Leaked fifth-gen Apple iPad schematics show thinner waistline

What looks to be schematics of the upcoming fifth edition of the Apple iPad have surfaced, showing it is set to inherit the visuals of the iPad mini.

As the image above shows, the iPad 4 has rounded edges, while the iPad 5 will get rid of them in favor of more straight lines, just like those if the iPad mini. Furthermore, the next-gen iPad will also be slightly slimmer. According to the sources cited by Nowhereelse.fr, Apple is gong to make the iPad 5 25% thinner than the outgoing model.
Another schematic drawing of the iPad 5 shows some measurements that we can compare to the current-gen one. As seen below, the iPad 5 is shown to be 232 x 178.5 x 7.9mm thick. However, this thickness isn’t confirmed to include the actual display. In comparison, the iPad mini is 7.2mm thick, while the iPad 4 is 9.4mm.

Naturally, you should take these bits of information with a pinch of salt, despite claims that the source is “undoubtedly proven to be reliable”. Traditionally, Apple should make its announcement of the fifth generation iPad between mid-September and the end of October.

Skype for iOS update brings unlimited free video messaging, unending joy

Earlier this month, Skype brought its video messaging to nearly every major platform. Now, the outfit updated the iOS version of its app to lend a hand with the video snippets. The latest version of the software for Apple's mobile gadgets carries free unlimited messaging of the moving picture type. As you might expect, the download also includes a smattering of bug fixes and usability improvements as well. In the event that your device hasn't alerted you to the goods -- or if you're looking to cash in on the freebies -- the source link below holds the key.

Dropbox 2.3 update now available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

Dropbox has launched a minor update for its iOS app, bringing it to version 2.3. While not really substantial, the update brings some improvements as well as bug squashing for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

You can now share entire folders right from the application, as well as share single or multiple files at once, which is convenient. The company has also introduced gestures in the latest version of its app. You can share, move, delete or tag favorite files with a swipe on any file.
Usually, Dropbox is right on schedule updating its Android app soon after the iOS update, so Android users should expect to get an update sooner rather than later.
Follow the source link to get the latest Dropbox version.

Apple OS X Mavericks 10.9 preview

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There was no OS XI at WWDC. There was no plan to reinvent the wheel. The takeaway message at the launch event was simple: Apple is committed to OS X. What that means, in the long run (naming scheme aside) is that changes to the desktop will probably continue to be gradual. New features will be added and things will evolve over time. Like other recent versions of OS X, version 10.9 Mavericks follows the lead of iOS, culling from its most successful features -- though there's nothing on the order of iOS 7's dramatic redesign in store. But while the iPhone operating system seems to have taken the lead in terms of innovation, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of feature crippling in Mavericks, which some feared would come with the mobilization of the OS.
In fact, there are a number of welcome upgrades here -- things like folder tabs, tags and a more interactive Notification Center will likely improve the workflow of many Mac users. Built-in apps like Safari and Calendar have gotten nice facelifts, as well. We've spent a few days with the most recent build of OS X and are ready to give you a peek at what you're in store for, come fall. Still, knowing Apple, the company's likely still got a couple of tricks up its sleeve.

Huawei announces quad-core MediaPad 7 Vogue Android tablet

Huawei has announced another addition to its MediaPad tablet family, the MediaPad 7 Vogue.

The Vogue will be running on the same in-house Huawei K3V2 chipset as the recently-announced Huawei Ascend P6 flagship. It, too, will be of the quad-core variety, except the one on the MediaPad 7 Vogue will be clocked at 1.2 GHz.
Other than that, the MediaPad 7 Vogue is virtually identical to its other 7-inch brethren from Huawei, the MediaPad 7 Lite. It sports the same 600 x 1024 display resolution, 8GB of internal memory, 1GB of RAM, and 3 MP camera alongside VGA front-facer. You’ll even find the same 4100 mAh Lithium Polymer battery inside, which Huawei claims to support playback of four HD movies back-to-back, or up to 20 hours of continuous calling thanks to its proprietary power-saving technology.
The MediaPad 7 Vogue will be available in the Chinese market this month, with other markets to follow.

