What To Expect From WWDC 2013

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference commences on the 10th of June and in this post we want to tell you what you can expect. According to reports WWDC 2013 is going to bring refreshed Macs, iOS 7, OS X 10.9 but no new iPhone or iPad. The latest information has come from Jim Dalrymple.

According to Jim, we shouldn't hold out any hope of a significant new iOS device, but we could see some alterations to the Mac line. OS X 10.9 and iOS 7 will be the two main topics of discussion and although there has been a lot of discussion pertaining to a radical revamp of iOS 7, Dalyrmple doesn't seem to think the changes to iOS will be as drastic as some people are suggesting. Instead, he thinks a modernization similar to how OS X has been gently brought into the current era will be showcased.

OS X is gong to see an even stronger integration with iOS, closing ties to many of the mobile operating system's services and features. Last year's Mountain Lion was by far the biggest directive toward a more unified system which brought the likes of reminders, iMessage and Noticification Center to the Mac.

The talk of iOS 7 has detracted from the desktop OS and as such there has been very little coverage of what Apple has in store for OS X. The iPhone, iPad and iPod Toch firmware are most in need of enhancement though and while Dalrymple doesn't seem to think that the changes introduced at WWDC 2013 will be as groundbreaking as we have been reporting, we do hope that there will be enough to drown out the memories of the iOS 6 launch.

With less that two weeks left to go, the wait is nearly over and the rumors, reports and speculation will soon come to an end.

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Jailbreak Tweak � Boost Your iPhone Volume By 200%

Do you ever find that the speaker volume of your iPhone is a little on the quiet side? If so then today's jailbreak tweak should help you out. This jailbreak tweak is called Volume Amplifier and it was just released over at the BigBoss repository. If results are what you are after then this little tweak really does deliver. Say goodbye to limp volume forever with Volume Amplifier.

Since the release of the Evasi0n jailbreak for iOS 6 the jailbreak community and Cydia has gone from strenght to strenght and new tweaks, themes and apps are being added on an hourly basis. These are available for all those with a jailbroken iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and they help to make your devices so much better.

Some of the stuff is more useful than others and this new Volume Amplifier tweak is definitely one of the great functional tweaks. Although the speaker of the iPhone 5 or any iPhone for that matter is quite good, it's not great if you have a little party going on and although this tweak won't deliver the BoomSound of the HTC One, it will give you a noticeable difference once you install it.

If it sounds like a tweak you could use, it will cost you just $1.99 and it claims to boost your sound output by up to 200%. If abused this tweak can lead to distortion so you have to be responsible. It is also worth keeping in mind that if you use this all the time, you might distort your earpiece for good.

Volume Amplifier doesn't make any changes to the iOS system, it just alters the audio stream to give the impression of loudness which is similar to how Beats Audio manipulates certain elements of the audio to add a little gusto. We tested this tweak on our iPhone 5 and we can confirm that there was an obvious difference in sound. The tweak is not available at the BigBoss repo and in order to install it you need to have a jailbroken device.

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New iPhone 6 Concept Has New Design With Curved Display

When it comes to concepts, the key is to come up with something that hasn't been seen before. Over past couple of weeks we have seen a number of concepts for the new iPhone and iOS 7 which will be released at WWDC 2013 starting the 10th June.

Today's concept comes from Ran Avni. His concept shows just what he thinks the iPhone 6 could look like when a little bit of 3D imagery gets thrown in. There have been phones that can take 3D images but they have never really captured our imagination. The design that Avni has come up with borrows heavily from HTC's design department by incorporating a pair of white borders that sit beside the device's large screen.

Another feature of this concept is the inclusion of an edge to edge screen whic his something that makes the 4.8 inch screen look bigger whilst not making the handset seem too big. The device also seems to get thinner towards the middle, making the screen concave. You can see this in the image for this post and whilst some may not like it, it will fit the head better when making called.

