Hot on the heels of this morning’s update from Pandora comes a new version of the Rdio app for iOS. The update brings the music client to version 2.2, and includes a number of new features and improvements.
Perhaps the biggest change in today’s release is the addition of ”Find People,” a new tool that will make it easier for users to find friends and discover artists to follow. And the UI improvements are also blatant… Read More
Although Apple has long offered PayPal as a payment option in the United States for both digital consumer sales on iTunes and volume software purchases by education customers, the firm never instituted paying for online store purchases using PayPal.
That’s ostensibly changing now as users in Germany now report being able to complete purchases on their localized online Apple Store using their PayPal account.
It remains unclear why exactly Apple enabled the feature in Germany (could be part of the broader Apple Store changes), but the move could signal a staggered worldwide roll-out… Read More
More than $1 trillion leaked from the tax coffers of EU member states each year, an amount large enough to prompt European leaders Wednesday to hold a summit on reforming corporate taxes. The move follows high-profile investigations showing Apple and other tech giants used European countries to avoid paying taxes in their home countries.
Earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook testified before a Senate subcommittee investigating how the iPhone maker used a hole in Ireland’s tax laws to lower its U.S. tax burden on $74 billion held overseas… Read More
A week ago, news broke that Apple mulled adding Samsung’s latest Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone to its patent infringement case against Samsung Electronics. It’s not terribly surprising then that Apple has now filed a motion asserting that both the Internet giant’s head-turning Google Now feature and Samsung’s Galaxy S4 handset violate its two Siri patents and five other inventions… Read More
Apple CEO Tim Cook, while squirming Tuesday under Congressional questions about the company’s tax-savings tactics, revealed an interesting tidbit: the Lone Star State will build the the tech giant’s made-in-USA Mac. Testifying before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Cook said the Mac would be assembled in Texas, with parts coming from other regions of the country… Read More
Penguin, one of the five named publishers in the Apple e-book price fixing suit, has reached a comprehensive agreement with the United States State Attorneys General and private class plaintiffs to pay a cool $75 million in consumer damages, in addition to costs and fees related to resolving all antitrust claims relating to the e-book price fixing suit… Read More
The ailing Japanese giant Sony could spin off its entertainment business amid heightened competition from the consumer electronics giant Apple and the South Korea-based conglomerate Samsung, Reuters reported Wednesday.
The news gathering organization writes the CEO Kazuo Hirai confirmed Sony’s board will discuss a proposal by U.S. hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb to spin off up to twenty percent of its movie, TV and music division because Sony has “fallen behind powerful rivals” such as Apple and Samsung in terms of both profitability and innovation… Read More
Google Now-like voice search in the desktop Chrome browser is definitely one of the easily overlooked Google I/O 2013 announcements. There’s no denying that it makes a hell of a lot of sense to unify Google’s voice search experience, no matter what device or operating system people happen to be using.
Having recently added Google Now to its native Search app on iOS devices, the Internet giant has now enabled very similar conversational voice search capabilities in the latest build of its Chrome desktop browser for Mac and Windows… Read More
After being down for nearly four hours, Apple last night tweaked its online Apple Store with a cleaner look and Father’s Day gift promotion.
Gone are the navigation columns on the left and right sides to make room for product teasers that now occupy the entire width of the page.
As part of the redesign, key product hubs (the Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod) are now lined up horizontally across the store’s top and the images are now larger. And because Father’s Day is drawing near, Apple now prominently features its iPhone 5 and iPads on the store’s homepage… Read More
Apple’s Music app is kind of ugly. At least, that is what developers of music interface apps think. While I am perfectly content with Apple’s list and carousel design, plenty of iOS users are always looking for a diverse way to experience music.
Developed by jailbreak developer Saltb0x, the iMusic app satisfies your desire to view your music with a different design, plus makes it easy for you to share what you are listening to with others using a quick tweet, email, or text message… Read More
Yes, you read the headline correctly. The Inteliscope will link technology with the firearms industry in mid-June. If there was ever a time you wished to use an iPhone as a scope, get excited because your weird and strange wish is now granted.
When I first received word from the InteliScope marketing relations team, I spent a while trying to determine what exactly this product is designed to do. Is it a game? Does it come with a fake gun? Is there a Bluetooth connection to the trigger for some type of modern Duck Hunt experience?
