Apple Unveils iOS 7, 'Biggest Change Since the Original iPhone'

Apple Unveils iOS 7, 'Biggest Change Since the Original iPhone':

At WWDC 2013, Apple has officially unveiled the next generation of iOS, iOS 7.

Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced iOS 7, calling it "the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone."

SEE ALSO: Top 25 Free iPhone Apps of All Time

As rumored, iOS 7 has a less skeuomorphic look, with a more flat design and lots of whites tinged with color. That doesn't mean, however, that the new iOS is free from gradient or panache. Instead, it's a more modern take on what makes iOS iOS.

Control Center

New in iOS 7 is a Control Center. It's an area that can be activated from within any app that brings control to Wi-Fi, brightness and other frequently accessed settings.

From Control Center you can access a flashlight, start a song, toggle AirPlay and more.

Multitasking

iOS 7 will bring better multitasking and background processing to all apps. It will monitor which apps you use frequently to help determine which ones need more full-functioning multitasking. When apps send push notifications, for instance, the phone will know to start to give that app background processing so that it will work more quickly and intuitively.

Apple has taken a major cue from webOS (RIP) and added full-previews of running apps for multitasking. No more tiny icons!

Safari

Safari for iOS 7 has a new look and feel — more similar to Chrome on iOS, we must say — including a new tabbed view. It also integrates with iCloud Keychain for password management.

The unified search menu, which was removed with iOS 3.0, is back. There is also access to shared links and the reading list improvements shown off with OS X Mavericks.

Tabs are now 3D and fully integrated with iCloud tabs. Users are no longer limited to eight tabs (hooray) and tabs can be reordered or removed with a swipe.

AirDrop

Apple is bringing OS X's AirDrop to iOS. AirDrop will let users share photos or files peer-to-peer with other iOS users who are nearby. "No bumping required."

AirDrop will only work on iOS devices running the latest wireless chipsets, meaning the iPhone 5, fourth generation iPad, iPad mini, and the latest iPod touch.

Photos and Camera

The Camera and Photo apps received a major overhaul. Not only is it easier to manage large numbers of photographs, users can now create Shared Photostreams — think group albums — that other users can post into and share with others.

Users can also share video with iCloud Photostreams in iOS 7.

Visually, the app looks similar to the latest Flickr redesign and is less focused on 4x4 grids of thumbnails and offers users a better look at their photographs.

Siri

Siri has a new look AND a new voice. Users can choose between male and female voices for Siri. Siri is also getting smarter, it will now pull in data from Twitter, Wikipedia and Bing.

iOS in the Car

Apple is going to bring iOS to the dashboard of your car. Support for iOS in the car will be coming to Honda, Mercedes, Nissan, Chevy, Kia, Volvo, Acura and others.

New App Store

The App Store has a new design and will show apps that are popular nearby, as well as apps popular with your friends. The best part? Your apps now update automatically.

Music and iTunes Radio

The Music app gets the same visual overhaul as the rest of the system but the big feature with music and iOS 7 is iTunes Radio. Think of it as a hybrid between Pandora and Songza, built-into iOS.

Users can listen to theme-centric playlists or stations ("Songs for summer") or listen to artist-centric stations. And like Last.fm, iTunes Radio keeps track of all the stuff you listen to across iTunes, Apple TV and on iOS 7.

It's free with ads and iTunes Match subscribers get it free without ads.

More

• Notification Sync
• Audio-only Facetime
• Weibo Integration in China
• Per-app VPN for Enterprise

Plus more than 1500 APIs, support for third-party game controllers, new multitasking APIs.

Apple is also introducing a feature called Activation Lock, which will prevent thieves from activating your iPhone on another network unless they know your iCloud password.

Coming This Fall

Developers will have access to iOS 7 today and it will hit iOS devices this fall.

Apple adds automatic updates, other new features to iOS 7 App Store

Apple adds automatic updates, other new features to iOS 7 App Store: "Apple's delivered a whole bunch of new features for iOS 7, and the App Store is one of the beneficiaries. For instance, users will now be able to take advantage of automatic app updates, a feature that's been on our wish list for quite some time; additionally, Eddie Cue showed off a few new location-based options that give you recommendations for certain apps solely based on either your current whereabouts or local events that you're attending (say, a ballgame or concert)."

