globalnews

Monday, 2 June 2014

Swype, The Coolest Thing On Android, Is FINALLY Coming To The iPhone

Apple announced that iOS 8, its latest operating system for iPhones and iPads, will support third-party keyboards including Swype and SwiftKey, virtual keyboards popular with Android users. The news came at Apple's WWDC keynote today. Swype was featured in the keynote as one third-party keyboard available as an app download that doesn't come standard with the phone which that would be supported in iOS 8, though it wasn't demonstrated.

Swype has been available on Android since 2010, but due to Apple's desire to control the user experience on its devices, it wasn't available to iOS users until the announcement of iOS 8 today.

Swype has 250 million users on Android devices alone, according to Google Play. Using predictive type, an intuitive technology that looks at the way a user types to predict the words they'll type next, Swype allows you swipe from the first letter of a word to the last, instead of tapping each letter individually. As a result, Swype lets you type much faster than, well, typing.

In a statement to Business Insider, Jon Reynolds and Ben Medlock, founders of SwiftKey said, “We’re delighted Apple has decided to embrace the importance of opening its platform to third party keyboards. For more than four years, SwiftKey has pioneered faster, easier typing on touchscreens, leading the industry with next-word prediction and smarter autocorrection."

WWDC

Apple Asked Dozens Of People Which Apps They Can't Live Without In Its Inspiring New Video

Apple kicked off its WWDC conference today with a funny, inspiring video that salutes the millions of iPhone app developers out there.

After going through a bunch of obviously false stereotypes about developers, the video launches into mini-interviews and snapshots of dozens of people who tell Apple which apps they can't live without.

"You open up an app, an you open up a possibility," a person interviewed in the video says, "and the whole world is being born. What we really have is an intersection between technology and art."

The whole piece is meant to be a big "thank you" to the developers all around the world who are working hard to make apps for iOS.

Here are the apps that people are obsessed with

This architect uses Paper by FiftyThree to create detailed drawings:

YouTube / Apple

This man relies on his favorite banking app, called Zhi Fu Bao:

YouTube / Apple

"Airbnb saved my life," this woman said:

Apple / YouTube

This musician calls out two classics, Instagram and Tumblr:

YouTube / Apple

This dude couldn't live without Evernote:

YouTube / Apple

"I am addicted to Pinterest because it is amazing," this woman says firmly:

YouTube / Apple

This teen didn't say her favorite app, but she takes a bunch of selfies in the video:

YouTube / Apple

Emily Penn, ocean advocate, uses a variety of apps to help track marine debris, like iNav X:

YouTube / Apple

This London teen things that Tinder is the best app of all time. "Crazy girl looking to meet new people in London," he reads from his phone. "Interesting ..."

YouTube / Apple

This man is one of the millions of people who has gotten sucked into "Candy Crush Saga":

YouTube / Apple

A delightfully mustachioed young gentleman said that he loves "Robot Unicorn Attack 2":

YouTube / Apple

We've got a "Words With Friends" fan:

Tim Cook Just Ripped Android To Shreds

Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook just ripped Android to shreds at the company's big developers' conference, WWDC. Android is the free operating system distributed by Google and used by most competing mobile-phone companies, such as Samsung.

Cook told attendees that 130 million Apple customers who bought one of the company's products in the last 12 months were first-time Apple buyers.

He deadpanned: "Many of these customers were switchers from Android. They had bought an Android phone, by mistake, and then sought a better experience. And a better life. And decided to check out iPhone and iOS."

Cook got a big laugh from the audience — bigger than the one he'd gotten earlier for jabbing at Microsoft's Windows system.

He gave this stat: "Nearly half of our customers in China in the past six months switched from Android to iPhone. This is incredible." (It's not that incredible: Apple began focusing on China only recently, and most of the Chinese market was previously on Android, so where else were those customers going to come from?)

He also zinged Android for not having as many people as possible using the most recent edition of the system:

Apple

About 98% of Apple users are on iOS 7, according to the most recent Apple release. Yet only 9% of Android users are on KitKat, the most recent Android system. "Some are on [Android] from four years ago — that's like ancient history!" Cook said.

