Is Apple Preparing to Enter the World of Mobile Payments by Adding NFC Technology?

A 19-pin dock connector and 4G LTE may not be the only new features the next generation iPhone will be packing. The new device could be equipped with NFC (Near Field Communications) technology. An NFC chip allows smartphones to interact with other devices in a very close proximity. The addition of NFC capabilities and the recently announced Passbook app will allow Apple to finally compete with Google Wallet.

Near Field Communications

9to5Mac claims that they discovered clues of Apple's plans to add NFC hidden in a hardware code dump. They also cited Jim Peters, CTO of SITA who said retailers should prepare themselves for Apple to sneak its way into the lucrative world of mobile payments.

Get iOS 6 Features Now: Twitter Widget in Notification Center

One of the cool features coming to iOS 6 this fall is a Twitter widget for the Notification Center. Users can also expect a similar Facebook widget when the service is fully integrated into the iOS system with version 6. In the meantime, it's possible to install the Twitter widget right now on jailbroken devices.

Cydia Twitter Widget iOS 6 demo

After jailbreaking your iOS 5 device, you can find the iOS 6 Twitter Widget in Cydia under Addons (Notification Center). The package comes to us free from developer Mathieu Hendey on the BigBoss repository. Once installed, the add on can be activated by navigating to Settings -> Notification Center -> Twitter Widget -> ON.

Apple to to Include Yelp Check-Ins With New iOS 6 Maps App

I don't quite understand the fascination of broadcasting your whereabouts to everyone you know, but Apple is giving iPhone users the option to do so by adding a "Yelp Check-In" feature to its new mapping software. The new feature will allow users to easily share their location data without having to exit the Maps application.

iPhone Maps

The Yelp check-in option was discovered inside the Apple developer kits distributed to programmers earlier this month. Bloomberg examined the kit which included screen shots of the new feature within Apple Maps.

Facebook Launches Find Friends Nearby Feature for Mobile Devices

Facebook has launched a new mobile feature called Find Friends Nearby (previously named Friendshake) for iOS and Android devices. Users who navigate to http://fb.com/ffn using their phone's browser will be shown a list of other users within a certain radius who are also using the page. You can also access the feature from the Facebook iOS app by going to Menu > Apps > Find friends > Other Tools > Find Friends Nearby.

Facebook Apps

Find Friends Nearby allows you to easily add people you've just met in real life. Say you meet someone at a party. You can both access the Find Friends Nearby page, locate each other, then add each other as friends on Facebook. This saves you the hassle of using Facebook's search or having to spell out your email or name. I guess it can also be used like Chatroulette to meet new people.

iPhone Owners: Beware Fake Activator App

On first glance it sounds like good news that Activator has come to the official iOS App Store. Unfortunately, this app is fake and will not give your iPhone the functionality that the jailbreak version provides. Information for Activator in iTunes states, "Download now before the price goes up!"

fake scam Activator App Store

More like download now before Apple pulls our scam app. The developers are charging $0.99 and showing ripped off screenshots of the real Activator package from Cydia developed by Ryan Petrich. When it comes to what the app actually does, it's nothing like advertised.

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