WWDC 2013 is officially finished, and we think it’s safe to say that we’re all a bit hungover from all of the news and activity. In this episode, we, of course, talk about iOS 7, but we also discuss some of the more prominent jailbreak tweaks from the last week. Releases like Auxo for iPad, Overview, and iOS 7 Control Toggle Icons take the floor in this latest back to basics episode.
I was going to write this post when everything was raw, soon after the news had developed and the internet was awash with people seemingly frothing at the mouth. Frothing, apparently, for one of two reasons.
Firstly, we had the people frothing because “ZOMG, 20 dollars for an iPad game!!!!.” Apparently anything the wrong side of free is just about the developers trying to squeeze money out of their hard work. Because, well, it’s their living.
Then secondly, there were the polar opposites. People screaming back, apparently oblivious to the fact they were wasting their time, claiming that developers deserve to be paid and that free to play games have ruined the App Store, caused world hunger and possibly even kicked a kitten once.
The truth though, as is so often the case, is somewhere in-between… Read More
Micro video sharing has become a huge hit with the launch of Twitter’s popular video app Vine. While Twitter is not the first company to come up with such technology, it certainly made it famous.
Lightt is a video upload app that turns mini movies into a social experience. You can make stop motion animation shorts similar to the features of Vine, or you can make a one-minute unedited movie to share with others… Read More
I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve used a QR Code reader over the years. The fact that such functionality isn’t built into iOS pretty much ensures that this tech will always be dead to me. Yet, a new jailbreak tweak is trying to change that by incorporating the ability to scan QR Codes directly from the stock Camera app. NativeQR is the name of the tweak, and not only will it allow you to scan QR codes, it also allows you to share contacts using QR codes as well. Read More
Move over Twitter and Facebook, it looks like Apple is planning to add a third social network to the system-wide share sheet in iOS 7. According to code-based references found inside the first beta, the company is testing deep LinkedIn integration.
Similar to the setup with the two aforementioned networks, the code points to a single-sign-on system for LinkedIn accounts. This would allow users to easily post content, such as Web URLs, to LinkedIn from native and third party applications… Read More
A video is making rounds on the web claiming to depict iOS 7 running on an iPad. iDB was recently tipped of its existence and although we couldn’t verify its authenticity, we’ve decided to post it for the sake of discussion. The clip runs one minute and 32 seconds long and looks genuine, showcasing what running the iOS 7 user interface and stock apps on a bigger canvas looks like (at least in the early stage of development).
We’re unsure whether YouTube user Rozetked who posted video evidence has managed to hack iOS 7 to run on the device or if he got hold of an actual iPad build of the software. We’ll let you be the judge, the clip is right after the break… Read More
I follow quite a few developers, tech sites, tech writers and other worthwhile pundits on Twitter. So as you can imagine, my Twitter stream has been filled with talk of iOS 7, Jony Ive, and pretty much all things Apple over the past week.
And as it turns out, I’m not alone. According to a report from social media analytics firm Viral Heat, Apple was the talk of most major social networks last week. For example, over 400,000 tweets mentioned iOS 7. Infographic time! Read More
Alan Yip, the creator of Tap to Widgets and Overview, is back with a brand new free tweak on Cydia. His tweak, Entitled DoubleTap, is a release that allows users to use three-finger double tap gestures to execute certain actions.
The included actions are a brightness toggle, volume up/down, and an orientation lock toggle. Although the under-the-hood mechanics are no-doubt deeper than what meets the eye, DoubleTap is a fairly simple tweak in usage. Full video walkthrough inside. Read More
Looking for a minimalistic battery indicator, yet don’t want to fool with any WinterBoard themes? If so, then you just got a brand new option. Vox is a recently released jailbreak tweak that reimagines the stock battery indicator for something a bit more subtle and minimalistic.
The tweak outright forgoes the numerical percentage, and eschews the skeuomorphic battery indicator for something a bit more abstract. Have a look at our video walkthrough for more details… Read More
In a somewhat surprising move, Apple is allegedly asking select Cupertino locals for feedback on the interface changes in iOS 7. Specifically, the firm is thought to be holding campus sessions where they challenge cherry-picked Cupertino residents to weigh in on iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks.
Additionally, the company is said to be polling its retail store employees by seeding the initial preview of OS X Mavericks to Genius Bar and on-floor Apple Retail employees, the practice seemingly in line with Apple’s previous major software updates… Read More
Coincidentally or not, Twitter has just teased the upcoming Vine features just as the blogosphere lit up with a confirmation that Facebook will be releasing an Instagram video product on Thursday.
