The United States Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple on Thursday that reveals potential next-generation battery designs. As the mobile industry turns toward thinner devices, Apple is looking to redesign batteries to enable these thin designs. According to PatentlyApple, the Cupertino-based company’s invention relates to a battery cell, which includes a set of electrode sheets of different dimensions that can be arranged in a variety of designs. The configuration can be based on a non-rectangular battery design such as an L-shaped, a triangular or a pyramidal design. Existing battery packs typically contain rectangular cells, and by utilizing cells with alternative shapes, Apple will seemingly be able to pack more cells into a smaller battery pack.

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Microsoft recently unveiled an official Xbox LIVE application for iOS devices, including the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The application allows users to view and change Xbox avatars, send Xbox LIVE friends messages or compare achievements, learn about new games and more. Prior to Wednesday, Microsoft had only offered an official Xbox LIVE application to its Windows Phone users, so we’re a bit surprised (and pleased) to see the company spread the love to iOS. There’s no word if an Android application is in the works. Xbox LIVE for iPhone is available now in the iTunes App Store for free.

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Flipboard, the popular magazine-style news application originally made available for the iPad is now available for iPhone as well. Flipboard allows users to flip through a single feed of articles and photos that have been shared across various social networks. It can also display stories from a variety of news categories including technology, design, “Flipboard picks,” photography, business, sports, style, travel, food and more. The user interface is among the best we’ve ever seen on a casual news application. Android and Windows Phone users may want to check out Pulse for a similar experience, though Pulse isn’t quite as impressive and novel as Flipboard. Flipboard for iPhone is free and is available in the App Store now.

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The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday granted AT&T permission to withdraw its application to purchase T-Mobile USA for $39 billion. Two public policy groups, Public Knowledge and Media Access Project asked the FCC to publish its documents relating to the deal and to prevent AT&T from rescinding its application, although it appears it’s too late for that to happen. AT&T announced its intention to withdraw its application to purchase T-Mobile USA on November 24th when it explained that it was going to instead focus on a lawsuit brought against it by the Department of Justice. That case is expected to kick off in February. Should AT&T win, it is likely the wireless carrier will re-file its application with the FCC and begin its acquisition process all over again. Public Knowledge and Media Access Project have argued that AT&T will have unfairly exhausted the resources of its competitors by the time it re-files for the merger.

Desktop apps that are designed to run on Windows 8 computers with x86/x64 processors will also be capable of running on ARM processors, ZDNet reported on Tuesday. Developers will need to recompile applications so that they run properly and Microsoft is hoping that a majority of developers create both desktop and ARM versions of their applications. In addition, ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley said the standard Windows 8 desktop Metro style user interface will look the exact same on both types of processors. Microsoft has not yet said whether or not its Windows 8 application store will be populated with both Metro style applications and desktop apps.

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Flipboard, the company behind the popular like-named social magazine application for the iPad, plans to add TV shows, books and movie content, Reuters reported on Thursday. The company’s app has been downloaded more than 3 million times, and it offers articles from several popular magazines including Rolling Stone and National Geographic. Users can view articles alongside customized news and social network feeds, too. Flipboard CEO Mike McCue told Reuters that he hopes to add TV shows and movies by the end of the year but has not discussed who his company is teaming up with to deliver the content just yet. It is also still unclear when McCue will add books to the app. A version of the software for the iPhone and iPod touch will be launching in the coming weeks and we’re excited to see how it performs on the iPhone’s smaller screen.

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Swype released the latest version of its popular software keyboard exclusively for Sprint Nexus S 4G users on Tuesday. Swype now supports new app gesture features, shortcuts, dictionary management, automatic noun capitalization and more. Users, for example, can now move from the Swype Key to “t” and then “w” to automatically launch Twitter. The shortcuts feature allows you to select all by moving from the Swype Key to “a,” and cut, copy or paste using similar gestures. We tested all the new additions on a demo Nexus S 4G with the Swype preloaded, and we liked the new features but we still can’t get the hang of typing quickly with it just yet. It’s unclear when the latest Swype iteration will be available for other Android handsets, but Nexus S 4G owners can update immediately. Hit the jump for a quick video of the new features in action.

Have a Windows Phone? Want in on the Google+ fun? Your wait may soon be over. In a post published on July 14th, Google listed fifteen changes that it said “may” be implemented this week. Number six on the list is “Google+ App for Windows Phone 7.” Google officially announced the Google+ social network on June 28th and, while it already has more than 10 million users, third party user stats have suggested 87% of the current profiles belong to men. 

