Verizon to soon begin throttling select unlimited LTE customers

By Cody Lee on Jul 25, 2014

Back in 2011, Verizon began throttling data output for the top 5% of its 3G customers on unlimited data plans. The carrier had just picked up the iPhone, and was in the process of rolling out its LTE network, so it needed a low-cost way to save bandwidth.

Fast forward to today, and Verizon issued a press release announcing a similar policy for LTE customers. Starting in October, the company plans to start “optimizing its network,” which is a nice way of saying it’s going to start throttling high-volume users… Read More

 

How to get your frayed Lightning cable replaced for free

By Sébastien Page on Jul 25, 2014

Why is this 6 month old cable already falling apart? That’s the question my wife asked one day, referring to the Lightning cable she has plugged by her side of the bed to charge her iPhone at night.

As much as I tried to find a good reason, there was nothing I could say that would actually explain why this fairly new cable was already fraying. The only explanation I could give her was that these cables are crap.

It’s not like we’re rough on these cables either. We actually take good care of them. My wife’s charger, for example, has never been anywhere but her bedside, just being used at night. This is not the kind of usage you’d think would be so detrimental to a cable supposed to last several years.

Since I believed this cable was still covered by my iPhone 5s warranty, I decided to take it to Apple and see if they would replace it. Read More

 

Congress passes bill making phone unlocking legal

By Timothy Reavis on Jul 25, 2014

Earlier this year, a DMCA exemption expired, which made unlocking your iPhone not only illegal, but also punishable by a $500,000 fine, five years in jail, or both.

Today, Congress passed a bill that makes unlocking your phone without permission from your carrier legal. The bill was first unanimously passed by the Senate a couple of weeks ago, and the policy was unanimously passed by the House of Representatives this afternoon. The last step is for President Obama to sign the bill, which will officially turn it into a law. Read More

 

Official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie game arrives

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 25, 2014

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the official mobile game of the upcoming movie, has made its surprise debut on the App Store, well ahead of the movie’s August 8 premiere.

Created by the same that which brought you Combo Crew [Universal, $1.99], this movie tie-in classes as a classic beat ‘em up where you play as one of the four classic turtles.

You’ll have to learn powerful combos and counter-attacks to defeat Shredder’s minions, chain multiple attacks to build up your Turtle Power meter combo to unleash your other turtles and much more.

The $3.99 iPhone and iPad game sneakily includes a bunch of In-App Purchases to boost your scores and stats… Read More

 

Bose sues Beats over noise-cancelling patents

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 25, 2014

As Apple is prepping to shell out $3 billion to buy Beats Music and Beats Electronics’ high-end headphone biz, reports are coming in that audio equipment specialist Bose has gone on the offense and is now taking Beats Electronics to court over its noise-cancelling headphone patents.

Bose alleges its patented tech is used in the Beats Pro noise-cancelling headphones and other products like the Beats Studio and Beats Studio Wireless.

Furthermore, Bose is now seeking financial damages and a sales ban on some Beats headphones, claiming patent infringement. Bose develops, markets and sells a vast range of loudspeakers, noise-cancelling headsets, automotive sound systems, amplifiers and headphones.

Needless to say, Bose holds a number of patents in this space. Its QuietComfort line of headphones has in particular proven itself popular with consumers who want to get away from outside noise. And just like Beats, Bose gets frequently criticized as some reviewers slam their high-end products for being overpriced and of average quality… Read More

 

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse leaps onto the Mac

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 25, 2014

Following its release on the iPhone and iPad last November, Sega’s 1991 adorable platformer has at last made its way to the Mac.

Developed by Feral Interactive and published by Disney Interactive, the $14.99 download features eye-candy cartoonish graphics and stars Mickey Mouse who is on the quest to save his lovely Minnie, kidnapped by the jealous witch Mizrabel.