Other features to find their way into this iPhone 6 concept include a FaceTime HD camera to go with the 8 megapixel 3D camera and an all new body design that makes everything we have talked about in this post possible. It's a unique looking device and a concept that we haven't seen before. What do you think of the curved design? Would you like an iPhone like this?

Apple's next generation iPhone is expected to put in an appearance later this year and no doubt there will be plenty of hardware leaks before this happens so keep an eye on our blog for more information.

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New iOS 7 Concept Adds More Functionality To Safari

It seems like every day now we see another iOS 7 concept being discussed. We have already seen improvements to Maps and integration with social media sites such as Vimeo and Flickr. With all that said, we still don't know what to expect from Apple's forthcoming edition of its mobile operating system. All of this will only be revealed at next month's WWDC 2013.

One thing that a lot of people have been keen to see improvements in is the Safari browser and even though it's not the weakest part of iOS, it has been neglected through the generations. To try and offer a fresh look at things, German designers have come up with a very interesting alternative look and feel to Mobile Safari for iOS 7.

A lot of people prefer to use Google's Chrome for iOS even though it isn't as good as the experience Android users get. It is however better than Safari. It seems taht Apple's browser really is in need of a refresh and this concept for iOS 7 does just that. This conceptualized Safari packs in an �omnibar� similar to both Chrome and the desktop version of Safari and we hope that Apple plans to bring this unifying experience to iOS 7.

Also included in this concept is a Dashboard-esque overview of all running tabs which means that users can quickly jump from one to another. Adding just these features along would greatly enhane the Mobile Safari user experience. There is also a card-like UI for viewing bookmarks and with plenty of integrated gestures allowing everything to be navigated with little difficulty these kinds of changes would really work well with Safari.

All we can really do is hope that Apple is plan on implementing some of these changes in the release of iOS 7 but until WWDC 2013 we won't know for sure.

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iOS 7 To Have More Social Integration With Flickr And Vimeo

According to the latest iOS 7 rumors, Apple plans to add even more social media integration. Both Flickr and Vimeo look set to have Twitter and Facebook-like integration, which will allow users to simply tap in their passwords just once in the settings app and authorize any third-party movements from within their iOS infrastructure.

In a world that is all about social networking, any new integration is always welcome but we are surprised that Flickr integration hasn't come sooner considering how popular it already is. Apple added Twitter into iOS 5 before adding Facebook with iOS 6 and both of these features have been well received with customers. So it stands to reason that we should see further social media inclusion with iOS 7.

Apple has been trying to remove all remnants of Google from iOS and having removed Google Maps from the stock feature and replacing it with it's own Maps App in iOS 6, Vimeo integration in iOS 7 would certainly help iOS 7 users refrain from downloading Google's very own YouTube. Bringing Flickr and Vimeo into the heart of iOS will also make sharing content a lot easier and users will be able to upload their images and clips straight to two respective networks with ease.

We still have to wait another three weeks to see if all this holds true and the anticipated iOS 7 will be announced at the WWDC 2013 which begins on the 10th of June. If we do hear anything else about iOS 7 in the meantime, we will be sure to let you know.

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How To Route Google Voice Search Queries To Siri - Jailbreak Tweak

We all got super excited when Siri was first introduced and the possibility of talking to our phones and getting it to do stuff had everyone fired up. Then of course, we got our hands on it and it just wasn't what we had hoped for at all. Siri fell short of what we thought and hoped it would do and for many it is just an additional feature on their iPhone.

When Google brought Google Now and Google Voice Search to iOS, we all got excited again and anyone who has used Google's Voice Search will tell you that it is really accurate at taking your words and turning them into text. It performs a lot better than Siri does anyway. But there is a problem, and that is that it can't handle things like setting reminders. You need to use Siri for this and that brings you back to square one. You can either put up with Siri or have no reminders, or you can use two apps.

For those who would prefer a solution, there is a new jailbreak tweak available called Googiri. This tweak is free on Cydia and it takes voice commands and routes them through Google's Voice Search system and then decides what to do with the output based on the way the question or command was posed.

