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First Take: Apple's iCloud service

The introduction of the iCloud at today's WWDC keynote symbolizes Apple's shift to cloud-based backups, syncing, and moving files seamlessly among all your devices, whether you have an iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Mac, or PC. Just like Google's offerings (Doc and Calendar syncing, and Picasa, as examples), iCloud lets you sync media, apps, music, documents, calendars, and more automatically. It's important to note that Android has had the download and sync features since February of this year.

As usual at Apple's keynote events, Steve Jobs was not the only person on the stage demonstrating the latest and greatest from Apple. Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, came up to talk about multitouch gestures on the Mac, for example. Craig Federighi, senior vice president of Apple software, then came up to demo some of the new features of full-screen apps. But when it was time to talk about iCloud, it was Steve Jobs who did the talking. In other words, however you feel about iCloud, it seemed to be the "main event" that Apple seemed to be most excited about.… Read more

iOS 5: What we didn't get

Apple unveiled iOS 5 today at the company's 2011 Worldwide Developers Conference to much fanfare. iOS 5 boasts 200 new features, 10 of which were demonstrated onstage. New iOS 5 features include Notifications, Newsstand, tabbed browsing in Safari, Reminders, quicker access to the Camera app, an improved image editor, integration with Twitter, in-message search in Mail, and wireless syncing.

But despite all these changes, there are those of us who still aren't satisfied. We've compiled suggestions from our staff and from our readers as to which iOS 5 features they wanted but didn't get. Tell us … Read more

This Day in Tech: Jobs unveils iCloud, iOS 5, Lion

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Monday, June 6.

Steve Jobs takes stage at WWDC (video) At Apple's WWDC in San Francisco, Steve Jobs opens to a warm reception from attendees. Jobs, who is on medical leave, took the stage to announce new Apple products. More

Apple's iCloud handles music, photos, more CEO Steve Jobs unveils an online storage service designed to make it simple to wirelessly share music, e-mail, photos, calendars, and other data between handheld gadgets and desktop PCs. How Apple's event unfolded (live blog) … Read more

Rumor: iOS 5 to get group messaging, notifications overhaul?

Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) kicks off this morning in San Francisco (join us at 10 a.m. PT for the live blog). The usually tight-lipped Apple set expectations last week that among the announcements will be something for the next generation of iOS.

New rumors suggest that iOS 5 will receive group messaging along the lines of RIM's BlackBerry Messenger, a notification pop-up window that resembles WebOS, and a list of all your notifications stored in a drop-down menu borrowed from Android.

Notifications could also be visible on the lock screen, if the rumors prove true, … Read more

iTunes slip-up reveals auto app-updates feature

A message that appeared in iTunes briefly last night before being taken down by Apple hints that automatic application updates are on the way to iOS users as part of the upcoming system update.

Discovered by MacRumors, the hint came inside of the iTunes app update page, where users can opt to have the iTunes software fetch application updates in bulk, as opposed to waiting for them to update one at a time on the device itself. The boilerplate text on this section was otherwise identical to what's been there for years, with the exception of the end line, … Read more

Twitter photo integration rumored for iOS 5

Next week Apple shows off iOS 5 at its Worldwide Developers Conference, and while much remains unknown about what will be included, a new report suggests Twitter is on the VIP list.

In a post this afternoon, TechCrunch says Apple is baking Twitter into the operating system to help users post photos they've taken on their iOS devices directly to the service. The feature is said to be integrated into the camera and photo roll to let users share pictures to Twitter just like they would a video to YouTube, Vimeo, or one of the other video-hosting sites Apple includes.

That idea in itself is not so outlandish with the expected launch of an official photo-hosting service from Twitter, which AllThingsD says will be announced tomorrow night at the outlet's D9 conference. As the Twitter photo-sharing landscape currently stands, users have to venture to outside sites for photo hosting, scattering the options across a number of providers. With Apple's current sharing tools for photos and videos, such an expansive list could prove challenging to fit and maintain. … Read more

How to change the default iOS search provider

Currently, all iOS devices come with the Mobile Safari search provider set to Google. For most users Google works, and the thought of changing it will never cross their mind. For others who prefer to use Bing and Yahoo, changing the default search engine is preferred. This simple guide will show you how to change the default search engine on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. … Read more

Rumor: iOS 5 will not be available for iPhone 3GS

Such is the way of technology. Just two years after its release, the iPhone 3GS may be deemed "too old" for Apple's next iteration of its mobile operating system, iOS 5.

Mobile phone blogger Eldar Murtazin, from the Russian site Mobile-Review, stated frankly in a tweet recently (via MacStories): "Just one comment. Apple iPhone 3GS wont be upgradable to iOS 5.x. iPhone 4 will."

The comment did not come with a follow-up on sources of the information and could very well just be an educated guess on Murtazin's part. Whether fact or fiction, … Read more

Does the iCade prove that the iPad needs a controller?

A fellow co-worker who's an unabashed iOS enthusiast passed by my cube yesterday and saw me playing on a table-top arcade machine sitting on my desk. He stopped, eyes drawn to the bright colors on the sides and the top, and the arcade graphics on the small glass screen. I explained that it was an iPad sitting in the iCade, a $99 self-assemble arcade cabinet with Bluetooth joystick.

Naturally, he wanted to try it out on a few games he liked. I explained that the iCade currently only works with Atari's Greatest Hits app, which admittedly has 100 games, but lacks arcade classics like Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Joust--games that are, of course, made by other publishers. I also explained that it really only worked in portrait mode (or a slightly precarious but still-possible landscape mode, by using a groove on the outside edge).

He started to sour. Eventually, he walked away.

Of course, for arcade nuts and fans of novelty bar-top/desktop toys, the iCade is still a pretty awesome little treat. But until it can support other games--which Ion, the maker of the iCade, says will happen via a shared API--its appeal will necessarily be limited. I can think of dozens of games in the App Store that would be perfect for the iCade: Street Fighter IV. Death Rally. NBA Jam. Pinball HD. Tetris. Space Invaders Infinity Gene. The aforementioned Pac-Man. … Read more

Air traffic control at your finger tips

Flight Control HD is an attractive, addictive game in which you play an air-traffic controller guiding an endless armada of incoming aircraft to safe landings (you hope!) at a crowded airport. Flight Control makes great use of the iPad interface, as you use your finger to trace a trajectory for each approaching craft, sending jets, seaplanes, helicopters, et al. to various runways and landing pads. The controls are incredibly simple and intuitive, which contributes to Flight Control's surprisingly rich, devilishly addictive gameplay.

The game starts out at a leisurely pace, but as aircraft enter from every edge of the … Read more

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