Seems like this is the kind of Wednesday that the term “hump day” was designed for. Apple kept us on our toes by releasing updates to OS X Lion and Safari today, and the rest of the tech world has been hard at work doing the same on what’s generally a ho-hum day of the week. In case you happen to be downloading those aforementioned updates and need some reading material, here’s the latest for Wednesday, May 9, 2012.
If you’re frustrated with your current bank, a new service called Simple aims to alleviate your pain and suffering — assuming you have the patience to get through the company’s long waiting list, that is. However, if you’ve already managed to successfully acquire an invitation, Simple today released their iPhone app to the App Store. “Today, everyone expects their bank to have a mobile app,” the company notes. “However, too many banking apps feel like an afterthought. We took a different approach and put the mobile app first. With the Simple mobile app you can view your Safe-to-Spend balance, search and browse your entire transaction history, pay bills, deposit checks, and get help from our customer relations team. No matter where you are, you’ll have all the same tools that are available on the Simple website.” Judging from the demo video embedded below, Simple looks to be a pretty slick way to go — though we’re not entirely sure we’d trust them with the amount of money the hipster in the video has on hand, at least not yet…
Simple iPhone App Video from Simple on Vimeo.
Your momma may have taught you that there’s no reward for being angry, but apparently the same does not apply for virtual fowl. Rovio announced today that its Angry Birds games have now collectively been downloaded more than a billion times. An impressive landmark, to be sure, but the mobile gaming giant claims “this is only the beginning of our story” and asks that we keep our eyes peeled for what’s coming up next from Rovio. Um… even more Angry Birds? Seems logical…
Seems as if Google is going to continue to ignore the iPad with many of its iOS apps, but at least it’s trying to pretty up the ones it already has. The Google Official Blog announced a new update to the Google+ iOS app today, which brings “sense and soul” along with a more attractive UI and full-bleed photos and videos. “But you know what’s really cool?” the blog asks. “Content so immersive it remakes your mobile device into a rich carousel of beloved memories and breaking news. That’s the Google+ experience we aspire to, and today’s release helps us get closer.” The version 2.0.0.5888 update is rolling out now, and it’s kind of significant, considering that the search giant won’t be offering the same look and feel with its Android app for a few more weeks — although it does tease “a few extra surprises” to come, when it finally does arrive.
Ars Technica is reporting that an iPod-related lawsuit dating back to 2004 has finally been blessed with class action status. The antitrust lawsuit covers customers who purchased an iPod between September 12, 2006 and March 31, 2009, with owners just starting to be notified about the updated status. The suit came about as a result of RealNetworks’ efforts to free music purchases made through iTunes from being played exclusively on iPods — a problem that is no longer an issue now that Apple offers DRM-free music for its entire catalog. But that isn’t about to stop the attorneys from seeking out due compensation for those afflicted by the problem over the aforementioned 2.5 years — if you’re one of them, keep your eyes peeled for a notification about the class action, which you can choose to opt out of entirely, should you so desire.
Bolt Creative has released Pocket God Comics 2.0 today, featuring issue number 16 with “Gem Cell Research: Part 2 of 4,” a “sharktastic, laserific” edition. The app also gets itself a sweet new design with Featured, Just Added and Top Titles buttons now on the menu. But what about part two of “Gem Cell Research”? Turns out the only way to fix it is with a laser, and the only laser around is the one on the Laser-Shark — which, as you can imagine, will lead to all kinds of hilarity as the girls try to catch it. The app also includes free extras such as No. 16 of The Pygmy Peril Newsletter, an exclusive remastered version of the first Pocket God animated short and much more! The 16.2MB update is now available for existing users, and can be purchased for a mere 99 cents for new users in the App Store.
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Yes, yes, we know the latest iOS splits up the iPod into Music and Video apps, but it’ll always be the iPod to us! Of course, even though we have a default app for it, a few developers stepped up to create some iPod alternative apps for taming that wild beast of a music collection of yours. Here’s a handful we found that are going for a cut rate. Grab ‘em all and see which suits your fancy as today’s apps are going for free.
We can’t vouch for the claims of the name, but developer Akhil Tolani must feel pretty confident he’s got your go-to iPod replacement. Save yourself a buck with this currently free app that lets you SMS, tweet, or notify your Facebook friends what you’re listening to, in-app song lyrics, fade in/fade out, and custom playlists. You can even use your music as your alarm clock.