"Less than 1 out of 10 of their customers are on their latest versions," Cook said. "That means these customers are not getting great new features. They're not able to run the latest apps, and they're not getting security updates they need to stay safe."

The he showed this brutal slide:

Apple

Yep, most malware and viruses are in Android apps, not in iOS apps.

After that, he showed this slide (below), which described Android as a "toxic hellstew of vulnerabilities." Ouch!

Apple Just Turned The iPhone Into The Remote Control Of Your Entire Home

At this year's WWDC, Apple announced its new smart-home platform for developers called HomeKit.

Apple has teamed up with a bunch of smart-device makers so that you can pair these gadgets with your iPhone easily.

With HomeKit you can do things like control your lights, door locks, room temperatures, garage doors, and even use it to see who's at your front door.

The HomeKit platform also integrates with Siri, which means you can simply issue a command through your iPhone to manipulate the devices in your home.

For example, telling Siri to get ready for bed will prompt your lights to dim, your garage door to lock, and your thermostat to lower the temperature.

The announcement comes after rumors had suggested that Apple is getting into home automation. Just a few days ago The Financial Times reported that the software will enable users to control gadgets in their home with their iPhone.

Apple didn't spend too much time at WWDC talking about HomeKit, but we're likely to hear more about it as developers and Apple's hardware partners integrate the platform into their products.

Apple will work with home-automation companies including iDevices, iHome, Cree, Neatamo, Withings, Philips, August, and Honeywell.

Check out some more images from the presentation.

WWDC

HomeKit lets you control your door locks.

Apple

But before you open the door, you might want to check to see who's out there.

WWDC

You can also use HomeKit to open and close your garage door.

Apple

Here, you can see how you can control the fans and thermostats in your home.

WWDC

The HomeKit platform also features secure pairing and the ability to group devices into "scenes."

WWDC

Here's the full list of Apple's HomeKit partners.

All The New Features In iOS 8—Apple's Next Big iPhone Update

As expected, Apple just unveiled iOS 8 at its annual developers event. The next major software update for iPhones and iPads will be released later this year, most likely in conjunction with Apple's next iPhone.

The upgrade isn't as big of an aesthetic shift as we saw last year with the introduction of iOS 7, but Apple has added some significant new features and tweaks.

Here's a quick look at the new features in iOS 8, which will be released this fall.

Apple has added a new fitness app called Health. Like most fitness apps, it can measure burned calories and sleeping habits. Health works with third-party apps too, so you can choose to sync data with your Nike FuelBand.

Apple

It works in conjunction with a HealthKit companion tool for physicians. For example, doctors will be able to use HealthKit to compare a patient's blood pressure against the daily readings picked up by the Health app. Apple is working with the Mayo Clinic on HealthKit.

WWDC

Apple has made some new tweaks to its Mail app on iPhone and iPad. You can now mark messages as read to keep them at the top of your inbox with a single gesture.

Apple

You can also access the contacts you communicate with the most often by double tapping the home button.

Apple

In iOS 8 you'll be able to swipe a message you're currently working on to slide it to the bottom of the Mail app. This makes it easier to see the rest of your inbox as you type.

Apple

Apple has introduced a new feature for iOS and OS X called Handoff. If you're reading an article or working on your iPhone, you'll be able to pick up exactly where you left off on your Mac and vice versa.

Apple

Apple has really made an effort to intertwine iOS more closely with OS X. Another way it's doing that is through the addition of iCloud Drive. It's essentially Apple's take on Google Drive, which means you can store files across all your Apple devices.

Apple

The new QuickType feature lets you access other keyboards more quickly and conveniently in iOS 8.

Apple

Apple made some significant improvements to the Spotlight Search feature in iOS. With iOS 8, you'll be able to view results from the App Store, Wikipedia, directions, and movie times, among other types of search results.

Apple

Apple has added smart editing features to its photos app. For example, you can adjust the light, brightness and contrast, and shadows directly from any photo. Apple has also made it easier to search for photos, With iOS 8, you can search by location, date and albums you've set up. These photos sync with iCloud now too, which means they'll be available across devices.

