Google is now showing ads in the Android and iOS versions of its Google Maps app. Google is calling them "relevant ads" and they will appear at the bottom of the screen following a search.
As The Next Web notes, Google believes the new ads will be "more attractive for users and more effective for advertisers".
Relevant ads on the Google Maps app can now appear at the bottom of the screen after a user performs a search. They include a title, ad text, and a link to get directions. Users can tap or swipe upward to see more information — this is a new click type known as “Get location details” and results in a standard CPC charge.
When users click on an ad to get location details, they’ll see additional information such as the business’s address, phone number, photos, reviews and more. From here, there are a number of paid and free click actions they can take. Free actions include saving business information for later, sharing a business with a friend, or starting navigation. Aggregated reporting for these free clicks is available in your account.
According to VR-Zone Chinese [Google Translation] (via BGR) Apple is currently recruiting a development team in Taiwan, in order to establish a new research and development facility.
The Taiwan R&D center will supposedly focus its efforts on future iPhones, but may also work on other future products as well. Apple is said to be hiring for numerous positions at the facility, with a number of different engineering and managerial jobs available. There do not appear to be any new R&D job listings for Taiwan on the Apple site, so it appears that the hiring push for the facility has yet to begin.
TSMC's Taiwan Facility
A Taiwanese development center makes sense, as it is where Apple partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is located. TSMC recently signed a deal with Apple that will see the company producing A-series chips for future Apple devices beginning in 2014.
Apple operates a number of other research and development facilities around the world and is currently planning to open another center in Shanghai this summer.
AgileBits is currently offering a significant discount on the iOS version of its secure password management app 1Password in order to encourage users who are still accessing the older version of the software to upgrade.
Because Dropbox is disabling support for an API that facilitates syncing in version 3 of 1Password, the Dropbox sync functionality of that app will cease to function as of September first. AgileBits discontinued its support for 1Password version 3 with the release of the fourth version of the software last December and will not be updating the app.
Instead, the company is offering a $10 discount on the new software, making it available for users at $7.99, which is more than half off. The sale will last from today until Friday, August 16.
Though Dropbox syncing will no longer function, users who cannot upgrade to the newest version of 1Password (which requires iOS 6) will be able to sync with computers on the same Wi-Fi network.
1Password is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for $7.99 for a limited time. [Direct Link]
Following yesterday's anti-iPad Surface RT ad, Microsoft today released another new advertisement, this time targeting Apple's iPad mini. In the spot, Microsoft compares the mini to the 8-inch Acer Iconia W3 tablet, which runs the full version of Windows 8.
The ad returns to using a Siri voiceover to poke fun at the mini while demonstrating the similarities between the two tablets. Microsoft also highlights the Acer's productivity software and its gaming capabilities. "Wow, you are a real PC," says Siri.
The Acer Iconia W3, which is advertised as the smallest Windows 8 tablet on the market, has garnered lukewarm reviews for its poor 1280 x 800 display, though it does come equipped with a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 2GB RAM.
Since its launch in June, the Iconia W3 has seen significant price drops. Originally priced at $380, the 32GB version of the tablet can now be purchased for $300 on Amazon, a price point that is emphasized at the end of the ad. In comparison, the 32GB iPad mini retails for $129 more, priced at $429.
Following his company's earnings release earlier today, T-Mobile USA CEO John Legere told AllThingsD that the carrier is looking forward to expanding its Apple product offerings beyond the iPhone. Back in April, T-Mobile became the last of the four major U.S. carrier to begin selling the iPhone.
Legere said it is a good sign that the iPhone is only a portion of the company’s sales growth, accounting for just 21 percent of smartphone sales last quarter.
“I think it’s a healthy percentage,” Legere said.
That said, Legere looks forward to more business with Apple, including carrying products beyond the iPhone.
“I think there’s a whole array of Apple products that we look forward to carrying,” Legere said. “We will expand what we offer from them.”
The most obvious new Apple product for T-Mobile would be the iPad, with the other major U.S. carriers already selling and supporting cellular-capable models of the device with data plans. In order to provide official support for the iPad on T-Mobile, Apple would almost certainly have to at least tweak its existing hardware in order to support the AWS 1700/2100 MHz frequency bands used by T-Mobile, something the company did on the iPhone 5 when it launched on T-Mobile. But with an updated iPad expected to launch within the next few months, any frequency support changes would almost certainly just be folded into the new hardware.
T-Mobile may also find itself able to support new iPhone models if Apple launches both an iPhone 5S and a lower-cost "iPhone 5C" in the coming months. The carrier currently does offer the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, although official device availability is currently limited to areas where T-Mobile has been able to refarm its spectrum to offer 3G/4G coverage on frequencies supported by those devices. Apple would presumably build full support for T-Mobile's frequency bands into any new iPhone models it launches in the United States.
