Joe Rossignol

Joe Rossignol is a former iDB editor.

Foxconn and Pegatron go on hiring sprees as iPhone 6 production ramps up

As the iPhone 6 enters production over the next few months, a new report claims that Apple manufacturing partners Foxconn and Pegatron are in the process of recruiting new employees from mainland China. Foxconn in particular is said to be hiring a record-breaking 100,000 employees to help assemble the smartphone, which could be released in both 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models… 

Apple turns to professional athletes for testing of iWatch fitness capabilities

With just four months remaining until Apple is expected to unveil its oft-rumored iWatch, a new report claims that the iPhone maker has teamed up with professional athletes to test the smartwatch's fitness capabilities in intense training environments. The report, citing a source with knowledge of the testing, adds that Apple has invited players from the MLB, NBA and NHL to its Cupertino headquarters on numerous occasions for this testing.

Apple is reportedly working with Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Kings right winger Dustin Brown and at least a few other star athletes, one being an unidentified player for the Boston Red Sox. The athletes have been forced to sign non-disclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing the existence of the iWatch or their involvement in the testing process… 

Why Apple dumped Yahoo for The Weather Channel to power weather data in iOS 8

Apple announced several new flagship features in iOS 8 at its WWDC keynote a few weeks ago, but one of the quiet changes uncovered was that Yahoo has been replaced by The Weather Channel for weather data. The move came as a bit of a surprise, given that Yahoo has been aggressively pushing to have more of its services integrated across the iPhone software platform.

So, why did Apple make the switch? Interestingly enough, Yahoo weather services have actually been powered by The Weather Channel for quite some time. By cutting the middleman out of the equation, the iPhone maker benefits from more specific weather data and technologies that The Weather Channel did not provide to Yahoo… 

Divoom Voombox-Travel is an ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker for the outdoorsman

When I went to the Consumer Electronics Show last year, I was surprised at just how many companies in the iLounge Pavilion were showcasing wireless Bluetooth speakers. I've always questioned the purpose of these speakers, since I have a surround sound setup in my office or simply consider my MacBook Pro speakers to be good enough when I'm out and about.

A recent outdoor event in which I only had my iPhone on me quickly changed my perspective. If you've ever tried listening to music through the iPhone speakers, you probably agree that the smartphone sounds pretty awful. Thankfully, I had packed an ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker in my backpack. It's called the Divoom Voombox-Travel, and I offer a full review ahead… 

Apple plans to improve AppleCare+ and iOS device support in near future

According to the well-connected blogger Mark Gurman, citing Apple employees that wish to remain anonymous, Apple Vice President of AppleCare and technical support Tara Bunch held a Town Hall meeting this week for AppleCare employees. At the meeting, several upcoming improvements to AppleCare+ and other support platforms were outlined.

Bunch hinted that AppleCare+ may be expanded to additional countries, although it is a challenging process because of the insurance and government-related legal processes that vary between countries worldwide. Bunch also told employees that Apple is testing a pilot program to expand the eligibility window for purchasing AppleCare+ to 60 days. Several other changes are incoming… 

Activation Lock helps curb iPhone theft in New York, London and San Francisco

You may remember stories from a few years ago that described how iPhone theft was becoming a serious problem. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg even claimed that iPhone thefts had contributed to an overall rise in crime in New York City in 2012. The problem prompted Apple to team up with Google, HTC and others to help put anti-theft measures in place on smartphones.

Apple's own anti-theft measures appear to be working, as The New York Times reports that police in New York, San Francisco and London are finally seeing a decline in theft of the iPhone. The introduction of Activation Lock on iOS 7 has seen iPhone robberies drop 38 percent in San Francisco, 24 percent in London and 19 percent in New York, based on the six months before and after Apple released the feature… 

This is Fire Phone, Amazon’s first smartphone

Amazon today unveiled the Fire Phone, its first smartphone. The device features a 4.7-inch screen, 2.2 GHz quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, Adreno 330 graphics and more. It runs a custom version of Android called Fire OS 3.5. The smartphone also has several other interesting features, including a 3D adaptive perspective mode, Firefly, ASAP predictive caching, MayDay support, screen mirroring and more.

In terms of design, the Fire Phone has a Gorilla Glass 3 screen, rubber frame and glass back. Meanwhile, the handset has aluminum buttons and injection-molded steel connectors to ensure a tight and precise fit and beautiful trim rings. Amazon says it cares deeply about the chamfered edges on its USB connectors. That's just the tip of the iceberg… 

App Recap: 10 apps to check out today

Yesterday was an eventful day on the App Store, with a massive Halfbrick Studios game sale and several important updates. Wednesday appears to be almost just as action packed, headlined by the release of a new Powerpuff Girls game and a couple of great discounts. We've covered the most important developments in App Recap, a daily column that promotes the best new, updated and discounted apps for iPhone and iPad. We've got a selection of 10 apps to help get you through the week…

Amazon talks about importance of trust and more at Fire Phone event

Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos was on stage in Seattle at its Fire Phone media event this afternoon, revealing some interesting facts worth sharing. First and foremost, over 60,000 people applied to come to the event, and only 300 were granted the luxury of attending. He dropped a few more anecdotes, which we've covered ahead…Â