. Would you be willing to fork over the extra dough, if push comes to shove…?
AllThingsD is reporting that Sprint will likely continue to bleed red ink where the iPhone is concerned for three more years. That’s because the carrier made a whopping .5 billion commitment to Apple’s iconic handset over a four-year period — meaning the company won’t make a profit from the iPhone until 2015. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse doesn’t seem too concerned, despite having to take a .25 million pay cut this month to appease investors unhappy with the deal. “We believe in the long term,” Hesse explains. “And over time we will make more money on iPhone customers than we will on other customers.” Assuming, of course, the third-place carrier can make it that long.
If you’ve ever wondered just how fragile the stock market can be, look no further than a new DigiTimes rumor claiming that Apple recently placed a huge order for DRAM chips with Japanese firm Elpida — and dealt a fatal blow to Samsung’s market value in the process. According to Reuters, the rumor — whether it’s true or not — sent shares of Samsung Electronics Co. down more than six percent on Wednesday, “wiping billion off the electronics giant’s market value” all at once. “It looks like Apple doesn’t want to see Samsung and hynix dominate the chip market,” remarks Choi Do-yeon, an analyst at LIG Investment & Securities. “Apple wants to maintain its bargaining power by keeping Elpida running.” Japan’s Elpida is currently running under bankruptcy protection as it attempts to restructure due to “tough market conditions and global competition.” Perhaps Apple just wants to level the playing field after watching Samsung continually ape its smartphone and tablet products?
Did you know May is Teacher Appreciation Month? Makes sense, since this is the last month most students are in school before the sunny summer vacation — and their minds are probably on anything but studying. To celebrate the occasion, the folks at iStoryTime are offering their Kung Fu Panda 2 storybook app absolutely free through Sunday, April 20. Kung Fu Panda 2 is perfect for engaging children’s creativity and encouraging them to read in a variety of languages including English, Spanish, Chinese, German, French, Portuguese, Russian and Korean, so teachers and students across the globe may enjoy the adventures of Po. “Teachers are our super heroes,” said Woody Sears, founder of iStoryTime. “They are the foundation of our children’s education and we are extremely humble in honoring teachers worldwide by offering our Kung Fu Panda 2 storybook for free.” Hey, we just like the sound of free apps, but kudos to iStoryTime for recognizing the heroes, too.
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