iLounge

Apple has updated the Apple Store iPhone app adding new account management editing and billing options and the ability for U.S. customers to purchase an iPhone with a plan from any of the three U.S. carriers. The latest version is now also available in the Netherlands along with Apple’s in-store EasyPay feature—the first release of this feature to Apple Stores outside of the U.S.

Originally launched in 2010, the Apple Store app allows iPhone users to research and purchase products from the online Apple Store or reserve products at any U.S. Apple Store for local pickup. The app also provides features for requesting help and making Genius Bar and One to One reservations at an Apple Store. Users in the U.S.—and now the Netherlands—can also take advantage of EasyPay, a feature introduced last fall that allows purchases to be made in an Apple Retail Store with an iPhone 4/4S by scanning the barcode with the camera and completing the transaction directly within the app. Apple Store 2.1 requires iOS 4.3.3 or later and is available from the App Store as a free download.

MLB.com has relaunched its MLB.com at Bat iOS app for the 2012 season as a single free universal app for both the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad, implementing in-app subscriptions for paid features. In prior seasons, MLB provided separate apps for the iPhone/iPod touch and the iPad, sold individually for $15 each, requiring fans to either choose to use the app on a single platform or purchase both individually. The 2012 version of the app is now packaged into a single universal app available as a free download; rather than requiring payment up front for the app users can instead sign up for an At Bat 12 subscription via in-app purchase or simply log in to their MLB.com account to use their existing MLB.TV Premium subscription.

The At Bat 12 subscription is priced at $15 for the entire season or $3 per month and provides live game day audio with no blackouts for any home or away broadcast, pitch tracking, league stats and in-game highlights. Subscribers can also watch a live stream of the selected Game of the Day and access Live Lookins on other games in progress. MLB.TV Premium subscribers can also view live and on-demand video of any out-of-market game simply by logging into their MLB.com account, although the usual blackout restrictions apply; MLB.TV Basic subscribers must still purchase an At Bat 12 subscription separately, however. The MLB.com At Bat app can also be used without a subscription to track up to the minute scores, and access news, game schedules, team rosters, venue information and tickets and promotions. MLB.com At Bat requires an iPhone 3GS/4/4S, third- or fourth-generation iPod touch or iPad running iOS 4.2 or later and is available from the App Store as a free download.

Popular online photo service SmugMug has released Camera Awesome a free advanced camera app for the iPhone. Designed to provide fast shooting and sharper, better-exposed pictures, the app provides unique features such as composition presets, the ability to select independent auto-focus and auto-exposure areas and a level for the horizon. A single-tap “Awesomize” feature provides quick and easy photo enhancement and users can choose from a set of professionally designed special effects, textures, filters and frames from renowned photographer Kevin Kubota. A prerecording feature for video also automatically captures and saves the five seconds prior to beginning recording. Photos and videos can be shared to Facebook, YouTube, SmugMug and Flickr either manually with a single tap or automatically as they’re taken and saved. Camera Awesome requires iOS 4.3 or later and is available from the App Store as a free download.

Apple and Google have been sued by Florida-based PanoMap over the iOS’ implementation of Google Maps’ Street View feature. PaidContent reports that the complaint, filed in federal court in Orlando, claims that implementation violates a PanoMap patent related to an “Interactive system for displaying detailed view and direction in panoramic images”. The suit seeks damages with interest from both parties, as well as attorney fees and costs.

From the patent abstract: “A method and system for indicating the camera position, direction, and field of view in a map or panoramic image comprises a map image window which displays a map or panoramic image of the site to be studied (house, apartment, city, etc.). A detailed view window displays a portion of the map image, taken from a point in the site. A highlighted sector in the map image represents the viewing position, direction, and field of view that the detailed view window displays. When the user changes the field of view in the detailed view window, the highlighted sector in the map image changes in synchronism. The resulting interactive windows allow a person to easily and quickly view and understand the field of view, position, and direction of the image being displayed in the detail view window.” [via TUAW]

Last night during the Oscars, Apple aired its latest TV advertisement for the iPhone 4S. Entitled “iCloud Harmony”, the 30-second spot focuses on how iCloud can automatically sync purchased music, photos, apps, contacts and documents across a user’s devices, including the iPad and the Mac, before finishing with the slogan “Automatic. Everywhere. iCloud.” and the iPhone 4S logo. The commercial is available for viewing on YouTube via the above link or in embedded form below.

Apple is now selling the Brazilian-made 8GB iPhone 4 through its online store in the country. Mac Rumors points to a post by Meio Bit (Translated Link) confirming the news via a photo of the information listed on the back of the box. The new Made in Brazil units carry the model numbers MD128BR/A and MD198BR/A for the black and white iPhone 4, respectively; no evidence of Brazilian-made iPhone 4S units has yet surfaced. The report notes that despite the relocation of manufacturing, pricing for the iPhone 4 remains the same.