Apple shows off completely redesigned iOS 7 at WWDC

Apple shows off completely redesigned iOS 7 at WWDC:

The company showed off a redesigned Messages and Game Center, carrying the new feel across its many proprietary apps. Weather sports new animations and much more dynamic user interaction. Calendar is completely clean now -- almost entirely white. Messages carries over the flatter design -- say goodbye to those 3D word bubbles. Apple's also talking up a much more natural user interaction. Folders, too, have been improved, letting you put apps on multiple pages. Mail, meanwhile brings edge to edge photos and the ability to trash items with a slide. Notifications has been simplified, while adding much more immediate information -- you can also access it directly from the lock screen.

The company also talked up ten brand new features, including Control Center, which lets you access settings by swiping up from the bottom. Change brightness, switch to Airplane mode, all with a swipe. The company also talked up ten brand new features, including Control Center, which lets you access settings by swiping up from the bottom.The features does "intelligent scheduling," fetching updates according to your schedule -- and paying close attention to network quality. You can swipe directly through your running apps.

Safari got a bump, as well, with a new cleaner, full screen browsing. Tabs are getting a new top down view. Parental controls have been added to the browser, and the company, not surprisingly, is promising further integration with your desktop version on Mavericks.

Tumblr Brings More Ads To Users’ Dashboards, Rearranges Buttons & Teens Freak Out | TechCrunch

Tumblr Brings More Ads To Users’ Dashboards, Rearranges Buttons & Teens Freak Out | TechCrunch:

A month after Tumblr introduced sponsored posts into its native mobile applications, the company is today bringing those same brand advertisements to its web dashboard. Launch partners for these new “Sponsored Web Posts,” as they’re called, include Viacom, Ford Motor Company, Universal Pictures, Capital One, AT&T, Denny’s and Purina.

Tumblr users will be able to reblog, like, follow and share these ads and the brands themselves directly from their web dashboard, which of course, is what we know all the Tumblr-lovin’ teens are just dying to do. Like Tumblr’s sidebar “Radar” ads, the new sponsored posts will be marked with an animated dollar sign icon to indicate that they are paid placements.

Also like Tumblr’s mobile advertising, users will only see up to four sponsored posts per day. The company notes in a brief announcement on the new ads that sponsored posts have already seen over 10 million likes and reblogs since their debut.

Sponsored Web Posts in the dashboard will continue to roll during a beta period that ends in June 2013. During the first week, premiere spots belong to Viacom, Ford Motor Company and Universal Pictures, and then they’ll become available to Capital One, AT&T, Denny’s and Purina.

“The engagement rates on the Tumblr Radar and Sponsored Mobile Posts have been spectacular and we have taken this same carefully architected approach to this new web in-dash opportunity,” said Lee Brown, Global Head of Sales at Tumblr, in a release. “The Tumblr post is a flexible, dynamic and expressive medium, and we are delighted to give marketers yet another opportunity to promote their content and connnect with this vibrant and engaged community.”

As Tumblr founder David Karp has previously explained time and again, Tumblr wants to offer advertisers canvas and space for “creative brand advertising” – something he feels hasn’t really had anywhere to live on the web. “We want to give them the space to do anything, a four-second loop, an hour and a half video, a high-res panorama, whatever they need to help them build amazing, interactive ads,” he said onstage during the TechCrunch Disrupt NY event in early May, ahead of the $1.1 billion Yahoo acquisition.

The expansion of brand advertising in Tumblr was expected, whether or not Yahoo bought the company. (Yahoo’s bigger plans also involve search ads and ads that bloggers run themselves, for instance, and doesn’t expect to see significant ad revenue from ads until next year.) But Tumblr’s younger user base is sensitive to change, and likely they’ll see these ads a disturbance, then blame Yahoo.

Already the user base was distressed over the impending acquisition, some leaving in droves for WordPress after the fact, and today a minor change to the Tumblr dashboard involving the relocation of the Reblog and Notes buttons has them hand-wringing again. Those changes rolled out yesterday, and today have reached 100 percent of Tumblr’s user base. The company says the buttons were moved for consistency between mobile and web.

These buttons used to be at the top of posts on the web dashboard, and now they’re on the bottom – I know, right? The horror! And if you think that’s bad, just wait until the kids see these new ads.

Tumblr’s teenaged audience has led to explosive growth for the company, but those users are also known to be fickle (and dramatic), which makes every change that Yahoo/Tumblr enacts going forward risky. It still remains to be seen whether or not the audience will stick around as the site becomes less of an online hideout, and more ad-driven in the future.

6 Creative Ways to Use Evernote

6 Creative Ways to Use Evernote:

There's a reason the Evernote logo is an elephant. Because when used correctly, this helpful, versatile, free app will make sure you never forget anything ever. Just like an elephant.

