It’s been a big day for the folks over at Tumblr. Earlier this morning, the microblogging network confirmed the weekend’s speculation that it is has agreed to an acquisition deal with Yahoo!, said to be worth over $1 billion.
And shortly after the news was revealed, an update for Tumblr’s iOS app posted in the App Store. The update, which brings the app to version 3.3.2, includes a handful of bug fixes and improvements, and a shiny new interface… Read More
Lots of avid iPhone photography fans don’t just use their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to capture stills, but shoot video as well.
I usually fire up Apple’s excellent iMovie application ($4.99 universal binary) whenever my clips need touching up, but now a new software has come along to go beyond what you thought was possible on your iOS device.
Video Filters by i4Software packs in over a hundred fully customizable video effects with live previews, which is kinda big deal because only a few years ago nobody thought we’d be able to edit full HD footage on tablets, in real-time… Read More
In yet another attempt to capture the nascent smartphone market in India, Apple is now promoting discounts for students. Students can receive $144 on an iPhone when they trade in their old smartphones. Apple and Samsung have engaged in a marketing struggle, both rolling out installment plans to encourage Indian buyers of rival smartphones.
The iPhone maker also announced a cash-back deal when Indian consumers use American Express to purchase an iPhone 4, 4S or 5 before June 10, according to a Monday report… Read More
Samsung wants more developers writing apps that require features exclusively found on its own devices, such as the Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone – and is willing to pay. In an $800,000 competition, the South Korean conglomerate is seeking entries which highlight its own sharing service and proprietary software development kit.
The first-prize winner takes home $200,000, three second-place finalists receive $100,000 each, while six third-place finishers get $50,000 each, according to the Wall Street Journal. The competition’s goal is to improve Samsung’s standing against Apple’s iPhone… Read More
After Apple back in January flew its vice president for education John Couch to Turkey who meet with the country’s president Abdullah Gül to discuss Turkey’s $4.5 billion modernization program in which textbooks will be replaced by tablets and chalkboards by electronic whiteboards, a report Monday notes that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan has now visited Apple, along with Google and Microsoft, in order to explore options ahead of the country’s impending decision to purchase 10.6 million tablets for education… Read More
DigiTimes, the-sometimes-reliable Taiwanese trade publication, on Monday ran a report which quotes sources with Taiwan’s supply chain who claim that a fifth revision to Apple’s full-size 9.7-inch iPad will be 25-33 percent lighter than its previous generation.
The fifth-generation iPad is believed to be entering trial production next month, meaning the device should be on track for a rumored September launch. Initial output is pegged at up to three million units until Apple and its manufacturing partners reach yield levels necessary to ramp up production… Read More
The pretty accurate Japanese blog Macotakara passes along a pair of Taiwanese reports claiming that Apple is now evaluating and sampling tiny screens for its rumored smartwatch, affectionately dubbed by the media as iWatch. Apple’s technologies chief Bob Mansfield, who is believed to have taken particular interest in wearable technology, along with a team of 100+ engineers are reportedly evaluating 1.5-inch screens based on OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode).
OLED is important because it doesn’t require a backlight so it’s more batter-friendly than a liquid crystal display (LCD). Additionally, OLED screens render deeper black levels and are thinner and lighter than LCDs, which are major feats for small form-factor wearable gadgets like smartwatches… Read More
Yahoo’s recently-minted CEO Marissa Mayer has gone on a shopping spree. After the troubled Internet giant in March bought mobile news startup Summly for $30 million, and having snapped up the iOS/Android task management service Astrid earlier this month, Yahoo this morning announced a definitive agreement to acquire Tumblr for $1.1 billion. Yahoo promised “not to screw it up” and operate Tumblr independently as a separate business, keeping its founder David Karp as the CEO.
More than fifty billion posts (75 million more arriving each day) are hosted on Tumblr so this acquisition is bound to significantly bolster Yahoo’s content empire… Read More
Last week, a hacked carrier update surfaced for T-Mobile subscribers that promises to increase the cellular data speeds of the iPhone 5. It claims to pull this off by increasing the handset’s bandwidth supply, allowing for “better throughput of data.”
This weekend, the same person behind the T-Mobile hack unveiled a similar workaround for AT&T customers. As before, the process installs a modded carrier file to your device that aims to improve its network performance with better band management… Read More
Are you tired of waiting for web pages to reload every time you launch mobile Safari? If so, you might be interested in this new jailbreak tweak called SafariBlankPage, by Suu (the same developer who did Slide2Kill).
As its name indicates, the tweak forces Safari to open up to a blank page upon launch, meaning you don’t have to wait for anything to load. This allows you to quickly perform searches and open new websites… Read More
Siri was all the rage when Apple unveiled it alongside its iPhone 4S in the fall of 2011. The digital assistant was highlighted in a number of commercials for the handset during its 11-month life cycle. But since then, we’ve seen a number of competitors arise.
One of those competitors is Google Now, which launched in the summer of last year. And a lot of folks believe that it’s superior to Siri—both in speed and accuracy. But is that really the case? Find out in this new head-to-head comparison video of the two… Read More
Like every Sunday, we bring you the stories that were the most popular on iDB during this past week. Whether it is a news piece, an editorial, a tutorial, a new jailbreak tweak, or an accessory review, we sum it all up in one convenient place.
