iOS 7 Beta 4 Code Points to Home Button Fingerprint Sensor for future iPhone

Following its 2012 acquisition of mobile security firm AuthenTec, which specialized in fingerprint sensors, Apple has been rumored to be looking to incorporate its technology into its future products. Rumors have indicated that such a sensor could be a differentiating feature for Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S, although there has so far been little in the way of solid evidence that such a feature is in the works. 

The latest Beta 4 seems to indicate that.  If this is true, I think it will be really cool.   Protecting your phone with passcode or gesture is really a thing of the past.  We need to move on to something new and cool.

App Store gives away popular iOS games and apps to mark its 5th anniversary

App Store is only 5 years old.  With all the success it has achieved so far, it really doesn't feel like it is that young.  Nevertheless, we are getting some treats from Apple in the form of 10 free premium iOS apps and games including the widely popular Tiny Wings.  So what are you waiting for?  Head down to the App store now.

Jobs The Movie

The movie about Steve Jobs is coming soon and I am looking forward to watching it.

A Movie Poster for the Movie

Apple Celebrates '5 Years of the App Store' With Poster

Apple files for 'iWatch' trademark in Japan

Hope we can hear something official from Apple soon.  :)

Apple Inc. has applied for a trademark in Japan for "iWatch," indicating it may be proceeding with rumored plans to produce a smart wristwatch.
A document obtained Monday from the Japan Patent Office's website said the application was made June 3 and made public June 27.
It was not immediately clear when the application might be approved. Patent office and Apple officials in Japan were not available for comment late Monday.
Apple is rumored to be working on a smart watch that would run on a version of the operating system used by its iPhone and iPad. The company has not confirmed those rumors, but CEO Tim Cook has hinted that it may be developing a wearable computing device such as a wristwatch.

Source: http://www.chron.com/business/article/Apple-files-for-iWatch-trademark-in-Japan-4640338.php?World_Business_News=

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.