Reporting its fourth quarter 2011 earnings, T-Mobile USA blamed its large postpaid customer losses on the launch of the iPhone 4S. The carrer saw a contract customer loss of 706,000 during the period, a higher number of losses than was seen in the prior quarter and nearly double the total from the year-ago quarter. “Branded contract losses improved through the third quarter of 2011, however the launch of the iPhone 4S reversed this trend to a branded contract customer loss of 706,000 in the fourth quarter of 2011”, the announcement states. “The sequential and year-on-year increase in customer losses is a result of intense competitive pressure from the launch of the iPhone 4S by three nationwide competitors in the fourth quarter of 2011… Sequentially, the decline in branded net contract customers was driven primarily by higher branded contract deactivations as a result of the launch of the iPhone 4S by three nationwide competitors in mid-October”. T-Mobile saw its proposed sale to AT&T terminated late last year.

Following up on the original Nike+ product line—notably including the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, sneakers, and compatible heart rate monitors—Nike today announced two new Nike+ products, which will leverage upgraded footwear and iOS applications to provide more sophisticated workout tracking experiences. Nike+ Basketball will deliver information and measurements on how high, how hard and how quickly players play each game, in turn providing additional motivation and feedback. Nike+ Training is focused on making users’ daily workout experiences more enjoyable by combining gaming and high-intensity fitness activities.

Unlike the original Nike+ Sensor, which could be slipped into any Nike+ sneaker—or attached in a pouch to non-Nike sneakers—these new Nike+ models require a new Nike+ Pressure Sensor technology found in upcoming Nike+ enabled shoes. The new shoes will collect information about users’ movements, send the information wirelessly to iOS devices, and allow apps to translate the data into information about the user’s workout or game. Nike plans to debut the first Nike+ Pressure Sensor shoes on June 29, 2012; details on the applications themselves are not yet available, and it is unclear whether Nike will be working with Apple to update the Nike+ app built into iOS, or will release one or more standalone Nike+ applications.

Twitter has released an update to its official iOS application adding some new features and UI improvements for the iPhone and iPod touch. Twitter 4.1 brings back several previously available features that were omitted from the major 4.0 redesign released in December including the ability to choose a custom font size, copy and paste the text of Tweets and user profiles, mark all Direct Messages as read and swipe on an individual Tweet to access a list of quick options. With the swipe gesture users can quickly reply to, retweet, favourite, share, or view the user’s profile without leaving the main timeline. The update also adds a notification to the “Find Friends” feature to advise users that the app will access and upload contact e-mail addresses and phone numbers from the iOS address book and quick options for sharing, copying or e-mailing individual links within Tweets. Additional changes include improved image quality in Tweet details, performance improvements, accessibility improvements, TUrkish language support and numerous bug fixes. Twitter 4.1 is available from the App Store as a free download.

China Telecom has announced that it has reached a deal with Apple to offer the iPhone 4S and will begin to do so on March 9. Reuters reports that the move comes as Apple has lost smartphone market share in China the last two quarters, and most recently was overtaken in marketshare by ZTE. China Telecom plans to open pre-orders on March 2; rival carrier China Unicom was previously the only iPhone carrier in the country, as market leader China Mobile’s current-generation technology is incompatible with any existing iPhone model.

Bump Technologies has released Bump 3.0, a major overhaul of its popular inter-device sharing app for the iOS and Android platforms. Designed to simplify sharing of common information between mobile users, Bump allows iOS and Android device users to share information such as contacts and photos with each other simply by bumping the two devices together. With Bump 3.0, the company has undertaken a major redesign of the application and platform with the goal of making in-person device-to-device interactions faster, simpler and more powerful. The new version is now tightly focused on sharing contact information in social settings and sharing of photos with close friends and family, with many of the less-used information types such as calendar appointments, music and apps having been removed from the app to make it simpler, faster and more intuitive.

Bump 3.0 introduces a completely redesigned navigation system, replacing the old iOS home screen styled layout with a simplified swipe-able layer that allows users to quickly switch between different functions while remaining ready to bump with no additional activation steps required. The new version also emphasizes the mutual friend discovery feature introduced in version 2.0 by automatically showing a list of all mutual friends in address books and on social networks each time a user bumps with someone new, helping to highlight previously unknown social connections. Bump 3.0 is available from the App Store as a free download.

A claimed “pre-GM” seed of iOS 5.1 has been obtained by Brazilian enthusiast site Blog do iPhone, and reportedly offers a new form of lock screen camera access. According to the report (Translated Link), the new Camera access control sits on the lock screen permanently, and provides instant access to the camera by simply sliding the icon upward. Currently, users must double-tap the Home button, tap the camera button, and then wait for the Camera application to load. In addition, the report claims that Japanese is now listed in Siri’s Settings as an officially supported language; an expected addition, considering the virtual assistant has recently been listing Japanese when answering inquiries into her language support. [via Mac Rumors]

Apple this morning announced OS X Mountain Lion, the next release of its desktop operating system for its Mac computers. Among the new features debuted by Apple this morning—many of which were based on existing iOS apps, including Notes, Reminders, and Game Center—is AirPlay Mirroring. As the name suggests, the feature will allow users to mirror their Mac’s screen on a HDTV using an Apple TV, making it easy for users to share web pages, videos, lessons, and presentations with others. In addition, the company announced a beta version of Messages for OS X. This iChat replacement mimics the Messages app on iOS, allowing users to send iMessages across both iOS and Mac devices. The app also integrates support for AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk, and Jabber accounts, as well as FaceTime, removing the need for a separate, standalone app. The beta version of Messages is available now as a free download for users of OS X Lion 10.7.3 or later; OS X Mountain Lion is currently available in preview form to registered Mac developers and is slated to ship in late summer.