Disney has launched “Disney Animated” for iOS, an interactive app that encompasses the history of animation and technology for all 53 films by the company. The app includes features such as interactive animations that feature Disney characters and the ability to zoom in on concept art and backgrounds to see intricate details. Also, the app allows users to animate a character from Wreck-It-Ralph using an onboard 3D animation package, as well as early looks at upcoming movies with viewable work-in-progress animation.
Discover how Disney animated films are brought to life. Explore pages packed with interactive images and multi-layer animated clips. Animate authentic Disney 3D character models, and control a Disney visual effects simulation. Browse a rich timeline of all 53 Disney animated feature films, and more.
The app is being released in conjunction with Disney's 2013 D23 Expo happening this week, in which Steve Jobs and "other talented contributors to Disney History" will be honored with a Disney Legends award. Specifically, Jobs is being recognized for his role at Apple and his contributions as an early investor and chief executive of Pixar, along with his work on the Disney board of directors.
Disney Animated for the iPad is priced at $13.99 and can be downloaded through the App Store. [Direct Link]
Back in May 2011, patent holding firm Lodsys began threatening lawsuits against a number of small iOS developers, alleging infringement of a Lodsys-held patent through the use of Apple's in-app purchase and upgrade functionalities. The case was an interesting one because small developers were being held liable for their use of Apple's supported tools for iOS apps, with Apple agreeing to back the developers and claiming that Apple's existing license with Lodsys automatically extended to cover third-party developers using those tools.
Lodsys continued to pressure developers, both large and small, to take out their own licenses for Lodsys' patents, with many developers choosing to purchase licenses rather than fight in court. Lodsys now claims over 200 licensees for its patents.
While news about Lodsys had been relatively quiet through late 2012 and early 2013, the firm once again made a splash in April of this year when it filed suit against Disney, Gameloft, and several other developers and companies. Aside from a brief June announcement from Lodsys noting that Angry Birds developer Rovio has taken a license for Lodsys' patents, things had once again turned quiet through the middle of this year.
But as noted in a blog post today from developer Todd Moore, whose firm TMSOFT is responsible for several dozen iOS and Mac apps, Lodsys has curiously agreed to dismiss its case against him in exchange for an end to the dispute and a mutual charitable donation from the two sides (via @DotComCTO).
The dismissal is with prejudice which means they can never sue my company again for infringing its patents. I did not have to pay any money to Lodsys or sign a license agreement. I also did not sign a confidentially agreement so I’m free to talk about this matter.
So what did I have to agree to?
1. Never to sue Lodsys over its patents (I otherwise would have the right to ask a court to rule their patents invalid if I wanted)
2. Dismiss all motions with prejudice (we had filed a motion to dismiss that also sought to recover my attorneys fees, costs and expenses)
3. Make a donation to a mutually agreeable charity
Moore notes that the only reason he was able to fight Lodsys in court was that he had pro bono assistance from the Public Patent Foundation, with attorneys there estimating that their time spent on the case could normally have been billed at roughly $190,000 even before it headed to trial. He also highlights the ease with which Lodsys is able to file patent lawsuits against small developers and his continuing efforts at supporting patent reform.
It remains unclear whether Lodsys' move to dismiss the case against Moore and TMSOFT is part of a strategy shift for the firm or if it simply realized that it was not worth pursuing a protracted fight against a small developer receiving free legal representation. We have yet to hear of any similar settlements, although many developers have understandably been reluctant to share details on their own experiences with Lodsys.
KeyMe, a house key data and key replication app, has launched today for iOS, helping users keep secure virtual copies of their keys even in the event that their original keys are lost.
The app includes features such as the ability for users to scan in virtualized photos of keys on their phone using the camera, as well data storage of specific house key characteristics to make locksmith replication easier. KeyMe also gives users the ability to place mail orders for spare keys through the app and to share digital copies of keys with others.
Store your key now, thank yourself later. KeyMe is a simple and secure way to store, copy, and share your keys.
KeyMe began as a startup in 2012 and raised $2.3 million during its initial round of funding. The company has also installed self-service kiosks in select Manhattan 7-Elevens in June, and will continue a gradual rollout throughout the US in the coming months.
KeyMe can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
AVOS Systems, a company led by YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley and Steven Chen, has launched MixBit, a new social video service for iOS. The app includes features such as the ability to record 16-second clips known as "bits" and allows users mix as many as 256 bits into one video, as well as the capability to remix video clips shared by other users. The app also allows users to record video by touching anywhere on the screen, and enables video editing through a web interface on its official site.
MixBit lets you record, edit and publish videos as short as one second or as long as an hour—right from your mobile phone. You can also create videos without needing to shoot original content.
