Well, well, well… it seems the public outcry of net neutrality fans have finally caught the ear of AT&T, who backpedaled slightly on their decision to limit FaceTime over cellular to only customers on their new Mobile Share plans. Now that iPhone 5 users can use the video chat service with their LTE connections, what about everyone trapped on 3G-equipped iPhones? Seems unlikely Ma Bell will budge a second time, but you never know...
The big news Thursday afternoon came with AT&T's announcement that it would backpedal on the unpopular decision to make FaceTime over cellular calling exclusive to its Mobile Share data plans. The carrier will now allow iOS 6 users with an LTE device -- i.e., the iPhone 5 -- to make such calls from any tiered data plan. Unfortunately, public interest groups such as the Free Press are crying foul, since the half-step leaves out the majority of iPhones active on AT&T's network which use 3G and 4G data connections. The organization is planning to move forward with filing an FCC complaint unless AT&T makes FaceTime over cellular available to all compatible devices, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards for now.
A couple of iOS staples received big updates on Thursday, starting with Pulse 3.0, which now offers an unlimited number of pages with improved navigation and comprehensive search. Even better, the app is now universal, meaning no more separate builds for the iPhone and iPad. Meanwhile, the new Evernote 5.0 app the company teased only last week is now available from the App Store, introducing a complete redesign of the iOS version with a new home screen that keeps all of your content within a couple of taps. The companion Evernote 5.0 for Mac isn't available quite yet, but the company promises it soon.
If you have a swanky new MacBook Air or MacBook Pro released in June 2012, you'll want to mosey on over to the Mac App Store's Updates tab and download the aptly-named "MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Update 2.0." Weighing in at 127.07MB, the update "includes graphics performance and reliability enhancements and improves compatibility with some USB devices." Not much else to go on, but little improvements like this are always welcome on new hardware. You'll need at least OS X 10.7.4 to install the update, which also requires a restart and can be downloaded direct from Apple's support website as well.
Not content to let Netflix entertain the kiddies, Hulu announced a new section on Thursday called Hulu Kids. Chock full of 43 commercial-free shows (and counting), titles include favorites like Arthur, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Spongebob Squarepants and that perennial favorite, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. There's only one catch: You'll need to be a paid Hulu Plus member to enjoy Hulu Kids, and the section is not yet available on the iOS app (although the individual content is, if you search for it). For now, users will have to kick back with Hulu Plus on their PlayStation 3 unless they want to access Hulu Kids from the website.
Even more app update news! Developer SHAPE pinged us with news that the company's universal screen sharing app iDisplay has been updated on Thursday, including both iOS 6 as well as iPhone 5 support as well as a new "Shared Main Display" mode, which allows users with multiple displays to choose a "view only" mode for the ones they don't want tampered with. There's also an updated desktop component for Mac or Windows available from the SHAPE website which now supports Windows 8.
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