iOS 5.0.1 out, improves Siri’s Aussie ear, battery life issues
Apple has released iOS 5.0.1, saying it fixes bugs causing the poor battery life that iPhone 4S users in particular had been complaining about.
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Applet didn’t reveal what specific tweaks it has made to improve power consumptionNo Update over 3G has to be WiFi
Siri has been tweaked for better recognition of Australian voicesApple says it has at least squashed some bugs on iOS relating to syncing of documents from iOS devices to iCloud.The original iPad also gets the four and five-finger multitouch gestures that iPad 2 users got with the iOS 5 update.
A swipe up now displays the multitasking bar on the original iPad; a left or right swipe switches directly between apps, and an inwards pinch shows the home screen.
A bad security hole in iOS has also been plugged — the one where an iPad 2 with a magnetic ‘smart cover’ could have its login security code bypassed. pan-the-phone-to-take-a-panorama feature in the camera app.
iOS Gmail app is back minus bug
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Google’s Gmail app for iOS is back, a fortnight after the company ripped the first version out of the App Store due to a bug that broke notifications.
“We’ve fixed the bug and notifications are now working, and the app is back in the App Store,” Google product manager Matthew Izatt announced on the Gmail blog.
Version 1.0.2 includes pinch to zoom for HTML messages, but little else has changed and it still only supports one email account.
Google slams states over tight grip on data
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Google has criticised state and territory government agencies on Australia’s east coast over their reluctance to make public data available for use in the web giant’s tools.
only the Western Australian, South Australia and Northern Territory had tipped data into the Google Transit service.
He said Google Transit was available in 500 cities around the world.
“We provide this for free. No Government funds are required to get this information published on Google maps, yet you would be surprised how difficult it is to get this information, from various transit departments around Australia,” Noble said.
“You would think this is a no-brainer: encouraging people to take trains, buses and ferries – why wouldn’t you do this?”
Noble said that Google had been in negotiations to get data on Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra for “years”.
He alleged that monetisation and liability concerns seemed to be the main sticking points for the government agencies withholding their data.
“There are certain agencies that take the view that if we don’t publish the information, by definition they are not liable for any action,” he said.
Noble urged Government agencies to consider three rules:
- The best time to get public information out is ASAP. “We have a preference for raw data not necessarily highly curated data”.
- Only withhold it if there’s a clear imperative to withhold such as privacy or security reasons. The bias should be to not withhold; and
- Wherever possible make data available free of charge.
Google launches music store in battle with Apple iTunes
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Starting today, Google Music is open in the US at market.android.com, and over the next few days, we will roll out the music store to Android Market on devices running Android 2.2 and above,
The Music Beta service offered cloud storage of a personal music service of up to 20,000 tracks. The new service in contrast offered more than 13 million tracks for sale from artists with various recording groups.
A Google Australia spokeswoman said there was no timetable for making Google Music available to local users.
Japanese firm unveils iPhone Geiger counter in wake of the March Fukushima nuclear accident
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The probe, 14 centimetres long by five centimetres wide, connects to the iPhone and the screen displays radiation readings in combination with a special app such as the Geiger Bot.
Japan has been on alert for the impact of radiation since the devastating tsunami crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Radiation hotspots have been discovered in various regions, some of which were unrelated to the nuclear disaster.
The first models for iPhones will go on sale in the next few days priced at 9,800 yen ($US127).
Facebook: Attack identified, most spammed porn removed
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Facebook says a hack that exploited some Web browsers was responsible for a flood of porn, violent images and other graphic content that spread across the site over the past couple of days.
“I saw a dead dog, Justin Bieber [performing a sex act] and a naked grandma,” said another. “Time to delete facebook.”
Facebook’s Wolens said that users were tricked into pasting malicious script into their browser URL bars, causing them to unknowingly share the offensive content.
Spokesman Frederic Wolens said Facebook’s security team had been working to identify the cause of the spam and that, by Tuesday afternoon, “we have eliminated most of the spam caused by this attack.”
Can’t bear your snoring? Hit the flipping paws button
Video
Researchers from Waseda University have invented a robotic bear that flips people’s heads in their sleep to open their airways.
The bear – known as “Jukusui-kun”, mean- is used as a pillow and has a built-in microphone.
As soon as Jukusui-kun detects a loud snore, his paw reaches up (gently, at least in the brief video demo on display), and pushes the sleeper’s head to one side.
Want a brand new iPod nano for free?
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iPod nanos were sold between September 2005 and December 2006
If you still have one, then Apple wants to give you a new one. For free.
CHEW THE COCK
Enormous sculpture set for Kerry Packer’s grave?
The UK newspaper reports the nine-metre tall sculpture by artist Nic Fiddian-Green has been bought by a collector of his work, and that the final part of its journey, once it arrives in Australia on 27 December, will be to “the family’s idyllic estate”.
The evidence points to the buyer being Packer’s widow, Roslyn. She is well known for her love of art,
Please explain? Pauline Hanson wants to be a shock jock
Celebrity Apprentice – and having already had a go atDancing with the Stars, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and This is Your Life (and let’s not forget she’s even done time inside, for a conviction – which was later overturned – of electoral fraud) – Hanson now has her sights set on talkback radio.
(in 2006, she was named by The Bulletin as one of the 100 most influential Australians of all time
Now she wants to “voice the real concerns of ordinary Australians”. She said: “I think people have a right to know what’s going on and especially with our politics. People want an honest opinion, an informed opinion.”
Rebel with a cause: Turnbull sells off Q&A jacket
The jacket initially won fame when Turnbull appeared on Q&A last year,
With two days of bidding to go the jacket’s price has risen to $1300, after initially going under the hammer at $1000 (with free postage and handling). Sold $1800
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&;item=170724598978#ht_500wt_1156
Fans of politicians in leather needn’t worry about the sale, Turnbull has made it clear he’s purchased a new slim-fit model.
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