One of the developments from CES 2013 that didn’t get much fanfare was the noticeable increase in product support for the Thunderbolt standard. Because it’s just an interface, it didn’t attract the attention that flashy TVs or flexible smartphones may have. But the growing adoption of the Thunderbolt technology is something that will greatly benefit everyone who consumes large amounts of data.

Thunderbolt is a new computer peripheral connection standard that was created as a collaborative effort between Intel and Apple. It’s a multi-function interface that can transfer data (like the current USB connection) or video (like DVI/VGA ports on your computer monitor). We’re going to skip over most of the technical specifics of the technology, and jump right into the two areas we think Thunderbolt will benefit you most: speed of data transfer and ease of connecting peripherals.

Thunderbolt and lightning, very very frightening (speeds)

A Thunderbolt connection increases transfers speeds of data by about 2000% over the standard USB 2.0 connection on your typical home computer. Yes, 20 times the speed. What that means for you is greatly reduced wait times when, say, moving photos from your memory card to your computer. The Thunderbolt connection will be able to transfer a 4GB card filled with photos in a matter of seconds. No more waiting around for 15 or 20 minutes while an entire vacation-worth of photos slowly moves onto your hard drive. (more…)

Most of you know by now that Apple has disowned Google Maps in the upcoming release of iOS6 and has replaced it with a native map application.  We’re all excited to see exactly how Apple has Appled-out maps and navigation, but with the loss of Google Maps, we also lost an important feature that was nice for those of us who used more economic solutions to navigation.  I”m talking about directions for regular old public transit – bikes, trains, buses, and our own two feet. (more…)

It wouldn’t surprise anyone if Apple started to leverage their cult following to launch an Apple-specific social networking service.  Appleinsider.com reports of a recent Apple patent application titled “Social Networking in Shopping Environments” that may hint at thefuture (or current) development of a network that connects shopping shoppers. It was only a matter of time.

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Garmin is upgrading its Navigon navigation app for iPhones and iPads.  Version 2.1 of the Navigon app adds such features as Google Street View and a Cockpit in-app purchase that displays driving data while looking at the map.

The new version also improves start-up time and map-rendering speed.  It also speeds up zooming and panning in map view, and it enhances graphics for display on the iPad’s Retina display. An option called manual route blocking lets users manually block off certain roads or highways or sections of a map to avoid them while driving.  Current owners of the app can expect the upgrades to be completely free.

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Courtesy: Engadget

This morning we had the pleasure of following the excellent live blogging skills of Tim Stevens and Darren Murph from Engadget as they relayed every useful bit of information Apple had for us.  First off, kudos to the team at Engadget. The blog was seamless, to the point, and the pictures were perfect. Although we didn’t get any big information on an Apple TV set, or the iPhone 5, Apple gave us plenty of details and features  to get excited about. The newest generations of the Macbook (Air and Pro) were debuted as well as their lifeblood, OS X’s, newest Mountain Lion update.  Read more for everything you need to know about Apples newest line of “The Best Products Yet” (more…)