ios

Apple's map flop stirs new mobile battle

Thursday's CNET Update feels a little lost:

Apple's got a bit of a mess on its hands. A map mess. In the upgrade to iOS 6, Apple has replaced maps powered by Google with its own new creation. But depending on where you roam, map results can be inaccurate or hard to decipher. Examples of glitchy moments, inaccuracies and lack of data have been posted on the Tumblr blog "The Amazing iOS 6 Maps." If you upgraded to iOS 6, you can access Google Maps via the browser. You can also bookmark maps.google.com as … Read more

Facebook's new iOS app comes with iPhone 5 support

Facebook has released a new iOS app just in the nick of time.

The app's update, released today, comes with support for iOS 6 and the iPhone 5 just as folks are trying to get their hands on Apple's latest device.

Facebook boasts faster scrolling for the news feed, a new banner you can tap to see more stories, and the ability to open and close photos with a downward swipe.

The update also coincides with updates to two of Facebook's Android apps -- the main Facebook app and Facebook Messenger.

This trio of updates is an … Read more

Attach a photo, video when composing an e-mail on iOS 6

One of the biggest gripes about the Mail app on iOS has always been the inability to attach a photo or video from within the app.

Previously, once you began composing an e-mail, you'd have to leave Mail, copy the photo from the Photos app, then return to Mail to paste the photo in the message. Alternatively, you would have to begin the e-mail from the Photos app by selecting a single photo to send. Neither method was convenient.

Thankfully, Apple has finally decided to take care of this issue in iOS 6.

To attach a photo or video … Read more

How to use Safari's full-screen mode on iOS 6

Browsing the Internet on your iPhone or iPod Touch is super convenient, but at times it can be a bit frustrating. The screen size isn't ideal for consuming large amounts of information on some Web sites. Even if you turned your iPhone on its side to view it in landscape mode, the top address bar and bottom controls took up much of the screen.

With iOS 6, Apple has addressed this problem by introducing a full-screen mode for browsing the Web in landscape mode on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

When using Safari, assuming you don't have the … Read more

Giving Apple's Passbook a real-world spin

SAN FRANCISCO -- Does Passbook, Apple's new digital wallet, live up to its lofty expectations?

With the first batch of companies just rolling out integration with the feature, we're getting the first taste of just how well it works in the wild.

Tonight that's a baseball game here at AT&T Park, where the San Francisco Giants face off against the Colorado Rockies, a game we got into using Apple's newly released wallet technology.

Passbook, which went out today inside of iOS 6, is a new application from Apple designed to store membership cards, tickets, … Read more

How to create a shared photo stream album on iOS 6

As if there aren't enough ways to share your photos with friends and family members, Apple has introduced yet another sharing method in iOS 6: Shared Photo Streams.

Shared Photo Streams allow you to post and share photos to a Photo Stream album hosted by iCloud. The photos stored there don't count against your iCloud storage allotment, and will work over Wi-Fi and cellular data. You're able to share photos with fellow iOS users as well as by creating an iCloud.com Shared Photo Stream album for non-iOS users.

To create a Shared Photo Stream, launch the … Read more

Getting to know Maps on iOS 6

One of the biggest changes users will notice in iOS 6 is the Maps app. As you may be aware, Apple has stopped using Google Maps to power it, opting to go with its own solution.

You're still able to search for venues or points of interest, find phone numbers, and get directions and drive times. In addition, you'll now also have access to Yelp reviews and voice-guided turn-by-turn directions and a new 3D map view.

Editor's note: Not long after the iOS 6 download became available, many people began noticing significant problems with the new mapping app, … Read more

Understanding Facebook integration on iOS 6

When Apple announced iOS 5 and the tight integration it would feature with Twitter, many people wondered about the conspicuous lack of Facebook integration. We still don't know why Facebook wasn't included in iOS 5, but it is included in iOS 6 and it works great.

In Settings, you'll find a listing for Facebook. Go there to start setting up Facebook's new integration with iOS. If you don't already have the Facebook iOS app installed on your device, you'll be able to download the app there.

You can then log in to Facebook directly … Read more

How to install iOS 6

If you didn't line up at your local Apple Store or preorder an iPhone 5, you can still upgrade your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch to the latest version of iOS released today. I should say it's likely you can upgrade your current device because the new version of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 6, is compatible with most but not all previous-generation devices. Here's Apple's list:

You have two methods for downloading and installing iOS 6. You can simply update your iOS device over the air via the device's Settings, or you can connect it to your computer and use iTunes.… Read more

How to send a message, set a reminder when declining a call on iOS 6

After you've updated your iPhone to iOS 6 you'll be able to politely decline an incoming call by sending the caller a message, or setting a reminder to call them back in a few hours. Let's take a look at how to use it, and how to set up custom messages.

When you get a call on iOS 6, you'll see a new phone icon at the bottom of the screen as your phone is ringing. You can slide up the phone, similar to sliding up the camera icon to take a picture from the lock … Read more