Touch your screen anywhere and hold to record.
Videos are taken in multiple clips, or “bits,” as long as 16 seconds each. A video can include as many as 256 clips.
Clips are stored as independent elements but play as one seamless video.
Drag and drop to rearrange, cut or delete clips, as well as save or publish, right from your phone.
Check out MixBit.com to view, collect and mix videos contributed by the community.
Bloombergreports that Apple this week will ask a U.S. appeals court to forbid sales of specific Samsung mobile devices that were found in violation of various Apple patents by a California jury last year. These models include phones such as the Galaxy S2 and the Droid Charge, as well as tablets like the Galaxy Tab, although most of the devices have already been removed from the market by Samsung.
The company will ask a U.S. appeals court tomorrow to block sales of Samsung models a California jury found violated patents for the iPhone’s look and features. Later, a U.S. trade agency is expected to say if it will halt some Samsung imports based on other Apple patent-infringement claims.
The trial in question initially resulted in a $1 billion verdict for Apple, although the judge in the case later voided nearly half of the judgment due to juror error, with that portion of the damages requiring a new trial to be revised.
In the original case, Judge Lucy Koh ruled that while the jury found Apple was entitled to monetary damages, there was no basis for a ban on sales of the infringing Samsung devices. Apple's appeal this week focuses on that decision even as appeals on the jury's verdict remain outstanding.
Apple has applied for a patent with the U.S Patent and Trademark Office (via AppleInsider) on methods for using hyperlinks embedded into audio streams that could offer content creators the capability to link to other forms of media or control a device altogether. The main concept of the patent is outlined in the abstract of the filing, and explains how audio hyperlinks could be used to allow listeners to access such content within audio:
Hyperlinks within an audio stream provide a way for a listener to access linked resources. An audio hyperlink encoded in an audio stream indicates the presence of an audio hyperlink in the audio stream, as well as providing information for traversing the hyperlink to the linked resource. The hyperlink may be conditionally traversed upon a user interaction or automatically upon detection in the audio stream, possibly pausing the audio stream containing the hyperlink during the traversal of the hyperlink and resuming the audio stream if the audio stream is returned to from the linked material. The linked material may be other audio content, but may also be any other type of desired content that may be accessible by the system processing the audio stream.
In the patent application, Apple gives an example of a podcast which could link to other podcasts, websites, or other media, and Apple describes how software could either automatically activate audio hyperlinks when detected or offer a user interface to allow users to have control over activation of the links. While the patent application does not make any references to specific devices, examples and drawings outline how the process could be applied to such mobile devices such as iPhones, iPads, and iPods.
T-Mobile revealed today in its Q2 2013 results that it had sold a total of 4.3 million smartphones in the quarter, with iPhone sales accounting for 29% of the carrier's new and upgrade sales since its launch early in the quarter. The company announced an addition of 1.1 million new customers to the network, an improvement of 1.3 million additions from the year ago quarter, and also announced that service revenue for the quarter grew by 8.6% year-over-year.
On April 12, 2013, T-Mobile began selling the iPhone at all company-owned stores in combination with the new Simple Choice service plan. Since the April 12th launch, iPhone sales have accounted for approximately 29% of T-Mobile’s branded gross customer additions and upgrade smartphone sales, excluding MetroPCS.
Earlier this year, T-Mobile became the last major U.S. major cellular carrier to begin selling the iPhone and has attempted to differentiate itself from other cellular networks with new ‘customer-friendly’ rate plans that involve no annual contract. Last month, research firm Kantar Worldpanel found that Apple’s share of the smartphone market rose by 3.5 percentage points compared to the prior-year period, with the iPhone 5 being the best-selling smartphone on T-Mobile.
Apple today added movie support to its iTunes in the Cloud service in Japan and seven additional European countries, enabling customers in those countries to re-download content previously purchased from the iTunes Store. New support for Austria and Switzerland was noticed by iFun.de [Google translate], but the full list of new countries includes Austria, Estonia, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Switzerland.
iTunes in the Cloud was first launched for music in June 2011 in the United States, with Apple adding movie and TV show support for U.S. users in March 2012. Movie coverage has been gradually expanded since that time, with the most recent addition prior to today coming back in February.
With today's expansion, there remains only a handful of countries where Apple offers movie content in the iTunes Store but not iTunes in the Cloud support for those films. That short list does, however, include several major markets for Apple such as Germany and Spain.
BeaverTap Games, the studio behind the popular platformer Mikey Shorts, has today released a second game, Mikey Hooks.
Mikey Hooks incorporates the platform-style gameplay of Mikey Shorts, but adds an intuitive grappling hook mechanic. As with the previous game, the goal is to get through each level as quickly as possible to earn three stars, which often means multiple plays of every stage to learn the ins and outs of enemy and obstacle locations.
