PSA: Passbook supported apps now listed in iOS 6 App Store

Now that iOS 6 has officially landed, Apple has pulled back the veil revealing the first wave of apps to support its new Passbook feature. The initial group of companies to jump on the bandwagon include: Ticketmaster, Live Nation, Lufthansa, MLB.com At Bat, Sephora to Go, Walgreens and Fandango Movies. While this list is a tad bit shorter than we hoped for, it's safe to say that more apps will follow in the not-so-distant future. Want to be the first to know when they arrive? Be sure to keep an eye on the Passbook section of the App Store for the latest updates.

[Source: Engadget]

Twitter for iPad gets a new landscape UI, profiles with header photos, and enhanced photo streams

Twitter has just updated its universal iOS app with a few new improvements, the most notable of which is a new landscape UI for iPad. Other aspects of the iPad UI have been slightly tweaked over previous version, while version 5.0 of the app also brings new profiles with header photos, photo streams on profiles and events, and various other fixes and enhancements for both the iPad and iPhone client.

Among the improvements to the iPad UI: Tweets now come in a compact view and can be expanded with a single tap to view videos, web pages, and photos directly from within your timeline.

[Source: 9to5Mac - Read more there]

Microsoft announces Office 2013 and 365 pricing, nudges users towards annual subscriptions

While we still don't know exactly when Microsoft will unleash Office 2013 and Office 365 upon the world, we do know how much they'll cost. While standalone versions, licensed for use on a single computer, will still be available, the new strategy makes it more affordable for many homes and business to opt for a subscription package instead. Office Home and Student 2013 (with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote) will cost $139, while Home and Business adds Outlook for $219, and the top of the line Professional package includes all of those along with Access and Publisher for $399. Compare those to the two Office 365 packages, which promise customizations that follow their users around, expanded cloud storage, access to all of the apps and automatically receive any future updates that come out for them.

[Source: Engadget- Read more there]

Dropbox iOS app update adds sharing to Facebook and Twitter, tacks on AirPrint for good measure

On the heels of the preview of its Jelly Bean-flavored Android app, Dropbox has updated its iOS softwarefor mobile devices as well. This time around, the cloud storage outfit threw in sharing directly to Facebook and Twitter. Simply select your social media outlet of choice from the menu and proceed to type the appropriate message. A link to the file will then get comfortable on your timeline once you post the update. If you need to keep matters a bit more private, you can include the info in a Facebook message as well. For those looking to print directly from their cloud libraries, AirPrint support is also included in this version (1.5.5). If you haven't snagged the update just yet, the iTunes link below will lend a hand with said task.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple announces redesigned iTunes for Mac, Windows and iOS devices

It's gone through quite a few minor revisions as of late, but Apple has today taken the wraps off a fairly big redesign of not just iTunes for OS X and Windows, but iOS devices as well. The latter will be making its debut with iOS 6 on the 19th, and you can expect a simpler interface in all incarnations -- "dramatically simpler," according to Apple's Eddie Cue -- with a carousel up top paired with a flattened grid of icons below. The desktop version also sports a new mini player, which now boasts search functionality while staying decidedly minimalistic, and a new "Up Next" feature lets you cue up songs and see what's coming at a glance. Those UI changes naturally extend to the store component as well, and Apple is also promising improved performance throughout. No firm release date for the desktop version just yet, but Apple says we can expect it sometime in "late October."

[Source: Engadget]

iOS 6 gets official debut on the iPhone 5: Maps, Passbook, iCloud Tabs and more

Now that the iPhone 5 is officially out of the bag, it's time to talk software. Apple hasn't exactly kept its cards close to its chest in regards to iOS 6: Cupertino teased the software at WWDC, letting us in on the direct Facebook integration, the new Maps application, Passbook and "Do Not Disturb" in the process. Today the OS gets official, and Scott Forstall demoed the software on the iPhone 5.

Not too much new here, but the software is out of its beta phase and ready to ship. One of the most hyped additions to iOS 6 has been the Maps application, which includes Siri navigation, 3D building view and satellite imagery. In Safari, there's now a full-screen mode and you'll be able to share tabs from your desktop with your phone (dubbed iCloud Tabs). We're also seeing Passbook in action once again, bringing up a plane ticket at the lockscreen when you get to the airport, for example. One new thing here: Delta is confirmed as a partner for this digital ticket service.

[Source: Engadget - Read more there]

Amazon Kindle Mac app update adds gesture features and visually richer Kindle book support

Amazon has refreshed its Kindle app to include support for swiping and other gesture navigation features for Macs running Lion OS X or higher. It will now display Kindle's new Format 8 books, allowing for more complicated formatting, HTML5 support, pop-up text, embedded fonts and other visual accoutrements to spice up your Mac-based reading. The update also adds Japanese language support alongside the typical pile of bug fixes and tweaks. You can download the new reader from the Mac App Store now, right at the source link below.