[Via Social Times]

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T-Mobile introduced a new Android application on Wednesday called “More for Me.” The app offers T-Mobile customers with phones running Android 1.6 or later, daily deals based upon their preferences, location, and interests. Discounts are provided by sites such as LivingSocial, which is available in more than 260 markets, but there are also exclusive discounts from T-Mobile or its partners. T-Mobile customers simply need to install the T-Mobile More for Me app from the Android Market to get started. Read on for the full press release.

T-Mobile Launches More for Me — Combines Daily Deal Offers Into One Easy Place for Consumers

The beta version of the T-Mobile More for Me application for Android provides personalized offers, discounts and deals to consumers on any mobile operator

BELLEVUE, Wash. — June 15, 2011 — T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced More for Me™, a nationwide aggregation service that offers consumers the best in daily deals. The service is completely free. Beginning today, consumers using nearly any Android™-powered smartphone can download the beta version of the T-Mobile More for Me application from Android Market™ to get the best and timely offers, discounts and deals from some of the biggest names in daily deals tailored to their preferences, location and interests.

More for Me is the first nationwide daily deal aggregation service of its kind from a national wireless carrier. Discounts and deals are generated from popular social buying sites, such as LivingSocial – the online source for handpicked experiences at a great value – as well as exclusive offers from T-Mobile and its partners. Customers can get discounts on a wide variety of products and services, making it easier than ever for people to save money while on the go.

“Consumers are constantly looking for ways to save money and are turning to social buying apps in droves,” said Brad Duea, senior vice president, value added services marketing,
T-Mobile USA. “With T-Mobile’s More for Me application for Android smartphones, we’re bringing together the leading daily deal sites into one easy-to-navigate place so consumers spend less time searching and more time saving.”

The T-Mobile More for Me application is customizable, enabling consumers to find the most relevant deals, closest to their exact location. Users have the opportunity to see deals from a variety of retailers, in nearly any city, with many deals tailored to meet their specific interests and preferences.

“LivingSocial works directly with merchants in all of our 260+ global markets to craft great deals that drive our valuable members through their door,” said Jake Maas, senior vice president, corporate and business development, LivingSocial. “We are excited to bring our handpicked experiences to the millions of consumers who will enjoy T-Mobile’s new More for Me app.”

T-Mobile Android customers, and anyone with an Android-powered mobile phone using Android 1.6 or higher, can download the More for Me application from Android Market for free today.

In partnership with Out There Media, a global leader in mobile advertising, T-Mobile will expand More for Me to reach virtually all of its customers, regardless of phone type, by offering them the option of receiving free text messages of exclusive offers, discounts and deals. The T-Mobile More for Me application is also expected to be built for other popular mobile operating systems later this summer.

In both the application and opt-in text message experience, T-Mobile More for Me enables consumers to specify their interests and demographic information in order to receive the most relevant offers, deals and discounts.

More information on the T-Mobile More for Me application is available at https://market.android.com/details?id=com.tmobile.moreforme.

Facebook is set to launch its own iPhone photo-sharing service that will compete with the likes of Instagram and Path. Tech Crunch has obtained 50MB worth of data about Facebook’s project, including documents and actual images of the work in progress. The service is being called “WithPeople” or “Hovertown” internally, and it’s possible that it will be launched as a built-in feature to Facebook’s existing iPhone app or as a separate application entirely. Judging from the leaked image, we definitely see a resemblance to Path, particularly with the layout of the image previews. It certainly looks like a faster and more interactive way to view your friend’s Facebook photos though, so we’re excited to hear more about this project.

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A few weeks back, a patent-holding company called Lodsys began contacting developers and asking them to cough up money for using their in-app purchasing technology without a license. Apple intervened briefly and said that its developers are covered under its own license, but now the company has taken the matter to court with an official movement to intervene. The motion officially states:

Apple Inc. hereby respectfully moves to intervene as a defendant and counterclaim plaintiff in the above-captioned action brought by plaintiff Lodsys, LLC against seven software application developers for allegedly infringing U.S. Patent Nos. 7,222,078 and 7,620,565. Apple seeks to intervene because it is expressly licensed to provide to the Developers products and services that embody the patents in suit, free from claims of infringement of those patents.

Hit the jump for more of the back story.

Apple’s move is in addition to a separate suit from ForSee Results, which filed a declaratory lawsuit against Lodsys on June 10th. Lodsys has remained inexorable in its belief that developers are in debt. “We stand firm and restate our previous position that it is the 3rd party Developers that are responsible for the infringement of Lodsys’ patents and they are responsible for securing the rights for their applications,” Lodsys said in a recent statement. Lodsys has also targeted Android developers, but we have yet to hear what Google’s role in this battle will be.