According to Twitter, they will be introducing “some exciting new parts of Vine” over the next few weeks. The rather cryptic and unusual announcement was accompanied by a rather clever Twitter-made video posted to – you guessed right – Vine… Read More
Last week, Facebook started sending out mysterious invitations to press members via snail mail for a June 20th event. At the time, no one knew what it was planning to unveil at the presser, since it’s already taken the wraps off its Home project.
Today, though, it looks like we finally have our answer. According to a new report from AllThingsD, the rumors are true—Instagram has been working on a new video sharing service. And Facebook is going to show it off during Thursday’s event… Read More
Sometimes, one just feels like life isn’t worth living anymore. Maybe you’ve been trying too hard for too long or life hasn’t been treating you fairly?
Perhaps love of your life has suddenly dumped you? Or, it could be the economy. Whatever the reason, far too many people are having suicidal thoughts these days.
And who could blame them – we’re living in a time when the entire world is increasingly becoming a Prozac nation. When desperation sets in, suicide prevention centers step in to save lives. But those considering committing suicide are often way too depressed to even seek professional help on their own.
Apple feels their pain, too. In a recent server-side update, the company’s digital assistant has gained ability to help individuals in suicidal crisis reach out to National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by automatically placing that potentially life-saving phone call for you… Read More
Facebook has updated its iOS app this afternoon with a handful of new features and other improvements. The new version, which the social network identifies as 6.2, adds the ability to add icons to your status updates, and several UI enhancements to make sharing easier. As usual, we have the full change log after the fold… Read More
Since Apple unveiled its next generation mobile operating system, iOS 7, it seems like that’s all anyone can talk about. Some folks love it, and think it’s a step in the right direction. And others dislike it so much that they’re considering switching to Android.
For those of you who haven’t tried it yet, and are feeling left out of the conversation, we’ve come across something that may help. The folks over at Recumbo have put together an interactive demo of iOS 7 that lets you play with the software update without a dev account… Read More
Amazon’s Cloud Drive Photos app debuted in May, giving iDevice owners an easy way to browse image files stored in their Amazon cloud storage.
Among other features, the iPhone/iPad application allows for downloading of individual images straight to your iDevice. You can also batch-upload your on-device snaps up to the cloud, useful if you want to keep your photos securely backed up in the cloud (and trust Amazon with your data – okay, that was a joke).
Unfortunately, the app doesn’t support background network activity, and that’s a shame as quiting it or even receiving a phone call stops any upload in progress. Amazon finally saw to that, having updated Cloud Drive Photos with support for Background Save feature, along with other improvements… Read More
I haven’t quite figured out what to do with Vine yet, Twitter’s video social network, but others don’t seem to be having that problem. The app is consistently listed among the top 5 iPhone apps in the App Store, and I see shared Vine videos on Facebook daily.
And if you happen to be a Vine user, you’ll be happy to hear that the app received a nice little update today. The new version, marked as version 1.1.3, includes a new share button to make reposting videos to other networks easier, and other UI improvements… Read More
The stock Mail app features a VIP folder that lets you to designate specific contacts as VIPs. This allows you to separate important email from all of the rest. But not everyone uses the VIP feature, and there’s no way to disable the feature within the Mail app’s settings. That’s where NoVIP steps in to save the day. It’s a free jailbreak tweak that allows you to outright hide the Mail App’s VIP folder. Check inside for a video demonstration of. Read More
From the onset, the world’s airlines were sold on Apple’s Passbook, an iOS feature that debuted as part of iOS 6 launch last Fall. And it’s easy to see why. The application keeps your digital boarding passes handy and simplifies checkins with barcodes and other goodies.
Flight and gate changes can be delivered to users’ Lock screen in real-time. Additional handy alerts pop up when you’re near the gate or when your flight is about to departure.
With the likes of American Airlines, British Airways, Alaska Airlines, Qantas, EasyJet, Delta and many others having deployed Passbook support, small wonder that Air France has now jumped on the bandwagon.
On Tuesday, the French airline has updated its iOS app with support for boarding passes via the Passbook system… Read More
Is social networking giant Facebook looking for a new deal with South Korean smartphone giant Samsung? Speculation allegedly erupted on that front following a face-to-face meeting between a suit-and-tie Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Samsung President Shin Jong Kyun.
Although officially, the Samsung head would only say the conversation dealt with possible partnerships between the two firms, reports suggested Facebook may be looking to Samsung to bolster its floundering Facebook First on smartphones… Read More
Among the nearly 40 Apple patents granted today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) are ones covering multi-touch technology, as well as designs for the iPhone 5 and the Lightning connector. The widest-ranging group of patents involves the multi-touch technology for the iPhone 5 and latest iPads and iPods.
Meanwhile, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Design, Jonathan Ive, is given lead credit for designing the iPhone 5… Read More