An example of this would be if you said �Google for bread recipes�, the search would be done via Google. If you said something like �Siri, what will the weather be like tomorrow�, the request will go through Siri, but only after Google Voice search has done the voice to text heavy lifting. The result is a much more accurate transcription than Siri ever manages to give and you still get the best of both Siri and Google Voice search without having to fight with two different apps.

If you like the idea of Siri but find that it just doesn't work well enough, this little tweak could be just the thing. You will need to be running a jailbreak on your iPhone to use it so if you don't then we're afraid you are stuck with what you have. Why not give it a try and let us know what you think in the comments below.

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New iPhone 5S Parts Leaked

When it comes to leaked parts, we always tend to find that the image quality is very poor and we can't really see what we are looking at. Today, however we have come across some high qualithy images of what we are being told are components of the next generation Apple iPhone.

These images really don't tell us too much because they are of hardware components but it is still nice to get a clearer view of the parts. They don't appear to be much different from the components that were used in the iPhone 5 and we would like to think that Apple has some relatively sizeable alterations in mind for this upcoming handset.

Recent reports have suggested that the next Apple iPhone is going to be called the iPhone 6 and we have already seen the Vodafone UK's internal inventory system was leaked displaying this. Whether this is to be the case of not remains to be seen but one thing is for sure, whatever name Apple decides to go for, the outcome of the device will be identical.

All the fuss surrounding the new iOS 7 has taken attention away from the next generation iPhone which is reportedly going to be released in September which is a year after the iPhone 5 was released. It is also expected that Apple will also launch a budget iPhone to help them compete with those markets too but this is a rumor that has been going for quite some time now and so far we haven't seen any evidence of it.

For now all we can do is wait for the official announcement at WWDC in June and until then, we will continue to bring you news and updates of interest.

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New iPhone Mini Concept � What Do You Think?

Most people are in agreement that the current state of Apple's mobile operating system is now stagnant and there is a lot of expectations being put on the launch of iOS 7 later this year. A lot of people are wondering what Apple is planning and in addition to this a lot of sources have suggested that Apple will bring out a budget iPhone at some point in the near future.

Resident concept maker Martin Hajek has come up with a rather interesting �iPhone Mini� design, which also incorporates a rather enlarged iOS interface by Damaso Benitez. Now this enlarged iOS 7 concept user interface isn't the most impressive and the icons look a little too big but that really is a matter of personal choice. The �iPhone Mini� itself doesn't look too bad though and Hajek has described it as coming complete with a plastic back. The overall design however does bear an awful lot of resemblance to the latest iPod touch. This is a positive and if Apple could emulate a design like Hajek's for its low cost endeavors, we feel that the market response would be very positive.

In all honesty, it is possible that consumers will actually be so overwhelmed with the prospect of a low cost iPhone that a large portion of them would automatically be interested. At the moment, the price is simply too high for the majority of people and after six years and no sign of any sort of respite, it is a fair bet that if this product does goes into production, it will be a huge success.

Of course success for a budget iPhone is really going to depend on pricing and since the iPad mini didn't really do this in terms of how much it went of sale for, it will be interesting to see if Apple can break away from their old habits and actually appeal to smaller pockets and emerging markets in the likes of China and India.

If a cheaper iPhone is on the cards, we would be very impressed if it resembled what Hajek has produced in his concept. What do you think? Would you be interested in purchasing the iPhone mini with its plastic back and iPod touch style design? What about the iOS 7 concept, would you like larger icons? Let us know what you think in the comments and as always, we will keep you updated on any further information we receive.

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New iOS 7 Concept Seems Clean And Functional

Over the past couple of months, we have seen quite a few iOS 7 concepts and the general consensus seems to be that Apple is in real need of some rejuvenation. We have been tracking a lot of the concepts and it looks like we have found a realistic concept that is based on what Apple will be able to achieve by the time WWDC 2013 comes around.

