SoundShare for iPhone is a social networking service that focuses on sharing your music with others as well as discovering new music based on what your followers are listening to. It does for music what Instagram already does for photos and a little more than current music sharing services already offer.

SoundShare will currently integrate into your built-in iPod app and will share what you're listening to with your SoundShare followers. There's already support for services such as Spotify and Pandora built-in so as soon as developers start taking advantage of those you'll be able to share from a lot of services other than just the music you have in your iPod app.

If you'd like to share what you're listening to with your Twitter followers and Facebook friends you can link up both services but unlike Spotify, you aren't forced to share your listening history with either network. You can also toggle on a privacy setting in Settings that will require followers to be approved by you before they can see your music history and share with you.

From the main screen of SoundShare you'll see a list of songs you've listened to and a few statistics about yourself. SoundShare makes it easy to like, share, preview, and comment on music right from your main screen. Swipe to the right on any song title to bring up an options menu. You can also view what songs are popular under the Trending tab.

The best part of SoundShare is the ability to preview songs that others are listening to natively in the app. You'll see any comments or likes that your friends have left as well. If you like what you here you can jump right to that exact song in the iTunes store to purchase it. It will just get better once services like Spotify and Pandora start filtering into the app.

The good

• Great interface that's easy to use and learn your way around
• Privacy settings make it easier to control who sees what you're listening to which is something services like Spotify don't offer
• Native previews make it easy to check out songs that your friends are commenting on or liking with a single tap

The bad

• Since it's a private network your friends will need to have a SoundShare account. This may limit the social aspect until the app gets more publicity
• If you heavily rely on Spotify or Pandora, SoundShare can't (yet) filter your content in until those services jump on board

The conclusion

SoundShare definitely has the potential to become a great social network focused strictly around music. While Spotify and Pandora allow you to explore new music and create playlists off music you already like, neither gives you the opportunity to heavily network with the people that matter the most to you. With SoundShare you can choose who to follow and since it's based on the music you already own and love, you'll have a better idea of what users have simliar tastes in music.

The only current issue many users will run into is the lack of friends and family members to follow and share with. You'll either need to recommend the app to them or find others that are already using it. If the service gets the hype it deserves hopefully that'll change in the very near future.

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Although iOS 6 is still in the beta stages for developers, many folks have noticed that podcasts are no longer accessible in from with the built-in iTunes app. This has led to rumors and speculation that Apple might introduce a new, dedicated Podcast app of their own.

There are still ways to access the podcasts section of the iTunes Store through the Music app in iOS 6, but only a banner shows at the top, with no actual podcasts available to choose from. While this could be a beta issue, according to All Things D , a dedicated Podcast app is more likely.

People familiar with Apple's plans tell me that when its new iOS 6 software becomes widely available this fall, podcasts will have their own app, where users will be able to discover, download and play them on mobile devices. Users who access iTunes via laptop and desktop machines will still find them in that version of iTunes, though.

We've seen that happen before -- last January when Apple took iTunes U out of iTunes and gave it a dedicated app. Now, assuming the information is correct, we'll see it happen with Podcasts as well by the time iOS 6 hits the masses.

iMore hasn't heard anything specifically about a Podcast app, but we have heard through the grapevine that Apple has put stuff in place in iOS 6 that would certainly make a Podcast app more effective. Basically, that Newsstand-type automatic content downloads will be expanded to more types of media.

Imagine for a second, iTunes had a method of knowing your battery life level, connection speed, and other factors, and when new podcasts were available to download, it would automatically weigh all those factors and simply handle it in the background. they will do so in the background when possible so that new stuff is always available when you need it.

And if surfaced as part of an API or service, Podcast apps in the App Store which offer additional features or different user interface concepts, as well as other content distribution apps could certainly benefit.

Source: All Things D

An Apple patent recently published by the US Trademark and Patent Office shows a removable back that may contain interchangeable optics for the camera. It's unclear whether this patent would apply to either an iPhone, iPod touch, or different device yet to be released but it's a strong deviation from Apple's current strategy.

This particular patent suggests allowing more options for optics including better zoom capabilities, better shutter control, removable close-up lenses and IR cut-off filters, the addition of motion sensors, flashes, and more.

