Electronic Arts unleashes Tetris Blitz globally

By Christian Zibreg on May 23, 2013

Electronic Arts’ mobile gaming arm today released a new (and free) game for iOS and Android devices, Tetris Blitz. Announced in mid-February, it’s a twist on the block-dropping Tetris puzzler rather than a remake of the original game. The game actually landed on the Canada App Store a week ago in a soft-launch manner, but today rolled out across App Stores globally. Trust me, this one’s worth a download. Besides, you can’t really go wrong with a high-profile release costing zero bucks, now can you? Read More

 

gMusic updated with support for Google’s new All Access music service

By Cody Lee on May 23, 2013

I’ve been keeping an eye on the gMusic Twitter account all week. Last year the app was first to iOS with support for Google’s cloud-based Music storage, and I knew it’d be the same way this year with support for Google’s new All Access subscription service.

That support arrived today in the form of gMusic 6.0. And in addition to ‘All Access’ access, the update brings a number of useful playback and management features like the ability to create and play radio stations, and to search for/ add music to your library… Read More

 

Clinging for relevancy, Rhapsody revamps iOS app with tons of goodies

By Christian Zibreg on May 23, 2013

Remember Rhapsody, the jukebox app and music subscription service that once pitted itself as a chief rival to Apple’s iTunes, only to fail miserably? It’s been lingering out there ever since, watching its user base erode to not only iTunes, but to streaming music services Pandora and Rdio, which both received nice little updates yesterday. But don’t write Rhapsody off yet. Today, they’ve revamped their iOS app which they likened to “the Ferrari of iPhone apps”… Read More

 

Verizon Cloud client now available on the App Store

By Cody Lee on May 23, 2013

Good news Verizon customers. Just in case the dozens of cloud storage options currently available aren’t enough for you, Big Red has just released an iOS version of its mobile Verizon Cloud client, finally bringing its backup services to Apple’s mobile platform.

Like the other offerings, Verizon’s Cloud allows you to sync up your documents, photos and other media between your devices. But unlike the others, it has the ability to save things like contacts and text messages, as well as the ability to restore them to a device… Read More

 

Live the celebrity life with the Cannes Film Festival app

By Lory Gil on May 23, 2013

This year’s Cannes Film Festival takes place from May 15 – 26. Every year, France’s epic movie party brings celebrities from all over the world to preview unreleased films. If you make it at Cannes, you’ll make it in theaters. Of course, this prestigious affair is by invite only, so regular folks like us have to find out about it in the news.

Festival de Cannes – Official is the sanctioned app of the entire event. You can read news about attendees, see photos of the daily events, watch trailers of films that will be presented at the festival, and much more. If you aren’t elite enough to make it to Cannes, you can pretend like you are thanks to this comprehensive app… Read More

 

More Evernote awesomeness: native reminders launch in iOS/Mac client

By Christian Zibreg on May 23, 2013

What started out as a simple note-taking solution is quickly becoming the Internet’s favorite information management platform.

We’re talking about Evernote, of course, the Jack of all trades, at least when it comes to note-taking, and I’m using the term loosely here. But if there’s one feature that’s been notably absent from Evernote it’s the concept of time – but no more.

Thanks to a major update issued earlier today, Evernote users on iOS and OS X can now take advantage of reminders, right in their notes. With this helpful new feature, Evernote just leveled up in a major way.

Reminders sync across devices seamlessly, facilitate to-do lists, deliver in-app and email alarms, can be notebook-specific and allow for a range of interesting capabilities not possible before. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, shall we? Read More

 

New report claims budget iPhone production begins soon, 5S has dual LED flash

By Cody Lee on May 23, 2013

Say what you want about the idea of a ‘budget’ iPhone, but industry insiders seem to be extremely confident that the handset is coming. We’ve heard a number of reports over the past few months regarding Apple’s efforts to create a sub-$300 smartphone.

In fact, another report has surfaced this afternoon claiming that the cheaper iPhone is on the way. This one comes from the folks over at Macotakara, a Japanese blog with a fair track record in Apple intel, who allege to have new details about the device… Read More

 

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. However, the software maker has been caught cheating… 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

 
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