AT&T slaps customers with all-new Mobility Administrative Fee

By Christian Zibreg on May 23, 2013

AT&T fanboys, beware – as of May 1, your favorite carrier has instituted a new Mobility Administrative Fee which adds an extra $0.61 per line, per month to your wireless bill.

Yes, you’ll hardly notice the additional charge, but it does work out to an extra $7.32 per phone line per year, or nearly thirty bucks annually for a family account with four lines.

But multiply the figure by AT&T’s nearly 70 million postpaid customers and that paltry $0.61 per-line charge quickly adds up to an additional hundreds of millions of extra dollars for the telco, each year. Wait, what’s a Mobility Administrative Fee, you ask… Read More

 

Angry Birds Space goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

By Cody Lee on May 23, 2013

It’s pretty mind-boggling to think about what the folks at Rovio have done with the Angry Birds franchise. What started out as just a simple game has turned into a multimedia empire complete with its own clothing line, TV show, and feature film.

And for those of you who’ve yet to see what all of the fuss is about, I have some good news for you. Apple has just named Angry Birds Space as its ‘App of the Week’, meaning you can download the game (iPhone and iPad) for free for a limited time… Read More

 

Apple confirms WWDC keynote to take place June 10

By Cody Lee on May 23, 2013

With Apple’s annual World Wide Developer Conference now just a few weeks away, it’s hard not to get at least a little excited. After all, the Cupertino company is expected to show off new versions of OS X and iOS during its WWDC keynote.

And it looks like we’ll be seeing that keynote on Monday, June 10. In an unsurprising move this morning, Apple has confirmed that it will be making all of its big announcements on the first day of WWDC at the Moscone Center in San Francisco… Read More

 

Jon Stewart on Apple’s Senate probe

By Christian Zibreg on May 23, 2013

Earlier this week, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook came to Washington and escaped unscathed. The focus of media coverage has now seemingly moved away from Apple to the greater tactics some of the well-known corporations use to funnel their money using the world’s tax havens – and perfectly legally, too.

But the hot topic isn’t going away as the nearly bankrupt government seeks ways to tax hundreds of billions of dollars kept overseas. And per usual, the American political satirist and the Daily Show host Jon Stewart has jumped on the opportunity to exploit the controversy.

I don’t want to spoil the fun for you, but he’s asserting U.S. senators are Apple fanboys. The clip is right after the break… Read More

 

Smule’s latest hit: social guitar-playing game for iPhone and iPad

By Christian Zibreg on May 23, 2013

Smule is among early iOS developers that have been continuously raising the bar on what’s possible on Apple’s iPhone. They make a bunch of social music-making applications and their latest offering is a free iPhone game called Guitar!.

Like many other Smule apps, Guitar! challenges you to play a virtual guitar on your iPhone or iPod touch and earn points based on your performance.

You can then compare your standings to your friends in global leaderboards. And as you progress, the app unlocks a range of Electric and Rock guitars that let you try out new guitar sounds. And no, you don’t have to be a musician as the whole point of the game is social music making. A promo video and other highlights are right after the break… Read More

 

Another Microsoft ad disses iPad’s specs, multitasking, AirPrint and more

By Christian Zibreg on May 23, 2013

Wow, that was quick. Following on yesterday’s Windows 8 commercial which uses Apple’s Siri to highlight the iPad’s perceived flaws – such as its $499 price point versus an Asus VivoTab Smart and lack of Office (go figure), the Redmond-based software giant today release another ad along the same lines.

Suggestively titled ‘Comparison: iPad vs. Windows 8 Tablet’, the commercial pits an iPad 4 against an Asus Vivo Tab RT, which is based on the same ARM CPU technology like Apple’s tablet… Read More

 

After being dumped from App Store, AppGratis launches Android version

By Ed Sutherland on May 23, 2013

After great wailing and gnashing of teeth about its banishment from Apple’s App Store earlier this year, AppGratis is back – for Android users. The app recommendation engine was yanked after Apple outlawed iOS apps which promoted other apps.