While the iPhone 4S already has a great camera, many accessory manufacturers have taken advantage of that and introduced add-on hardware such as the Olloclip. It's probably only a matter of time before Apple will choose to take advantage of the huge market for camera add-ons as well and their solution may be removable optics:

A portable electronic device includes a digital imaging subsystem with a lens having an optical axis. A case encloses and supports the digital imaging subsystem in a first defined positional relationship to the case. A removable panel is coupled to the case and held in a second defined positional relationship to the case that covers the digital imaging subsystem without the removable panel being directly connected to the digital imaging subsystem. An optical component is supported by the removable panel such that the optical component is aligned with the optical axis and alters optical characteristics of the digital imaging subsystem. The device may include a power supply and an electronic control system coupled to the digital imaging subsystem and the power supply enclosed in and supported by the case. Electrical connectors may couple the power supply and the electronic control system to an electrical component on the removable panel.

There's only so much you can squeeze into a singular camera in a smartphone before you quickly hit limitations for low light, motion blur, and other issues that arise without the use of lenses that are tailored to handle those kinds of situations. Buying optic add-ons could be a solution and potentially a huge market for Apple.

Anyone think this is anything Apple would ever implement in the iPhone?

Source: Patently Apple

Before Apple unveiled the new iOS 6 Maps app at WWDC 2012, I wrote a post trying to help offset the hype and hopefully better set expectations. It seemed unlikely Apple could simply swap out Google maps data, add new features, and still keep all the original ones intact.

That's proven to be true. TomTom has replaced Google as Apple's primary map provider, but that means Google's Street View is gone. They've added free turn-by-turn navigation and put it in Street View's place, perhaps to distract people who might otherwise be frustrated by the omission.

But what about directions? That's been the source of some initial confusion, and a lot of debate. Driving and walking directions are still there, if less obviously placed behind a 90 degree turn button. Tap either tabs and you get exactly what you'd expect. Hit the public transit tab, however, and you get a list of apps that can supply that information.

No, I didn't type that incorrectly. In the iOS 6 beta there's no built-in transit directions.

Apple's view, elaborated on by SVP of iOS, Scott Forstall during the Keynote, is that developers have done such a tremendous job with public transit directions that Apple would rather hand off to them and not reinvent the data wheel.

That's great for developers but the opposite of great for users.

It's great for developers because Maps-compatible apps can be sold right from within the Apple Maps app (similar to how games can be sold right from within Game Center. That means more timely exposure for the developers -- users see the app when they need it and are more likely to buy it.

It's not so great for users because, instead of being presented with the timely data they need, they're presented with choices to make and steps to follow to eventually get to the data they need.

In an ideal iOS 6 Maps implementation, Apple would do what they usually do -- provide baseline functionality and let developers handle more advanced, more detailed, more niche requirements. iOS 6 Maps would include the same basic transit information as iOS 5 Maps did, and then offer additional content via the in-Maps App Store.

Apple usually places the needs of users ahead of the needs of developers, so this may simply be a case of Apple not being able to provide good enough transit data for numerous enough locations, forcing the absolute hand-off to apps. They could also still be working on it and have it ready for a future beta or in the Gold Master.

Otherwise the abdication of responsibility in an app as important as Maps is tough to understand, and is something Apple should consider re-visiting during the beta cycle, or in a future point revision like iOS 6.1.

Otherwise, if Google does indeed release a proper, Android-style Google Maps app in the App Store, it could prove to be a powerful alternative for those who want and need transit (and Street View) built-in.

Update: We received some screenshots highlighting the difference.

Time Inc. has yet to offer digital subscription services through Newsstand due to issues with Apple's terms. Time's new CEO, Laura Lang, said getting their content to iPhone and iPad users would be one of her top priorities.

Even though Time was one of the first in the industry to offer their content in a digital format, they had always treaded lightly around Apple due to the restrictions that come with the App Store and Newsstand. Up until recently Time had not offered an online subscription through Newsstand but single issue purchases through the App Store app. Eddy Cue, senior vice president for Internet software and services at Apple, says most of Newsstand's 5 million subscribers purchase subscriptions as opposed to individual issues.