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We’re usually hanging out a lot on Twitter and Facebook, more rarely on Google+.
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Recently there has been a pretty big buzz about an upcoming release dubbed SemiRestore. We posted about it a few days ago. It’s not out yet, you can check its progress here, but I wanted to use this post to prove to you that it does indeed work as described.
SemiRestore claims to be able to let you restore your device without necessitating the need to upgrade your iOS device’s firmware. This is extremely appealing for a number of reasons, but the biggest reason of them all is that it would allow you to restore your device without losing your precious jailbreak.
As you know, Apple stopped signing iOS 6.1.2 after iOS 6.1.3 was released. iOS 6.1.2 was the last firmware susceptible to the evasi0n jailbreak, so it’s a precious firmware in the eyes of those who like to tinker with their phones. From Apple’s standpoint, it’s obvious why they opted to fix the exploits used to make evasi0n function. Apple owes it to its users to ensure that iOS is the most secure platform that it can be. Nonetheless, that doesn’t make the jailbreak community any less disappointed at the loss of an untethered jailbreak
To make matters even more grim, Apple has rendered downgrading virtually impossible, and that includes simply restoring your iOS 6.1.2 firmware back to iOS 6.1.2. So what if your iPhone or iPad starts running really slow? What if you genuinely needed to restore your device? If so, then kiss your jailbreak goodbye. That pretty much sums up the predicament that we find ourselves in. For that reason we’re always extra careful not to install any tweaks or apps on our devices that might cause problems.
And that, folks, is where SemiRestore has come in to save the day. I was a bit skeptical at first, but I’ve tested it out myself, and I can assure you that it works pretty well. It’s not a genuine full restore — hence its name — but it’s probably the next best thing to a legitimate restore, and will help you regain the stock feeling of a fresh installation of iOS. The best thing about it? You won’t need to upgrade your firmware, and because of this, you won’t lose your jailbreak. Full demonstration inside. Read More
Industry chatter regarding ‘iRadio’ is really starting to pick up. Yesterday, a report surfaced claiming that Apple is struggling to reach deals with record labels because such a service has never been tried before. And today, we have even more details on the talks.
Citing sources with knowledge of the negotiations, CNET is reporting that the labels are actually very keen on Apple’s music service, but there’s a single issue keeping them from signing on the dotted line. Apparently, they can’t agree on song skipping terms… Read More
“Everybody’s working for the weekend…” Loverboy’s song never made more sense to me than it does now that I’m always looking for things to do on the weekends. Some of us want nothing more than to relax by the pool with a frosty beverage and a good book. Others want to turn their city into a playground.
Whether you are looking for a game to fill up your free time, an organizer for your movies, or a new photography app to take pictures of your cat with, we’ve got a list to keep you busy this weekend… Read More
There are countless amounts of themes already available for iPhone/iPad with more emerging each week. It starts getting harder to find a theme that is truly worthy of your iDevice. That’s where we come in… Introducing Circul8. A theme that is well crafted with the perfect minimalism for a simple but effective look.
The best part? It’s free… Read More
Apple has decided to pull Bang With Friends, a controversial app that lets users anonymously pick which of their Facebook friends they’d like to hook up with, and then notifies them when there’s a match, from its App Store this afternoon.
There’s no word yet on why the app was removed. But between Apple’s staunch attitude toward all things vulgar, and its app review team’s track record for pulling software on a whim, we’re not at all surprised to see Bang With Friends gone… Read More
I never thought I’d be saying this, but we are now just a week away from the release of Fast & Furious 6. I don’t think anyone could have predicted the adrenaline-pumping street-racing hit of 2001 was going to blossom into a 6 movie franchise. But here we are.
As it seems customary these days, the folks behind FF6 have released a game to go along with the feature film. The 3D racer takes you through the mean streets of London, where you must race your way to money and respect. And it’s now available on iOS… Read More
Balances is a new App Store app from the mind of popular jailbreak developer Filippo Bigarella. Bigarella is the same developer behind such jailbreak staples like CleverPin and Springtomize 2 to name a few.
Needless to say, when such a well-known and well respected developer ventures into the so-called “legit” waters of the App Store, it’s hard not to take notice. His first foray — Balances — is a way to maintain personal debts and credits within the confines of a simple, straightforward, and easy to use app.
If you’ve ever found yourself writing down how much you owe someone, or how much someone owes you on random scraps of paper, then you probably need a better system. That’s where Balances comes in. It helps you get rid of the sticky note system and maintain your balances using the iPhone. Check out our video demonstration of the app in motion… Read More
It feels like the summer of 2011 all over again. Both Apple and Google were rumored to be working on a music service, and Google has beaten Apple to the punch by announcing theirs well in advance. Back then it was cloud storage. This time it’s streaming.
Earlier this week, Google unveiled its new ‘All Access’ streaming music service. And according to a new report, unless Apple can reach a deal with the remaining hold-out record labels, it’s going to again have a several month head start on Apple’s release… Read More