Apple's WWDC will commence on the 10th of June and we are expecting to see OS X 10.9 and of course iOS 7. The concept that we have seen seems to suggest that the new iOS 7 will be clean and functional with a very intuitive user interface. We are all hoping to see some encouraging enhancements moving forward.

The concept that we have seen seems to suggest that toggles will come to the lock screen which is something that has been covered for along time within the jailbreak scene. With jailbreaking tweaks this concept has really interesting alterations and enhancements so it will be good to see Apple bringing this into the stock iOS 7. Another aspect of this concept is that the notification centre and multitasking bar are integrated into the lock screen as well as the home screen. These are accessible by lifting the area where the camera slider currently resides. Nothing appears to have been done about the multitasking bar per se, and given just how one-dimensional and fiddly this is, it is a little disappointing. We are really hoping that Apple will concentrate heavily on bringing much more enhanced functionality to the multitasking feature than is currently available.

This concept also goes on to throw in one or two other goodies including a revamped Mailbox and overall, the effort is perhaps indicative of some of the chances we might actually see on June 10th. Hopefully as well as ridding the OS of all traces of skeuomorphism, we will see a vastly improved functionality with iOS 7 and all of us here can't wait to see what Apple comes up with. As always, we will keep you updated with any new information we get so do keep an eye on our posts.

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iPhone 6 Shows Up On Vodafone Inventory

We have all been under the assumption that Apple was going to release the iPhone 5S at the next WWDC but it looks like we were wrong. The iPhone 6 has made an appearance on Vodafone's inventory system implying that Apple is skipping the iPhone 5S.

New inventory listings sourced from UK carrier Vodafone suggest that Apple is making the jump to the iPhone 6 which means we should see a stronger array of changes that those we were expecting with the iPhone 5S. Many have argued that although the iPhone 5 brought a slightly larger display, svelte form factor and a relatively minor speed bump, these features don't justify a perceived major release.

It has been pointed out on a number of occasions that �S� releases simply imply something of a half hearted effort and although Apple could release the same seventh generation iPhone under the name iPhone 5, releasing it as an iPhone 6 implies that we will be getting a landmark release rather than a tentative spec upgrade.

Apple are under increasing pressure to improve their mobile software with iOS 7 and the kicker of an iPhone 6 in 2013 would help to ease the situation. Apple are expected to deliver iOS 7 at WWDC 2013 in June with the next generation iPhone following soon after this in September. Whether or not it is to be called the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 remains to be seen but you can be sure that we will keep you updated with any further information we receive.

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Viber For iPhone and Android Apps Updated

Viber is a very popular cross-platform VoIP service which has just been given a massive update. Both the Android and iOS versions of the app have been refreshed with load of new features. Viber is now also available on windows and OS X. Viber has over 200 milllion users worldwide and is now right up there with Skype in terms of reach. This new update is the most significant it has ever had.

Both the iOS and Android apps are now at version 3.0. New features include support for video messaging, enhanced call quality thanks to the implementation of a voice engine, and a handy feature for checking the online status of contacts. These really are some great updates and if you are a fan of Viber you are going to love what you can now do.

Features for the brand new Windows and Mac apps include video calling, integration with the mobile versions and with an iteration for BlackBerry 10 also nearning completion, Viber certainly isn't intimidated by Skype. As well as building new apps for Windows, OS X and BB 10, Viber is also prepping an app for Linux, which will be made available in the near future. The Desktop apps are available from Viber.com and the Android and iPhone apps available via their app stores.

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iOS 7 To Have Better Multitasking

At present we have multitasking with iOS 6 but it is very limited in terms of functionality. Now that iOS 7 is on the horizon, this is something that concept makers have focused their attentions on in the past few weeks. Ran Avni is another designer that has some fresh ideas on how iOS multitasking should play out in the future and he delivers a rather intriguing concept which sees windows for different apps form a card-like UI.

