Greg's Tech Blog
How desperate is Microsoft for Metro apps for Windows 8 phones and tablets? Enough to pay developers $100,000 to convince them to make apps. That figure isn't counting the money made from app sales, it's simply an incentive offered to developers so they port their apps over to Windows 8. Microsoft is looking a bit desperate here.
With iOS 7, Apple will make game controllers for iOS devices a profitable venture for developers and accessory manufacturers alike. This is due to Apple bringing their approval process for accessories to include game controllers, and a standardized interface with the device. Naturally, this means larger accessory makers are going to be interested in making controllers for iOS 7. This leaked photo is apparently a prototype of a controller Logitech is making for an iOS device. The controller has a few buttons, an analog stick, and offers access to the iPhone's screen. Logitech may be planning on releasing the controller in time for the release of iOS 7.
The best camera is the one you have with you. Today, more people than ever have a camera with them at all times, and that camera is in their smartphone. However, smartphones have very simple cameras, optically speaking. There's no optical zoom, the field of view is fixed, and you can't use lenses to change the format of your photos. But, the quality of the sensors in smartphones are getting better, and currently the most popular camera on Flickr is a smartphone, the iPhone to be exact. It's about time these smartphone cameras get something to bring them up to the level of point and shoot cameras in term of optics.
That's where Photojojo's Macro, Wide Angle, Fisheye, and Zoom lenses come in. I've had them for some time now, and thought it was time for a review.
Apple has improved their Bluetooth notification system in iOS 7. That means third party Bluetooth devices will have wider access to notifications on iOS devices. Wearable tech such as the Pebble Smartwatch, Google Glass, and in car entertainment systems will have greater access to notifications, able to display them regardless of the app they use to sync with your device. In the video below, you can see the Pebble performing beautifully next to an iPhone running iOS 7. It'll definitely be just another feature to look forward to, especially for Pebble owners.
You'll find it on every Apple product. "Designed by Apple in California" is Apple's signature. However, it's not just something Apple stamps on all of their products, it's a seal of approval, a sign of pride. It's Apple's promise to consumers. The customer's experience comes first, and that great experience stems from inspired design.
The Steve Jobs biopic staring Ashton Kutcher was to be released some time ago. However, they hit a number of snags, claiming that the delay was due to not having enough interest in the film. Now they've finally given a release date, August 16th, a Friday. The film originally aired during the Sundance Film Festival, and apparently faced some mixed reviews. None as bad as those suffered by Funny or Die's Steve Jobs movie, but perhaps enough that they decided to change some aspects of the film before releasing it.
With iOS 7 and OSX Mavericks, the Reading List in Safari gets a substantial update. Along with that update comes a new icon. The new glasses look familiar, don't they? Most likely done intentionally, it's a nice tribute to the company's founder and late CEO, Steve Jobs.
Verizon may have been the first to put profits before their customers, but AT&T has been quick to jump on the anti-consumer bandwagon. Now AT&T customers will also have to wait a full two years, the length of their wireless contact, to get upgrade pricing on their phones. In doing so, AT&T has removed themselves as a choice for consumers for quicker upgrades, and trapped consumers in a two year cycle. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and others used to offer an 18 month upgrade schedule, allowing customers to upgrade sooner rather than later. Looks like customers will have to skip a phone upgrade every year now if they're on AT&T or Verizon. Surely manufacturers won't be happy with this.
Source: Gizmodo and BlindScribblings
The Mac Pro has gone for what feels like a century in the tech world, without an update. Sure, Apple would occasionally update the internals, but the external design and, besides the components, the internal architecture remained the same. Apple changed all of that during WWDC, and the new Mac Pro is smaller, yet far more powerful and uniquely designed than ever before.
Apple's iOS is an extremely popular platform for games. Developers love making iOS games, and iOS users love playing them. There have been a number of companies that have tried to make controllers for iOS, but not one has become popular with developers or users. Since each one uses a separate API, developers would have to choose one, or go without a controller.
Apple's finally going to change all of that in iOS 7.