Now in the Google’s Play store Android repository, developers claim AppGratis “is designed from the ground up” for the iOS rival. Yet, the service appears much like the AppGratis ejected from the app’s first choice, the App Store… Read More

 

High iPhone 5 repair costs blamed on Apple’s tight components control

By Christian Zibreg on May 23, 2013

Eight months into its September 2012 launch, Apple’s iPhone 5 is still a pricey gadget to service.

Be it a smashed screen, an earpiece that needs replacing or its most unreliable iPhone component – the Home button - some replacement components for the handset remain pricey compared against prior iPhones.

In an in-depth piece, MarketWatch looks at the iPhone aftermarket to conclude that the iPhone 5 repair costs remain high due to Apple’s tight control of Asian supply chain for components and replacement parts… Read More

 

How to clear duplicates from “Open With” menu on OS X

By Sebastien Page on May 23, 2013

I love my Mac but sometimes it does some strange things, such as showing me duplicate entries in the “Open With” contextual menu you get when you right click on a document. While I’m not sure why it happens, I hear it’s due to the Launch Services database.

Of course, there probably is a valid explanation as to why and how it happens. Some people might even be able to convince me it’s more of a feature rather than a bug, but the fact of the matter is that it drives me absolutely insane.

If like me, you are annoyed by this, I’ll show you how to delete duplicate entries from the “Open With” menu on your Mac… Read More

 

Shazam for iPad gains exclusive background television-tagging features

By Christian Zibreg on May 23, 2013

The iPad edition of the media fingerprinting and discovery app Shazam has been updated today with a couple noteworthy enhancements.

First and foremost, the app can now auto-tag the music, television shows and ads playing around you (most likely on your telly), even when the app is in the background (you’ll see the red bar when auto-tagging is running).

This interesting television-tagging capability lets you surf the web, check your email and chat with your friends, for example, while Shazam dutifully identifies what’s playing on the radio or your telly. You can then revisit those tags later to pick the media you’re interested in.

And, a redesigned homescreen makes it easier to see what your Facebook friends have been watching and listening to, explore popular tags by continents, countries, regions, cities and towns and browse the most tagged TV shows in the past few hours… Read More

 

Mailbox for iPad is finally here, get downloading

By Christian Zibreg on May 23, 2013

Mailbox, the popular Gmail-based email application for the iPhone and iPod touch that Dropbox snapped up back in March, has been updated with native iPad support. Yes, you can now triage your email on the bigger screen. Taking best ideas from the iPhone build and borrowing cues from Apple’s stock Mail app on iPad, Mailbox on your Apple tablet increases your productivity by dividing the interface in landscape mode into two columns: the lefthand one which lists your email messages, with message content rendered on the right side. We’ve gut the full breakdown and a promo video right below the fold… Read More

 

Industry analyst Michael Gartenberg joins Apple’s marketing army

By Christian Zibreg on May 23, 2013

In a somewhat surprising move, longtime technology analyst Michael Gartenberg has joined Apple’s marketing team, Forbes reported Wednesday. Although Gartenberg has yet to confirm the development via his Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, a number of retweets of other people’s congratulatory tweets could be viewed as a confirmation of sorts.

Though details on his role at the company are slim, Michael will likely be evangelizing the platform given he’ll be reporting to marketing head Phil Schiller… Read More

 

How to save PDF files to iBooks

By Lory Gil on May 23, 2013

Apple is the largest tech companies in the world. They literally sell millions of iPhones every year. On any given day, someone who has just started using an iOS device will start reading iDownloadBlog. Because we know that there are a lot of “noobs” out there who don’t know every aspect of their iPhone or iPad, we like to have a tutorial on the basics every once in a while.

We know that a lot of our readers are well versed in the nitty-gritty of their devices and don’t need a refresher course. However, we also know that there are plenty of new readers who could use some pointers, but are afraid to ask. That’s why we write these basic tutorials. We want everyone to know how to do everything on an iOS devices.

