I had a friend in college who was obsessed about losing weight. At lunch hour, she would also carefully asses each product she would put on her tray. She knew everything about edibles – how many grams they weighed, how much calories and so on. And it actually worked, and by the end of collage she reached her desired target weight. But the compulsion to measure remained. And with that the indicative to eat healthy and the right amount.

So, if you are one of those people who want to keep their weight in control or maybe you’re curious to know how much of everything you end up eating, we have just the right thing for you. The folks at Chef Sleeve are trying to gather up some supporters over at KickStarter in order to launch ​​The Smart Food Scale. It will act like a regular scale of course, allowing users to weigh whatever aliments they want.

The Smart Food Scale can be synced with your iPad via Bluetooth so each time you weigh a certain product, it will be added to your list of foods in the app. The app features USDA nutritional information, so users can be informed of how many calories they are consuming during a meal/day or how many vitamins or minerals the foods contain. The scale can be very useful to people suffering from different illnesses and who are on a strict diet.

The scale is available for $99 so if you are interested in the idea, head on to the Kickstarter official website and make a pledge.

Source: Kickstarter

9to5 Mac writes today that the Department of Defence (DoD) in the US is about to give the all clear to Apple’s iOS 6, enabling it to be used on iPhones and iPads by military agencies for non-classified communications such as sending emails and browsing the web. The original report on the decision, which appeared in the Wall Street Journal, said that Samsung has also been pushing hard in Washington to get more corporate and government customers in the same way that Apple has done, and BlackBerry did previously. And it looks like all the lobbying from Samsung has paid off, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that Samsung’s Galaxy range of smartphones are also about to be cleared by the Department of Defence for use by government agencies. And why do companies such as Apple and Samsung lobby so hard for government approval? The WSJ says that while getting security clearance for government use doesn’t necessarily translate into more sales, it goes a long way towards convincing other security-minded institutions such as banks and law firms that the OS or smartphone in question is secure.


Source: DoD to grant Apple?s iOS 6 & Samsung Galaxy devices security approval for widespread use by US government agencies | 9to5Mac

The iPad isn’t the first device that comes to mind when you want to snap a picture or record a family moment, but a few innovative ideas have emerged recently, showcasing that the Apple tablet might be perfect to do that.

A new Kickstarter project is trying to revolutionize the way one might normally use the iPad by making it a lot easier to snap pictures with your tablet. The MirrorCase might look like your usual typing accessory but it also enables the user to take photos or record video while the device is positioned horizontally. The case has a special covert mirror built-into it, that works in concert with an especially designed software to allow the images captured by the rear camera to be inverted.

MirrorCase might prove extremely useful to students who use their tablet in class, for example. Using the technology they might b​​e able to write down some ideas and at the same time record or tape the whole lecture without holding the tablet up in a blatant way.

The team behind the invention has already released an iPhone version of the MirrorCase out on the market. The tablet case can be adjusted in 6 different positions depending on what the user feels more comfortable with. MirrorCase for iPad is available for the second, third and fourth generation iPad.

The first houndred people to order a MirrorCase for iPad will receive theirs for the price of $49. When the case will finally turn up in retail stores it will cost a little more - $80.

Source: KickStarter

Since the release of the iPad mini, there has been a raising concern amongst analysts that the cheaper tablet is going to cannibalize the sales of the full fledged iPad. Now adding wood to fire, are a host of estimates coming from Asian sources, which are thought to be closer to the matter.

For example, the well known DigiTimes publication estimated that in the second quarter of the year, Apple shipped a total of 19.5 million tablets. Out of this huge number, only 7 million were 9-inch tablets. Tech-Thought’s Sameer Singh also made a very favorable prediction regarding the iPad mini for the quarter that just ended. He sees iPad mini shipments reaching th​​e 12 million threshold. He also claims that it’s impossible that Apple will end up selling less than 9 million shrunken tablets. Lots of people seem to have a lot of faith in the device. We wonder what would happen if one analyst’s prediction (Ming-Chi Kuo) becomes reality and the Cupertino tech giant is indeed cooking up a low cost iPad mini in its development labs. Will it follow the same trend and become more popular than the iPad mini?

Even if Apple is a company known for its high-end products, the tech giant couldn’t stay out of the cheaper priced tablet market any longer. With Google’s Nexus tablet available for $199 and Samsung’s 7-inch Galaxy Tab being priced at $179, Cupertino had to do something in order to prevent being kept out of the loop. The solution it found seems to agree with consumers, but at what price?

Source: Cnet

The always very credible John Paczkowski of All Things D has written a very interesting piece today all about Apple’s plans for iOS 7. Before addressing the style choices made by Jony Ive’s team, Paczkowski begins by confirming that he has heard from “sources who are forbidden to talk publicly about Apple’s plans” that Apple has diverted engineers away from working on OS X 10.9 to work on iOS 7. “It’s essentially a repeat of the iPhone/Leopard scenario,” said the source. Paczkowski says that one of the reasons for iOS 7 needing all hands to the pump is because it is such a big update, with Ive now imprinting his “Spartan, elegant aesthetic” on the new iOS. “You know Game Center’s green felt craps table?” another source told Paczkowski, when talking about the ditching of skeumorphic design principles. “Well, goodbye, Circus Circus.” Paczkowski goes on to say that the famed skeumorphic design of all iOS versions up until now was largely down to Scott Forstall, who has now been replaced by Sir Jony Ive, who was previously responsible for designing Apple’s iconic devices. As one of Paczkowski’s sources put it: “Sounds like a much-needed ‘de-Forstallization.’”