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Apple on Tuesday officially announced that its iWork productivity applications, including Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, are now available for the iPhone and iPod touch. Apple has completely redesigned the applications to take advantage of iOS’s multitouch features. “Now you can use Keynote, Pages, and Numbers on iPhone and iPod touch to create amazing presentations, documents, and spreadsheets right in the palm of your hand,” Philip Shiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, said. “The incredible Retina display, revolutionary multi-touch interface and our powerful software make it easy to create, edit, organize, and share all of your documents from the iPhone 4 or iPod touch.” The applications offer improved document management and a tools button in the toolbar for quickly sharing documents without closing the application. Keynote, Pages, and Numbers are available in the iTunes App Store now for $9.99 each. Existing iWork for iPad users can upgrade for free, and the Keynote Remote is available for $0.99. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Apple iWork Now Available For iPhone & iPod touch Users

CUPERTINO, California—May 31, 2011—Apple® today announced that its groundbreaking iWork® productivity apps, Keynote®, Pages® and Numbers®, are now available for iPhone® and iPod touch®, as well as iPad®. Created for the Mac® and then completely redesigned for iOS and Apple’s revolutionary Multi-Touch™ interface, Keynote, Pages and Numbers allow you to create and share stunning presentations, beautifully formatted documents and powerful spreadsheets on the go. iWork apps are available on the App Store™ for $9.99 each to new users and as a free update for existing iWork for iPad customers.

“Now you can use Keynote, Pages and Numbers on iPhone and iPod touch to create amazing presentations, documents and spreadsheets right in the palm of your hand,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The incredible Retina display, revolutionary Multi-Touch interface and our powerful software make it easy to create, edit, organize and share all of your documents from iPhone 4 or iPod touch.”

Keynote, Pages and Numbers import and export documents from iWork for Mac and Microsoft Office; print wirelessly using AirPrint™; and include beautiful Apple-designed themes and templates. All iWork apps now include improved document management with thumbnail images that let you find your files quickly, organize them and group them into folders using intuitive gestures. From the Tools button in the toolbar, you can easily share any presentation, document or spreadsheet without leaving the app.

Keynote makes it easy to create impressive presentations, complete with animated charts and transitions. You can play your presentation in Full Screen view on the stunning, high-resolution Retina™ display or connect to a projector or HDTV for a large audience. Available separately, the Keynote Remote app allows your iPhone or iPod touch to control a Keynote presentation on any iOS device or Mac.

Pages is the most beautiful word processor ever designed for a mobile device and has everything you need to create amazing documents. Pages takes full advantage of the high-resolution Retina display on iPhone 4 and iPod touch so you can see all the detail and richness of your documents. To make working with text easy on iPhone and iPod touch, Smart Zoom automatically zooms in to follow the cursor while you’re editing and zooms back out when you’re done.

Numbers uses Multi-Touch gestures and an intelligent keyboard to help you create compelling, great-looking spreadsheets with over 250 easy-to-use functions, flexible tables and eye-catching charts. Just like Pages, Numbers takes advantage of the high-resolution Retina display and Smart Zoom to make working with text and cells on iPhone 4 or iPod touch easy.

Pricing & Availability
Keynote, Pages and Numbers are universal apps that run on iPad and iPad 2, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, and iPod touch (3rd & 4th generation). Keynote, Pages and Numbers are available from the App Store for $9.99 (US) each for new users, or as a free update for existing iWork for iPad customers. Keynote Remote is sold separately via the App Store for 99 cents (US).

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Google has updated its brand new Google Music application for Android application with one change that will be welcome to many users. It’s now possible to delete songs directly from your microSD card — an option that was frustratingly missing from the original launch — and it should include bug fixes as well. The search engine announced Google Music in tandem with its new Music Beta cloud storage platform earlier this month, and if you haven’t given it a try yet we highly suggest that you do. The app’s user interface is a large improvement over the default Android music player. The update is free and is available in the Android Market now.

Twitter’s CEO, Dick Costolo, has confirmed that his firm has purchased TweetDeck, the popular third-party client. In a blog post published on Wednesday morning, Costolo said that Twitter will continue to invest in TweetDeck, which Costolo sees as a powerful platform for brands, marketers, and publishers. Iain Dodsworth, the CEO of TweetDeck, said his team will remain in London “with the same focus and products, and now with the support and resources that allow [it] to grow.” While Twitter.com will still be the go-to destination for consumers, TweetDeck hopes that its service will continue to be used by “brands, influences, the highly active and anyone that just needs “more power.” Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed although early reports suggested Twitter paid $40 million in cash and stock.

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Earlier this month we heard reports from TechCrunch that TweetDeck had been acquired by Twitter for $50 million. CNN now says that Twitter has finalized its purchase of TweetDeck in a $40 million cash and stock deal, and that the paperwork was signed on Monday. Neither Twitter nor TweetDeck have confirmed the purchase, and Twitter’s PR team tweeted: “For all those who might be curious, we continue to not comment on rumors.”

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