Category Archives: iOS (all)
Backblaze Mobile for iPhone provides on-the-go access to file backups
Backblaze, the online backup company that has made TUAW headlines with its innovative open-source 180 TB Storage Pods and drop-dead simple Mac backups, today announced a way to get mobile access to your backed-up data. Backblaze Mobile for iPhone (free) works for any current or future Backblaze customers running an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 5.1 or later.
After logging into a Backblaze account with user credentials, users are presented with stats for each computer backed up on the service including the number and size of files stored and when the last backup was performed. There’s a browser for going through backups to look for specific files, and any file can be downloaded to the iOS device to be used or shared with others.
Apple expands iOS Maps’ 3D Flyover coverage in California, including Disneyland
Apple is continuing to roll out increased Maps 3D Flyover coverage. The latest update was first spotted by AppleInsider and appears to include large parts of California. Specifically, the latest update includes the cities of San Bernardino, Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Moreno Valley and more.
This update covers Anaheim as well, so users can now view a 3D Flyover of Disneyland in Apple Maps. It seems like Apple is continuing to roll out aggressive server-side updates to Apple Maps. Only a little more than two weeks ago Apple added 3D Flyover coverage in Paris.
Smule users record 1 billion songs
Smule may be only 5 years old, but the California development firm started in part by Jeff Smith and Stanford Assistant Professor Dr. Ge Wang has had an amazing impact on the world. The company shared some stats with Evolver.fm that are incredible — Smule’s apps have been downloaded over 100 million times, are used by 15 million people a month and that audience has recorded over 1 billion songs.
Sure, those songs may be amateur auto-tuned, auto-rapped or karaoke trash, but the statistics — and Smule’s bottom line — prove that the company is on to something. While such venerable music gaming titles as Rock Band and Guitar Hero have seen better days, Smule’s apps are all about actually making music, and that seems to make a difference to app consumers.
Verizon Cloud comes to iOS devices
Following up on an announcement made at the end of April, Verizon has begun rolling out its Verizon Cloud storage solution to iOS devices today. Verizon Cloud offers Verizon users a free 500 MB of cloud storage to backup their photos, videos, contacts, music, call logs and text messages. Users who want more storage can buy it at a monthly fee of US$2.99/month for 25 GB, $5.99/month for 75 GB, and $9.99/month for 125 GB.
The Verizon Cloud service lets users stream music and sync data between devices, including photos, videos and documents. Users can also access their files via the web and desktop applications. On the iPhone users can manage their Verizon Cloud account through the free Verizon Cloud app.
Daily iPad App: Frozen Synapse simulates some very impressive turn-based strategy
Frozen Synapse has been a successful title on Steam for a while now — it’s a turn-based strategy game, with the twist being that you’re a sort of tactical AI, running these battles on simulations and hardware rather than in real life. As a result, the big draw of Frozen Synapse is that while, like many other tactical strategy games, you are guiding a series of soldiers around turn by turn, these turns are actually simulated, and you can test them out and repeat them as many times as you like before playing out the “prime” sequence, and running the real thing.
