Developers Caught Manipulating App Store Rankings

by Cody on Feb 7, 2012

An interesting thread sprouted up in TouchArcade’s forums over the weekend entitled the “Biggest FRAUD in the Top 25 Free Ranking.” The thread spotlights a recently discovered problem with some app developers using seedy marketing services to move their apps up in the App Store rankings.

Walterkaman, who started the thread, said, “I came across this ad network which guaranteed to get my app into the Top 25 in the App Store for $5000.” The service uses bot farms to automatically download their clients’ apps to drive up their rankings. And not only does this work, but it works well… Read More

 

Rumor: Apple TV Set Already in the Hands of Canadian ISPs

by Cody on Feb 6, 2012

So this is pretty interesting. The Globe and Mail, Canada’s largest newspaper, is reporting this evening that Apple is actively looking for Canadian launch partners for its rumored television set.

The report claims that the Cupertino company has recently approached both Rogers and Bell, two major Canadian carriers, about the product, and that the two operators already have the TV in their possession… Read More

 

How Apple Could Provide Content for its Rumored TV Set

by Cody on Feb 6, 2012

One of the biggest mysteries regarding Apple’s rumored TV set, other than whether it really exists or not, is how Apple plans to push content to the device. A major advantage of the television is expected to be its easy-to-use interface, and there’s only so much Apple could do with your everyday cable or dish connection.

In a note to investors this morning, Jeffries analyst Peter Misek laid out four ways that Apple could get around the need for a third party set top box and remote control… Read More

 

Halliburton to Switch Entire Company From BlackBerry to iOS This Year

by Cody on Feb 6, 2012

Halliburton, based out of Houston, Texas, is one of the largest energy services companies in the world. It has operations in more than 70 countries and employs over 60,000 people.

Given that information, you can see why it’s such a big deal that the company has recently announced its intentions to ditch RIM’s BlackBerry platform in favor of the iPhone and iOS… Read More

 

EFF Attorney Talks About The Legality of Jailbreaking

by Cody on Feb 6, 2012

Last month, we told you about the danger of jailbreaking becoming a “legal violation” again this year. Two years ago, the US government ruled that the act of jailbreaking was legal. But that ruling could expire this year if it isn’t renewed.

Leading the fight to keep jailbreaking legal is the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation). And Gizmodo recently had a chance to sit down and talk with one of the foundation’s staff lawyers, Mitch Stolz, about the whole matter… Read More

 

HTC Says Sacrificing Size and Battery Life for LTE Was a Big Mistake

by Cody on Feb 6, 2012

Apple has received a lot of criticism for leaving LTE out of its two latest iOS devices. After all, Android manufacturers have been implementing the 4G technology in handsets and tablets for over a year now.

But as Tim Cook noted last Summer, LTE chipsets have been too big and too battery-intensive thus far for Apple to justify using them in its devices. And it looks like HTC had to find that out the hard way… Read More

 

iPhone 4S Pushed Apple Store Sales Through the Roof Last Quarter

by Cody on Feb 6, 2012

When Steve Jobs unveiled the first Apple Store back in 2001, critics laughed at him. Many believed that Jobs’ plan to open retail stores on prime real estate to spotlight Apple’s products would send the company into bankruptcy.

But as we all know, things didn’t quite play out that way. As with a majority of its other endeavors, Apple’s retail chain is the best, and most lucrative in the business. And thanks to the recent iPhone 4S launch, the best just got better… Read More

 

Another Theory on Why Siri is Limited to the iPhone 4S

by Cody on Feb 6, 2012

When Apple announced that its new Siri assistant would only be available on the iPhone 4S last October, it caused quite a commotion in the iOS community. It meant that millions of iOS users, even those who recently purchased new devices, would have to go without the feature.

We’ve heard a couple of theories on why Apple chose to make Siri 4S-only, including the need for a solid selling point for its new handset, and the fact that it’s still in beta. But according to a recent CNET report, it’s all about the processor… Read More

 

iOSOpenDev App for Creating Jailbreak Tweaks Now Available

by Cody on Feb 5, 2012

Last week we told you about iOSOpenDev, an app aimed at lowering the learning curve for iOS developers looking to create jailbreak tweaks. The utility allows users to develop tweaks using Apple’s own Xcode software.

As promised, iOSOpenDev is now available for download. So if you have a little bit of a background in programming, and you’re looking for a way to get into jailbreak development, you might want to check it out… Read More

 

How to Watch the Super Bowl On Your iPhone

by Cody on Feb 5, 2012

Over half of the US population is expected to be in front of a TV set today watching the Super Bowl. But for those of you that for one reason or another can’t get in front of a television this afternoon, there’s other ways to catch the game.

If you happen to have access to a computer, you can watch it there. The game will be streamed live via NBCSports.com and NFL.com. No computer access? That’s ok, we’ve come up with a few ways to follow all of the action on your iPhone… Read More