Apple still isn’t offering much of a hint about an iOS 4.3 release date — other than a busier than usual beta schedule — but it looks like we could now be one step closer to a general roll out. What appears to be the first app that takes advantage of some iOS 4.3-specific features has now garnered Apple’s approval and turned up in the App Store, which would seem to suggest that there’s no more major changes or bugs that need to be ironed out (though that can certainly always change). The app itself is Matthew Gallagher’s StreamToMe, which runs $2.99 and now incorporates the AirPlay video support that has come to apps in the a latest revision of the OS — hit up the source link below to check it out for yourself.
Last year’s Apple Peel 520 turned your iPod touch into an iPhone — mostly, accepting a SIM card and allowing you to send and receive calls, texts, and even throwing a little extra battery life your way. Now we’re looking at the next generation device and, which certainly looks a lot more sleek and less bulky than the previous model — from a distance it could be confused for an iPhone 4. This version also allows the use of GPRS data, as you can see demonstrated in the video below. No mention of price or availability just yet, but review units are said to en route to other news sites, so hold that phone — or iPod as it were.
Adobe has pushed out a new version of Photoshop Express for iOS, v1.5, which promises support for the iPhone 4′s Retina Display, multitasking in iOS 4.2, and in-app photo taking using the iPhone and iPod touch’s camera. The free download [iTunes link] comes in iPhone and iPad versions, and supports basic editing – including crop, straighten, rotate and flip – together with effects and filters.
Thanks to the multitasking support it’s now possible to queue uploads to Photoshop.com and Facebook while using the iOS device for something else. Effects include Vibrant, Pop, Border, Vignette Blur, Warm Vintage, Rainbow, White Glow, and Soft Black and White, while there are optional Rectangle, Rounded, Oval, Soft Edge, Vignette, Rough Edge, Halftone, and Film Emulsion borders.
The Mini Connected app finally hit the App Store back in December, enabling those with suitably equipped little German/British autos to connect their iPhones and iPods and do what nature intended. Well, everything nature intended except for streaming Pandora. Now that solemn right is a possibility too, with the latest version of Pandora available in iTunes. Update that, plug your iPhone into your Mini, and you can get your stream on, just like we did at CES. However, if you’re more of a domestics guy or gal you don’t have to feel left out, because this new version supports Ford’s SYNC AppLink as well. And, yes, we had some quality hands-on time with that, too.
Without giving away the whole surprise, we’ve got some big things in store for you readers over the next few weeks. New voices, free stuff, a whole new look for one of our outlets, and a variety of mini-updates you’re going to flip over. Today we’re bringing you a wild assortment of updates from all corners of the tech world, most of which are previews of devices you’ve almost certainly already got your eye on. Behold the coming of the next generation – stick with us as we cover it.
Let’s start this fine Monday with a launch straight into space: once with an Android Device, another time with a Samsung balloon full of paper planes. Next lets get back to Earth with the continuation of the 3D wave with some Tegra 2 3D Chips that’ll be popping up this spring. Grab a big fat update to ADW Launcher EX with several new docks and fixes. Next order of business, Florian Mueller’s been found bunked out – who is he? He’s the guy who found a bunch of Oracle codes in Android’s open source code, saying the suit against Android has total footing -doesn’t appear that way any more. Then remember that $10K iTunes gift card prize for the 10 billionth app downloaded? The mother of the girl who won it hung up on the “you won” call. Check out a column by Don Reisinger by the name of Dear Logitech: The Revue Is Overpriced, and another column by Tim Bajarin called Techies can be Foodies Too Finally, make sure you’re not getting had – you probably don’t need AOL anymore. All this and MORE on SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up.
Now that the number of App Store downloads to iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads around the world has handily exceeded the population of Planet Earth, we can hopefully put this story to bed until they hit another factor of ten — and as unreasonable as 100 billion downloads sounds, we’ll bet it actually won’t take that long. That’s right: just a few days after kicking off its online counter, Apple’s officially hit the 10 billion mark, which is a whole lot of software any way you slice it. So, Android Market, you’re next?
Update: The lucky winner was Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK, who downloaded Paper Glider. PR after the break.
Oh my goodness gracious. Take a peek at the chart below created by the talented folks over at asymco. It depicts Apple’s quarterly sales since the fourth quarter of 2005, three quarters before the iPhone was first released. The most staggering factor might either be the very obvious upward moving trend without very much of a dip since the chart began, or it might be the face that even though the iPhone (which was released in 2007) was the only iOS device out three and a half years ago, this past quarter iOS accounted for 65% of Apple’s sales. That’s monstrous.
Some of the figures in this chart more specifically ring right around $15 billion for the iPhone and iPad last quarter, with iPod Touch generating $2.3 billion on its own. On the other hand, OS X powered products like laptops and desktops generated only 20% of the revenue where 5 years ago that percentage was closer to half. The total percentage of Apple product sold by Apple this past quarter that WASNT powered by one of its operating systems was 10%. Is Apple no longer a software company? Is Apple almost solely a hardware company? When answering a question on Quora on whether Apple is a Software, Hardware or Media company, the creator of the chart above, Horace Dediu answered by saying it’s all three. This question was of course answered before he made the chart.
There’s unfortunately no pictures or video of it in action just yet, but it looks like Desk Pets is getting set to join Parrot and its AR.Drone in the wild world of toys controlled by iOS devices. That comes in the form of the company’s forthcoming TankBot, which can not only be controlled by your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, but by gestures thanks to its built-in IR sensors — it’ll also operate autonomously in its maze navigation or free roaming modes, for good measure. Look for this one to be available in June for “under $20″ in your choice of four different colors.
