Gadgets, Iphone App | featured news

Smartphones are powerful tools, and with the right apps and accessories, they can become even more so. A California-based tech company has launched a tool that turns a regular iPhone 4 or 4S into a powerful biometrics scanning tool. AOptix has unveiled its app and a wrap-around device for turning the smartphone into a portable iris, face, fingerprint and voice scanner.

Hate the new Maps app that Apple ships with iOS 6? You're not alone. Fortunately it's easy to add Google Maps back onto your iPhone and iPad. However, so far there's been one feature lacking in the browser implementation of Google Maps that was present in the app -- Street View.

Apple CEO Tim Cook says the company is "extremely sorry" for the frustration its Maps application has caused and it's doing everything it can to make it better. In the meantime, he recommended that people use competing map applications to get around... "While we're improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app," Cook wrote.

...Apple released an update to its iPhone and iPad operating system on Wednesday that replaces Google Maps with Apple's own application. Early upgraders are reporting that the new maps are less detailed, look weird and misplace landmarks... One Twitter user quipped that the lines of people queuing up to buy the iPhone 5 on Friday will be shorter, because the buyers will be misled by the new Maps.

In Steve Jobs fashion, Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco with a handful of key stats about its app ecosystem, which Cook called “an economy in itself.”

Ever find yourself frustrated with how smoothly Siri seems to work for the folks in Apple’s commercials but not for you? A New York man has filed a class-action suit against Apple, saying that the company has been “misleading and deceptive” about what the iPhone 4S virtual assistant can do.

Apple's voice recognition app operates in the Internet cloud. Commands are processed on a Web server and software developers can monitor Siri's responses, tweaking the program to improve it.

How do you like those Apples? An unnamed New Yorker claims Apple's new "Find My Friends" app -- which uses GPS to locate any of your friends that have allowed you access to their location -- led to a stunning revelation: His wife has been cheating on him.

The latest apparatus for every globe-trotter, travel applications for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch make your trip effortless.?? From camera optimization to automated travel itineraries, these??applications will guide you to have the most expedient journey possible. 1. Trip It Ah, Trip It Travel Organizer - you'll never have to dig through your printed, paper ...

Need extra money? Who doesn't, these days? If you have an iPhone, extra cash is only a Gigwalk away. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it's not. I tried Gigwalk last week, and it works. In fact, I'm relying on the app to fill a gap in my income. I'll tell you how so you can, too.