Apple Maps offers automatic caching for offline navigation

While most media attention about Apple Maps has centered on bridges on dry land, landmarks that don’t exists and other oddities, the digital cartographers at Cupertino, Calif. have been stuffing the app with some amazing features, like offline browsing. Unlike maps in iOS 5, Apple’s vector-based Maps are cached and GPS navigation work even without an Internet connection.

For instance, Apple’s vector maps loaded while in San Francisco, Calif. can still be browsed on a flight from Anchorage, Alaska to Lima, Peru, according to AppleInsider. The writer was able to navigate across the state and via street-level maps as far west as Salt Lake City, Utah — and in 3D, to boot. By comparison, Google Maps, which use bitmap tiles, would let you navigate offline for about a 10 mile radius before complaining.

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Supplies of iPhone 5 is ‘extremely limited’ amid unprecedented demand

Remember the cliffhanger scene in movies: a damsel in distress is tied to railroad tracks ahead of an oncoming train. Will the hero arrive in time to rescue her? That’s a bit like the situation we have with the iPhone 5.

Analysts are trimming their sales forecast of Apple’s new handset due to ‘extremely limited’ supplies and the all-important holiday buying period is bearing down. Can suppliers rescue Apple? Can Apple meet unprecedented demand in time to take advantage of everyone wanting an iPhone 5 in their stocking?

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EE to launch the UK’s first LTE network on October 30

Folks in the UK who recently purchased an iPhone 5 will be happy to hear that in less then a month, they’ll finally be able to use the handset to its full potential. It’s official: the country’s first LTE network will go live on October 30.

The network belongs to EE (Everything Everywhere), which is a joint venture between Orange and T-Mobile. And the new 4G service will be available to existing customers on either of the two carriers, and obviously, new ones

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Here are some gorgeous iPad mini mockups

Now that the iPhone 5 launch has come and gone, the rumor mill’s attention has turned to the iPad mini. Apple is widely expected to unveil a smaller version of its popular tablet sometime within the next month.

There’s been a lot of talk over what the slate will look like, with the most recent chatter stemming from a leaked black rear shell that reportedly belongs to the tablet. And as usual, this has inspired some mockups

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Apple rolls out TV shows in the Cloud to Germany and Switzerland

Good news today for folks in Germany and Switzerland. Reports are coming in this afternoon that Apple has recently started rolling out ‘TV shows in the Cloud’ in the two countries.

For those unfamiliar with the feature, it allows users to replay previously purchased TV shows through the Purchased tab in iTunes and on iOS devices, including the Apple TV

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