This Service / Site tracks the average App Store review times for both the iOS and the Mac App Store using data crowdsourced from iOS and Mac developers on Twitter.

Who is collecting this data?

Shiny Development. they created the site in the hope that it would provide some useful information to developers around the world.

Live data:

Visit them here

Average App Store Review Times.

Users still can’t delete Apple’s default apps from iOS devices (grumble grumble…) but there are plenty of useful alternatives out there for people hoping to use something other than the default. Readers are always asking about which apps the Ars staff uses when they choose to ditch the Apple’s camera, mapping, music, or other apps. I put out a call to our editors and writers to find out just what does the Ars staff use for the major app categories (and why)? Here’s what we came up with:

iOS default despair: Where Ars staff turns for better app experiences | Ars Technica.

Hmmm, is it just me or does that wall print look familiar? Wait a second, you usually see that annoying screen when your trying to browse the internet, not go shopping down the street.

According to our source, Neatorama, this a graphic designer named John Scarratt from Norwich, England, found a clever way to not cover up the wall from an empty storefront and advertise at the same time.

That iconic, and annoying, 404 error screen from Windows Internet Explorer is something that we’ve all seen more than our fair share of. Maybe it’s one of the reasons most of us geeky-types have switched our PC net browsing over to Chrome or Firefox. Either way, everyone recognizes that screen, and I’m guessing more than a few people had to stop and take a second look when they caught sight on this down the block from their office. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if half the people didn’t even notice, since most of us are way too plugged in to begin with.

For those of you who are curious about what the wall is advertising, shopartnorwich is an art project that seeks to place art in unused shop windows in the Norwich City Centre. The project is currently publicly funded and has been in effect since October 2010. It’s supposed to stay in effect until March of this year.

From what we can tell, most of the art pieces were provided by local artists, so it looks like a great way for new comers to get some exposure. The project doesn’t only include painting and posters, it also has some neat set pieces and scenes. It’s definitely a neat project, and I certainly wouldn’t mind it if my city took up an awesome and artsy initiative like this one. Here’s to go Norwich for supporting some of it’s local talent!

Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD, of Barrow’s Laboratory of Visual Neuroscience, and Stephen Macknik, PhD, of Barrow’s Laboratory of Behavioral Neurophysiology are well known for their research into magic and illusions. Their most recent original research projects, published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, offer additional insight into perception and cognition.

One of the studies was initiated by professional magician Apollo Robbins, who believed that audience members directed their attention differently depending on the type of hand motion used. Robbins believed that if he moved his hand in a straight line while performing a trick the audience would focus on the beginning and end points of the motion, but not in between. In contrast, he believed if he moved his hand in a curved motion the audience would follow his hand’s trajectory from beginning to end.

By studying the eye movements of individuals as they watched Robbins perform, Barrow researchers confirmed Robbins’ theory. Perhaps more importantly, they also found that the different types of hand motion triggered two different types of eye movement. The researchers discovered that curved motion engaged smooth pursuit eye movements (in which the eye follows a moving object smoothly), whereas straight motion led to saccadic eye movements (in which the eye jumps from one point of interest to another).

“Not only is this discovery important for magicians, but the knowledge that curved motion attracts attention differently from straight motion could have wide-reaching implications — for example, in predator-prey evasion techniques in the natural world, military tactics, sports strategies and marketing,” says Martinez-Conde. This finding is believed to be the first discovery in the neuroscientific literature initiated by a magician, rather than a scientist.

In another study, the researchers worked with professional magician Mac King to investigate magicians’ use of social cues — like the position of their gaze — to misdirect observers.

They studied a popular coin-vanishing trick, in which King tosses a coin up and down in his right hand before “tossing” it to his left hand, where it subsequently disappears. In reality, the magician only simulates tossing the coin to the left hand, an implied motion that essentially tricks the neurons into responding as they would have if the coin had actually been thrown.

The Barrow researchers discovered that social misdirection does not always help magic. By presenting two different videos of King — one in which the audience could see his face and another in which his face was hidden — they found that social misdirection did not play a role in this particular trick.

“We wondered if the observer’s perception of magic was going to be different if they could see the magician’s head and eye position. To our surprise, it didn’t matter,” says Martinez-Conde. “This indicates that social misdirection in magic is more complicated than previously believed, and not necessary for the perception of all magic tricks.”

Discoveries into perception via popular magic tricks.

iPhone and iPad users unhappy with their speakerphones may be treated to better sound in future models.
Apple has invented a new speakerphone system for iOS devices, according to a patent published yesterday by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. The patent application is filled with pages of the usual technical jargon.
But in a nutshell, Apple is redesigning and repositioning the traditional speaker and surrounding components to enhance the quality of the audio possible in a relatively small space. Though the patent doesn’t tout any specific benefits to consumers, “the new speaker positioning could provide iOS devices with generally superior sound, even when docked,” according to Patently Apple.
Speakers on mobile phones tend to offer weak sound due to their small size. Even laptops and tablets don’t have enough space for high-quality speakers, a factor acknowledged by Apple in its patent application.
There is a range of consumer electronics devices that are not dedicated or specialized audio playback devices, yet can benefit from improved audio performance. For instance, smart phones are ubiquitous. These devices, however, do not have sufficient space to house high fidelity speakers. This is also true for portable personal computers such as laptop, notebook, and tablet computers, and, to a lesser extent, desktop personal computers with built-in speakers.

(Credit: Patently Apple)

Discovered by Patently Apple in a group of 21 patents issued to Apple by the Patent and Trademark Office, the in-vehicle remote-control patent describes a product designed for drivers wishing to control their iOS devices more easily.

