Tag: ios 7

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iOS 7 beta 3

Apple has released iOS 7 beta 3 to developers. Looks like it’s gonna be a 2-week cycle. The most visible change is the system font: thicker and more readable. Most importantly, it’s much more stable now. Haven’t experienced a crash or reboot since installing yesterday. Good going Apple!

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iOS 7 beta 2

Apple has released iOS 7 beta 2. It feels much snappier. But more importantly battery life has vastly improved. Used to last half a day. Now it can last the whole day. Apps are less stable and prone to crash though.

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iOS 7 beta

As expected iOS 7 was announced at WWDC and as usual, I grabbed the beta as soon as it became available. IOS 7 is supposed to be biggest change since the original iPhone. Indeed there were some big changes:
  1. New Look – the biggest and most discussed change, the “flatter” interface; Skeumorphism is out, simple and modern is in. Reminds me of Android Jelly Bean and Windows Phone 8. Colors are generally flat and simple, icons and text are generally slim and crisp taking full advantage of the Retina display. Generally because the application is not consistent. Looks like the style guide is not yet in place.
  2. Notification Center – updated with today, all notifications, and missed notifications. And no, the today view is not something Google Now innovated :P Still no swipe to dismiss.
  3. Control Center – a pull up tab with quick access to system settings for Airplane Mode, WiFi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb Mode, Orientation Lock, and brightness. It also has the media player controls and shortcuts for some apps (flashlight, clock, calculator, and camera).
  4. Folders – animated unless it’s on the dock. Also folder now have multiple pages just like the home screen.
  5. Multitasking – improved process list with screen preview of process. You can swipe up on the previews to close apps. Supposedly, apps can actually run on the background when the phone is awake.
  6. Settings – fugly icon, new interface that reminds me of Android Jelly Bean
  7. Safari – fugly icon, new interface, smart address/search bar, tabs no longer limited to 8. You can swipe left to close tabs.
  8. Camera – new interface, swipe left and right to choose between video, camera, square (think Instagram complete with filters), and panorama.
  9. Photos – new interface, new filing system (years, collections, moments)
  10. Siri – enhanced capabilities such as adjusting system settings and new data sources
  11. Flickr and Vimeo Intgration – similar to Twitter and Facebook integration.

Overall, I like where iOS is heading. But this beta is the roughest (and most sluggish) one I’ve ever tried. That’s not a good sign.