The first official iOS 7 Game Controller is now out, be prepared to sell out $99 to own one

When it comes to mobile gaming, nothing beats iOS. Not even the dedicated systems from Nintendo and Sony offer the wide assortment of games found in Apple’s App Store. There’s just one problem, however, and it’s input. Touch screens are great for lots of things, even gaming, but sometimes you just need an analog stick and a few buttons to get the most out of a title. Luckily, with the release of iOS 7, Apple added support for game controllers. The first product to take advantage of these new APIs is now available.

Now the MOGA Ace Power might look weird, but there’s only one question worth asking: Should you buy it? According to Eli Hodapp from TouchArcade, the answer is a resounding no. His review of the controller is highly critical. For $99, he says the device is built terribly, and that while yes, the buttons do work, iOS games still show on-screen buttons, even when the controller is plugged in. The one word he repeatedly uses to describe the controller in his review is “disappointing”.

So what’s a gamer to do? We feel that if Apple went through all this trouble to add game controller APIs to iOS, then they’re also probably working on their own controller. When will they release said controller and how much will it cost? Time will solve the answer to both those questions, assuming such a controller even exists.

Posted by Stefan Constantinescu on Nov 19, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

Apple finally updates Find My Friends with new design for iOS 7

Just a few days after updating iBooks and iTunes U for iOS 7, Apple has updated the Find My Friends iPhone app with a new look in line with the iOS 7 design language.

Find My Friends, the app that lets users share their location with family and friends, was one of the few apps that was characteristic of the Scott Forstall design era, with its fake leather and paper textures. Now the app features a “flat” look with a yellow tint.

The app version number has been bumped to 3.0 and here’s what the release notes say:

Find My Friends has been updated with an all new design for iOS 7.

If the app hasn’t been automatically updated, you can download the update via the Updates tab in the App Store app or use the iTunes link below.

Download link:

➤ Find My Friends – free

Posted by Jason on Nov 19, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

WhatsApp’s upcoming redesigned iOS 7 app update shown in video

While WhatsApp is a very popular messaging app, its look has started to look quite dated, especially after iOS 7 was released. The company had its iOS 7 update ready in early October, but its beta testing seems to be taking very long, as the update hasn’t showed up on the App Store yet.

Today, WhatsApp’s iOS 7 redesign got shown in a German YouTube video.

Unlike other apps, WhatsApp has chosen to stick with the standard iOS look, without many custom UI elements, and its iOS 7 update is no different. The 4-minute video embedded below is in German, but you should be able to understand what’s new in the update just by looking.

As you might have noticed, the redesign isn’t radical, and the app preserves the same structure, just with the icons, navigation bar and tab bar changed. The black keyboard you saw in the video isn’t enabled by WhatsApp, but is instead a new accessibility setting in iOS 7.1 beta.

For screenshots of WhatsApp’s iOS 7 update, you can head over to this post from early-October.

[via Cult of Mac]

Posted by Jason on Nov 21, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

Honda confirms Siri Eyes Free is coming to 2013 Honda Accord, Acura RDX and ILX models

After announcing support for Siri Eyes Free earlier this year, Honda is finally ready to deliver on its promise and bring the technology to select vehicles in its 2013 and 2014 lineup.

Honda confirmed that Apple’s Siri Eyes Free technology will be available in the Honda Accord, the Acura RDX and the Acura ILX. It will be installed at Honda dealerships as an aftermarket add-on. It’ll tie into Honda’s proprietary HondaLink and AcuraLink connected vehicle software, which provides access to the automobile’s speakers and microphone.

Siri Eyes Free will allow users to send messages, compose emails, create reminders and more without taking their eyes off the road. The iPhone display is turned off and drivers use only the car to interact with their phone.

Honda will announce the full list of vehicles eligible for Siri Eyes Free update during a Google Hangout on December 3.

[Via MacRumors]

Posted by Kelly on Nov 26, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

Android vs iOS: State of Software Updates

Apple’s rollout of iOS updates is known to be much better than Android, which involves layers of intermediaries  that delay or prevent rollout of new updates. A new chart by Fidlee.com highlights the disparity between the time an iPhone and an Android device receive software updates.

