A feature that could have easily gone unnoticed with yesterday’s release of iOS 7.0.3 is the return of web and Wikipedia search directly from Spotlight. The feature had been missing since the first beta release of Apple’s latest mobile operating system.
To access it, simply pull your Home screen down to reveal Spotlight Search. Then start typing whatever you’re looking for. If necessary, scroll all the way down. In my experience, I’ve found that some common searches usually return tons of emails first, making the feature a little less convenient to use than I would want to…
In Spotlight Search settings, there is no way of moving the Search options to the top either, so unless you’re searching for something very specific (see screenshot above), searching for vague keywords such as “iPhone” will likely return many unwanted items first (ie, emails containing the word “iPhone”).
It’s still nice to see this feature back in iOS 7.0.3. Now I’ll just have to remember to use it.
Apple has posted a video detailing the making of the all-new Mac Pro.
Designed around an innovative unified thermal core, the Mac Pro features the latest Intel Xeon processors with up to 12 cores, dual workstation-class GPUs, six Thunderbolt 2 ports, PCIe-based flash storage and ultra-fast ECC memory. Packing amazing performance in a stunning new design, the all-new Mac Pro starts at $2,999 (US) and will be available in December.
Goophone, a Chinese phone company, is well-known for making iPhone clones, complete with identical software interfaces, and the company doesn’t disappoint with the Goophone i5S.
The Goophone i5S rips off not just the iPhone 5s’ external body, but even the iOS 7 software interface. It comes in gold, gray and white, and even has the metallic ring around the home button (without the Touch ID sensor of course).
It runs an Android variant that has been heavily customised to look like iOS 7, and we were quite surprised by the smoothness of the copied interface, as seen in the video below:
If all the crazy user interface zooming in-and-out effects of iOS 7 aren’t your cup of tea, you will be thrilled to discover there is an alternate subdued option available now which transforms the zoom effects into much more subtle fading transitions. This excellent option was introduced with iOS 7.0.3 in response to some usability issues, where certain users were experiencing motion sickness from the nonstop zoom motions that are seen when unlocking a device and opening and closing apps and folders. The result is a very well done fade transition that looks excellent, and even if you didn’t encounter nausea from the zooming around, you may prefer the fading transitions anyway, so here is how to enable the fade and replace the zoom motions:
-Open Settings and go to “General” followed by “Accessibility” -Navigate to and select “Reduce Motion” -Toggle this setting switch to the ON position -Exit out of Settings to instantly see the difference in transition effects
The effects are almost impossible to capture with screen shots, though the image up top does show the middle frame frozen in the midst of a fading transition. The brief video below demonstrates turning this feature on, as well as the default zoom effects before and the new fading effects after the setting has been toggled on.
By no means does toggling this setting reduce the appearance of iOS, and some would argue that it makes things look better.
iPad users will probably notice the biggest change with this simply because of the larger screen sizes, but the effect is the same on the iPhone and iPod touch as well. The difference is substantial, thus this trick should remain high on the list of usability tips to improve the overall experience of iOS after the 7.0 release, regardless of the device in use.
Other than introducing a nice fading transition, this trick appears to make various user elements feel faster, though that could just be a result of a quicker UI transition. Nonetheless, we would definitely include this on the list of things to do for speeding up iOS 7 if you feel like it’s running slower than it should be on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
By the way, if toggling this switch does not enable the fading transitions on your device, you probably haven’t downloaded iOS 7.0.3 or updated yet. Do that first to be able to gain the new transition effects.
Earlier today, Apple announced that this year’s OS X update would be free for the first time ever to current Mac users. That’s right, as long as you have a compatible Mac computer, you’re eligible to get OS X Mavericks for free.
The update is a big one, bringing about several UI changes, new applications like Maps and iBooks, and a number of new features like Finder tabs and tags and quick reply for messages. And it’s now available for download…
If you’re still on the fence about Mavericks, despite the fact that it’s been made totally free, you might find some of iDB’s coverage on the update useful. We take a look at new features, the new apps, the design changes, and more.
For those that are ready to make the leap, you can find Mavericks in the Mac App Store for free. As usual, make sure to one, back up your computer, and two, ensure all of your most-used apps are Mavericks-friendly before you update.
