U.S. Senators respond to Apple’s tax avoidance strategy ahead of tomorrow’s hearing

By Christian Zibreg on May 20, 2013

Tomorrow will be a pretty big day for Apple CEO Tim Cook, finance boss Peter Oppenheimer and Tax Operations head Phillip Bullock as the three men are scheduled to appear in front of the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation and give testimony regarding the company’s creative approach to tax avoidance.

Apple ahead of the hearing published a lengthy document on its web site which pushes for tax reform on argument that America’s tax system undermines the nation’s competitiveness in the “digital economy” because the current tax code was written for the “industrial era.” As expected, some U.S. senators beg to differ and think Apple is just being creative in its tax avoidance strategy.

This is bound to get more complicated when Tim Cook & Co. find themselves in hot water explaining to U.S. Senators how the company sidesteps U.S. taxes. Get your popcorn out… Read More

 

AT&T will enable FaceTime over cellular for everyone by year’s end

By Christian Zibreg on May 20, 2013

In a surprising move, telco AT&T is backtracking from its nonsensical policy of restricting FaceTime to its customers who subscribed to a Mobile Share data plan.

Today we learn that AT&T is promising to enable any video chatting application over cellular for all users, regardless of their data plan or device.

In a statement to The Verge, the wireless carrier said that by mid-June it will enable video chatting over cellular for its unlimited plan customers who have LTE devices from Apple, Samsung or BlackBerry, enabling these services for all customers throughout the second half of this year… Read More

 

Verizon’s LTE launches in 6 new markets, now available in nearly 500 U.S. locations

By Christian Zibreg on May 20, 2013

Verizon’s aggressive 4G LTE network roll-out continues unabated. The nation’s leading wireless carrier on Monday announced six new markets getting its speedy fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology today: Durango, Colorado; Corbin and Madisonville, Kentucky; Adrian and Mount Pleasant, Michigan; and Marietta, Ohio.

The carrier, for the first time, released a list of LTE-enabled locations which with today’s additions counts 497 markets, up from 440 locations Verizon claimed last December. The big red carrier’s LTE network is now two and a half years old, for those wondering. If all goes according to plan, Verizon should cover its 3G network entirely with LTE by the middle of this year… Read More

 

Apple issues statement on corporate tax policy ahead of senate hearing

By Cody Lee on May 20, 2013

Ahead of Tim Cook’s appearance in front of the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation tomorrow, Apple has released a lengthy statement regarding its company tax practices and other items that will be used in its testimony.

Remember, last week we told you that Cook was expected to testify at a senate hearing this Tuesday on “offshore profit shifting,” following Apple’s move to take on domestic debt, rather than use its offshore cash, to avoid $9 billion in taxes…

Read More

 

Tumblr updates iOS app with redesigned interface

By Cody Lee on May 20, 2013

It’s been a big day for the folks over at Tumblr. Earlier this morning, the microblogging network confirmed the weekend’s speculation that it is has agreed to an acquisition deal with Yahoo!, said to be worth over $1 billion.

And shortly after the news was revealed, an update for Tumblr’s iOS app posted in the App Store. The update, which brings the app to version 3.3.2, includes a handful of bug fixes and improvements, and a shiny new interface… Read More

 

Video Filters app launches with over 100 real-time video effects

By Christian Zibreg on May 20, 2013

Lots of avid iPhone photography fans don’t just use their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to capture stills, but shoot video as well.

I usually fire up Apple’s excellent iMovie application ($4.99 universal binary) whenever my clips need touching up, but now a new software has come along to go beyond what you thought was possible on your iOS device.

Video Filters by i4Software packs in over a hundred fully customizable video effects with live previews, which is kinda big deal because only a few years ago nobody thought we’d be able to edit full HD footage on tablets, in real-time… Read More

 

Apple offers iPhone discount to India’s students

By Ed Sutherland on May 20, 2013

In yet another attempt to capture the nascent smartphone market in India, Apple is now promoting discounts for students. Students can receive $144 on an iPhone when they trade in their old smartphones. Apple and Samsung have engaged in a marketing struggle, both rolling out installment plans to encourage Indian buyers of rival smartphones.

The iPhone maker also announced a cash-back deal when Indian consumers use American Express to purchase an iPhone 4, 4S or 5 before June 10, according to a Monday report… Read More

 

Samsung’s $800,000 competition lures devs to write exclusive Galaxy apps

By Ed Sutherland on May 20, 2013

Samsung wants more developers writing apps that require features exclusively found on its own devices, such as the Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone – and is willing to pay. In an $800,000 competition, the South Korean conglomerate is seeking entries which highlight its own sharing service and proprietary software development kit.

The first-prize winner takes home $200,000, three second-place finalists receive $100,000 each, while six third-place finishers get $50,000 each, according to the Wall Street Journal. The competition’s goal is to improve Samsung’s standing against Apple’s iPhone… Read More

 

Turkish PM visits Apple, Google and Microsoft ahead of tablet tender

By Christian Zibreg on May 20, 2013

After Apple back in January flew its vice president for education John Couch to Turkey who meet with the country’s president Abdullah Gül to discuss Turkey’s $4.5 billion modernization program in which textbooks will be replaced by tablets and chalkboards by electronic whiteboards, a report Monday notes that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan has now visited Apple, along with Google and Microsoft, in order to explore options ahead of the country’s impending decision to purchase 10.6 million tablets for education… Read More

 

DigiTimes: 33 percent lighter iPad 5 on track for September release

By Christian Zibreg on May 20, 2013

DigiTimes, the-sometimes-reliable Taiwanese trade publication, on Monday ran a report which quotes sources with Taiwan’s supply chain who claim that a fifth revision to Apple’s full-size 9.7-inch iPad will be 25-33 percent lighter than its previous generation.

