As developers for tablets and smartphones we like to keep abreast of the latest mobile technology developments . This is a daily digest of mobile development and related technology news gathered from the BBC, the New York Times, New Scientist and the Globe and Mail to name a few. We scour the web for articles concerning, iPhone, iPad and android development, iOS and android operating systems as well as general articles on advances in mobile technology. We hope you find this useful and that it helps to keep you up to date with the latest technology developments.
- John Pavley: HuffPost Is a Virtual World
Richard Bartle, one of the original coders of the whole MUD (multi-user dungeons) and gaming industry, has written an easy to comprehend and richly detailed look at the history, design, development, and marketing of virtual worlds.
- Windows 8.1 vs. Apple: Twofer or tablet?
With Windows 8.1 comes scads of hybrids from PC makers eager to show the world that you really don’t need to carry around that iPad anymore.
- WATCH: How To Increase Your Twitter Following
Eric Kuhn isn’t your recreational social media user. By the age of 24, he had already earned himself a place on Forbes’ "30 under 30,"…
- NSA Reportedly Bugged European Union Offices, Networks
* NSA bugged offices, spied on internal networks -magazine * U.S. agency "accessed documents, read emails" (Adds U.S. spokesman had no comment, paragraph 5) BERLIN,…
- John Brown: Is Anyone Speaking?
Yes, let’s read, write, and use the Internet, but let’s not abandon the miraculous pleasure of speaking in the real world with identifiable persons other than ourselves.
- Apple Testing Software Update to Address 2013 MacBook Air Wi-Fi Issues
Last week, it was reported that a growing number of owners of Apple’s new MacBook Air were experiencing Wi-Fi issues, with users reporting problems such as dropped connections that require a restart in order to reconnect. It was reported earlier this week that Apple has been replacing affected machines and collecting the defective units in order to examine them as part of the company’s investigation into the issue.
As noted by AppleInsider, Apple is now sending out invitations to certain MacBook Air owners asking if they wish to participate in the company’s AppleSeed customer software seeding program for the purposes of testing a new “MacBook Air WiFi Update 1.0”. While Apple does not specify in its invitation exactly what problem the software update is designed to address, it presumably focuses on the connection issues being reported by users.
You have been selected to join our AppleSeed program. If you accept, we will provide you with a pre-release version of the MacBookAir WiFi Update 1.0 to install and use.
While trying out MacBookAir WiFi Update 1.0, we ask that you provide us with your feedback. Our program includes a bug reporting system for our participants. If you wish to be a seed volunteer and help Apple release high-quality software, follow the instructions below.
Beyond the connection issues, Apple’s OS X 10.8.4 public release and OS X Mavericks beta also appear to have a software issue that prevents machines supporting the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard from taking advantage of the faster speeds for file transfers. It is, however, unclear whether Apple will address this issue for current MacBook Air owners through this software update in testing or through a separate update such as the upcoming OS X 10.8.5 update. - Nitrogen Leak At Intel Plant Sends Employees To Hospital
A nitrogen leak at an Intel plant in Chandler, Arizona, sent 11 employees to the hospital on Saturday. Chandler fire department spokesman Tom Dwiggins told…
- Possible Photos of Plastic Rear Shell from Apple’s Lower-Cost iPhone
Nowhereelse.fr shares [Google translation] a pair of photos of what may be the rear shell of Apple’s rumored lower-cost plastic iPhone. While the site acknowledges that the part could simply be a Chinese clone of an iPhone 5 rear shell, certain features such as a round rear microphone hole and rounded rear edges are consistent with previous claims for the lower-cost iPhone, including leaked design drawings from a case maker.
Apple has been said to be planning to release the lower-cost iPhone later this year in an array of colors, with one report claiming that Apple would be using essentially the same colors as found in the company’s line of iPhone 4/4S bumpers, although that report indicated that green appeared to have been excluded from the set. This green rear shell is indeed fairly close in color to the green iPhone bumper. - Could This Power Future Generations Of Electric Cars?
From EarthTechling’s Nino Marchetti: One solution often seen with electric buses, and sometimes with electric trucks, is to power them via attachment to overhead power…
- Obama: Make Climate Change A Must For Your Vote
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is trying to frame climate change as a make-or-break political issue, urging Americans to vote only for those who will…
- LIVE FROM THE IDEAS FESTIVAL: Kickstarter And The Economics Of Creativity
TIME: 2:00pm-3:00pm EST Kickstarter is on pace to disseminate triple the amount of money the National Endowment for the Arts distributes in grants to arts…
- Beware The Latest Threat To Internet And Cellphone In New Mexico
TAOS, N.M. — Officials have finally identified the culprit behind a 20-hour Internet and cellphone outage last week in northern New Mexico _an eager beaver….
- PICS: Is This Queen Maxima’s Favorite Hat?
Is Queen Maxima a geek at heart? We’re starting to think so, as the stylish royal cozied up to some robot buddies at an event…
- How Facebook Is Killing Vine In 1 Graph
When Instagram announced the addition of video to its filter-filled photo-sharing app last week, many opined that it would be the end of Vine. But…
- 25 Architects To Follow On Instagram
(Originally published here) Last year, we published a post (one of our most popular of all time) on the4 Apps that every architect should have…