The report, which is free on the Chitika site, points out that after the 3rd beta of iOS 6, the high mark of .11% of all North America internet traffic was achieved after the released in July 2012.  Contrasting this however with iOS 7, on its first beta, last week hit .22% of all traffic.  It’s an interesting statistic, especially in light of the fact that iOS 6 Beta 3 was available for some iPad models while the beta for iOS 7 remains limited to the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Chitika explains their logic as…

To quantify initial developer interest in the software, the Insights research team utilized a sample of tens of millions of iPhone and iPod touch online ad impressions drawn from June 3 to June 12, 2013. As the new software is currently only available on certain iPhone and iPod Touch devices, iOS 7’s share was calculated as the number of impressions from devices running iOS 7 as a percentage of total impressions from all iPhones and iPod Touches.

While the numbers are interesting I also believe it is important to carefully consider what we read into them.  There are a lot more developers out there than there was just a year ago so that will skew numbers a bit.

You can read the full article here

The post iOS 7 Beta Adoption Highest Ever According To Chitika appeared first on AlliOSNews.

To start, Microsoft missed a huge opportunity with the release of Office Mobile.  They released it for iPhone only and not a universal app for iOS.  Why?  If you believe the rumours it is because Redmond and Cupertino are having a battle of wills (you can insert your own euphemism here) over the royalties that Apple requires on apps in the App Store.  Microsoft wants to sell a Office Mobile version for iPad but because Apple gets a 30% cut of sales, Microsoft is resisting and trying to negotiate with Apple on it.  So far no success and I would be stunned if Apple backed off of this because it would crack the very foundation they have with their vast developer community.

If you are a developer for iOS, you know the rules of the game.  And make no mistake:  It is Apple’s game.

Secondly, the app that Microsoft released is hugely limited when compared to Office for Mac or Office in general.  You have a small subset of features from fronts to layouts to formulas that can be used in the app.  While you can view Excel, Word and PowerPoint files within Office Mobile, you will struggle if you need to do any serious editing.  Part of this is down to the form factor of an iPhone and part of it is down to the limitations Microsoft put into the app.

The third problem Microsoft has is they are losing the vision of who really is important.  The consumer.  Microsoft still have the lion share of market when it comes to Office suites and have a huge install base.  But what they seem to be missing is that a huge number of those users are using iOS devices now.  They don’t have to like it – do something about it!  But it is the current reality.  By releasing such an underwhelming, such an inept app in Office Mobile, they have let the larger issue of two tech giants get in the way of an opportunity to establish themselves in their enemies territory.

If Microsoft would have come out with an all singing, all dancing Office Mobile for Office 365 for both iPhone and iPad, made it as nearly fully functional as they could and leveraged it as campaign of “We love you no matter what platform you use”.  I think it is perfectly reasonable for some features to remain PC-only.  That’s fine by me and I totally get that approach.  Apple does the exact same thing.

The irony is not lost on me with this release.  At WWDC this past week, Apple announced iCloud support for Internet Explorer and Chrome and that iWork for iCloud would allow users to create and edit iWork files no matter what platform from their PC or Mac.  Yet days later Microsoft released what could be argued as a halfway attempt to satisfy their Office users.

Microsoft is regressing.  They still see the world as a PC-based environment where mobile devices are on the fringe.

Apple is embracing the horror that is “not everyone is on a Mac”.

I genuinely hope that in 3-4 weeks I have to re-write this article to a more positive position on Office Mobile.  I’m hoping that Microsoft quickly releases the app for iPad and dramatically improves the functionality of the apps to give Office users more creative control on their mobile devices.  Why?  Because the consumer wins.  While I write an Apple centric blog and am a 100% Apple user (remember, I use iWork as well) ultimately what makes the mobile world and more specifically the app economy so interesting is the amount of flavour that is out there for consumers.  I want Apple to have competition just as much as I want Microsoft to have it and Google for that matter.  It’s healthy for all of them.

(sidebar:  Can anyone honestly look at me and tell me iOS 7 wasn’t heavily influenced by what Google is doing with Android?)

Until that time however I will contend that Microsoft missed a huge opportunity this week.  They could have issued a serious blow to iWork for iCloud and could have rallied their install base around them.  Instead, they got the universal greeting of confusion.

