Google Now Collects Football Scores, More Travel Information

Google Now, the real-time search engine and personal assistant application included with recent versions of Android is getting even more features.

Announced yesterday on the official Google Android Blog, following an update, Android users will be able to use Google Now to monitor the latest football scores should they be on the run instead of on the couch watching their favorite NCAA college football teams face each other on the field.

Google is also adding new cards designed to help users who travel frequently or who live in an area where long commutes are an everyday occurrence. With this update, Google Now will automatically collect user’s car rental passes using the new Car Rentals card. Users can also expect large improvements to the public transit cards that allow to track most forms of public transportation.

The new Car Rentals card in Google Now.

According to Google, the upgraded public transit cards will now notify users when they are about to miss the last train or bus. Google is also adding a card that will allow users to automatically share information about their expected commute with friends and family.

Google Now will allow users to set reminders for music artists, television shows and more when they search. From that point on the application will automatically inform the user of any new episodes or album releases that surface as part of that search term.

Finally, Google has tweaked the TV card so that users can find out more information about the songs in their favorite television shows, and even get up-to-the-minute information about the news being discussed on-air.

The updated Google Now began rolling out to users with Android 4.1, Android 4.2 and Android 4.3 as an update through the Google Play Store yesterday.

Since introducing Google Now in Android 4.1, Google has consistently updated the service with more features. That fast pace and growing feature set have helped define what it means to use a real-time personal assistant that collects only passive information. As Google Now gathers its information from the user’s Gmail account and GPS location, the barrier to entry is much lower than rival services like voice-activated Siri.

Google Now is also available for iPhone users, however Google didn’t announce any imminent plans to bring these new features to iOS users.

OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 6 Release Arrives

While most Mac users are waiting for the OS X Mavericks release date to arrive this fall, Apple pushed out an update for developers late Wednesday that bumps up to Developer Preview 6.

OS X Mavericks is Apple’s new operating system, which was announced at WWDC 2013 alongside iOS 7. Apple is currently on the iOS 7 beta 6, and it looks like there may not be aniOS 7 beta 7 release before a final version arrives.

The OS X Mavericks beta on the other hand could see another Developer Preview as the anticipated OS X Mavericks release isn’t likely to arrive until October.

The OS X Mavericks release date slowly inches closer as Developer Preview 6 arrives.

OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 6 brings a collection of small changes and fixes, but there does not appear to be any major new features in this release.

Users running OS X Mavericks can download the update from the App Store. Users should be prepared to set aside 20 to 30 minutes to complete the installation after the OS X Mavericks download completes.

Apple added iBooks to the OS X Mavericks beta recently. The new iBooks Mac app lets users read and annotate their iBooks on their laptop or desktop and sync progress and data between devices with iCloud.

Maps is also new in Mavericks, delivering the Apple Maps experience on OS X, including the 3D mode and flyovers which proved popular on the iPhone and iPad.

Apple is also packing in new features like better full screen and multi-monitor support. On OS X Mavericks users can use an app in full screen while still using their second or third display.

Other new OS X Mavericks features include iCloud Keychain, Tags, Finder Tabs, smarter battery saving technology and more.

OS X Mavericks is compatible with, “64-bit, Intel-based Mac running either Mac OS X v10.6.7 Snow Leopard or later,” according to Apple, but the company has not identified any specific models.

Apple promised an OS X Mavericks release date this fall, but there is no set date yet. The OS X Mavericks price will likely be $20 as an update in the Mac App Store. It looks like Apple could deliver an OS X Mavericks release date in October alongside a rumored new Mac Pro, new MacBook Pro models and a new iMac.

Look Out Android! Tizen OS May Officially Launch in October in San Francisco

Though September’s IFA event in Berlin may play host to Samsung’s Android-powered Galaxy Note 3 launch, the South Korean electronics manufacturer may be quietly prepping another launch event as it begins to distance itself from Google. Even though Samsung had largely helped to make Google’s Android operating system the most popular mobile OS in the world in market share numbers, Samsung may be distancing itself from Google and looking at other options.