Realmac Software has released Clear, a new list-keeping app designed to be fast and simple to use. Aimed at delivering a “next-generation take on lists,” Clear provides an appealing, gesture-rich user interface that allows users to quickly and easily manage lists of tasks and other items, relying almost entirely on multitouch gestures rather than traditional buttons and menus. Clear can be used for a variety of list-based applications, providing support for multiple lists and the ability to easily mark items as completed, however the app emphasizes a focus on simplicity, omitting more sophisticated task management features such as due dates, reminders or any kind of online or desktop synchronization. Clear requires iOS 5.0 or later and is available from the App Store for an introductory price of $1.

Siri has leaked her own forthcoming Japanese language support, according to a new report. Citing several “tipsters”, 9to5Mac reports that what asked “What languages do you speak?”, Siri will now say she speaks French, English, Japanese, and German, with Japanese being a new addition to the list. As noted in the report, support for Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Italian, and Spanish was promised for Siri in 2012; recent reports have suggested that Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Russian support would be announced soon. Apple has yet to officially announce Siri’s Japanese language support.

Google has released an update to Google+ for the iPhone and iPod touch adding support for Instant Upload. First introduced with Google+ for Android, Instant Upload allows users to enable automatic uploading of new photos and videos from their camera roll to a private Google+ album from which they can be viewed and shared. Users will be prompted to enable Instant Upload when first starting the app, and can choose to enable transfers exclusively over Wi-Fi or over either a Wi-Fi or 3G connection; per standard iOS background app limitations, Google+ will only upload photos and videos when the Google+ app is open and continue for a brief time after the app is closed.

The latest version of Google+ for iOS also adds a few other small enhancements including the ability to see who +1’ed a post, access to the What’s Hot stream and the ability to shake the iPhone to bring up a Send Feedback page. The “Incoming” stream has also now been removed from the app, in line with Google’s overall removal of this feature from the Google+ service last month. Google+ requires iOS 4.0 and is available from the App Store as a free download.

Apple has been sued by a small Swiss-based company over wireless interaction between the iPhone and the Apple TV. According to an AppleInsider report, a company named SmartData filed suit against Apple in the Northern District Court of California, alleging that Apple infringed on a patent related to “wireless computing technology” called Zukero. The report claims that SmartData’s patent for a “modular computer” describes a wireless system consisting of a “pocket sized” unit to store data and run programs, a second data input device with wireless connectivity that serves as an interface, and a third element that is a television screen.

Specifically, the suit claims infringement when the iPhone and Apple TV are used together via Apple’s Remote app; it also says that Apple willfully infringed on the patent, as SmartData contacted Apple regarding the patent in July 2004, and reportedly negotiated a potential licensing agreement until mid-2006, at which point Apple allegedly ceased communication with the company. SmartData is seeking damages, a permanent ban on the infringing products, and a trial; the company does not make any devices itself, and is currently shopping around its Zukero patent, according to the report.

AT&T has doubled its upgrade fee from $18 to $36. In a statement to Engadget, the company confirmed the increase, stating, “Wireless devices today are more sophisticated than ever before. And because of that, the costs associated with upgrading to a new device have increased and is reflected in our new upgrade fee. This fee isn’t unique to AT&T and this is the first time we’re changing it in nearly 10 years.”

Apple has filed a new lawsuit against Motorola Mobility in an attempt to prevent further litigation. Florian Mueller of FOSS patents reports that the suit, filed in the Southern District of California—close to where Qualcomm is based—claims that Apple, by way of the iPhone 4S’ use of a Qualcomm chip and an existing Motorola-Qualcomm patent licensing agreement, has every right to use Motorola’s patents in the handset. Should that prove true, Motorola may be guilty of breach of contract, which could result in damages awarded to Apple. In any case, a win by Apple is likely to derail any other lawsuits filed by Motorola against Apple over the iPhone 4S, both in the U.S. and internationally.

Apple has started to air two new TV advertisements for the iPhone 4S. Like prior commercials for the 4S, the new spots, entitled “Rock God” and “Road Trip”, spotlight the device’s Siri voice-activated virtual assistant. The former shows a teen using Siri to find a guitar, songs to learn, keep a list of possible band names, and schedule band meetings, all before asking the phone to call him by the titular nickname. In the latter, a couple uses Siri to plan a Road Trip from NYC to Santa Cruz, CA, find places to eat, find directions, ask questions about roadside attractions, find gas stations, and ultimately remind them to take such a trip again. Both ads are available for viewing on Apple’s website via the above links or in embedded form below.