The game involves lots of running and jumping along a side-scrolling landscape, spiced up with attacking enemies, throwing projectiles, solving puzzles and more. The Mac edition has of course been brought to the 21st century with new layouts, updated graphics and silky smooth 60FPS execution… Read More

 

Select ComiXology titles now available to download without DRM restrictions

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 25, 2014

I downright hate digital-rights management (DRM). No, I’m not a cheapskate who’d rather pirate someone else’s hard work rather than support publishers with my wallet – my average monthly spending on iTunes is about $50, for those wondering.

Now, it’s perfectly understandable that content owners should be entitled to imposing copy protection on their digital products, but the annoyances to consumers far outweigh the benefits to content owners, methinks.

ComiXology is a typical example. But, but – comics want to be free of the clutches of DRM! Having realized as much, ComiXology on Friday sent out en email informing customers they can now download backup copies of select titles from certain publishers without the dreaded DRM restrictions, using its free iOS app… Read More

 

BetterWiFi7 adds more functionality to your device’s Wi-Fi settings

By Alihassan Mahdi on Jul 25, 2014

There is plenty of Wi-Fi related tweaks available in Cydia such as CleverPin or Vestigo, but if you want to go a step further and add more new functionality to your iOS Wi-Fi preferences, you may want to try out a new jailbreak tweak called BetterWiFi7.

BetterWiFi7 improves the functionality of your device and gives you more control over your Wi-Fi networks list by providing you a bunch of new options and displaying more information about the nearby networks… Read More

 

Chinese sources: mass production of 4.7″ iPhone 6 begins, 5.5″ and new iPads start in September

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 25, 2014

As the purported parts and cases thought to belong to the iPhone 6 continue leaking out, Apple is now said to have started mass production of a 4.7-inch handset variant. As for a bigger 5.5-inch version, the handset is understood to enter production in September, alongside upcoming new iPads.

If true, there may after all be some truth to the rumors that the two phones won’t launch simultaneously in order to avoid cannibalization. Just yesterday, for instance, the hit-and-miss DigiTimes said the 4.7 and 5.5-inch models of the iPhone 6 will launch separately as Apple wants to “avoid competition between the two models”… Read More

 

Google reportedly buying streaming video platform Twitch for $1 billion

By Cody Lee on Jul 24, 2014

Google has reportedly reached an agreement to acquire Twitch for $1 billion. After several months of rumors that the search giant was courting the streaming video platform, VentureBeat says that it has confirmed with several sources that it’s a done deal.

For those unfamiliar with the service, Twitch is a San Francisco-based company that enables people to broadcast video game sessions from their consoles, computers, and as of March, mobile devices. It also distributes content from CBS Interactive partners… Read More

 

Wii-like dance party in the living room via Apple TV? Yes, please!

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 24, 2014

Back in June, India-based Rolocule Games teased its upcoming Dance Party game which would supposedly bring multiplayer fun to the living room with a little help from Apple’s AirPlay technology and the $99 Apple TV media-streaming box.

At first, I was skeptical. But as Dance Party launched earlier today in the App Store as a free download, I’ve come to the realization that my fears were unfounded.

Yes, the game indeed works as advertised!

Dance Party really has to be seen live to be fully appreciated. Much like dance games on the Nintendo Wii, users mimic the onscreen dancer to get feedback on how they are doing. The game is basically airplayed from an iPhone to the Apple TV and takes advantage of Rolocule’s award-winning motion tracking technology called Rolomotion… Read More

 

‘TMNT: Rooftop Run’ goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

By Cody Lee on Jul 24, 2014

Attention gamers, Apple has just named ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rooftop Run‘ its App of the Week for this week. This means that through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the game for both iPhone and iPad, for free—a sizable savings of $4.

TMNT fans will feel right at home in this endless-combat-runner. Set in New York, the game pits Leo, Donnie, Raph, Mikey and other unlockable characters against the Foot Clan and company, and players must run, jump, fight and even drive to save their city… Read More

 

Can’t redeem Yosemite beta code? Here’s a fix.

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 24, 2014

Apple today opened the floodgate by posting the public beta of its upcoming OS X 10.10 Yosemite software, which launches officially sometime this Fall, and already a bunch of people took to Twitter over an error message saying the redemption code has already been used.