What the hell?

The post How Microsoft Screwed Up Office Mobile for iPhone appeared first on AlliOSNews.

The measure would mean that the use of calls, SMS and Internet data usage roaming fees would be eliminated.  The Telegraph here in the UK stated:

Roaming fees for voice calls, texts and internet access will effectively be completely scrapped under the proposals, which are part of a broader effort to create a single European telecoms market.

Carriers of course are not overwhelmed with excitement as the elimination of these fees will impact their bottom line.  However the EU has positioned that they will make up this lost revenue by having people use their mobile devices when they are abroad on holiday or business travel more than they do today.

The final form of the proposed law will be drafted in the next 6 weeks and put to a formal vote where it is expected to pass.

The post Mobile Roaming Charges End In The EU July 2014 appeared first on AlliOSNews.

The idea behind these alerts are to keep the public informed of government-issued safety messages.  This could include

Emergency Alerts on the iPhone 5 from AT&T

things like AMBER Alerts (for a lost or missing child), emergency alerts, natural disasters and Presidential alerts.  You do have the option of turning these off after the update is sent to your device with the exception of Presidential alerts.

When the software update is delivered to your phone, you will see a message that states “Carrier Settings Update:  new settings required for your device have been installed”.  After that, your iPhone 5 or 4S will receive all Wireless Emergency Alerts by default.

 

 

While the software update is mandatory, you are not charged for the data to deliver it and Wireless Emergency Alerts will never count against your messaging plan. The update will be sent to users with iOS 6.1 or higher.

That last part is key peeps.  You don’t have to worry about any alerts counting against your limited or unlimited SMS plan on your AT&T account.

If you are an A&T customer you can expect to see this on your iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 soon if not already.

The post AT&T Announces Emergency Alerts SMS Coming to iPhone 4S & 5 appeared first on AlliOSNews.

Dude, seriously.  It’s beta

Look, I get it.  Everyone wants to run the latest code and be the “cool kid”.  That’s fine.  I’m not here to pass judgement on if you got iOS 7 legit or not.  I hope you did but if not, I’m not the one who has an issue (although Apple probably does).  What I do have an issue with is anyone – developer or not – complaining about things not working properly in the beta.  Seriously peeps, if you are going to run beta code you can expect there to be bits not working.  iOS 7 isn’t any different.  Tricia and I both work in our “day jobs” with beta code.  Every. Single. Day.  It’s like a jack-in-the-box.  You never know what the hell is going to pop out at you.  When you have such a massive code change like you do in iOS 7, it is a guarantee in Beta 1 that stuff isn’t going to work.

I loaded iOS 7 earlier this week on my test iPhone 5.  There are a lot of parts that are exceedingly cool.  There are also a lot of parts that are clearly under construction.  I would not recommend running the beta on your daily driver iPhone.  I’m not, I don’t know any developers who are doing that yet and neither should you.  It’s unstable, it’s not fully baked… it’s beta.

If you are going to be using iOS 7 – again, legit or not – be a nice peep and help the cause.  Load up your bug reports to Apple.  Don’t post negative comments about things not working on any forums, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Also, observe the NDA.  As Rene Ritchie over at iMore said in his post on this topic earlier in the week, “stay classy“.

The post PSA: Beta Means Beta – iOS 7 is Not Ready For Prime Time appeared first on AlliOSNews.

For those who currently use iWork apps (Keynote, Pages and Numbers) and synchronise files to iCloud, you know how limited it is in its current state.  Basically you can only open a file, leave a comment on a file or download it.  In order to actually edit a file you had to download it to your Mac or iOS device and if you were a Windows users… well, you were

iCloud Beta Now Open

pretty much out of luck.

Apple is making serious strides with iWork and iCloud and have indicated the new versions of the suite will be available later this year.  The update will include iCloud support where users can edit files without having to download them.  Equally as important, Apple is opening up iWork to Windows based users through iWork in iCloud.  This is a big step (and one I wrote about earlier this year) in taking on Microsoft and Office 365.  While it still have a long way to go, clearly Apple is making steps in the right direction.