The chart shows how even flagship Android devices like the Galaxy S3, the Galaxy Note 2 are many versions behind the latest Android release despite being into just the second year of existence. Similarly, the HTC One X is two major versions behind while the Galaxy S2 is 3 major versions behind in its third year of existence. Notably, just one phone, the Nexus 4, in the chart is green until the end.

This is in stark contrast to the iPhone, which has enjoyed the latest updates for as long as 4 years. Apple dropped support for the 4 year old iPhone 3GS only with iOS 7, and continues to support the 3 year old iPhone 4. Moreover, iOS updates are delivered to everyone at the same time irrespective of country, carrier resulting in high adoption rates as seen shortly after iOS 7 released. Apple does, however, strip many features from older devices to ensure that iOS continues to run smoothly on them.

Despite many efforts to improve adoptions rates of new Android releases, Google hasn’t succeeded at ensuring Android phones get updates on time, if at all, thanks to the involvement of third-parties like manufacturers and carriers. It has however attempted to address the issue by selling its Nexus and Google Play Edition line of devices, as well as releasing new features as apps to address fragmentation.

Do you think not getting the latest and greatest software update is a deal breaker? Let us know in the comments below.

[Fidlee via 9to5Mac]

Posted by Jason on Dec 03, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

iBeacon Technology used to offer free location-based Newsstand magazines

iBeacon in a new addition to iOS 7 that wasn’t highlighted much during keynotes, but holds a lot of promise due to its ability to deliver extremely precise locations indoors, where GPS usually fails. Exact Editions, a UK based company, is using this technology to let users download select magazine titles for free in certain areas.

Exact Editions is a digital publishing company that helps publishers bring their magazines to platforms like Newsstand on iOS. From TechCrunch:

The tech is very handy in a number of scenarios, as in a coffee shop for instance, where the establishment could subscribe and enable access to full magazines to patrons who come in. It’s made even more convenient with the addition of iBeacons on iOS, as the whole digital handshake can happen automatically, providing the user with the best possible and most frictionless experience. Another possible use is in modernizing the doctor’s office, offering up publications in the waiting room that are more useful and more current than five-year old issues of Good Housekeeping.

The first implementation of the program will go live at Bar Kick, London, with soccer magazine When Saturday Comes and fashion magazine ‘Dazed & Confused being part of the promotion. Of course publishers won’t be giving away their content for free, they’ll be paid by the owners of places like Bar Kick.

To create this experience though, business owners will have to deploy tiny iBeacon triggers throughout their location, which will let iPhones and iPads locate themselves to a high degree of precision.

Apple’s looking to integrate iBeacon technology into its own Apple Store app, that’ll let customers get easy access to location-based information and services. The technology has already been implemented by MLB and Macy’s.

Posted by Jason on Dec 04, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

Siri accuracy increases considerably with iOS 7

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who had last year assessed the accuracy of Siri, has today followed up with another round of his Siri “report card”, noting that with iOS 7, the virtual assistant has become a lot more reliable.

From Munster’s note:

The primary improvement between Siri in iOS 6 and iOS 7 came from its performance in noisier areas, where Siri was able to translate better through a noisy environment (94% vs. 83% correct in Aug iOS 6). Based on our testing, iOS 7 Siri’s net ability to answer questions (factors in questions not correctly understood) improved to 79% from 77% in August with iOS 6.

Along with accuracy, a number of users have also reported performance improvements in Siri after updating to iOS 7.

Munster notes that Siri directs its queries to Google a lot less than it did on iOS 6, with Apple using Bing instead for queries which don’t have a direct response. Totally, just 4 percent of Siri queries relied on Google as compared to 17 percent in August this year, and 27 percent in December last year.

In his tests, Munster also observed that Google Now and Siri are tied in effectiveness, scoring a “C+”. Google Now was better than Siri in commerce, local and information, while Siri was better at controlling the OS.

Apple hasn’t just worked on improving Siri’s accuracy and performance in iOS 7, but has added a number of new features. Here’s a post listing out all the new things Siri has learnt in iOS 7.

Have you noticed the improvements in Siri with iOS 7? Let us know in the comments below.

[via MacRumors]

Posted by Jason on Dec 10, 2013 - iphonehacks.com