American Airlines finishes rolling out iPad flight bags

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Some airlines and aircraft makers have made a big deal of moving to tablet-based flight bags, but few can say they've made a complete switch. American Airlines can -- it just finished deploying iPad-based kits to all its cockpits, which can use the tablets at every stage of flight. The move lets the carrier ditch paper charts and manuals across the board, with an according round of savings in fuel and weight. Regional partners haven't made the leap to digital, although that may come soon: American Eagle Airlines will have the choice of using iPad flight bags starting on July 10th. While most of us in the passenger seats will never notice the difference, the shift will likely help American's bottom line.

Hide Press Release

FOR RELEASE: Monday, June 24, 2013

AMERICAN AIRLINES COMPLETES ELECTRONIC FLIGHT BAG IMPLEMENTATION

American Becomes the First Major Commercial Carrier to Deploy Electronic Flight Bags throughout Fleet and Discontinue Paper Revisions

FORT WORTH, Texas – American Airlines has completed the successful rollout of its industry-leading Electronic Flight Bag program with the discontinuation of paper revisions to terminal charts, making it the first major commercial airline to fully utilize tablets in all cockpits during all phases of flight. In April, American completed testing on its Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft and has secured FAA approval to use the Apple iPad on all of its current fleet types – Boeing 777, 767, 757, 737 and MD-80.

An Electronic Flight Bag, which replaces more than 35 pounds of paper-based reference material and manuals that pilots often carried in their carry-on kitbag, offers numerous benefits for American and its pilots.

"Our Electronic Flight Bag program has a significant positive environmental and cost-savings impact," said David Campbell, American's Vice President – Safety and Operations Performance. "In fact, removing the kitbag from all of our planes saves a minimum of 400,000 gallons and $1.2 million of fuel annually based on current fuel prices. Additionally, each of the more than 8,000 iPads we have deployed to date replaces more than 3,000 pages of paper previously carried by every active pilot and instructor. Altogether, 24 million pages of paper documents have been eliminated."

All American pilots now enjoy the benefits associated with replacing their heavy kitbags – one of the airline's biggest sources of pilot injuries – with a 1.35-pound iPad. The digital format also requires less time to update each of the six or more paper manuals found in each pilot's kitbag, as manual paper revisions take hours to complete every month, compared to the minutes it takes for electronic updates.

"Our focus on technological improvement throughout our operation has never been stronger as we continue to build the new American," said Patrick O'Keeffe, American's Vice President – Airline Operations Technology. "As the first major commercial airline to successfully complete the Electronic Flight Bag transition across its fleet, we are proud to count this among our other successful programs that provide the tools our people need to perform their duties safely and efficiently."

As part of the Electronic Flight Bag program, American's pilots use mobile software and data from Jeppesen, a unit of Boeing Digital Aviation. The FAA-approved Jeppesen Mobile Terminal Chart application is allowed for gate-to-gate use throughout all phases of flight and, with the exception of a few select documents, replaces paper operating manuals with up-to-date electronic information that is easier to access.

"We congratulate American Airlines on the success of its Electronic Flight Bag program," said Jeppesen President Thomas Wede. "Working closely together on this program over several years, we take pride in American's achievements as it continues to eliminate paper-based materials in the flight deck, reducing pilot workload and increasing operational efficiency in a competitive business environment."

American and the Allied Pilots Association (APA) began working on the feasibility of using a tablet device as an Electronic Flight Bag in June 2010, and American was the first commercial airline to receive FAA approval to use a tablet during all phases of flight in December 2011 on its Boeing 777 fleet. American has worked closely with its pilots throughout all phases of development that led to the program's full integration.

Beginning July 10, American Eagle Airlines pilots will have the option to use Apple iPads to access reference material and manuals, making American Eagle one of the first regional carriers to adopt Electronic Flight Bags.

iOS 7 will let you teach Siri how to properly pronounce people’s names

Siri’s pronunciation isn’t always spot on, especially when it comes to names, which ranges from annoying to problematic. With iOS 7, however, Apple has made its digital assistant smarter, allowing you to teach it the current pronunciation without having to type in the phonetic spelling manually.

