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Nokia Drive with MirrorLink on Toyota Touch Life hands-on (video)
Just a few meters from the entrance to Nokia World at London's sprawling ExCel Exhibition Centre, we found a Toyota iQ compact with Nokia branding on the door. And in the dash was Toyota's new Touch Life smartphone integration system, complete with Nokia Drive compatibility and display mirroring via MirrorLink. In addition to mirroring your Symbian Belle (or MeeGo) display on the 7-inch touchscreen, Touch Life also provides a driver-friendly interface, including enormous icons to control music playback, or to place calls to contacts by tapping their name and photo, or by using the jumbo telephone keypad. It also integrates with the Nokia Drive app, with a very simple (and also oversized) navigation interface. The concept is simple: access basic smartphone functions as you drive while limiting distractions. While you're parked, you'll have unrestricted access to your phone's interface, but non-critical features are disabled as you drive. The demo unit we saw is still a few months away from hitting production, so there were a few hiccups. After connecting the Nokia 701 to the system, the smartphone's display appeared on the in-dash screen within a few seconds. We had full access to all of the phone's features until shifting into drive, when a much simpler screen popped up, with Call, Drive and Music modules. Everything worked rather seamlessly until we neared the end of the demo, when an "Enjoy the sound while driving" message appeared on screen, where the navigation window had been just a moment before. There isn't a firm release date in place, and the demo unit only appears to work with Symbian Belle at the moment -- though MeeGo support (and likely Windows Phone as well) will be available after launch. Jump past the break to see how it works from behind the wheel.%Gallery-137700%
Toyota introduces Touch Life smartphone mirroring system, your Prius and iPhone can become one
If you're looking to get your smartphone more in-sync with your car, you may want to consider a new Toyota with the Touch Life infotainment system. Given a compatible smartphone / app combo, it can mirror the phone's display on its 7-inch touchscreen for access to navigation, music or social networking services. Nokia owners can connect their Symbian Belle devices by way of MirrorLink, developed by the Car Connectivity Consortium, in its first deployment by the automotive industry. Apple iPhone (and iPod) faithful will have to install Application Launcher in order to sync up with the infotainment system. If driving distractions are a concern, steering wheel controls play nice with the tech as well -- it's not quite SYNC Applink, but we'll take it. Toyota promises features and smartphones will continue to be added, but for a current list of compatible cars, devices and apps, check the press release below.
5 apps for Diwali
TUAW wishes its Hindu readers - Diwali ki hardik shubhkamnaye. This holiday rejoices in the Inner Light and the underlying reality of all things. In its spirit as the festival of lights, we offer you a special edition of "5 apps for...". Here are an assortment of iOS applications to help celebrate Diwali. Interact with a Diwali diya (free) on your iOS device using swipes and puffs of air. The app provides musical background songs and various styles of ceremonial diya lamps. The $0.99 Diwali Greetings lets you create and share e-mail holiday cards with friends and family Desi Calendar (free) provides a yearly calendar with festival dates and listings for each month full moon (purnima) and new moon (amavasya). Create traditional Diwali sweets ($2.99) using this iOS recipe collection. Celebrate with Diwali Firecrackers ($0.99) with "5 firecrackers and 25 engaging levels" by illuminating the earth with bursting firecrackers. TUAW reader Sunilkumar K. Meena tells us, Diwali is the festival of Laxmi, the Goddess of prosperity and wealth. It is believed that Goddess Laxmi visit everyone during Diwali and brings peace and prosperity to all TUAW reader Raghav Sethi adds that Deepavali (Diwali) is a festival where people from all age groups participate. They light earthen 'diyas' (lamps), decorate the houses, light firecrackers and invite family and friends to feasts. Lighting lamps is a way of praying for health, wealth, knowledge, peace, valor and fame. Shubh Deepavali! Thank you Raghav Sethi and Sunilkumar K. Meena
iOS 5 Safari speed gains demonstrated in New Relic infographic
Web application performance company New Relic released the results of a study comparing the mobile browsing speeds of iOS 4 and iOS 5 on the same model of iPhone. What did they find? That iOS 5 / Safari 5.1 is much faster than iOS 4 / Safari 5.0. New Relic complied their test results into the nifty infographic seen below. I love their conclusion: "Time to upgrade!" What has been your personal experience with web browsing or web app response times under iOS 5 and Safari 5.1? Leave your comments below.
