iOS

Quality Swiss-made timepieces don't come cheap. Just ask Apple.

The company shelled out a $21 million "lump sum" to license a clock-face design from the Swiss Federal Railway service, French news agency AFP reported, citing a Swiss paper.

In September, the railway service, also known as SBB, objected to the clock-face design in iOS 6, saying it too closely resembled a trademarked design created in 1944 by SBB employee Hans Hilfiker and used in train stations throughout Switzerland.

Hilfiker's design has been honored by both the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the London … Read more

I was going through the app listings the other day and came across LocalScope, a unique local search tool that helps you find things near your current location. Obviously, many people already use Google Maps (no current version for iOS) for this purpose, and the Yelp-powered Apple Maps gets better every day, but after looking at LocalScope (reviewed below), I went on a search for other apps that tailor their results just for what is right around your area.

This week's collection of apps is all about searching for services around your location. The first gives you tons of listings and a surprising bonus feature for finding your destination. The second offers a slick radial interface and tons of categories to pick from. The third is LocalScope, and uses social data to find places, videos, and images from people around your location.… Read more

China Telecom, that country's third-largest carrier, will start offering the iPhone 5 soon.

Apple's iPhone 5 is currently not available in China, but has been rumored to be coming to China Telecom for some time. According to the Wall Street Journal, which interviewed China Telecom chairman Wang Xiaochu today, the carrier will start selling Apple's handset in late November or early December.

China Telecom's competitor, China Unicom, announced in September that it too would be selling the iPhone 5. That company said that it would make the handset available around the end of the year. According … Read more

iPhone and iPad owners who use Evernote will find tasks easier and quicker to perform in the latest version.

Out today, Evernote 5 for iOS kicks off with a revamped home screen. Acting as a virtual file folder, the new screen provides one-tap access to key areas, such as Places, Tags, Notebooks, and All Notes. Using the Quick Note buttons at the top of the screen, you can create a new note, snap a photo, or scan a physical document with your device's camera.

Tapping on the All Notes view displays your notes as virtual index cards, so you … Read more

Much like the former Xbox Live app, Xbox SmartGlass (free) gives you the Xbox 360 Dashboard experience, letting you do things like view your avatar and info, see your friends' bio and game lists, and track and compare achievements.

With this latest version of the app, you get a lot more ways to interact with your console. You now have the ability to type using your iPhone keypad rather than the old hunt-and-peck Xbox controller method; you can browse the Internet on your Xbox using your full iOS keyboard; you can play, rewind, and fast-forward videos; search the Xbox game … Read more

The election is over, the iPad Mini was revealed, and that can only mean one thing: it's finally Humiliation Day time. But before we get to that, we talk business. Namely the fact that Microsoft is rumored to be working on something that would make Karyne quit her job and become a full-time gamer. It's possible that nobody is as excited as she is about this news. Anyone?

Also this week, we mention the rumor that must not be mentioned anymore because it's been talked about to death; we wonder what the point of Google Wallet is; … Read more

Microsoft's new Xbox Smartglass app has made its way to the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Available as of yesterday, the app turns your iOS device into a second screen for the Xbox, letting you navigate the dashboard; control your videos and music; and browse the Internet.

You can use the keyboard on your iOS device to type on your Xbox 360. You can swipe across your phone or tablet to move across the screen on your console. Controls pop up on your mobile device to play, pause, stop, rewind, and fast-forward videos and music playing on your Xbox.… Read more

iOS and Android users may finally see a mobile version of Microsoft Office designed for their devices.

Citing "several sources close to Microsoft's plans," the Verge said today that the new apps are set to pop up early next year.

Office Mobile, as it's dubbed, would let Microsoft account users view Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files on their mobile devices. But, the Verge added, editing the documents would require an Office 365 subscription. The apps would reportedly provide basic editing functionality but nothing close to that of their desktop counterparts.

Last month, a press release from … Read more

Foxconn isn't churning out iPhones as fast as Apple would like, the Chinese company's chairman told reporters today.

"It's not easy to make the iPhones," Foxconn chief Terry Gou said, according to Reuters. "We are falling short of meeting the huge demand."

Gou didn't say which iPhones are actually difficult to produce -- Apple is still selling three models, the iPhone 5, the iPhone 4S, and the iPhone 4 -- but it's likely that he was talking about the company's latest smartphone.

Last month, an unidentified Foxconn official told the … Read more