MacRumors

Mailbox has been updated to version 1.5.0, adding cloud search. With cloud search, it is now possible for users to quickly search through all of their Gmail messages. Previously, search was limited to messages that had been downloaded and searching was often slow.

The update also includes the option to add signatures to emails based on the address that they are sent from (Mailbox supports up to five different Gmail accounts) and it also allows users to open email links directly within Google's Chrome app.

What's new

- Cloud Search (now search every message in your Gmail account)
- Account-specific signatures
- Open links in Chrome
- Performance improvements and bug fixes

Mailbox, which had a controversial debut due to the reservation system that it implemented as new users signed up, was purchased by Dropbox back in March. Since then the sign up restrictions have been lifted, making the app available to all users.

Mailbox is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

ESPN has added two new channels to its WatchESPN apps on the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, according to an ESPN press release.

ESPN today officially launched the availability of ESPN Deportes and ESPNEWS on WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the award-winning WatchESPN app and on Apple TV to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider (coming soon to ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members). The launch debuts just in time for the second leg of Spain’s Supercopa Final between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid live on ESPN Deportes at 5 p.m. ET tonight.

The channels are available to authenticated pay TV subscribers with the following cable companies:

- AT&T U-verse
- Bright House Networks
- Charter
- Comcast XFINITY
- Cox
- Midcontinent Communications
- Optimum
- Time Warner Cable
- Verizon FiOS TV

WatchESPN is a free download on the iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]

Twitter has updated its iOS app to version 5.10, redesigning the look of Conversations within the app. As noted in the App Store description, conversations are easier to find, indicated with a vertical blue line in the Twitter timeline.

The original tweet of a conversation will now show up above the most recent reply, and a tap will reveal the entire conversation thread. The app has also been updated with new notification settings and bug fixes for direct messages.

Conversations have a new look! They're easier to find and fun to join.

- A blue line indicates a conversation between people you follow
- The first Tweet in the conversation now appears above the most recent reply
- Tap to see all of the replies

Twitter is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple is planning on launching its AppleCare+ extended warranty service in Europe soon, according to a report from the French blog iGen [Google Translate].

Apple launched the $99 AppleCare+ for iPhone in the U.S. in 2011, offering two years of extended warranty protection and coverage for two incidents related to accidental damage, albeit with a $49 service fee. The program was later expanded to the iPad. AppleCare+ is also available in Canada and Japan.

In Europe, customers have been limited to the standard AppleCare for iPhone and iPad products, which only covers warranty-related claims -- not accidental damage.

Apple has faced significant criticism from consumer associations in a number of European countries including Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, and Portugal. EU consumer protection laws are more stringent than those in the United States, and Apple has been sued because of allegedly misleading statements given by Apple on its websites and in its retail stores regarding the differences between warranties required by law and what Apple offers in its AppleCare service plans.

The London-based luxury concierge service Lime&Tonic has released its first iPhone app, allowing users to browse and purchase recommendations on the go. The app, which was developed in collaboration with Czech-based developers adikt mobile, can help users of the service to personalize any recommendations suggested to them by posing a wide variety of questions, including coffee preference, how users like their steaks cooked and any favorite cocktails.

This information is then fed into Lime&Tonic's algorithm and the application presents users with personalized recommendations in their local cities. These can be purchased straight through the application either using a credit or debit card, or via Lime&Tonic's 'credits' system, which can be managed online. Users can also read reviews of experiences via the application before committing to buying.

Lime&Tonic is currently limited to a few select cities around the world, including London, Amsterdam, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro and Dubai however the service is expanding rapidly. The company predicts that three cities will be added by the end of the year, with a further 20 planned by the end of 2014, and in North America, the service plans to launch in New York, Toronto and Vancouver. Lim&Tonic currently has around 850 experiences available globally and claims a 92% user satisfaction rate.

The company's CEO and co-founder, Stefan Cordiner, explains the company's aims going forward:

Our focus in purely on premium merchants that are able to offer quality experiences so we can ensure that if you're going to spend your limited free time with us, it will be good.

