If Apple's multiple mapping firm acquisitions and recent iPhoto makeover haven't convinced you that the company is trying to distance itself from Google as much as possible, maybe this will.
Sina Tech is reporting that it has learned that Apple is looking to add Baidu, China's market-leading internet search company, as a default search engine option in iOS. So long Google...
So this is pretty interesting: AllThingsD is reporting that Apple has been subpoenaed by the Federal Trade Commission as part of an ongoing anti-trust investigation into Google's business practices.
It seems the FTC is particularly interested in the agreement Google made with Apple to become the default search engine in iOS. The deal, which we talked about a few days ago, is rumored to be worth more than a billion dollars...
While it's true that users can switch between Google, Bing and Yahoo when deciding which search engine to use in Safari on iOS, it's debatable as to whether anyone does actually change it. We're going to put our money on the percentage being on the low side!
That's why being the default search option on iOS is so important. If you're the one chosen out of the box, then the chances are you'll be the one that gets the vast majority of hits from users. Right now, that default choice is Google, and they pay handsomely for the privilege according to Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter.
Just how handsomely, you ask?
The oddly named OpenURL NCWidget is yet another way to go about performing Google searches from Notification Center.
As you may already be aware of, there are already a couple of tweaks in the Cydia store to make searching from Notification Center a reality, but this one adds a few new features not found elsewhere...
You have to feel bad for Yahoo. The one-time dominate web company now seems to be constantly staving off the thought of bankruptcy as a result of failing to transition into the mobile market as its counterparts have.
But that doesn't mean that it's giving up on the mobile world. Last year, the company launched an iOS app to help you search for mobile applications. And now it's just unveiled a web-based portal with a similar function...
After the deluge of Notification Center tweaks that were made available right after iOS 5's release, the amount of tweaks targeting iOS 5's crown jewel has stymied off significantly.
That's not to say that there are no Notification Center tweaks being made — YouTube Search for Notification Center is evidence that they still are — but since there are less, I tend to put the more recent releases under the microscope a bit more.
With that in mind, how does YouTube Search for Notification Center stack up?
InstaURL is a jailbreak tweak that allows you to perform web searches from anywhere on your iDevice.
Similar to QuickGoogle and QuickSafari, InstaURL isn't alone when it comes to tweaks of this nature.
Is it different enough to warrant paying the $0.99? Check inside for the full video walkthrough...
Google has had a rough time with its iOS software over the past few weeks. The search company released a disappointing Gmail app for the iPhone earlier this month, but immediately pulled it due to problems with push notifications and other glitches.
The app was resurrected in the App Store recently, but many of its problems were not resolved. Today, however, Google has redeemed itself a bit with an update to its search interface, as it brings several welcome changes to the iPad version...
When we used the basic version of WeeSearch, we came a way a little less than impressed. While the pro version of WeeSearch isn't perfect, it's a lot better than its predecessor.
With WeeSearch Pro you can search a variety of built-in search engines. If that doesn't suit your fancy, you can even add your own custom search queries.
The great thing about WeeSearch Pro is that you can do all of this without ever leaving the comfortable confines of iOS 5's Notification Center...
When the original iPhone launched in 2007, Google and Apple actually had a good relationship. Google was set to be the iPhone's default search engine, and Google was also going to power the handset's Maps application. Everything was wonderful. And then came Android.
The Android operating system was born in Palo Alto, California in 2003. Two years later, the company was acquired by—you guessed it—Google. The deal was worth an estimated $50 million, but the Android OS could end up costing Google much more than that...
The built in dictionary is probably one of my favorite new features in iOS 5. It's so incredibly handy, and it can be used across any app at any time.
Wouldn't it be nice if you could search Google in the same way? Well now you can, thanks to DictGoogle — a new tweak that integrates seamlessly with iOS 5's built in dictionary...
WeeSearch is a recently released Notification Center jailbreak widget for iOS 5, which allows for YouTube, Google, and Wikipedia searches right from the convenience of Notification Center.
It's free, and it works to a certain extent, but it's obvious that the widget was rushed in its development. It's missing a few fundamental features, and not everything works as expected.
Check inside for a full rundown on what's good and bad about WeeSearch...