Will Apple replace Google Maps in iOS 5?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Google, Rumors,

Apple could be ditching Google Maps in favor of its own navigation software in iOS 5.

MacRumors uncovered a new section in the legal disclaimers section of iOS 5 called "Map Data" that references several different third-party mapping and naviation companies such as CoreLogic, Getchee, Localeze, and TomTom, among others.

It wouldn't be much of a shock if Apple ditched Google Maps and launched its own mapping service. In recent years, Apple has snapped up a couple of mapping companies, Placebase and Poly9. Apple has also been hiring engineers with mapping and navigation experience to join the iOS team. On top of that, when Apple responded to the outpouring of media scrutiny about iPhone location tracking in April, the company revealed it was creating its own traffic database.

Click to continue reading Will Apple replace Google Maps in iOS 5?

Deal of the Day: Save $386 on Lenovo ThinkPad X1

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hot Deals, PC / Laptop,

This sale on the new Lenovo ThinkPad X1 is our Deal of the Day. The ThinkPad X1 normally sells for $1,589, and this deal drops that price by $386, bringing the price down to $1,199. The ThinkPad X1 weighs 3.7 pounds and measures 0.65 inches thin. It's got a backlit and spill-resistant keyboard, Gorilla Glass display, and RapidCharge battery. Other nice features include Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, Ethernet, USB 3.0, and eSATA:

Save $386 on Lenovo ThinkPad X1 laptop

Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread. Oh, and if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow @TechPromos for the latest deals, or you can Like TechPromos on Facebook.

Apple secures iPhone patent that could be huge blow to rivals

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Editorial,

Apple has been awarded its long sought-after patent on the iPhone. Intellectual property experts say it's so broad and far-reaching that the iPhone maker may be able to bully other smart phone manufacturers out of the U.S. market entirely.

Some three-and-a-half years after filing for a patent on the iPhone, Apple on Tuesday was awarded U.S. patent number 7,966,578 for "[a] computer-implemented method, for use in conjunction with a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display, [that] comprises displaying a portion of page content, including a frame displaying a portion of frame content and also including other content of the page, on the touch screen display."

That's just the beginning of the abstract for Apple's iPhone patent, which the company filed back in December 2007. It gets quite a bit more technical in its full form, but there's one thing patent experts consulted by PCMag agree on—Apple has been awarded an incredibly broad patent that could prove to be hugely problematic for other makers of capacitive touch-screen smartphones.

Apple's patent essentially gives it ownership of the capacitive multitouch interface the company pioneered with its iPhone, said one source who has been involved in intellectual property litigation on similar matters. That's likely to produce a new round of lawsuits over the now-ubiquitous multitouch interfaces used in smartphones made by the likes of HTC, Samsung, Motorola, Research in Motion, Nokia, and others that run operating systems similar in nature to Apple's iOS, like Google's Android, said the source, who asked not to be named.

Click to continue reading Apple secures iPhone patent that could be huge blow to rivals

Apple releases 3 TB Time Capsule, slashes price on new 2 TB model

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop, Wireless / WiFi,

Aside from today's release of Final Cut Pro X, Apple has also finally upgraded their Time Capsule backup routers. New Time Capsules have been expected for a couple of weeks now, as supplies in stores started to dwindle. There is now a new 3 TB model, which Apple is selling for $499, which is the price that the 2 TB model was selling for. The updated 2 TB Time Capsule now sells for $299, which is a great deal to have the kind of peace of mind that a device like this can offer. You can get them now at the Apple Store online.

Read More | Time Capsule product page

We’re giving away 10 Slacker Premium Radio 1-year subscriptions!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Announcements, Features, Internet, Music,

Here at Gear Live, we love us some Slacker. If you don’t know, Slacker is a fantastic streaming music service. It has millions of songs in its catalogue, and real DJs actually control their channels, which means you get a great mix of songs that go well together, rather than something put together by an algorithm. While Slacker is free, they also have a couple of upgraded services - Slacker Radio Plus, and the newly released Slacker Premium Radio. This typically costs $10 a month:

• Play songs, artists, albums on-demand
• Custom playlists
• Unlimited Skips
• Unlimited Song Requests
• No Audio or Banner Ads
• Complete Lyrics
• Over 2 Million Songs
• Cache stations to smartphones for offline listening
• ABC News and headline news updates for any station
• "Peek Ahead" artist and album previews

We said this would be big, so here’s what we're gonna do - we are going to give away 10 one-year subscriptions to Slacker Premium Radio. How do you enter? Easy:

• Follow the Gear Live Twitter account
• On Twitter, post this tweet about our contest: “Hey @gearlive hook me up with @SlackerRadio Premium! http://gear.lv/slackerpremium” (Click here to tweet this now)

Want a bonus entry? Subscribe to Gear Live on YouTube! We will select ten random entrants on July 1 - good luck!

