Daily News Courier

Hyundai integrating Google Maps with their Blue Link platform

Hyundai has announced a new deal with Google that will bring further integration of Google Maps with their Blue Link telematics platform. Blue Link is an in-car application that aids with mapping and allows phones to connect to it.

The new deal will see more Google Maps APIs being used to enhance the experience in their cars sold in the United States. The new APIs that will be used are:

• Send to Car
• Point of Interest
• Local Search by Voice

Google has been aggressively improving their maps over the last year as increased competition has popped up. More integration with other platforms, such as cars, is good to see. This will (hopefully) make communication between your phone and car more seamless and provide even more data for Google to further improve the maps app.

Source: Hyundai

Falcon updated with YouTube API integration,

One of our favorite Twitter clients for Android, Falcon, updated just in time for 2013 with a bunch of new features. The biggie is that Falcon now uses the fancy YouTube APIs for Android that Google introduced before Christmas, but there are also a few subtle tweaks that have been added, including a spam reporting button, a slider for setting refresh rates, and a logout button. Here's the full changelog for Falcon Pro 1.4.

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Apple Releases iTunes 11

It?s finally here, yippee! Yes, as AppleInsider writes, an as most of you have probably already found out, Apple has today released iTunes 11 to the public. The update is really much more than an update, representing a complete overhaul of iTunes. The main features include a new, edge-to-edge design, custom designs for each album, movie or TV show in your library; a new store, which Apple says is a more ?clean? look; the ability to play your purchases from within iCloud, including your music, movies and TV shows; the new ?Up Next? feature, where you can see which songs are coming next; a new MiniPlayer, which now includes album art, and is generally smaller and more elegant, according to Apple; improved search, making it easier to find what you?re after in iTunes; and playback syncing, where iCloud will remember where you are in a movie or TV show, whether you are using your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Apple TV.

Source: Apple releases redesigned iTunes 11 with iCloud integration for Mac, Windows

CoPilot Live switches to Google search, adds additional Android integration

• Free map update – the latest NAVTEQ street maps
• Google search – CoPilot’s Local Search is now powered by Google
• Android integration – allowing tasks such as navigating to an address in an email
• New info display – including Current Road
• Themes – four new free colour schemes are available*
• Drive for a cause – a paid-for pink theme in support of Breast Cancer Awareness (all proceeds go to charity)*
• Numerous user interface enhancements

The uber-expensive European versions have been updated, as well as the bare-bones free version, though the South Africa, New Zealand, and Australian versions are still a bit behind. We've got a full review of t CoPilot Live here, and will have a Q&A with the devs going up sometime this week. 

Anybody using CoPilot regularly? How does it fare compared to the core Google Maps experience? Is there any room for third-party GPS apps when Android provides a fairly robust one out of the box? 

Apple Announces New iTunes

Apple has today unveiled the revamped iTunes at the iPhone 5 launch, which features a redesigned player, complete iCloud integration and a new look. Launching in October, Apple says it will have a much cleaner and simpler interface that keeps your favourite iTunes content to the forefront. iCloud integration means that your music, movie and TV purchases made on any iOS device or computer will all be displayed in your iTunes library on your Mac or PC.

Quote:

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?We created iTunes because we love music and we?re going back to our roots with an incredibly clean design that keeps your music at the forefront,? said Eddy Cue, Apple?s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. ?The new iTunes works seamlessly with iCloud, always keeping your entire library at your fingertips, and we?re adding great new features that make listening to your music more fun.?

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Among other features, the MiniPlayer has also been reimagined, making it easier to control your music with a small tool bar, so that you can skip to the next song or search for new tunes, and all without having to open your library. Up Next is a new feature that enables you to see what?s up next, as well as letting you queue songs or albums that you want to hear next.

The new iTunes will be available in October.

Source: Apple

CyanogenMod 9.1 stable builds going out with SimplyTapp NFC integration

If you're looking to give CyanogenMod 9.1 a go, you'll find something new built into the ROM's. As noted on the CyanogenMod blog, CyanogenMod 9.1 compatible devices with NFC will bring integration with Tapp powered by SimplyTapp. The joint partnership was born back at the beginning of CyanogenMod 9 and is now being introduced to allow payments from your smartphone with just a tap:

• To Sign-up – flash CM9.1 on your NFC capable device, and get the Tapp app
• Costs – It is between $0 and $5 to get an NFC card. That all depends on the card or cards you select.
• Cards supported – At the moment you can sign up for a Tapp Anywhere Card (like a gift card with a fixed balance), CyanogenMod Tapp Card (Reloadable), as well as various store cards (depending on location).
• Security – Card credentials are stored in the cloud and enabled to the point-of-sale via standard security mechanisms. By evolving from the plastic card model, this keeps your credentials (aka payment information) secure, accessible by only you, and only when you need them.

Supported devices include Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S (4G), Samsung Galaxy S2 and pretty much any other devices supported by CyanogenMod 9.1 with NFC. Stable builds of CyanogenMod 9.1 are rolling out right now, so if you're interested in learning more about SimplyTapp or testing out CyanogenMod 9.1, you'll find the links below.

Source: CM Blog, Download CM 9.1

Flipboard debuts in Google Play, adds Google+ and YouTube integration, localization for 5 new countries

Flipboard is now available on Android – not just in beta form like we saw before, but as an official app that most folks with an Android 2.2 or higher device can access.

Though it was originally thought that Flipboard would launch as a Galaxy S III exclusive, that was a meaningless restriction when the APK was leaked. Flipboard has chosen to open to other devices as the GS III launches in the U.S., and the app is now available in Google Play, the Amazon Appstore, and the Barnes & Noble Nook App Store.

Expanding on its pedigree as a stylish news and social feed reader, Flipboard has also added support for Google+ and YouTube. Users can now link their G+ account see content posted by their circles in magazine format, add +1 or comment, and share content to Google+ as well. Google+ Product Manager Bradley Horotwitz hinted that this would just a few days ago, and the app is now live in Google Play.

WHAT’S NEW in iOS 6: Facebook Integration Walkthrough

NEW iOS 6 Maps Walkthrough [3D]

New iOS 6 Will Bring Facebook Integration to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

The WWDC conference for Apple went off with a bang, and a flurry of amazing announcements were shared. Obviously, the big news of the day was iOS 6 as everyone expected. The new mobile operating system from the labs in Cupertino has a ton of new features. One of them is Facebook integration. This shows just how important the social aspects of technology have become. The new OS will brings deep Facebook integration to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Here’s a breakdown of features that will make Facebook much easier to use on your iDevice in the future:

• Ability to login to Facebook through your iDevice?s settings (similar to Twitter)
• Share updates from apps such as photos
• Share locations from Maps
• It will be featured in the App Store
• It will allow users to ?Like? apps, TV shows and movies
• Facebook, (and Twitter), will be fully integrated into the Notification Center – this will give users the ability to tweet or update their status quicker
• Integrated into the iPhone?s contact list

Additionally, this new integration will be coming to Macs as well.