This deal comes after Jeffrey L. Bewkes, chief executive of Time Warner, made a statement back in November concerning Apple's terms on digital content.

"The only deal we have not done is with Apple, and to cede to their demands to sell digital subscriptions," ... "They want you to be subscribing to them, and the last time we looked they weren't making the magazines,"

Apple will continue to face pressure from competitors such as Amazon who also offers digital subscription services to Kindle users. Subscribers to Amazon's services who own an iPad can also access that data on an iPad or iPhone via the Kindle app which gives them the flexibility to choose what service they'd like to utilize.

When Lang took the job at Time she said that striking a deal with Apple would be one of her top priorities.

"For a magazine or brand like People or Time, a tablet will become an increasingly important part of the experience," Ms. Lang said. "Our goal is to offer content where our consumers want to read it."

While financial data or terms of the agreement weren't discussed, Apple has stated that they are treating Time Inc. no different than they would any other content provider, large or small.

The iPad is steadily becoming a preferred way to view and access content for millions of users. Time's new deal with Apple will bring many of their most popular titles to Newsstand including People, Sports Illustrated, InStyle, and Entertainment Weekly.

Source: New York Times

A few features introduced in iOS 6 won't be finding their way to older Apple devices, but some devs playing around with the beta release managed to get the new 3D maps working on the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. Of course, this was made possible by the recent jailbreak, so 3D maps won't necessarily be made available on the older iPhones, but at least we know they're technically able. That said, both of them should be able to handle something simple like turn-by-turn directions, but that's another big feature that older iPhone owners won't be able to enjoy just yet. These davs haven't been able to get turn-by-turn navigation running on the iPhone 4 or 3GS yet, but at this rate, they may get there soon.

Here's a video of the hack in action. 3GS and iPhone 4 owners - how jilted do you feel about having some features held back? Will it tempt you to jailbreak?

Source: iguides via SlashGear

From live blog to stream to iTunes download to YouTube in 5 days flat.

That's right, Apple has now made the WWDC 2012 Keynote, including Tim Cook's bookends, Phil Schiller's Retina MacBook Pro, Craig Federighi's OS X Mountain Lion, and Scott Forstall's iOS 6 presentations, available in handy YouTube format.

Watch it -- or re-watch it! -- above.

Information Solutions Group recently published some research in conjunction with PopCap about mobile gaming across smartphones and tablets. The survey data was pulled from 1,004 gamers across the UK and U.S., from an initial sample size of 2,301. There were a lot of interesting takeaways, including that 25% had spent cash in 2011 on game content (like extra levels) and 14% on in-game currency. Despite a lot of purists seeing those kinds of microtransactions as the bane of traditional gaming standards, that rate relative to straight-up game purchases is pretty high. Here are a few other conclusions ISG reached.

• Over the past year the population of mobile gamers in the US and UK who have played a game in the past month increased 29%.
• In the US the number of individuals who have played a mobile game in the past month increased 45% over the past year.
• The average age of a mobile gamer is 39.5 years.
• Those who limit their mobile game play to a tablet are older with an average age of 44.7 years.
• 36% of mobile game players own a tablet.
• One-third use a tablet for at least some of their mobile game play, while two-thirds limit their mobile game play to a phone.
• Tablets are more popular among those new to mobile gaming.
• Mobile game play is shifting away from the phone towards the tablet, with 40% of those playing on both a phone and a tablet, indicating their game play on their phone has declined.
• The number of new mobile gamers (playing for less than one year) has steadily increased since 2009 from 22% to 44%.
• The frequency of mobile game play continues to increase each year, with 96% playing mobile games weekly compared to 84% in 2011.
• The percentage playing daily also increased from 35% in 2011 to 45% over the past year.
• The availability of more free games continues to be the driving force behind increased mobile game play, followed by the acquisition of a phone with better game play capabilities.
• Social game play on a mobile device declined slightly over the past year.
• Half (51%) of mobile gamers have spent real money to purchase a mobile game, game currency and/or game content in the past year, with upgrading from a free game trial or game app to a paid version being the most common purchase.
• More than one-third (37%) will spend more than $10 this year and next, and almost 20% plan to spend more than $50.