Here’s what happens when you use up your iCloud storage

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Internet, Storage,

When Apple introduced iCloud at WWDC 2011, the big news was that the service would be free. Of course, Steve Jobs did make sure to mention that the 5 GB of storage included with iCloud would be more than enough "for most users," and we believe him. However, there are others out there (like us) who fall outside of that category. For example, I am only currently able to have iCloud back up just my iPhone 4. When I try to also add my iPad 2 to the backup, it errors out, telling me that I don't have enough space available, and that I need to buy ore storage space. Of course, since iCloud is still in beta, I'm unable to do that. Another iCloud user has come very close to hitting his 5 GB quota, and received the email above from Apple. Surprisingly to us, it  says that once he reaches 5 GB stored, he won't even be able to receive any new email messages. Sounds like people are gonna have to really keep an eye on how much storage they are using, especially if they have more than one iOS device backing up to the cloud.

Read More | MacRumors

Deal of the Day: 32% off VIZIO XVT3D474SV 47-inch 3D HDTV

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Displays, HDTV, Hot Deals,

Our Deal of the Day today brings you 32% off the Vizio XVT3D474SV Razor LED HDTV. These are full-panel LED televisions, and they usually sell for $1699. WIth the 32% discount, the price comes down to $1049, saving you $500. The television is even shipped free:

VIZIO XVT3D474SV 47-inch 3D HDTV

Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread. Oh, and if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow @TechPromos for the latest deals, or you can Like TechPromos on Facebook.

Apple releases Final Cut Pro X, now on Mac App Store

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Software,

Apple released Final Cut Pro X this morning, bringing a new redesign to the company's flagship video editing program. The app is now 64-bit and support multi-core processing, alongside a new editing timeline. taking design elements from iMovie, the new layout is supposed to allow both novices and seasoned video editors to work at much faster speeds. You can insert clips, move them around, and place everything just how you want, without worry of audio losing sync, for example. Final Cut Pro X also includes much improved audio and color handling, eliminating the need (and existence) of the Color and Soundtrack Pro apps. You can get Final Cut Pro X now for $299.99 in the Mac App Store. New versions of Motion 5 and Compressor 4 are also available at $49.99 each.

Orange Sound Charge shirt charges your phone using sound waves

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Wearables,

Phones can run out of juice at the worst times. Orange, a French telecom giant, has been working on a shirt that can convert sound waves into electrical energy.

The shirt, dubbed Sound Charge, is a charging dock for mobile phones. According to the press release, the shirt works by "reversing the use of a product called piezoelectric film".

Piezoelectricity produces electricity from pressure. The shirt uses an "A4 panel of the modified film" to absorb sound waves which are then converted into an electrical charge "via the compression of interlaced quartz crystals." That charge is then fed to a reservoir battery which transfers the charge to the phone.

The shirt was developed in time for the Glastonbury festival this week. Orange will be conducting live tests of the shirt during the musical performances to help determine which bands "are the best to charge to".

Click to continue reading Orange Sound Charge shirt charges your phone using sound waves

Verizon Wireless unlimited data plans go away on July 7

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News,

Longtime Verizon smartphone users took comfort in the $30 monthly charge for unlimited data. All of that is set to end on July 7 with the introduction of tiered data packages.

In a statement obtained by droid-life.com, Verizon has overhauled its pricing scheme with three new data tiers - 2GB, 5GB, and 10GB - with monthly rates of $30, $50, and $80 respectively. These prices apply to both 3G and 4G phone owners.

There is a separate tiered pricing scheme for those who want tethering. These packages tack on an extra 2GB and $20 to each basic data package. The options are 4GB, 7GB, and 12GB with monthly rates of $50, $70, and $100 respectively.

The penalty for exceeding the data cap is $10 per 1 GB. It used to be $1.99 per Mbyte. Times have changed.

Click to continue reading Verizon Wireless unlimited data plans go away on July 7