If you're unfamiliar with Evernote, the app utilizes "notebooks" — basically a system of folders and subfolders that become increasingly helpful as you create more. Greater organization makes it easier to recall exactly what you need at a later date, across any platform.

SEE ALSO: Evernote vs. Google Keep: Which Does More?

When harnessed fully, Evernote can build an entire second brain for you, synced automatically across all devices. Every picture, article, website or personal note you might want to recall can find a place there.

That's a good thing, because you're probably aware that your own brain can be fallible at times. You'll operate more efficiently by shifting responsibilities onto something else, freeing up your own mind for more important tasks.

The applications for Evernote are limitless, but we thought we'd list a few here to get you going. Best of luck to you and your second brain.

What creative ways have you found to organize your life with Evernote? Let us know in the comments.

1. Save Clippings From Anywhere

If you're using Chrome, download the Evernote Web Clipper from the Web Store. Now the app is never farther than a right-click away. Evernote's UI is simple and intuitive, but its huge potential may intimidate you. Where to begin?

SEE ALSO: 9 Evernote Products You Have to Try

First things first: All of your future note-taking should take place in Evernote. Small groups, company-wide meetings, 8 a.m. lecture classes ... all of it. And beyond that? Well, we'd normally advise you to use the sleek service known as Pocket to bookmark articles for later. But if you're already comfortable with Pocket, you can create a "Read Later" folder in Evernote to do the same thing.

2. Deepen Your Reading

Image courtesy of Flickr, rocknroll_guitar

Whether on mobile or desktop, the definition to an unfamiliar word or phrase is never far away. But don't equate instant access with retention. Evernote gives you a way to quickly catalogue new words, trivia and more for future reference. This is only one way the app can change your reading experience. Whether you're reading an article on Mashable or an e-book on your Kindle, you can save a passage or quote at any time.

Throw an inspirational quote into your "Inspiring" notebook. Bookmark a paragraph for discussion with friends or classmates. Save an illustration or photograph for later reference. Does your text cite myriad references you don't have time to examine right now? Don't be afraid to start too many notebooks; Evernote can handle it.

3. Win at Shopping

You might tell yourself to remember to pick up avocados after work, but when dinner time rolls around — no such guac. Or maybe it's not even your fault. You relied on your significant other to pick something up, but it didn't happen. Build all your future shopping lists in Evernote and share your login with your roommates or spouse. Not only can they view the list — it will sync on his or her phone as you update it from your phone or home computer.

4. Make a Wish List

You only see things you want when you can't afford them, and you won't remember them when you have a surplus. That's how memory works. Let Evernote help. Not only can you create a "Wish List" notebook of fantastic items — they'll show up alongside your Google searches if you're looking for something similar.

Don't let your wishes end at products, though. Did you see a recipe online you simply must try out? Evernote can be your reliable recipe repository. Is there a DIY project you want to try out next weekend? Put it in your "DIY" folder.

5. Keep Track of Pages for House Hunting

The search for a new house or apartment can move pretty fast. You might look at dozens of options in a day, and you can only leave so many Craigslist tabs open at once. There are some services and apps that will catalogue your favorites, but Evernote can do it too. Use the web clipper to throw your selections into a notebook, while simultaneously adding tags like "Affordable" or "Good Location" to remind you why you liked the place.

6. Plan Your Future

There was a book you wanted to read this summer, but you can't remember it now. Luckily, Evernote can, because you dropped it in your "Summer Reads" notebook. There are other online resources for this kind of planning — Goodreads comes to mind — but you'll find Evernote's appeal is its universality. Instead of visiting several different sites, you can collect your otherwise scattered "second brain" into one place.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Arrives With 4.3-Inch Screen

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Arrives With 4.3-Inch Screen:

Samsung has launched the Galaxy S4 Mini, an Android smartphone with a 4.3-inch screen and a 1.7GHz dual-core processor.

The Galaxy S4's little brother is not only smaller but, at 3.8 ounces, much lighter than Samsung's flagship phone, which weighs 4.6 ounces.

Other specifications include a 8-megapixel rear camera accompanied with a 1.9MP front-facing one, 8GB of storage (expandable via microSD cards), 3G/LTE connectivity and Wi-Fi. The phone's dimensions are 4.9 x 2.4 x 0.35 inches, and the battery capacity is 1,900mAh.

google-wants-to-bring-all-of-maps-features-to-ios-other-platforms

Remains of the Day: Google Wants to Bring all of Maps' Features to iOS, Other Platforms [For What It's Worth]