Currently, drivers must fumble around with their iPhone, iPod, or iPad to change songs, get directions, or make calls if their car’s in-dash system doesn’t support iOS devices. This lack of integration can cause serious distractions for drivers.

Apple’s solution is a small device that would attach to any steering wheel, allowing users to connect to their iOS devices and control basic functions.

As pictured in the patent, the remote would resemble Apple’s iconic click wheel, featuring a menu button, forward and back controls, a play/pause button, and a center select button.

The difference in this device is that the faceplate would also be touch-sensitive.

(Credit: Patently Apple)

Other features of the steering-wheel remote would be a universal clamp system mounted to the bottom of the device’s base and a rotatable faceplate that would enable users to orient the controls based on where they clamp the remote.

Would you purchase an iPhone and iPad remote for your car’s steering wheel? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Sources speaking to The Wall Street Journal have revealed a plan that has Apple creating a photo-sharing experience that would compete with the popular Facebook-owned Instagram.

(Credit: Screenshot by Joe Aimonetti/CNET)

iCloud currently offers users the capability to store and sync photos to other iOS devices and PCs using Photo Stream. That functionality does not, however, include the capability to share with other users directly.

According to the WSJ sources, users would be able to comment on shared photos, but any further details of the service have yet to be disclosed.

The iCloud update is expected to be officially announced by Apple at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which begins June 11.

Last week, several sneak peeks at Apple’s plans for its iCloud service made their way to the Internet buzz circles. First, a notification system similar to the drop-down banners found in iOS was spotted, leading many to believe that Apple is planning to introduce synced notifications through iCloud.

Then, just a few days later, Apple briefly showed iCloud versions of its Notes and Reminders apps, currently found on iOS and already slated for Mac OS X Mountain Lion.

This report, should it pan out, may shed some more light on Apple Senior Vice President in charge of iOS Phil Schiller’s recent decision to drop Instagram. According to Twitter, his decision was because Instagram “‘jumped the shark’ when it went to Android.”

While Instagram’s adoption of the Android platform may have contributed to Schiller’s “Instadeparture,” Apple creating its own photo-sharing platform could certainly have contributed.

Clearly, iCloud is a major focus of Apple’s future plans to keep its users integrated and synced. Well over 100 million users are currently signed up with iCloud — a user-base that, should Apple release a public photo-sharing function, would instantly be competing with Instagram.

If Apple were to add photo-sharing to iCloud, would you be inclined to drop Instagram? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

The latest rumor to get everyone talking is that Apple will drop Google Maps for their own proprietary software. Sources told 9to5 Mac that a new Maps app will debut with iOS 6 with an Apple-created backend that will resemble the current Maps app, but with a more amenable solution.

This really isn’t the big shocker that everyone is making it out to be. The writing has been on the wall for a couple of years. It was never a matter of if Apple would drop Google but when. The question was asked as early as 2009 when Apple bought Placebase. This was followed by the acquisition of several 3D-technology companies — Poly9 in 2010 and C3 Technologies in 2011. While Apple and Google did renew their partnership last year, it was most likely on a year-to-year basis. Apple wasn’t ready with the technology in 2011. It looks to be ready now, and the leak could be intentional to drum up excitement for WWDC.

The proof is in iPhoto for iOS. When the iOS version of iPhoto debuted in March, Apple was using older OpenStreetMap data instead of Google. This was most likely a testing ground to see how their own maps would function before pushing it out to a wider audience with a major iOS release. While the iPhoto maps aren’t anywhere near as full-featured as a new Maps app would likely be, and I hope it looks different because the maps in iPhoto are rather ugly, it was a good place to start.

Maps for iOS has long lacked the features offered to Android users, including a solid integration with voice control. If this Maps app does debut with iOS 6, I hope Siri can be used to voice turn-by-turn directions. The addition of 3D-map technology would of course bring additional benefits. What features would you like to see in a new Apple-originated Maps app?

New Maps for iOS? Its not exactly a surprise | TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

While many researchers are arguing just how many percent of the tablet sales the iPad accounts for, a new study released on Friday brings forth some very interesting numbers, according toChitika Insights the three generations of Apple’s iPad account for an overwhelming amount of all tablet-based internet traffic.

Chitika Insights, the research arm of the Chitika ad network, analyzed its database of ad impressions and came to the conclusion that 94.64 percent of all tablet web traffic can be attributed to the iPad.

When you compare this to the biggest competitor Samsung, the Galaxy Tab only accounted for a meager 1.22 percent of the market. As you can see in the graph below, the loosing team was Barnes and Noble’s Nook with a measly 0.54% of the market.

What’s interesting is that the iPad shows no signs of slowing even though the competition is increasing, both from Android-based devices as well as potential future players including Microsoft, who entered the tablet war with their $300 million investment in B&N’s Nook.

What do you think, will the iPad continue to reign the Tablet market or will the competitors eat some of its market share?

iPad currently takes 95% of all tablet web traffic | Mobile Orchard.

It was opened in 1904, with the hope of making it the crowning glory of the New York subway system in elegant architecture and a place for commemorative plaques to honour the work that had resulted in such a successful underground mass transit system. It was to be the original southern terminus of the first ‘Manhattan Main Line’; however the station was closed and boarded up in 1945. The gem of the underground began gathering dust, forgotten by the general public, as passengers were forced off at the Brooklyn Bridge Stop before the train continued on to the terminus to make its turnaround.

The reason for its closure was that newer longer cars were required to match the demand of passengers that passed through the system. But as the stations tracks were severely curved, a dangerous gap between the train doors and the platform was formed making it an unsafe area. This combined with the fact that only about 600 people used it, resulted in its closure with only mythical plans of turning it into a transit museum. But this was never followed through.

via Travelettes » New York City’s Hidden Subway Station.