Apple

There are some new improvements coming to the iPhone's messaging app with iOS 8. You'll be able to exit annoying group text messages with a new Do Not Disturb feature. You can also name these message threads. By pressing and holding the new microphone button, you can record an audio message and send it via text.

Apple

Siri is getting some new features, too. Shazam song recognition is built in, and you can purchase it from iTunes directly through Siri. Apple has also added 33 new dictation languages to Siri.

Apple

Family Share makes it easier to share photos, calendars, reminders, and your location with your family members. You can also purchase content on separate devices using the same account through Family Share.

Apple

Developers will be able to add third-party keyboards like Swype. Third-party apps will also be able to take advantage of Touch ID.

WWDC

Apple just announced a slew of new features for iOS,

Apple just announced a slew of new features for iOS, including video, audio, and location tagging for iMessage and the ability to name (and leave!) group chats. WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum isn't too happy about the new additions:

Twitter / Jan Koum

His point is that Apple just added features for iMessage that WhatsApp users have had for a long time. WhatsApp users could always record media, like audio or video, and share location data easily through messages.

The fact that Apple has put a huge emphasis on improving iMessage is very telling of the growing power of messaging apps like WhatsApp — which Facebook bought earlier this year for $19 billion — Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, Line, and Kik.

WhatsApp currently has more than 500 million users; Facebook's Messenger app has more than 200 million monthly users; Snapchat has around 70 million monthly users. It makes sense that Apple would want to integrate features from those popular apps into its own in-house messaging system.

After all, Apple wants all iPhone owners to use iMessage, instead of downloading and using other apps.

Scientists Have Discovered A Planet They Thought Was Impossible

David A. Aguilar (CfA)

The "Godzilla of Earths!" is in the foreground. Behind it is the smaller 'lava world'. Their sun, in the back, appears to have been created only 3 billion years after the Big Bang.

Based on what we know about how solar systems form, researchers thought that a giant rocky planet could not exist. But they just found one that's 17 times Earth's mass. They're calling it the Mega-Earth.

Scientists say the new planet may have "profound implications for the possibility of life" on extra-solar planets, according to a press release from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. They announced the finding in a talk at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Boston.

Researchers have always thought Mega-Earths were impossible since any planets that big would attract hydrogen gas, forming a gas planet like Jupiter.

Meet the Mega-Earth

Mega-Earth, also known as Kepler-10c, is 18,000 miles in diameter and 2.3 times as large as Earth. It appears to be as solid as the planet beneath our feet.

Kepler-10c was previously known to astronomers, but they had not yet measured its mass. Due to its size — 2.3 times that of Earth — it was assumed to be a "mini-Neptune," a planet encased in thick gas. But the new observations have confirmed that it is rocky, not gassy.

It orbits an 11 billion-year-old star named Kepler-10 located 560 light years away from Earth. Its year lasts only 45 days.

Interestingly, this solar system is more than twice as old as our own — it was born less than 3 billion years after the Big Bang.

"We were very surprised when we realized what we had found," study researcher Xavier Dumusque, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said in a press release.

We've always thought a rocky planet is the best place to look for life, since life on a gas giant is hard to imagine. From what they've observed, the planet may also have an atmosphere with thin clouds, another good sign.

A mysterious system

Researchers had previously thought that this kind of planet impossible.

Not only did they think something that big would be a gas giant, but they didn't even think the elements that make up a rocky planet existed in our universe when this solar system was born: The early universe had only the lighter elements of hydrogen and helium. Heavier elements were forged from these lighter ones in stars over billions of years.

Because of this, many scientists hadn't been looking for rocky planets in these very old solar systems.

"Finding Kepler-10c tells us that rocky planets could form much earlier than we thought. And if you can make rocks, you can make life," study researcher Dimitar Sasselov, of the Harvard Origins of Life Initiative, said in a release.

The mega-Earth isn't the only weird planet in its solar system. There's also a 'lava-world' 1.5 times Earth's size whose year lasts only 20 hours.