Redsn0w 0.9.8b7 gets tutorial for jailbreaking iOS 5 beta 6, iOS 4.3.5 and 4.2.10
Just like the Sn0wbreeze project, redsn0w recently added support for a tethered jailbreak of iOS 5 beta 6. While support for the iPad 2 still isn't in the mix, the latest version -- 0.9.8b7 -- adds additional support for Apple's latest beta on the original iPad, and the folks at Smash iPhone have provided a tutorial for those who move to the beat of a different drum. While redsn0w supports a tether-free solution for iOS 4.3.3, if you want to partake in Cupertino's freshest fruits, you'll be required to connect your phone or tablet to your computer whenever you power up the device. Also, while download links for iOS 4.3.5 and 4.2.10 are in the tutorial, if you're not a developer, it'll be on you to scrounge up the latest beta. Best of luck with the foray.
Apple patent application imagines iPhones that learn the sweet sound of your voice
Button-loathing Apple really wants people to stop dirtying its devices with sticky fingerprints. That's why it's applied for a patent that should improve the frustrating experience of using iOS's voice control -- precisely the kind of update we've been awaiting since Apple bought Siri last year. With the help of a technology billed as "User profiling for voice input processing," your device would identify your voice, check against a library of words associated with you without having to trawl through its entire dictionary. We just hope Apple doesn't do away with physical inputs entirely -- we'd hate to broadcast to the world all the guilty pleasures we have loaded on our iPods.
iUsers frees your iPad of monogamy, enables multiple user profiles
Share an iPad? A new tweak is on its way to that other app store that should make your life a little easier: user profiles for iOS. The mod, dubbed iUsers, adds a user login button to the iPad's lock screen. The tweak segregates application data and preferences between users, meaning that user A's Angry Birds score won't muddle and mix with User B's perfect three-star rating. App installations, music, and video content are currently shared between users, but the tweak's creators hope to remedy that in a future update. It's a jailbreak only mod, of course, but still a neat feature we'd love to see implemented in future versions of iOS. The iUsers tweak should be hitting Cydia soon, but folks who want an early peek can snag it now by following the instructions in the source link.
Crowdflow tracks 880 iPhones across Europe, wants to put you on the map
Do you have dreams of becoming a digital firefly, flitting back and forth across Europe? The folks at Crowdflow can help with that -- all you need to do is use your iPhone, and adopt a share-alike attitude. Using location data collected from 880 iPhones, the team has created a video showing iPhone movement through Europe for the month of April, 2011. This glowing digital ballet is just a start, however -- Crowdflow is asking iPhone users to extract and submit their own location logs to help build a visual map of how cellular networks are distributed throughout the world. If you're not afraid of lending your geodata to an open database, hit up the source link for your own chance to join in Crowdflow's eerie cellular glow.
Leaked iPad 2 jailbreak available now? (updated: better wait)
Can't say it happened at Mach 3, but the iPad 2 jailbreak that we saw teased back in mid-March seems to have made its way out into the wild at long last. According to the video hosted up just past the break, JailbreakMe 3.0 is now available with support for the iPad 2. It's bruited that the version making its way around now was leaked by a beta tester (read: it ain't the final build), and we're seeing mixed success / failure stories in the related YouTube comments. We'd encourage the daring to tap the links below in order to get started, and if you do, let us know how it all works out below. Per usual, you'd be doing yourself a solid by fully syncing and backing things up before diving off the deep end. Update: This is working only for iOS 4.3, so if you've updated, you're sadly out of luck. Update 2: We've received multiple reports that this particular jailbreak is available for iOS 4.3.0, only. It looks like users rocking 4.3.3 will just have to wait. Update 3: We've received notice that this version is actually a pre-release of the upcoming jailbreak that is not finished, not intended for public consumption, and apparently leaked by a beta tester. For this reason we're pulling the video embed because we wouldn't recommend using it -- especially given the final version is probably not far off. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Pioneer's AppRadio delivers iPhone integration, automotive and audio bliss for $400
We knew Pioneer's AppRadio car stereo was coming to cozy up with our iPhones, but we didn't know how much its iOS integration capabilities would cost, until now. Turns out 400 bucks buys you one, and it's picked up some new capabilities since we got handsy with the device last month. In addition to letting you listen to tunes stored on your iPhone, access Google Maps, and make calls, the AppRadio now has access to your iPhone's contacts, calendar, videos, and photos as well. Unfortunately, there's still only four other apps (Rdio, Pandora, MotionX-GPS Drive, and INRIX) available, though Pioneer says more are coming. With a name like AppRadio they ought to get here soon, as in immediately. Peep the PR after the break for the full monty.
