Latest Gadgets, Tablets and Smartphones
Update: It appears that this was a bug and that 3.1.3 devices are now once again able to access the App Store direct on their iOS device.
iPhone and iPod touch users still running iOS 3.1.3 are now (as of the 16th December 2011) unable to directly download apps from the App Store. Instead, new updates and apps will need to be downloaded in iTunes and then synced to the iPhone or iPod.
Apple could be planning to launch a smaller iPad in time for Christmas 2012. This new iPad would follow along from the iPad 3 that is expected in April. The difference will be the screensize of 7.85 inches as opposed to the regular 9.7 inch iPad screen we see on the yearly generation changes.
Microsoft [MSFT] has launched an update for OneNote on iOS devices. Before the latest update (version 1.3) the app had been restricted for use on the iPhone and iPod touch. The new update now brings OneNote to the iPad although the app isn’t universal which means you’ll need to install the iPad version for the iPad, rather than the same version for both devices.
The BBC has launched iPlayer for the Apple iPhone. The iPad version has been available since earlier this year and has already seen around 1.5 million downloads. The latest update that launched today now adds universal support to the app so that it works on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.
As with other BBC content, the app is free and allows those in the UK to catch up with a number of channels. The app has been designed to allow watching content over WiFi as well as 3G if desired.
iOS developer Pod2g revealed a few days ago that he has managed to jailbreak iOS 5. What makes this jailbreak different is that it’s untethered. At the moment the only way to jailbreak is through a semi-tether which allows you to boot your iPhone but with some restrictions until you can tether it to re-enable it.
Apple [AAPL] has launched a new version of iBooks for iOS devices. The new update brings several new features to the app which make it more friendly to use. Although most, if not all, of the features are already available on other eBook readers and have been for a while they are still a welcomed addition.
Flipboard is a news reader app that pulls content from a number of sources and presents them in a more friendly way. It was originally launched on the iPad only. The app has now been updated and with that update it has been converted to a universal app which now makes it compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch.
Apple announced yesterday that they will be dropping prices in Apple stores (as well as online) for Black Friday which is November 25 this year. Although Apple [AAPL] hasn’t released details of which products will get a discount, 9to5Mac has managed to get hold of the details.
A couple of days ago a feature was found in iOS 5 that revealed the camera app has a deactivated panorama mode built in. Apple has chosen to simply switch it off so that the option is not available. We don’t know the reason for this other than it probably isn’t a finished feature yet which will be activated at a later date when Apple have tidied it up a little.
iOS 5 has a hidden feature that when enabled, allows you to use an Android-style autocorrect bar above the virtual keyboard. Just like the hidden panorama camera feature found the other day, the autocorrect bar is also found within the code of iOS and is simply just switched off. This was found by Sonny Dickson.
A few days ago some rumours were spreading about Apple working on bringing Siri to the iPhone 4, iPad and various other iOS devices. It appears that this isn’t the case though as one developer suggested to Apple that they charge for the update to which a response came back saying they had no plans to introduce it.
Skype is offering free WiFi access to the net during the Internet Week conference. The start date is November 7 and it runs through November 12. During that time, any WiFi hotspot tied in to Skype WiFi will allow you to get on the Internet for free without using any Skype credits.
