iOS 7 First Look: Camera & Photos

With iOS 7, iPhone 5 owners (and its subsequent successors) will have the ability to edit photos with filters built directly into the Camera app.  Within the camera app, the new feature will give users access to nine image types before they take the picture, much like the functionality that has made third-party apps like Instagram so popular.  Owners of the iPhone 4 or 4S will have the ability to apply filters after the fact within the Photos app.  Users will also have the option to swipe between video, panorama shots, standard still shots, and squared-off shots, with an indicator near the bottom of the screen providing assistance in navigating between options.

Next up is the Photos App.  The new Photos app leverages metadata tagging technology already built into the iPhone in order to easily organize photos.  Pictures are now automatically grouped according to date and location, making it easier to navigate to a specific photo set and subsequently find a desired photo.  Pinching a set closed will expand to view a wider time frame, with photos categorized in miniature by the year in which they were taken. This year view still retains location information, showing two or three locations and indicating when more places were included in a given year.

Notably, Apple included an option to "scrub" to a particular picture or time frame when in the year view by touching and dragging along the tiny icons. When passing over a picture, it expands, giving the user a better view of which image it is.

All in all, the updates are not something revolutionary but still very much welcome.  :)

iOS 7 First Look: Improved Multitasking

Full-featured multitasking is something that many iPhone fans desired (especially those who have used an Android device before).  iOS7, Apple’s implementation of it has nothing been short of excellent, even when it is still in beta.  It is obvious that Apple has opted to take a design approach that seems to combine its multitasking implementation from iOS 6, with a very similar approach taken by Android. As usual, though, when others inspire Apple, it repackages their approach giving its implementation a unique flavor of its own. For example, multitasking in iOS 7 also intelligently schedules updates during power-efficient opportunities such as when your phone is connected to a power source, or a Wi-Fi network. It conserves power, while also pre-fetching data from frequently used apps so they are ready when you typically launch them.

As in iOS 6, multitasking in iOS 7 is invoked with a double tap of the Home button. Where that previously revealed a multitasking app tray with simple icons, it now switches into a new and much more sophisticated multitasking view layered over the iPhone’s wallpaper.  Users can then close any of these apps with an upward swipe. Tapping on it naturally takes you directly into that app.

In summary, iOS7's take of multitasking has been impressive with its clean and functional interface.

iOS 7 First Look: Simpler Interface

Since the introduction of iPhone in 2007, iOS has also been known for its simple and intuitive interface.  Can the interface get even simpler than that?  The guys in Apple believe so.

The icons have been stripped of their glossy sheen look and redesigned with a brighter colour palette but a flatter feel.  The new design also introduces thinner typography.  You may find it pretty similar to that of Android and Windows.

Another notable change is the departure of the signature heavy textures on the app icons which used to imitate that of real-like objects like the leather trim on the Calendar app, green felt of the Game Center and the bookshelves of the Newsstand and iBooks.

Mr Jonathon Ive, who leads the latest visual update has this to say.
“True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absences of clutter or ornamentation,” Ive explains. “It’s about bringing order to complexity.”

iOS 7 First Look: Control Center

This is the first of my personal review of iOS 7 new features.  Today we will be checking out something that should be ranked as one of the most sought after features by die hard apple users - Control Center.

The Control Center is a panel that allows you to access common settings such as WIFI, Bluetooth, Screen Brightness, etc.  In addition, it also provides shortcut to the camera, calculator, timer and yes, for the first time ever we are seeing a Flashlight app by Apple.  This is definitely long overdue considering we have seen so many flashlight apps already in the app store.  To access the Control Center, you simply do a swipe up action from the screen bottom.  Simple?  Yes.  Useful?  Hell yes!

How To Install iOS 7 beta

Can't wait to have the latest iOS on your phone?  If so, please read on.

It is recommended that you install it on a development device rather on your personal device. Reason is that beta version can be extremely unstable and it is not trivial to restore/downgrade back to the current version.

Note:  Your device must be a registered device in your iOS development account.

Let's get started.  =)

1.  Go to your iOS development portal and download the appropriate version of iOS 7 beta.  There are different versions for different generations of iPhone.

2. Open the DMG file and you will find a .ipsw file in it.  This is the file that you need to install the iOS 7 beta.

3. Connect your device to your Mac and launch iTunes.

4. Backup your device if you have not done so.  

5. Click on the iPhone button in iTunes and it will show a page with some basic stats of your phone.  Hold the option key and press the Restore button.  A file chooser dialog window will appear for you to select the .ipsw file (step 2).

6. Installation will begin.  Total installation time should not take more than 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Apple Releases iOS 7 Beta 1, Xcode 5 Preview to Developers

Apple has released the first build of the iOS 7 Beta to developers, ahead of what is likely to be a long summer of beta testing.

The first build, number 11A4372q, was released for the iPhone 5, 4S and 4, along with the fifth-generation iPod Touch and new betas for the Apple TV and a beta of Find My iPhone. Apple also released the first build of the Xcode 5 Developer Preview.

Devices should be backed up using iTunes or through iCloud prior to installation of iOS 7, and following installation, can be restored through either process.

As usual, Apple warns developers that "pre-release versions of iOS are considered Apple Confidential Information and are subject to the terms of your iOS Developer Program License Agreement. Unauthorized distribution or disclosure of Apple Confidential Information is prohibited."

You can download them at your iOS developer portal.  I will give my first impression of iOS 7 soon once I get it loaded on my iPhone.  Stay tuned!

Apple Launches WWDC 2013 iOS App

Apple has launched a new WWDC iOS app which allows attendees to keep track of when and where sessions are taking place.  It also offers up maps to help them find their way around.

As for the unfortunate yet interested group like myself, the app provides a way to watch daily session videos and get other information coming out of the conference.

Wait no more and download it here.

Let's the countdown begin.  :)

Apple will open up its APIs

"On the general topic of opening up APIs, I think you'll see us open up more in the future," he said, "but not to the degree that we put the customer at risk of having a bad experience. So there's always a fine line to walk there, or maybe not so fine," said Cook.

As an iOS developer myself, this is a really good news.  Exactly to what extent, we can only wait till WWDC.  Personally for me,  I am looking forward to be able to use SIRI for my own apps/games.  But I believe that will need to wait a while.

Apple has no issue with making apps for Android

This may sound unreal but Apple's boss Tim Cook actually has no objection as long as it makes sense. The Tim Cook's era definitely looks more open.

During an audience Q&A session, Cook was asked if bringing iCloud to other operating systems would be a wise move for Apple. With his answer, the CEO chose to go wider in scope. "To a general question of 'would Apple port an app from iOS to Android?'" he began, "We have no religious issue with doing that. If we thought it made sense for us to do that, we would do that."

Source:  http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/28/4374782/tim-cook-apple-has-no-religious-issue-against-making-android-apps