Adobe adds support for iOS development into Flash Builder, Flex
Adobe has updated its Adobe Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5 tools to support the Apple iPad and iPhone as well as the BlackBerry PlayBook. The app development tools let a developer build one app and distribute it across multiple platforms. Developers can add support for tabbed applications and landscape mode. Apps can also be optimized specifically for the iPhone or the 9.7-inch display of the iPad. A change in Apple policy last September paved the way for developers to create iOS apps using third-party tools like those made available by Adobe. Earlier this year, Adobe introduced Wallaby, an experimental tool that lets developers convert FLA files to an HTML5 format compatible with iOS. Developers interested in Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5 can buy the tools as stand-alone applications or part of the Creative Suite 5.5 Web Premium and Master Collection. Below is a video of the tools in action.
Google Sync adds mail server search, appointment confirmation to native iOS apps
Google Sync has pushed Gmail messages, calendar updates, and contacts to iOS since its launch in 2009, but this half-baked solution previously lacked some key functionality. Beginning today, users can finally perform mail server searches and confirm appointment requests from their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. This means that you'll be able to search for messages in your entire mailbox, not just for emails stored on your device -- a feature that first appeared with iPhone OS 3, but without Google Sync support. You can also respond to calendar invites from within the Calendar app. Fancy that! A third update brings support for sending messages from other addresses listed in your Gmail account, though only the first two features worked when we took Sync for a spin this afternoon. (Curiously, Google omitted a "Send Mail as" screenshot on its blog, so this last update may not actually be available yet.) This latest trio of updates is available for both gratis and Google Apps accounts, so head to the source link for set up instructions and the full feature rundown.
Apple iCloud brings previously purchased apps back from the dead
Lamenting the time you restored your iPhone and lost that beloved VLC app because it's no longer available on the App Store? Cheer up, there's an iCloud for that. The service allows you to re-download any app you've previously purchased on any of your iOS devices -- including killed apps. We decided to give it a whirl, testing our luck with an iPhone 3GS humming along on iOS 4.3.3. Upon browsing the Purchases section of the App Store, we beheld Tris, an app that hasn't been available in nearly three years. Sure enough, we pressed the iCloud icon and within seconds, the ol' Tetris clone was back in action. So if you were one of the four people that downloaded I am Rich before it was killed, you'll be sure to enjoy that $1,000 investment for years to come. [Thanks, Chris] Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Waiting for a taste of the iCloud? Check your iPhone
The waiting, a great man once said, is the hardest part. And while seeing all of today's WWDC promises come to fruition will certainly take patience, iPhone owners can take some solace in the fact that the updates have already begun. At least a portion of the new functionality is now available by opening up the "Purchased" tab in iOS 4's App Store, revealing a history of apps that have been downloaded with your account, including those not currently on your device. Those not presently installed will feature a cloud icon, making it possible to re-download them onto the handset. It's not quite iOS 5, sure, but it's a start. [Thanks everyone who sent this in]
ooVoo brings its webcam wares to iOS with six-way video calling and more
If getting your family together under one roof feels like herding cats, then you might consider ooVoo Mobile as a far less painful solution. It's now available for iOS and supports (nearly) free six-way video chatting for you and five webcam-toting friends. The one catch is that someone in the conference must purchase a monthly plan, otherwise you're limited to three participants. We've already seen this app released for Android, and both versions feature: six-way conferencing, group texting, voice calls to other users, and -- if you're willing to purchase credits or a monthly plan -- outbound calling to landlines and mobile phones. Subscription prices start at $9.95 per month if you want to use the service to its full potential, but it seems there's plenty to enjoy without spending a dime. And if you're a cheapskate who's determined to have it all, perhaps you can convince someone else to foot the bill.
App review: Seamless for iOS and Mac (video)
If you're the kind of person who's always listening to music and wouldn't be caught dead headphone-less, pause that song for a quick second and check out Seamless. This lightweight app links your iPhone's Music player to iTunes on your Mac in a pretty clever -- not to mention Cupertino-esque -- fashion. The whole crux of it is the "transition," which simultaneously fades out a song on one end while bringing it to full blast on the other. All it takes to get started is a quick $1.99 download for your i-device and free Mac-centric companion app. Does it work as advertised, or is it really just a gimmick? Head past the break for a quick rundown of just how seamless this utility really is.
