Google Maps to Get Real Time Traffic Alerts from the Waze Community

We knew this was coming ever since Google acquired the Yelp of traffic apps, Waze, a few months ago. Google Maps users will now receive real time accident, construction and road closure reports from the Waze community, and Waze users will soon have access to Google Search and Street View.

Waze is a traffic and navigation service with over 50 million members. The Waze community uses its mobile app to keep each other informed about current traffic jams and road conditions.

Google Maps Waze Trafiic Alerts

"No one likes getting stuck in traffic," Google explained on its Maps blog. "That’s why the Waze and Google Maps teams are working together to harness the power of Google technology and the passion of the Waze community to make it easier to navigate your daily life."

Prepare Yourself for the Gold iPhone!

Rumors of a gold iPhone have been floating around since June, but no one has been taking them seriously, until now. Citing "sources in a position to know," and other blogs such as iMore, the normally reliable John Paczkowski of AllThingsD, claims Apple will release an “elegant gold tone" iPhone in September. But why?

Gold iPhone

As iMore points out, the rumored iPhone 5S is only expected to receive a bump internally, not externally. Perhaps Apple is just trying to spice up what could potentially be perceived as another "boring" iPhone S model launch by adding a third color option. According to Paczkowski, Apple probably chose gold because it's "the easiest colors to anodize," and it is a "sought-after color option at the higher end of markets like China."

What's Better: Kingdom Rush 2 or Plants vs. Zombies 2?

Over the last few years Tower Defense games have become watered down and uninspired. The genre has fallen victim to copycat developers who spend more time coming up with goofy concepts rather than tapping the format’s potential to create new, fun and challenging games. However, there have been two diamonds in the rough for Tower Defense fans: Kingdom Rush and Plants vs. Zombies. Both started as free flash games, and both have found well deserved success on iOS and Android devices, making them two of the most popular current Tower Defense games available today.

Kingdom Rush vs. Plants Vs. Zombies

In 2013, Ironhide Studios released the long awaited sequel to Kingdom Rush, and PopCap (now owned by EA) released Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time. Both games quickly rose to the top of the App Store Charts soon after their release, and both were well received by fans and critics. But which game is the best Tower Defense game currently available for iOS devices?

Apple Details New iTunes Kids Category for Developers

After revamping its App Store Review guidelines with new rules on children’s applications, Apple emailed developers with additional details on its new iTunes "Kids" category. Apple originally previewed the new category for children at WWDC in June. The new section "provides parents with a place on the App Store to find age-appropriate apps for children," according to the email sent out by Apple. The letter also breaks down the age subcategories as 5 & under, 6-to-8, and 9-to-11.

Apps For Kids

Apple has revamped the App Store a few times this year to make it more parent and school friendly. In April, the company made app age ratings more visible, and added a pop-up warning to all 17+ rated content. Apple also created a new system for "educational institutions" to add individual accounts for children under the age of 13.

Google+ Now Supports Google Drive and Hangouts

Google has rolled out the same new features to the iOS version of its Google+ app that Android users have been enjoying for a few days now. Google+ version 4.5 now allows users to access their photos and videos stored on Google Drive, and Messenger has been replaced with Hangouts. Google Apps for Business features are now supported, and the ability to start a Hangout with someone directly from that person's profile has also been added to the app.

Google+

Google+ is Google's Facebook-like service which allows people to connect and share with other Google+ users. Google Drive is Google's cloud-based storage service where users can store documents, photos and images. Both are available as free iOS apps in the Apple App Store.

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