[Source: Engadget]

Are apps organising your kid’s lives?

Apparently, whatever we need in life, there’s an app for it.  And with the meteoric rise of the android smartphone, portable tablet and light and compact notebook showing no sign of slowing down, this probably won’t come as much surprise to you.  

With the sheer volume of handy apps available, the majority of us are beginning to wonder how we ever survived without having a tool to regularly check the weather in the Outer Hebrides or track our daily bowl movements (yes, this is a real app) We’re using apps increasingly to organise both our business and social lives and reaping the benefits in both.

However, the demographic most reliant on electronic devices to organise their lives are students, who have turned to technology for every day tasks such as checking grades, ticking items off their things to do list and organising their homework schedule.  

Our kids have grown up using this ever-improving technology and are becoming increasingly reliant on apps to determine their every move.  Long gone are the days of having to stock up on dictionaries, calculators and note-books, new terms now are all about getting the right apps on the right device. 

Within an increasing number of schools, rather than being punished for having a phone at school, teachers are beginning to embrace the technology and alternative learning opportunities apps offer them.   Teachers are regularly using apps such as Socrative and Skitch to engage students with educational exercises and interactive activities that the whole class can share.   

Aside from the educational benefits, students are benefitting from apps such as Stylebook to organise their wardrobe and make outfit decisions based on the clothes they have available.

It’s not just the teens who are incorporating digital technology and apps into their everyday lives; schools, pre-schools and even nurseries are using apps to help them educate, inspire and organise children - playing interactive learning games to help children with their letter formation and word pronunciation, and flashcard apps to help with revision and study.  [Advertorial]

AcerCloud service launches in UK, France, Germany, and Italy

Acer has announced the launch of its AcerCloud service in Europe, with a client coming preloaded on all new laptops and desktop computers in the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Presenting at the IFA trade show in Berlin, the Taiwanese manufacturer cautioned that the service — an own-brand competitor to the likes of Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft's SkyDrive — is still in beta. An AcerCloud Portal app has been available in Google's Play Store since at least June, but has not been functional.

[Source: The Verge]

Android 4.0 now available for LG Optimus 2X in South Korea

Once upon a time, the LG Optimus 2X was a big deal. After all, it introduced the masses to the NVIDIA Tegra 2. Following nearly a year of neglect, this handset -- supposedly built for enthusiasts -- is now eligible for an update to Android 4.0. Unfortunately, the software isn't yet available globally, and only those in South Korea can get in on the action. If that weren't discouraging enough, LG Canada remains insistent that it won't ever distribute Ice Cream Sandwich for the Optimus 2X. Whoever still owns this handset, ever get the feeling that you deserve better?

[Source: Engadget]

VMware intros Fusion 5 virtualization software with support for Win 8, integration with Mountain Lion

With Mountain Lion newly available and Windows 8 on the verge of shipping, now was a pretty good time for VMware to update its Fusion virtualization software, dont'cha think? The company just announced Fusion 5 with 70-plus new features, including support for Win 8 and tight integration with OS X 10.8. For instance, you can now view Windows programs in Mountain Lion's Launchpad, while VMware software updates pop up in the Notification Center. Fusion also supports AirPlay for the first time, and you can also run either Mountain Lion or Mountain Lion Server as a virtual machine. The company also added support for Retina Display MacBook Pros, so that everything looks crisp on that 2,880 x 1,880 screen. Also of note: Fusion now supports USB 3.0, and Linux users get some love in the form of Open GL 2.1 graphics support.

The standard version of Fusion 5 is available now for $49.99, but people who bought Fusion 4 since the release of Mountain Lion can upgrade for free. There's also a professional version ($100 for one license), which includes all the above features, and also lets IT departments lock down settings for employees' virtual machines.

[Source: Engdaget]

Sound Forge Pro apparently coming to the Mac

A series of teaser videos have revealed that Sony's popular audio editing and production app, Sound Forge Pro, is finally making its way over to the Mac. There's unfortunately no details on a release date or any other release information, but a site called FinallyOnTheMac.com has been teasing a big Mac release very soon, and it's now been revealed that the release in question is Sound Forge Pro.

The site says that the app will be "Reforged, Reinvented, and Refined", but again, what exactly that means is still anyone's guess. At any rate, this is likely good news for audio producers and engineers who've been tied to Sound Forge and would rather use Apple's hardware in their studios. There are more videos set to arrive on the site soon, so we'll know more when those are revealed for sure.

[Source: TUAW]