Researchers display evidence that iOS 4 records all your travels, again (updated)
If you didn't already think your smartphone knows too much about you, here's a handy reminder. A duo of UK researchers have uncovered a potentially worrying (and oddly enough, undocumented) feature in iOS 4: it asks your iPhone to record your location constantly, then timestamps that data and records it for posterity. The trouble with this unsolicited location tracking is that the hidden file that holds the data -- consolidated.db -- is relatively easy to uncover and read, making any desktops you've backed your phone up to and the phone itself even bigger privacy dangers than they would usually be. Some extra digging revealed this behavior has been known about for a good while (see Courbis and Alex Levinson links below), though mostly by people involved in computer forensics. Additionally, restoring a backup or migrating to a new device keeps the data logging going, which the researchers point to as evidence that what's happening isn't accidental. See a couple of visualizations of the extracted results on video after the break. [Thanks, Tom] Update: The original text of this article was updated to reflect that this was already a known issue, albeit in limited circles. The ability to easily visualize the data is new.
Boxee to add iPad support, more in May
Boxee confirmed on its blog that its next update will add support for the Apple iPad. The streaming content provider will release the Boxee for iPad app that will let you stream content from your Boxee Box to your Apple iPad over a wireless connection. This feature would be ideal for some late night Boxee watching from your bed or some entertainment while you log miles on your treadmill. Besides iPad support, the browser will be faster and offer new on-screen controls. New languages such as French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish and several bug fixes will also be included in this update. In keeping with its three-month update schedule, the new Boxee Box firmware will arrive in May. [Via Engadget]
Install iMovie on a 1st-generation iPad
One improvement coming to the iPad 2 is the addition of tablet-optimized versions of iMovie and GarageBand. iMovie is limited to the iPad 2 because the second generation tablet includes cameras to record video footage and a faster processor to handle the demands of video processing. Some original iPad owners were not content with Apple's limitation and sought a way to install iMovie on Apple's fist generation tablet. Here are the steps they devised: Before your start, backup your iPad in case something goes horribly wrong Purchase (US$4.99) and download the latest version of iMovie (version 1.2 on 3/11/2011) Download and install the iPhone Configuration Utility (IPCU) from Apple. Version 3.3 for Mac or Windows Launch IPCU and click on the Library ----> Applications. If iMovie is present in this list, then this step is completed and you can move to step 5. If iMovie is not present, then you will need to add it manually by clicking on the "Add" button and selecting the application from the "/Users/[my account]/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Mobile Applications" folder Within IPCU, navigate to devices, select your iPad and click on the applications associated with the tablet device. Scroll down to iMovie and select the "Install" button to add the application to your device. Wait a few seconds to iMovie to install onto your tablet. Quit IPCU and restart your iPad. Launch iMovie and edit movies that were imported from your iTunes library. Be aware that iTunes will throw an error the next you time to sync your iPad. You will receive the alert that this device is no longer authorized for use with your iTunes account. This error arises from the unexpected presence of iMovie on your first generation iPad. At this point, you can authorize it and let iTunes process your response and prompt you again. You can also click "Don't Authorize" and let iTunes remove iMovie from your iPad or click cancel and move on. Unfortunately, this annoyance with iTunes will continue until you remove iMovie. A small price to pay in order to edit video on your first generation Apple tablet. [Via The Mac Observer]
Google brings Instant Previews to iOS 4.0+
Google announced on Tuesday that it added Instant Previews to its mobile search results. Originally a desktop feature, Instant Previews provides users with a glimpse of a website within the search results. It is extremely useful as it lets you see a page from a website without navigating to the site. You can use this feature to separate the wheat from the chaff without clicking on multiple links. The desktop version display the previews within the search page, but the mobile implementation takes a different approach. Rather than cram all the info on the search results page, Google has added a magnifying glass next to each search result. Clicking on the magnifying glass pops open a light-box style preview window that lets you view a snapshot of each result. You can swipe through these previews and click on the site you want to visit directly from this preview window. You can test this feature out for yourself using your mobile browser or watch it in action thanks to a Google-produced video available after the break. Instant Previews is compatible with Android 2.2+ handsets and iOS devices running iOS 4.0 or greater.