Much like Groupon, Lime&Tonic partners with local businesses and takes a cut of all bookings made through its service. The service is completely free to use and can be signed up for via their website or via Facebook.

Lime&Tonic is a free download from the App Store. [Direct Link]

According to analyst Wanli Wang at CIMB Securities, as shared by The Economic Times, Taiwan based electronics manufacturers Inventec and Quanta have won contracts to produce Apple’s iWatch. Wang's supply chain sources indicate that Inventec will produce the majority of the iWatch at 60%, while Quanta will handle the remaining portion of production. The report also claims that the iWatch will sell for an average of $199 and projects shipments of 63.4 million units in the year after its launch.

"Apple is likely to introduce 'iWatch' in 2014. From our channel checks, Inventec is the major assembly source for 'iWatch', with about 60 per cent of order allocation," said CIMB Securities analyst Wanli Wang in a report.

CIMB projects 63.4 million units of "iWatch" shipments in the year after its launch with an average price of around $199, while the "iWatch" project is estimated to contribute 19 per cent of Inventec's earnings in 2014, Wang said.

Supply chain sources do on occasion offer accurate information on Apple's plans, but they are also prone to sharing incorrect or incomplete information, so their reliability is difficult to ascertain.

CIMB's pricing and unit shipments also appear to be based more on speculation and modeling than any specific information, suggesting that they should be taken with considerable skepticism.

In the past couple of months, Apple has been reportedly been ramping up its iWatch effort, hiring new employees with expertise in health sensors, including fitness expert and Nike product consultant Jay Blahnik. Apple has also been filing trademark applications on the iWatch name in a number of countries, and is reportedly looking toward a late 2014 launch for the product as it works to solve numerous technical challenges.

According to a new survey from research firm Forrester (via TechCrunch), Apple's iOS phone platform remains the highest priority for mobile software development teams, followed by the Android phone platform and the iOS tablet platform in second and third place respectively. The survey was done by asking 765 software developers creating mobile applications, and addressed not only iOS and Android but also platforms such as Windows Phone and Blackberry 10.

But while the survey shows that the iPhone remains the highest priority for developers, it also shows that more developers target Android phones somewhere in their plans, with 84% of developers planning Android phone support compared to the iPhone at 77%. A similar split is seen in tablets, with iOS being rated as the top priority by the most developers but Android more developers overall planning to support Android.

Despite iOS getting this first app mover advantage, more developers target Android phones overall than target iPhones (84% rank Android phones as a priority vs 77% for iPhones). This is to be expected, with Android being on so many smartphones at multiple price-points vs Apple’s limited iPhone portfolio. However the iPad does help to expand Apple’s developer mojo, with 27% of respondents ranking the iPad as their second priority device vs around a fifth putting the same level of importance on Android tablets. By contrast Windows RT tablets are being largely ignored by developers, according to Forrester’s data.

Apple is set to release iOS 7, the next version of its mobile operating system, in the next couple of months, likely fairly soon after the company's September 10 media event.

Sonny Dickson has posted several new photos showing the alleged front panel from the next-generation iPad, which is said to carry a slimmer, thinner design similar to the iPad mini. The photos appear to be consistent with a previous leak that depicted the front panel of the black next-generation iPad and an April leak showing the white version, all showing the same narrower side bezels. as well as a pair of flex cables that run along the long edge of the pane that also appear to consistent with prior reports.

As with the black front panel part from earlier this month, this white part includes the integrated digitizer, with a pair of flex cables running along the long edge of the pane. Thosee connectors are somewhat different from those seen in Apple’s current line of iPads, but the company has also been rumored to be making a number of technological changes for the upcoming iPad, such as using the same touch panel technology found in the current-generation iPad mini.

Apple will reportedly release the thinner full-size iPad and the next-generation iPad mini in the final three months of the year. The company is holding an iPhone media event on September 10, and it has been thought that new iPads would appear at a later date, but a report today claims that both iPhone and iPads will be introduced at the September 10 event.