Siri will ask for help if it has troubles with a name or you can simply tell it it’s wrong – ” That’s not how you pronounce <a name>”.
After that you pronounce the name and after some thought, Siri will come back with a couple of options and ask you to pick the one that sounds best.
That’s a feature that Apple didn’t advertise at the iOS 7 announcement during the WWDC, but it reportedly isn’t fully baked yet. Still, this will be very useful for contacts with unusual (in English).

iOS 7 beta 2 released, brings its magic to iPad

We got to see quite a bit of iOS 7 back at WWDC 2013, but we only saw it working on an iPhone. Well, we've got some good news for big screen Apple devs, as a new iOS 7 beta's been released OTA and it now works on the iPad. Of course, the new beta also brings the usual nebulous "bug fixes and improvements" for all devices, and among those improvements is the addition of the Voice Memos app and Siri's new voices in English as well. It's available now, so if you're in the beta, you best get to downloading!

Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 revisits the FCC with AT&T-native LTE Mobile

Yes, we've seen Samsung's Galaxy Mega 6.3 at the FCC before. With its second visit, however, there's something special. The extra-large phone is back as the SGH-i527, and it's carrying AT&T-native LTE that hints at a probable US carrier deal. There aren't any other visible changes in the filing, although we weren't expecting any. The real question is when this behemoth will ship to the States, assuming it ships at all -- for now, any possible AT&T launch remains shrouded in mystery.

LG's Optimus G followup to feature a Snapdragon 800 CPU Mobile

LG and Qualcomm have enjoyed a close relationship for mobile phone chips, and it appears that will continue with the next Optimus G device, which is due in Q3. A press release tonight promises it will feature a Snapdragon 800 CPU for "the ultimate mobile experience" -- a claim benchmarks seem to back up. Qualcomm says the new 800 chip can best the original Optimus G's S4 Pro by "up to 75 percent" in performance, although what may be more interesting is how this aligns with a LS980 handset that recently leaked on Sprint's website. The release also highlights the new chip's ability to use LTE Advanced carrier aggregation for even faster bandwidth speeds, so while a Galaxy S 4 variant may deliver the feature first, it probably won't be alone for long.

Logitech ships Harmony Ultimate Hub in August for $100, remote not required HD

To date, home theater mavens who've wanted Logitech's Harmony Ultimate Hub have had to buy it as part of a Harmony Ultimate or Harmony Smart Control bundle -- neither kit being a bargain for viewers with existing gear. They'll have a better option soon, as Logitech now expects to ship its promised stand-alone version of the Ultimate Hub to Europe and the US in August. Those who shell out $100 will have the same IR, RF and WiFi support as the bundled hub, just without the redundant hardware. They can even rely solely on Logitech's free Android or iOS apps for input, should adedicated remote seem archaic. The Ultimate Hub may be well-timed: when alternative remote control bridges are fading away, Logitech may snag some of those customers looking for a replacement.

If Office Hits The iPad, Even Fewer People Would Buy A Surface

Remember this ad? The ad where Microsoft attempts to position the iPad as a chopstick-playing toy and the Surface as a PowerPoint-editing machine?
Yeah, that’s why we can’t have nice things.
Microsoft just released Office the the iPhone. It lets users edit any Word, Excel or PowerPoint document. As the oh-so-catchy name states, Office Mobile for Office 365 subscribers is Office Mobile for Office 365 subscribers only, meaning the app is essentially $100 a year. It’s not “Office for iOS.” It’s just a way to open and partially edit Office files for those saps paying for Microsoft’s pricey cloud platform.
Judging from the screenshots, it looks like a quality application. It supports rich media content like charts, animations, SmartArt graphics and shapes. And since it works through MS’ cloud service, all changes saved on the phone updates the original, too.
But forget about a native iPad app. Microsoft can’t kill the only legitimate selling point of its struggling Surface tablet.
Microsoft might have moved enough Surface tablets to not call it a flop, but the tablet was far from a blockbuster hit. Ever since launch, Microsoft has supported it with constant ad campaigns touting the tablet’s productivity chops. The latest TV spot pits the Surface RT against the iPad, deeming its offering as the superior choice for those that need to get any work done. However, in Microsoft’s world “work” equals editing a PowerPoint deck. This is something you can do quite handily on the iPad using Keynote and, in fact, I suspect Keynote users are well aware of the benefits of their superior platform.
Middle manager infighting must be rampant at Microsoft. One on hand, the company has to properly support its Windows 8 ecosystem and that means position its tablet offering as the only MS Office solution. But then, likewise, a true mobile version of MS Office would better help fight Google Docs. In this case the Office team lost, relegating Office to just the iPhone and in a truncated version at that. Windows 8 wins, the Surface stays slightly more interesting, and everybody in Redmond wins.