That second option may come in the form of Tizen, a platform that Samsung is backing along with Intel. It’s now rumored that Tizen will make its debut in late October at the Samsung Developer Conference in San Francisco, California. News of the October 26-27 launch date for Tizen comes by way of Tizen Indonesia. That information was reported on Sam Mobile. 

If Samsung does launch the OS at that venue, it would lend credibility to an earlier rumor we’ve heard about a Tizen mobile device launching in October. That rumor suggests that Tizen will initially launch in five countries, including the U.S. This could mean that Tizen will be available to consumers as early as November and by the end of this year.

In the past, it was rumored that Samsung may be opened to launching some of its first smartphones running the Tizen OS with high-end specs, but more recent leaks and rumors suggest that Samsung may be eyeing the mid-range segment. If this is true, a mid-range Tizen would compete in the same market as Apple’s iPhone 5C, Google’s Nexus 4 and rumored Nexus 5 offerings, and devices running BlackBerry 10.

The first Tizen phone had been rumored with hardware features such as a 720p HD display and possibly a dual-core CPU. Given these specs, Samsung’s Tizen phone may even compete against the company’s own ATIV S and ATIV S Neo smartphones, both running Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system with similar specs.

Samsung’s ultimate goal for Tizen is to place it in as many devices as possible and scale the OS to fit appliances, cars, and other smart gadgets.

Fall will be a great time for smartphone consumers with a lot of different options.

First iPhone 5S Cases & iPhone 5C Cases Up for Pre-Order

The iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C release dates are still about a month out based on our best estimates, but a new pair of iPhone 5S cases and iPhone 5C cases are already up for sale to ship on September 10th.

Given the plethora of photos and leaks, it’s not surprising to see a company offering up iPhone 5C cases already. With the iPhone 5S likely arriving with minimal exterior changes there will be a lot of options come release, but this is one of the first cases we’ve seen bearing the iPhone 5S name.

The new iPhone cases come just a day after Apple Canada’s website included an accessory bearing the iPhone 5S name, seemingly confirming the upcoming name for Apple’s flagship iPhone.

With major money to be made form early adopters that want to put a case on their new iPhone as soon as possible, case makers rush to deliver a collection of new cases for each upcoming phone. These two new case options for the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C are similar to the TPU cases we see arrive first for many phones.

At this point, cases arriving ahead of a phone’s release is almost as much a right of passage as going through the FCC and showing up on stage with a company executive.

iPhone 5S Cases

A pair of iPhone 5S cases is also available on BoxWave shipping on September 10th for $7.95 and $24.95. These black and pink cases promise protection for the iPhone 5S.

New iPhone 5S cases arrive online.

The company claims these are designed for the iPhone 5S, but the mock up does not include the larger pill-shaped flash we expect on the iPhone 5S when it arrives.

It is surprising to see a company selling iPhone 5S cases with a pre-order, considering the high likelihood of an iPhone 5S fitting into an iPhone 5 case without much of an issue.

iPhone 5C Cases

The pair of iPhone 5C cases include a see through case and a black “Tuxedo” case, both of which make a lot of sense given the current crop of iPhone 5C rumors.

One of the first iPhone 5S cases arrives.

The iPhone 5C Shell case is a hard plastic case that user can see through. The case retails for $12.95 rom Boxwave and will reportedly ship on September 10th.

The iPhone 5C Tuxedo SuitUp case comes in black, for $7.95 and promises protection from fingerprints. This case is available in black, which is one color that some sources say the iPhone 5C will not come in.

A black iPhone 5C case offers an option to dress up the colorful iPhone 5C.

BoxWave boasts, “This perfectly tailored design means your Apple iPhone 5C’s camera, flash, speakers, volume controls, and ports all remain uncovered and unhindered.”, on product pages for both of these cases.

Given the plethora of colors that the iPhone 5C should arrive in a clear case is a practical option for users that want to show off the colors. A video showing an alleged iPhone 5C back illustrates a very resilient material so a case may not be needed, but if the iPhone 5C doesn’t come in black users may want a black iPhone 5C case on hand.