Well, no, it is nothing like that. This is not a game. In fact, one of the advantages of this accessory system, according to the company, is the ability to “shoot around corners with no head exposure.” Creepy. Get the details past the fold… Read More
If you’ve been paying attention to my longwinded reviews, you’ll know that I am a board game fan. Put some squares on a thick piece of cardboard and throw down some dice and you’ll have me on your porch with a 2-liter of Mountain Dew and some red vines in a matter of minutes.
Ravensburger has been around for more than 100 years and makes some top quality games. Las Vegas! first launched in 2012 and just recently found its way into the App Store. Interestingly, the iOS version of this game is actually better than the physical board game… Read More
In case you haven’t heard, May is National Bike Month. The League of American Bicyclists sponsors yearly events each May to raise awareness for the environmental and fitness conscious mode of transportation.
In honor of the vélo-friendly month, we’ve come up with a list of bicycle-related apps. Whether you are a road cyclist, a back roads trailblazer, or just taking off the training wheels, we have a list of apps we think you’ll enjoy… Read More
Good news Pandora users, an update for the popular iOS client landed in the App Store this morning, bringing it to version 4.3. The update includes a handful of new features, as well as the usual bug fixes and improvements.
As far as new features go, the highlight of today’s release is the improved Facebook integration. Users now have the ability to publish their favorite tracks and stations to the social network, helping others discover new music… Read More
Wireless Bluetooth keyboards for the iPad are a dime a dozen these days. It seems like everyone makes them, including Kensington, Targus, and Belkin. In fact, ZAGG just launched a pair of new ones yesterday in the form of the Cover and the Folio.
But what you don’t see everyday are wired keyboards for the iPad, like this one that Logitech just unveiled. The Wired Keyboard is durable, spill-resistant, doesn’t require Bluetooth pairing or batteries, and comes in both 30-pin and Lightning flavors… Read More
Folks who use the streaming video service Vudu will be happy to hear that it has updated its iOS client with a major new feature this week. The Walmart-owned content delivery company has added the ability for users to download movies for offline viewing.
For those unfamiliar with the service, Vudu is similar to iTunes in that it allows you to rent and purchase movies a la carte—no monthly subscription fee. Rentals typically run between $2 and $5 and can be played back on a number of electronic devices… Read More
As you probably already know, we love iPhone photography. If there is an app for it, we will probably try it. If there is a camera-related accessory, we will probably get our hands on it eventually. We especially love to share our snapshots in any way possible. We aren’t shy with our pictures.
Oggl is Hipstamatic’s new social networking app for the iPhone that allows users to share their hyper-filtered photo creations with others in a supercharged version of Instagram. You can only participate after you’ve been invited, but don’t worry. The cool kids at Hipstamatic are not elitist. If they let me in, they’ll let anyone in… Read More
Fans of Smile’s TextExpander, the app that allows you to type lengthy words or phrases using text shortcuts, will be happy to hear that version 2 is out for iOS. The update includes a number of new features and improvements, and brings the mobile app more in line with its highly-regarded Mac sibling… Read More
Today’s the new Xbox day. After Sony on February 20 revealed its PlayStation 4 without actually showing anything in way of the hardware, the Windows giant during a special event at its Redmond headquarters announced a next-generation Xbox console dubbed the Xbox One. The system is billed as an “all-in-one entertainment system” which promises to “put you at the center of a new generation of the living room.”
Key features include a built-in Blu-ray drive, Skype, voice input and live TV functionality, the new gamepad and an enhanced Kinect camera sensor with 1080p resolution. On the surface, the device appears to pack in more advanced features than Sony’s PS4 while sporting useful set-top box functionality.
Digging deeper, the One wants to replace your Apple TV, Roku, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation and any similar box by becoming the only box your TV set really needs. And yes, it indeed has what it takes to become the center of your living room. Go past the fold for the full breakdown… Read More
Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with the company’s finance boss Peter Oppenheimer and Tax Operations head Phillip Bullock, earlier this morning took the witness table at a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill to face U.S. senators who grilled the three men on Apple’s offshore tax practices.
This also means today was the day many Apple bloggers got to become experts on tax reform. We live-blogged the whole thing, but if you had better things to do than sift through the back and forth between Apple execs and senators John McCain and Carl Levin, Apple’s got you covered.
Right on cure, the Cupertino firm has published Cook and Oppenheimer’s opening statements that detail its now widely reported stance on a comprehensive U.S. corporate tax code reform… Read More