Each copy of Yosemite beta requires a promotional code which must be redeemed in the Mac App Store to download the installer. Is there anything you can do about this error message?

Yes, there is – and a remedy couldn’t be simpler. Read on… Read More

 

BioShock may finally be coming to iOS

By Cody Lee on Jul 24, 2014

We’ve been hearing rumors since 2008 that 2K was bringing its popular first person shooter BioShock to mobile platforms. At one point, they actually released a trailer for the game, and named IG Fun Studios as its mobile port partner.

But somewhere along the way, the concept got shelved, and was never mentioned again—until now. Yesterday, 2K tweeted the above photo followed by ‘#discuss,’ and many believe it’s a hint the BioShock mobile project is back in gear… Read More

 

Gmail for iOS update adds Google Drive support

By Timothy Reavis on Jul 24, 2014

Google has released an update for its iOS Gmail app that adds support for saving attachments directly to Google Drive and inserting Google Drive files directly into email messages.

There are also new account management options for hiding accounts in the Gmail app without removing them altogether. Additionally, users can now change their profile picture in the app’s settings. Read More

 

Instagram prematurely leaks its Snapchat rival

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 24, 2014

Facebook-owned Instagram may have unintentionally (or intentionally, perhaps?) leaked an image advertising its rumored Snapchat competitor, indicating the official launch could as well be around the corner. A banner for an app called Bolt was spotted by several online users in Instagram’s Android app.

Tapping the banner would yield a dead end in the Google Play Store. Although the banner went away a few minutes later, people have already screenshoted it and the image is now making rounds on Twitter and other social media channels online… Read More

 

Apple rolls out OS X 10.10 Yosemite public beta – are you in?

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 24, 2014

As promised, Apple today opened up OS X 10.10 Yosemite betas to the first million applicants who’ve signed up for the OS X Beta Program using their Apple ID. If you haven’t yet signed up for the program, better hurry up! Otherwise, be patient as Apple will email you soon (using your Apple ID contact details) to let you know when your OS X Yosemite Beta redemption code is ready.

There’s a lot to love about Yosemite – both in terms of the simplified, flattened user interface and  new features that take integration between iOS and the Mac to the next level.

It also marks the first time Apple has permitted both its registered Mac developers and the general public to access betas of a work-in-progress Mac operating system update.

Today’s poll asks a very simple question: are you, or are you not, going to install the public Yosemite beta on your Mac? Read More

 

Penultimate episode of Walking Dead: The Game – Season 2 now available

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 24, 2014

It’d be an understatement to say that Telltale’s iPhone and iPad adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead” comic book series has a strong following out there.

The incredibly popular episodic game series is comprised of five individual chapters, with Episode 3 of Walking Dead: The Game – Season 2 (the sequel to the original Walking Dead: The Game) having arrived back in May

Today, Episode 4 landed in the App Store as a free update to those who already own the $4.99 graphic adventure game. The penultimate episode is titled “Amid the Ruins” and introduces new twists to the story of Clementine… Read More

 

Matter will turn your photos into geometric artwork

By Lory Gil on Jul 24, 2014

The makers of Tangent and Fragment are back with their newest geometric overlay app. If you have a soft spot for prismatic photo effects that integrate right in with the subject matter, Pixite’s latest submission to the genre is right up your alley.

Matters is a geometric overlay photo effects app that lets you create stunning pieces of photographic art that can be turned into moving pictures. We’ve got a hands-on app review of Matter for you here… Read More

 

Swatch: we’re not working with Apple on iWatch

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 24, 2014

Just as I’d suspected, Apple isn’t really partnering with Swiss watchsmiths on developing and producing multiple iWatch devices.

That’s according to Swiss watchmaker Swatch which today issued an outright denial of the rumor in the form of a statement issued to Reuters.

In it, a spokesperson categorically states that the Swatch Group is not working with Apple on iWatch devices although the company has supplied components like integrated circuits to certain mobile phone makers… Read More

 
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