Source: Apple's iOS 7 Team in Deadline Crunch Mode, Adding Engineers - John Paczkowski - Mobile - AllThingsD

It’s been quite some time now that pilots have been using iPads in the cockpit, and iDownload Blog reports today that the widespread use of iPads by pilots has had a surprising effect on the health of pilots. According to Patrick O’Keeffe, vice president of Airline Operations Technology for American Airlines, replacing 40-pound flight bags with iPads has meant that the company has “reduced the single biggest source of pilot injuries: carrying those packs.” O’Keeffe made the comments during a keynote address at the TabTimes Tablet Strategy conference in New York City. Aside from this health benefit, O’Keeffe also said that switching over to the iPad should also shave $1 million from American’s fuel bill, and also printing costs. iDownload Blog notes that currently only Apple’s iPad has been approved for in-cockpit use by pilots, with American Airlines the only airline that has official approval to use the iPad in-flight.


Source: Apple?s iPad seen preventing pilot injuries

9to5 Mac continues with its in-depth look at the forthcoming iOS 7, with word from its sources today that Apple is planning to use the next iOS update to get more involved with in-car entertainment and information. According to the report, iOS 7 will have the ability to “deeply embed” Maps and Siri into cars, thanks to Apple’s partnering up with car makers to help them achieve this. 9to5 Mac’s sources also say that Apple is working with auto manufacturers to update car center consoles that can then be used to attach iPhones, iPads and iPod touches to dashboards. Said devices, once attached, would then be able to run special versions of Maps and Siri made specifically for in-car use, with Siri being used to control Maps and other iOS features, such as iTunes, presumably. According to the sources, Maps would be able to appear on the large screens that many modern vehicles are fitted with.


Source: In iOS 7, Apple wants to own your car?s console with Maps and Siri integration | 9to5Mac

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has some bad news for Apple today, telling Bloomberg that he doesn’t think tablets have much future, saying, “In five years I don’t think there’ll be a reason to have a tablet anymore. Maybe a big screen in your workspace, but not a tablet as such. Tablets themselves are not a good business model.” Rather surprising remarks, you might think, given the success of Apple’s iPad, and it would seem that lots of other people would agree with you, as “BlackBerry CEO” was trending on Twitter worldwide today, with tweeters reporting the comments with varying degrees of incredulity and mirth! As Bloomberg points out, this is probably just BlackBerry’s roundabout, and face-saving, way of saying that they won’t be launching any more BlackBerry playbook tablets, which have certainly failed to set the tablet market alight. Obviously you can’t expect Heins to give any attention to a rival device such as Apple’s iPad, but five years is a long time in tech, so is there any chance that he could be right, and tablets will no longer be the gadget of choice in 2018?


Source: BlackBerry CEO Questions Future of Tablets - Bloomberg

According to 9to5 Mac’s sources, we could be in for a bit of a shock when Apple release iOS 7 (codenamed “Innsbruck,”), which will be the first iOS version to come from Sir Jony Ive’s leadership of the team. The report says that “multiple” people who have either seen or been officially briefed on iOS 7 says that its completely redesigned interface will be appealing to new iOS users, but in turn might be a bit unsettling for those who know and love the familiar old iOS interface. 9to5 Mac says that the new look is “very, very flat,” without any of the previous “gloss, shine, and skeumorphism” of the current iOS design. Even more worryingly, another of 9to5 Mac’s sources says that iOS 7 will have a flat look similar to that of Microsoft’s Windows Phone Metro. Apparently, in terms of iOS 7, “flat” means that the look will be very simple, without the sort of skeumorphic look of diaries and notebooks that look exactly like real-life diaries and notebooks. If true, this could be a risky move for Apple, as some might say that the skeumorphic look is one of the things that makes iOS so appealing and sets it apart from other smartphone OS interfaces. Others might say that it’s time for a change, however.


Source: Jony Ive paints a fresh, yet familiar, look for iOS 7 | 9to5Mac

AppleInsider reports today that Google has released one of its popular, until now Android-only, services for iOS users, with intelligent assistant service Google Now being integrated into the Google Search app. You’ll have to update Google Search to 3.0 to get it, but when you do, you’ll have access to weather and traffic conditions, as well as updates on your sporting favourites, and breaking news stories. AppleInsider says that you’ll need to be running iOS 5.0 or later on your iOS device in order to use the iOS version of Google Now, which has been designed specifically to take full advantage of the iPhone 5’s 4-inch display. Google Now first appeared on Android devices last year, with some saying it was Android’s answer to Siri, although you don’t actually have to ask Google Now any questions, it works by giving you information that it thinks you wants, based on your interests.

Click here to download Google Search, with Google Now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/goog...284815942?mt=8

Source: Google Now assistant launches on Apple's iPhone & iPad