Mic Pringle made a beautiful and simple music player with Audium which is also swinging down one whole buck to free. Scrobble with last.fm is just one of the killer features in this stripped down app. The biggie is, of course, that Audium is entirely gresture driven. So you’ll swipe to scroll through your music, double tap for playback or pause, and swipe to navigate through tracks. You’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself.
Another freebie, the strangely spelled Lasy Player from Agility Concepts boasts skins and quick access to your music library. Also you’ll find that they’ve also pursued the route of simplicity by putting big old controls right up front. A song list below lets you flip through your tracks. The one screen route makes jumping into music faster than you can say, uhhh, is this free?
Still in a mad scramble to finish your holiday gift buying? The clock is ticking if you want to buy online, but many retailers such as Apple are offering free next-day shipping relief for the procrastinators among us. So just take a deep breath, count to 10 and then hit the ground running — but not before you’ve had a chance to catch up on all the news for Tuesday, December 20, 2011.
The verdict actually came in on Monday night, with the United States International Trade Commission ruling in Apple’s favor in its case against HTC. According to The Verge, the ITC has “banned the importation and sale of HTC Android devices including the Sprint Evo 4G, Verizon Droid Incredible, AT&T Aria and T-Mobile G2.” The victory is a bit of a shallow one, however, with the ITC ruling that HTC infringed on only one patent issued in 1999 which “covers a device that scans computer text for data, like a phone number, and turns that number into a link that the user can then select to perform an act, like calling the number.” Patent #5,946,647 may ultimately affect other Android devices as well, although HTC issued a statement that somehow twists the whole thing into victory, claiming that “the ‘647 patent is a small UI experience and HTC will completely remove it from all of our phones soon.”
Apple has long allowed iTunes users to buy a song or two from their favorite album and then go back and buy the rest at a discounted price thanks to the “Complete My Album” feature. According to MacRumors, the company may be expanding the service to television shows with a new feature that’s popped up this week called “Complete My Season Pass.” If you have TV shows where you’ve purchased select episodes, you’ll now have the option to buy the rest of the season without having to purchase those episodes again. There doesn’t seem to be a deal here like the one offered by Complete My Album, but it’s still a nice addition for those who missed an episode or two during the season and then decide to go back and buy the rest to get ready for next year’s season.
Engadget is reporting that iPhone and iPod touch users still stuck on iOS 3.1.3 have been unable to download new apps directly from the App Store since an update around December 16. According to reports on Apple’s support boards, these old-school users can still sync apps via iTunes just fine — “they just can’t buy or install new ones directly from the device.” More of an inconvenience than the end of the world, but it’s a bummer for those still rocking an original iPhone, for example. It smells like a glitch on Apple’s end, but we’re all waiting to hear the word direct from Cupertino before ringing the chimes of doom.
MacRumors is reporting that first-generation iPod nano owners who took Apple up on last month’s replacement program may be getting a special treat in the form of a current sixth-generation iPod nano instead. As you may recall, Apple announced the worldwide replacement program “due to continuing issues with overheating related to defective batteries from one of Apple’s suppliers,” with those signing up early receiving “like-new refurbished first-generation units, almost immediately.” Apparently, Apple has blown through any remaining stock on those units and are now using current iPod nano models as replacements instead, which we’re sure few would complain about. The website is quick to note, however, that affected users haven’t confirmed receipt of such new iPod nanos as yet — but checking the shipped unit against Apple’s support site pegs them as sixth-generation models, which is probably all the confirmation one might need.
It may only be Tuesday, but it’s down to the wire when it comes to ordering online and receiving your package in time for this weekend’s gift giving. Thankfully, a number of retailers are now offering free next-day shipping for last-minute shoppers, and Apple is among them. According to 9to5Mac, Cupertino is now offering free next-day shipping for non-engraved iPads, iPods and iPhones as well as standard configuration Macs. Other Apple products may or may not apply; Apple recommends checking your cart for expected delivery dates when ordering. Of course, many retailers are also offering online ordering with free in-store pickup, which includes Best Buy and Walmart. The point being, if you haven’t finished yet, time to get a move on, folks…
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iFixit has released the official tear down of the brand new, recently announced 7th generation iPod nano.
The nano looks exactly like its predecessor and features a 1.54-inch multi-touch display, a 240 x 240 pixel resolution, a built-in accelerometer and stock Nike+ package.
There are also no screws. To take apart the tiny device, you’ll have to take a heat gun to open it up.
The new iPod nano is available now, starting at 9.
A no-frills look at all 16 watch faces for the iPod nano. The last four might surprise you.