Even with the early arrival, users may want to wait to see what options are available when the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C announcements are made.

Apple is reportedly planning an iPhone 5S event for September 10th, where we should see the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C on stage for the first time. It looks like Apple could deliver an iPhone 5S release date on September 20th alongside the iPhone 5C. The iPhone 5C could replace an iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S according to some rumors.

iWork for iCloud Beta Open to All: Free Pages, Numbers & KeyNote

Apple has finally opened up its Beta for iWork for iCloud, a collection of web enabled applications that allows users to create and edit documents from their web browser.

Users looking to edit files created in Apple’s desktop iCloud suite of apps, only have to head to iCloud.com, the same site that allows them to track and manage their Apple devices. Both iCloud and iWork for iCloud are free however, the service will need to be activated on a device with the user’s Apple ID, before they can begin using iCloud for the first time.

iWork for iCloud, which includes versions of Pages, Keynote and Numbers will use the free storage provided by iCloud to allow user to store their documents online and have them sync across their iCloud enabled devices. This effectively gives users access to their documents anywhere. It’s a feature that isn’t all too different from the web-centric Google Docs. With that service all documents are saved online, though users can save them to their hard drive manually if they need to.

Today’s open release of iCloud could act as a catalyst for users looking to step away from Microsoft’s Office for Mac. Together with SkyDrive, Office also syncs user’s documents across devices and makes them available anywhere. Microsoft even syncs these documents to mobile versions of its application and Office 2013 on Windows PCs. Unfortunately, deep SkyDrive integration for Office for Mac has yet to materialize.

With iWork for iCloud being made freely available to all users, it’s likely that Apple could stop charging users for mobile versions of iWork on the iPhone and iPad. Screenshots from an early beta version of iOS 7 hinted that users would be able to download free versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote for their iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

CoPilot Live GPS Review: Offline Maps for iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch

Should someone pay extra for a GPS app like CoPilot Live GPS when the Apple iPhone and iPad come with Maps already pre-installed? We think it’s a good idea for users that need maps even when they lose connectivity.

Using the built-in Maps app on an Apple iPhone or iPad makes sense. All iPhones and iPads come with a free copy. The launch of Apple Maps didn’t go well, but they’re better now. Google offers Google Maps free for iPhone and it’s pretty good too, although we found it less useful recently. The older versions found local points of interests better. They’ve improved traffic info thanks to the acquisition of Waze.

We still recommend offline maps apps because of the cost of wireless data, which online maps need. Some users live in areas with weak wireless data making online maps less reliable. Installing the 273MB to 1.5GB of data needed for CoPIlot Live GPS ($19.99 in iTunes App store) helps overcome these problems and turns iPod Touch and Wi-Fi only iPads in useful GPS devices. The iPad mini also makes a great GPS tool.

CoPilot Live GPS looks great and works as expected. The included database of points of interest seemed comprehensive. They break things down by category. Find restaurants nearby or hospitals, banks, schools and even churches. Users can also search their contacts or use PhotoNav, which grabs the geotag of a picture in the phone’s Photos app and navigates to that location.

We tested the app with places we knew and found that the app put us on the best track most of the time. This summer my son used the app to navigate from our home in North Carolina to a town on Long Island. Unfortunately, CoPilot used the live traffic information to reroute him. He ended up driving through the Holland Tunnel onto 42nd Street in Manhattan instead of using the better route around the city. Despite this, the app served us well with good directions. They’re easy to follow and look clear and correct.

Improve routes by adding detours, extra destinations and the mode of transportation. Use the extra features to improve the journey. CoPIlot LIve GPS comes with the option to add maps from other locales not included in the original app purchase. More interestingly, users can add ActiveTraffic, Fuel Prices and access to information from Google Local, Twitter, Facebook Places, Wikipedia and Live Weather.

Before using CoPilot Live GPS we preferred Navigon as our offline GPS app of choice. However, we uninstalled Navigon and now prefer CoPilot Live GPS. It’s worth the price and works great with plenty of extras.