He released a video detailing this and each app has its own card in what appears to be a greatly expanded version of the popular Auxo for iPhone jailbreak tweak. He also takes a lot of design queues from the famous Multifl0w for iPhone tweak. The layout sees each card placed in grid form, with a delete button in the upper left hand corner of each card allowing users to quickly discard a window and close the app in question. As fewer apps are left open, the window becomes larger to take advantage of the extra space. This is a very nice touch.

Multitasking at present is one of the most cumbersome elements of iOS in general and this concept certainly solves most of the issues concerning this feature. Not only is everything much bigger and easier to view, but with a preview of the apps current status, you won't end up closing an app in the middle of an unfinished task which is something that can happen quite easily at the moment.

IOS 7 is expected to be announced at this year's WWDC 2013 in San Francisco, starting the 10th of June and we hope that multitasking is going to see some big changes.

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Download iOS 6.1.4 For iPhone 5 Now

Apple has released iOS 6.1.4 for the iPhone 5 and it is available for download now. This update is a minor one and pertains to an updated audio profile for speakerphone. This update is only available for the iPhone 5 at the moment and not for any other iOS device. The update itself is only 11.5mb so it really is only minor changes in this update.

The speakerphone profile that this update is based on sets the parameters for the quality of audio produced and Apple hasn't specified if anything else is included in this update in their release notes. One or two tweaks may of course have been sneaked into this update and will only be what Apple deem necessary.

If you have an iPhone 5 running on iOS 6.1.2 or earlier and you are jailbroken or you want to jailbreak in the future, you should steer clear of this update. The jailbreak community has said on numerous occasions, that all new discoveries related to a post iOS 6.1.2 jailbreak are being saved for a more significant release in the future, so do not update if you want to install Cydia or jailbreak you device.

Apple are said to be working on building iOS 7 and this minor update probably just goes to show how few staff are working on iOS 6 at this point. From what we have been hearing, the skeuomorphic elements within the company's mobile ecosystem are set to be wiped out, with flat, clean surfaces taking their place. This has already seen Apple borrowing staff from the OS X team to help get the preview of iOS 7 ready for WWDC 2013. We are expecting some big changes after several mundance iOS released and all of us here can't wait for the big unveiling.

In the meantime, if you don't have a jailbreak and aren't planning on jailbreaking your iPhone 5 and you want to update to iOS 6.1.4 to reap the beneftis of the updated speakerphone audio profile all you have to do is use the software update feature that is located in your device's settings app or plug your iPhone 5 in and update it via iTunes.

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iOS 7 To Bring More Siri Integration And Maps Support For Your Car

When iOS 5 was launched, Siri was the flagship feature. Now we are getting ready for iOS 7 and it looks like Apple is laying the foundations for what is being described as agressive in-car integration. Most people have in-car chargers, device holders and bluetooth connectivity and it looks like Apple wants to tap into this market with their own solutions.

Since Siri was introducted, we have seen a lot of companies within the world of automobiles step forward and promise better integration of mobile devices for drivers. This has become even more apparant with the announcement of Siri Eyes Free and with Volkswagen also teaming up with Apple to bring the so-called VW iBeetle to the market. It looks like the auot industry is now more focused than it ever has been on utilizing technology to the benefit of not only the driver but for road safety as a whole.

9to5Mac have reported that those familiar with Apple's own intentions have revealed that Apple is collaborating with the car industry to make the center consoles better integrated with iOS devices. This is not just going to be an iPhone dock but something more involved and this could see Apple's mapping system mirrored from an iOS device straight onto a car's built in display with UI elements adjusted accordingly.

The deeper integration of Siri is also thought to be based on the Eyes Free technology that is currently doing the round on a multitude of production cars. IOS 7 is going to provide the hotbed for this integrative system to manifest but we have no idea how long it will take for us to see this in reality.

It seems that Apple has been very busy over the past couple of months in posting job listings for a number of different roles pertaining to in-car stereo systems. IOS 7 which is codenamed Innsbruck, will make its debut at WWDC 2013 and it looks like it could be the next big thing to come from Apple. We will keep you posted and updated on any further developments as the launch date approaches.

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