iOS

iPhone text-to-speech, speech-to-text patents filed

A patent filing shows Apple has come up with a solution for answering the iPhone in a crowded bar or in the middle of a meeting.

Patently Apple yesterday published Apple's multipart solution, which shows the iPhone using speech-to-text and text-to-speech technologies to help people who find themselves in these situations communicate more easily.

The patent calls for a microphone to monitor the ambient noise level in a room, while a noise meter would display it on the phone's screen. When the noise level hits a certain level, if the phone rings, the user can answer using several … Read more

Top photography apps for iPhone

For the past couple of years, I have been writing the iPhone apps of the week in this space. But we've decided that instead of the same old app rundown, we're going to do something a little different. Starting this week, we're going to be putting together three apps that fulfill a specific theme. We're going to try to introduce one or two new apps and put them alongside older classics in the category. This way, you will be able to compare new apps with older ones, and also, find out about apps in the category that you may not have seen before.

This week's apps revolve around your iPhone's camera capabilities. The first one is a popular app for snapping old-school photos, the second lets you take photos that make objects appear miniature, and the third is a newer app for chronicling gradual changes in your appearance.

Hipstamatic ($1.99) is an extremely popular app that turns your iPhone's digital camera into an old-school single-shot camera of the past to give your images that grainy, washed-out (in a good way) retro look. The interface is a bit confusing at first, but you'll soon figure out how to switch among different types of retro film, different types of lenses, and even effects for different types of flashes. You can switch between each of the different variables with a swipe of your finger, with dramatically different results depending on the combination you choose before taking your snapshot.… Read more

How and when to use Airplane Mode on iPhone

Airplane Mode is more than just a way to comply with flight attendants' requests to disable your device during a flight. It can actually be used as a preventative measure while roaming, or letting your child play a game on your iPhone, as well as help you save battery life. We show you how to activate Airplane Mode on your iPhone, and suggest scenarios for when it might be wise to use this powerful-yet-overlooked feature.

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iOS app makers targeted in patent spat

The makers of several iOS applications have received cease and desist letters over the use of in-app purchasing, from parties who claim the feature infringes on an existing patent.

Computer LogicX, which makes Mix and Mash and Mix and Mash LITE, as well as developer James Thomson, who makes PCalc and DragThing, have received letters threatening legal action if the feature is not removed.

In Computer LogicX's case, the U.S. patent is No.7,222,078, which Macrumors discovered is owned by holding firm Lodsys. That patent, titled "methods and systems for gathering information from units of a commodity across a network," was acquired by the firm in 2004, and deals with the set up and completion of a transaction.

A snippet from the patent attempts to sum up what the invention is about:

"Simply put, this invention helps vendors and customers by transforming their learning cycle: It compresses the time and steps between setting business objectives, creating effective products and services, and improving them continuously. It also alters their roles: Customers become partners in the improvement process along with vendors and distributors."

Rob Gloess of Computer LogicX weighed in on the matter in an e-mail to Macrumors, saying the patent holder was taking aim specifically at an upgrade mechanism that involves… Read more

Chromebook, Netbook, iPad: Which would you rather spend $500 on?

Yesterday's formal introduction of Chromebooks marked yet another category of portable computing gadget in a landscape that's starting to feel overrun.

For $499, the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook has its work cut out for it--namely, because tablets and "high-end" 11- and 12-inch laptops and Netbooks (some with faster processors) have already occupied the same landscape.

It's a question we've been pondering for a while now, writ again: what truly constitutes the perfect small-screen portable? Suddenly, instead of one or two OSes to consider, there are four: Windows 7, Apple's iOS, and Google's Android and Chrome.

While the high end of the computer spectrum remains relatively stable (desktops, laptops), the increasingly fertile (or, perhaps, unstable) ground between laptops and smartphones has bred a variety of tech forms that all, in some way, are portable. Options have never been more diverse, or confusing.

Which one would you rather spend about $500 on? Well, let's see what you get.… Read more

Apple releases iPhoto 9.1.3 update

Apple has updated its popular iPhoto program to version 9.1.3, which addresses a problem where merged photo events could split back up again after being synced to iOS devices. The update is approximately 106MB and requires OS X 10.6.6 or later to install. It should be available through Software Update for those who have iPhoto already installed, but it can also be downloaded and applied manually from the iPhoto 9.1.3 update Web page.

Be sure to back up your iPhoto libraries before applying this update. If you have Time Machine set up, you can … Read more

iFlow Reader developer rages at Apple (Q&A)

CNET ran a story yesterday about BeamItDown Software, the start-up behind the iFlow Reader app for iOS, offering harsh words for Apple as it felt forced to shut down. In a note to customers, the Irvine, Calif.-based company said its demise was due to Apple's "mid-game rule changes that make it impossible for anyone but Apple to sell e-books at a profit on iOS."

I was struck by the candidness of the remarks and decided to track down BeamItDown's co-founder Dennis Morin for a follow-up interview. Morin has been an entrepreneur for a number of … Read more

Rdio releases mobile API for iOS, Android

Record labels have aggressively sued companies that fail to properly license songs, creating a major headache for entrepreneurs trying to build digital music companies. But Rdio, a licensed music-streaming service that competes with Rhapsody, is now offering its API for free to developers, hoping to encourage more innovation around music apps.

Todd Berman, vice president of engineering at Rdio, told CNET that the more apps that are built around the Rdio music platform, the more subscribers it will gain. The social-music service was launched by the founders of Skype, Joost, and Kazaa. It released its mobile API for iOS and … Read more

Pyramid: Why Windows Phone will beat Android

The recent prediction by Pyramid Research that Windows Phone would become the dominant mobile OS in just four years surprised many industry watchers, several of whom argued with the forecast. In a new analyst note, the research firm explains its prognostication.

Pyramid's initial report asserted that by "2015, Windows Phone will establish itself as the leader in the smartphone OS space," thereby beating Android for the top spot. And the firm qualified that statement in its new note to reflect its belief that Microsoft's mobile OS will become the leader much sooner, as early as 2013.… Read more