While I'm not a huge fan of the whole "premium currency" model that seems to be plastered on just about every game out there, it's hard to argue with if it enables developers to offer their titles for free without severely restricting gameplay. I don't mind not being able to get fancy vanity items or that other players can blast through a game if they're willing to drop a few bucks - so long as it doesn't impact my experience, that's totally fine. It's interesting to see the average age of mobile gamers is so high. Maybe I just make the brash assumption that young punks like me are the only ones playing video games, but devices like the iPhone and iPad have  certainly made a wide variety of digital experiences accessible to older generations, including video games.

Do these figures line up with your gaming habits? How much do you spend on average on mobile games in a month?

WWDC 2012 dissected by design, The impact of Retina MacBooks and the design decisions in iOS 6. With Seth Clifford from Nickelfish, Marc Edwards from Bjango, Brad Ellis from Pacific Helm, Rene Ritchie from iMore.com and Dave Wiskus from Black Pixel. (Apologies for audio issues -- this was guerrilla podcasting!)

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Hosts

• Seth Clifford (@sethclifford) of Nickelfish
• Marc Edwards (@marcedwards) of Bjango
• Brad Ellis (@bradellis) of Pacific Helm
• Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) of iMore.com
• Dave Wiskus (@dwiskus) of Black Pixel

Feedback

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If you're one of the best-of-the-best-of-the-best in mobile design for Android, BlackBerry, iOS, webOS, or Windows Phone, we'd love to get you on the show, or if you've found a drop-dead gorgeous app on any platform and really want us to talk about it, contact us and let us know.

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IDC has revised their forecast for the worldwide tablet market, suggesting that iOS will lead the way with 62.5% share, which is up from 58.2%. Meanwhile, IDC expects Android tablets to dip from 38.7% to 36.5%, while RIM's PlayBook will drop from 1.7% to 1%. Global shipments are projected to reach 107.4 million units this year, 137.4 million in 2013, and 22.1 million by 2016. IDC's Tom Mainelli commented on the progress of the iPad.

After a very strong launch of new products in March, Apple's iPad shows few signs of slowing down. The addition of the Retina Display and 4G capabilities to the third-generation products clearly enticed many current owners to upgrade. And Apple's decision to keep two iPad 2s in the market at lower prices—moving the entry-level price down to $399 seems to be paying off as well. If Apple launches a sub-$300, 7-inch product into the market later this year as rumored, we expect the company's grip on this market to become even stronger.

Of course, one always has to take analyst projections with a grain of salt, especially when they're reaching years in advance, but the forecast for this year seems safe enough. It's definitely easy to imagine Apple gaining ground on the likes of the Amazon Kindle if they can pump out an affordable, smaller iPad to compete head-to-head. There are a lot of good reasons that could get Apple to make a 7-inch tablet.

How well do you guys think Android will compete for the rest of the year? Is it a give that the new iPad will be able to hold its own until the next iPad starts peeping out its head? Does Apple really need to drop down to the 7-inch class to stay competitive?

Source: IDC

A Chicago judge was ready to throw out Apple and Motorola's patent complaints against one another, but upon deliberation, he has decided to provide a hearing for both parties on June 20. Judge Posner warned that both should be willing to accept the possibility that they may just get royalties rather than sales bans. Judge Posner also told Motorola that "it should be prepared to address the bearing of FRAND on the injunction analysis", which basically means that Motorola will have a hard time imposing an injunction based on 3G-essential patents, since the ITC would rather those patents be licensed on a fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory basis.

It sounds like the court is already short on patience, so both sides will have to be careful about being overly-technical or fickle about their complaints. At best, I think either side might see a few royalties, but it seems a lot more likely that a few patent infringements will be found on either side, and everything will eventually boil down to some kind of cross-licensing deal. Or the judge will just throw the case out again altogether. Anyone placing bets?

[scribd id=97126902 key=key-28rwj3sd8ps7qgweipv4 mode=list]

Source: FOSS Patents

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