There is no official release date of the new iWork apps or the new iCloud other than “later this year”.  My guess is September or October when we see the next iPhone released.

The post Apple Opens iCloud Beta to Developers appeared first on AlliOSNews.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The post Apple Releases Powerful New Video appeared first on AlliOSNews.

Sherlock Holmes 2 is the second of eight Sherlock Holmes Solo Mysteries gamebooks by Iron Crown Enterprises to be published as interactive apps, including one title which was never available in English before. The app is universal

Sherlock Holmes 2 for iPhone

(iPad/iPhone) and multi-language: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Brazilian/Portuguese are supported initially.

Game Features:
* New dynamically adapting music
* New atmospheric sound effects
* Supports Portrait and Landscape mode (iPad)
* Create your own detective or play the default character
* Fully automated character/clues sheet and your own digital notebook
* Automatically saves and resumes the story where you left off
* All gamebook rules: virtual animated dice, page flip and random number table
* All the original artwork from the printed book in HD
* Game Center Achievements
* New And Improved: VoiceOver compatible (listen to the text)

Note: This gamebook is an original work. It is not the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sherlock Holmes 2 (v1.0) is a Universal App and is $1.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.

Sherlock Holmes 2 (Universal App) – $1.99 – Download Now

The post Sherlock Holmes 2 – The Black River Emerald Gamebook Released appeared first on AlliOSNews.

Despite of rumors about the NSA Prism scandal or Chinese Hackers attacking networks and servers around the world, there is something that each of us can do to increase cyber security.

Network Toolbox helps to identify security issues or wrong configurations of your local or public networks that often

Network Toolbox for iPhone

makes it too easy for cyber attackers to break into your systems.

Even for an inexperienced user, it will now be easier than ever to check your home network for ports that are unintentionally left open to the web. By using this Network Toolbox app, such a security scan can be performed within seconds by following the included Guides and How-To’s. An included Glossary also explains terms from A like “Access control” to Z like “Zero day”.

For deeper security analysis, Network toolbox offers various tools to connect and inspect your networks. Regular Network tools like Browsers, Mail or FTP clients usually hide information about the connected server from the user. Network toolbox on the other hand can visualize such information as this information is often the first starting point for a cyber-attack. Cyber criminals can use this information to learn about your network and to find vulnerable devices.

By using this app, you will be able to identify such issues and once they are identified, they can often easily be solved.

“Don’t trust the evil,” Marcus said on his website. Don’t trust what suppliers of NAS Servers, Web-Cameras, Backup devices or Network router tells you. Often those devices are shipped poorly pre-configured and just claim to be secure. Be your own Hacker and try to compromise your own network to locate those devices and protect your data.

Network Toolbox 2.01.01 is $5.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Productivity category.

Network Toolbox (Universal App) – $5.99 – Download Now

The post Network Toolbox Released for iPhone & iPad appeared first on AlliOSNews.

But yesterday, at WWDC 2013, Apple attempted to counter those concerns.

The Street: In case some of you are wondering who the best is, they are up here on this board. <turns to Apple> Do you think your name will be on that plaque?
Apple: Yes, sir.
The Street: That’s pretty arrogant, considering the company you’re in.
Apple: Yes, sir.
The Street: I like that in a tech company.

Please sing along to the tune of Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone.

Revvin’ up your iPhone
With iOS7’s howlin’ roar
Ives behind design
Beggin’ you to touch and go

Highway to the Developer Zone
Log into the Developer Zone

Headin’ into music
Streamin’ iTunes radio tonight
She got you jammin’ with the Mac
Pro shovin’ into overdrive

Highway to the Developer Zone
It’ll have you
Log into the Developer Zone

You’ll never see a meeting
Until you accept the red line overload
You’ll never know where you can go
Until you get new Maps and iBooks to go

Out among the iCloud
Instead of once Mobile Me
Further integrate iWork
And hotter for mobility

Highway to the Developer Zone
Gonna make you
Log into the Developer Zone

Highway to the Developer Zone

“Can’t innovate any more, my ass.”

You can be my wingman anytime, Maverick.

The post TechMom Tuesday: Top Gun WWDC Style appeared first on AlliOSNews.