In this tutorial, we are going to tell you how to get a PDF file on your iBooks shelf for safekeeping and easy access… Read More

 

Bamboo Loop: send fun visual messages to your friends

By Lory Gil on May 23, 2013

As photography mixes more and more with social networking sites, it is becoming popular for app developers to find ways to create fun and interesting ways to share photos. Instagram is no longer the top dog when it comes to connecting friends and family through pictures.

Bamboo Loop is an iPhone app from the company that brought us Bamboo Paper and the popular Bamboo Stylus. This social app lets you upload pictures and draw funny faces on them or leave little notes. Then, they can tag you right back on the same image, thus creating the Loop… Read More

 

New Trunk Lightning cable doubles as posable iPhone Stand

By Cody Lee on May 23, 2013

It’s almost impossible to stand out in the crowded space of smartphone accessories these days. This year’s CES alone saw nearly 1000 new mobile add-ons, from 590 different manufacturers. And that’s just a single 4-day trade show.

But it’s no surprise that the folks over at iLoveHandles have managed to do it with their new ‘Trunk’ Lightning cable. The understated accessory may look like just another Lightning to USB cable, but it actually doubles as an iPhone stand… Read More

 

SMS on GV integrates Google Voice SMS into your Messages app

By Cody Lee on May 23, 2013

Avid Google Voice users will be happy to hear that there’s a new jailbreak tweak out that integrates Google’s SMS service into the stock Messages app. We’ve seen tweaks like this before, such as SMS GV Extension. But to my knowledge, none of them made it to iOS 6.

The tweak we’re going to be talking about today, however, does support iOS 6 (as well as later versions). It’s called SMS on GV, and like the others we’ve seen, it allows you to send and receive text messages using your Google Voice account from within Messages… Read More

 

Drive Awake uses eye-tracking tech to keep you from falling asleep while driving

By Cody Lee on May 23, 2013

This is kind of cool. Raise your hand if you’ve ever gone on a lengthy road trip and found yourself falling asleep while driving. I know I have. Just last month I drove halfway across the country, and I caught myself dozing off on a number of occasions.

But there’s an iPhone app out that promises to make that a thing of the past. It’s called Drive Awake, and it uses eye-tracking technology to keep tabs on you while you drive. Close your eyes for too long, and the app will emit a shrieking audible alarm… Read More

 

Microsoft uses Siri to highlight iPad flaws in new Windows 8 ad

By Cody Lee on May 22, 2013

It’s not unusual to see Microsoft and Apple products pitted against each other in a TV ad. Back in the early 2000s, Apple had success with its ‘I’m a Mac’ spots. And just recently, MS took on both Apple and Samsung in its ‘Don’t Fight’ commercial.

But this new Windows 8 tablet ad takes the rivalry thing to a whole new level. Using the voice of Siri, Microsoft highlights a number of things that the iPad can’t do, that a tablet running its latest OS can. As always, we have the video for you after the fold… Read More

 

Popular analyst warns iWatch may not hit market until late 2014

By Cody Lee on May 22, 2013

Folks looking forward to seeing Apple launch its iWatch product this year probably shouldn’t get their hopes up. According to a new report from well-respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, there’s a good possibility we won’t see the rumored accessory until late 2014.

Kuo says that due to the vast changes coming in iOS 7, Apple won’t have the resources to build out software for the wristwatch-like device. And he thinks that, and an immature component market for wearable devices, will delay the project until the end of next year… Read More

 

Clear for iPhone and Mac updated with e-mail list sharing and more

By Cody Lee on May 22, 2013

Realmac has updated its Clear app today for both the iPhone and the Mac today, bringing it to version 1.2.2 (or 1.0.1). The update brings about e-mail list sharing—which was a highly requested feature—as well as new themes and other improvements.

On the iPhone, the new list sharing feature can be activated simply by shaking the handset while Clear is open. Doing this brings up the email tool  that includes the active list, plus a link that lets the recipient open it within their own version of Clear… Read More

 
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