In addition to 36 challenging stages to complete, the game incorporates a number of unlockable character items, secondary goals, and a dedicated race mode that allows players to compete against AI ghosts.
Our sister site TouchArcade has published a first look at Mikey Hooks, and called it the "no-brainer download of the week."
If you played Mikey Shorts last year, things will feel mighty familiar in Mikey Hooks. Obviously the big change is the ability to swing from parts of a level using a grappling hook, but this mechanic has been implemented so well it almost feels like it's always been there.
Besides the fundamental changes of hooking and damage, Mikey Hooks is still all about the levels. Perfectly timed jumps, slides and now hooks will lead you towards victory and a 3-star completion time. Also, don't forget about collecting every coin and the hidden golden shorts on each level, and in place of the previous game's Challenge levels there's now Racing levels which include AI ghosts to race against.
The game includes both iCade and Joypad support, along with iCloud saves and Game Center achievements and leaderboards. Mikey Hooks is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for $1.99. [Direct Link]
The five book publishers who settled with the U.S. Government in the e-book antitrust case have filed an objection with the court arguing that the Department of Justice's proposed punishments for Apple would violate their settlement agreements from before the trial began, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The DOJ has recommended that the "agency model" deals with publishers be nullified and that Apple require competitors such as Amazon to put direct purchase links to their own e-book stores inside their iOS apps. Some experts have said that Apple could owe as much as $500 million in penalties.
In a court filing Wednesday afternoon, the publishers said that the U.S. Department of Justice's demands on Apple would eliminate the use of the "agency model" for the sale and distribution of e-books for a period of five years, by prohibiting Apple from entering such agreements.
Under the agency model, publishers, rather than Apple, set the retail price for e-books.
"The provisions do not impose any limitation on Apple's pricing behavior at all; rather, under the guise of punishing Apple, they effectively punish the settling defendants by prohibiting agreements with Apple using an agency model," lawyers for the publishers said in papers filed in federal court in Manhattan.
Apple has consistently defended its behavior and called the DOJ's proposal a "draconian and punitive intrusion into Apple's business".
Microsoft is continuing its anti-iPad ad campaign, today releasing a new commercial comparing the Surface RT to the fourth generation iPad. The ad, which displays a Surface RT tablet and an iPad side-by-side, highlights both pricing and size differences between the two products.
Microsoft also uses the spot to summarize other iPad shortcomings that it has highlighted in previous ads, including the iPad's lack of an integrated kickstand and keyboard, the absence of dedicated productivity software on the tablet, its poor multitasking capabilities, and its failure to offer expandable storage.
Despite its vigorous advertising campaign, Microsoft revealed last week that its Surface lineup had earned just $853 million in revenue for the company, less than a $900 million writedown the company took for the Surface RT earlier this month.
As a result of the tablet's weak sales, Microsoft was forced to drop the price of the Surface RT by $150 in July, pricing its entry level offering at just $349.99. The company has since dropped the price of the Surface Pro as well, offering it for $100 off through the end of August.
Apple today seeded build 12F33 of OS X 10.8.5 to developers, marking the eighth beta iteration of 10.8.5. The release comes exactly one week after the previous OS X 10.8.5 beta, build 12F30.
As with previous betas, the update contains no known issues and can be downloaded via Apple’s Developer page or through the software update tool of the Mac App Store.
Apple’s OS X 10.8.5 beta is being tested alongside the next version of the operating system, OS X Mavericks. Apple has thus far seeded five developer previews of Mavericks and plans to offer the new operating system to the public in the fall.
Apple has seeded the fifth Developer Preview of OS X Mavericks to developers, approximately two weeks after the release of the fourth developer preview. The release comes as Apple continues to work on restoring full functionality to its Developer Center after bringing software downloads back online last week.
As noted by MacRumors forum members, the fifth Developer Preview of Mavericks includes both a new beta version of iPhoto (9.4.6) along with the iBooks app for Mac that was first unveiled at WWDC.
OS X Mavericks, which is expected to be released this fall, includes multiple new features like a tabbed Finder, full screen dual monitor capabilities, Safari improvements, and a new Maps app. Developers can receive the update via the Software Update tool in the Mac App Store.
Apple has also simultaneously seeded a new version of OS X 10.8.5 to developers.
AgileBits
T-Mobile revealed today in its Q2 2013 
The five book publishers who settled with the U.S. Government in the e-book antitrust case have 
Apple today seeded build 12F33 of OS X 10.8.5 to developers, marking the eighth beta iteration of 10.8.5. The release comes exactly one week after the previous OS X 10.8.5 beta, 