The fifth-generation iPad is believed to be entering trial production next month, meaning the device should be on track for a rumored September launch. Initial output is pegged at up to three million units until Apple and its manufacturing partners reach yield levels necessary to ramp up production… Read More

 

Apple ostensibly sampling 1.5-inch iWatch screens

By Christian Zibreg on May 20, 2013

The pretty accurate Japanese blog Macotakara passes along a pair of Taiwanese reports claiming that Apple is now evaluating and sampling tiny screens for its rumored smartwatch, affectionately dubbed by the media as iWatch. Apple’s technologies chief Bob Mansfield, who is believed to have taken particular interest in wearable technology, along with a team of 100+ engineers are reportedly evaluating 1.5-inch screens based on OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode).

OLED is important because it doesn’t require a backlight so it’s more batter-friendly than a liquid crystal display (LCD). Additionally, OLED screens render deeper black levels and are thinner and lighter than LCDs, which are major feats for small form-factor wearable gadgets like smartwatches… Read More

 

Yahoo buys blogging platform Tumblr for $1.1 billion

By Christian Zibreg on May 20, 2013

Yahoo’s recently-minted CEO Marissa Mayer has gone on a shopping spree. After the troubled Internet giant in March bought mobile news startup Summly for $30 million, and having snapped up the iOS/Android task management service Astrid earlier this month, Yahoo this morning announced a definitive agreement to acquire Tumblr for $1.1 billion. Yahoo promised “not to screw it up” and operate Tumblr independently as a separate business, keeping its founder David Karp as the CEO.

More than fifty billion posts (75 million more arriving each day) are hosted on Tumblr so this acquisition is bound to significantly bolster Yahoo’s content empire… Read More

 

Hacked AT&T carrier update could improve your device’s network performance

By Cody Lee on May 20, 2013

Last week, a hacked carrier update surfaced for T-Mobile subscribers that promises to increase the cellular data speeds of the iPhone 5. It claims to pull this off by increasing the handset’s bandwidth supply, allowing for “better throughput of data.”

This weekend, the same person behind the T-Mobile hack unveiled a similar workaround for AT&T customers. As before, the process installs a modded carrier file to your device that aims to improve its network performance with better band management… Read More

 

Make mobile Safari load faster with SafariBlankPage

By Cody Lee on May 20, 2013

Are you tired of waiting for web pages to reload every time you launch mobile Safari? If so, you might be interested in this new jailbreak tweak called SafariBlankPage, by Suu (the same developer who did Slide2Kill).

As its name indicates, the tweak forces Safari to open up to a blank page upon launch, meaning you don’t have to wait for anything to load. This allows you to quickly perform searches and open new websites… Read More

 

Siri vs. Google Now video faceoff

By Cody Lee on May 19, 2013

Siri was all the rage when Apple unveiled it alongside its iPhone 4S in the fall of 2011. The digital assistant was highlighted in a number of commercials for the handset during its 11-month life cycle. But since then, we’ve seen a number of competitors arise.

One of those competitors is Google Now, which launched in the summer of last year. And a lot of folks believe that it’s superior to Siri—both in speed and accuracy. But is that really the case? Find out in this new head-to-head comparison video of the two… Read More

 

The iDownloadBlog top news stories of the week

By Sebastien Page on May 19, 2013

Like every Sunday, we bring you the stories that were the most popular on iDB during this past week. Whether it is a news piece, an editorial, a tutorial, a new jailbreak tweak, or an accessory review, we sum it all up in one convenient place.

If you like what you’re reading, please make sure to spread the love by sharing our posts on your favorite social network.

We’re usually hanging out a lot on Twitter and Facebook, more rarely on Google+.

Of course, don’t forget to listen to the latest episode of our podcast, Let’s Talk Jailbreak:

We’re social! Find iDB on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, App.net, YouTube, and in your RSS reader. Also make sure to subscribe to our new podcast!

 

This is how SemiRestore allows you to restore without losing your jailbreak

By Jeff Benjamin on May 18, 2013

Recently there has been a pretty big buzz about an upcoming release dubbed SemiRestore. We posted about it a few days ago. It’s not out yet, you can check its progress here, but I wanted to use this post to prove to you that it does indeed work as described.

SemiRestore claims to be able to let you restore your device without necessitating the need to upgrade your iOS device’s firmware. This is extremely appealing for a number of reasons, but the biggest reason of them all is that it would allow you to restore your device without losing your precious jailbreak.

As you know, Apple stopped signing iOS 6.1.2 after iOS 6.1.3 was released. iOS 6.1.2 was the last firmware susceptible to the evasi0n jailbreak, so it’s a precious firmware in the eyes of those who like to tinker with their phones. From Apple’s standpoint, it’s obvious why they opted to fix the exploits used to make evasi0n function. Apple owes it to its users to ensure that iOS is the most secure platform that it can be. Nonetheless, that doesn’t make the jailbreak community any less disappointed at the loss of an untethered jailbreak

To make matters even more grim, Apple has rendered downgrading virtually impossible, and that includes simply restoring your iOS 6.1.2 firmware back to iOS 6.1.2. So what if your iPhone or iPad starts running really slow? What if you genuinely needed to restore your device? If so, then kiss your jailbreak goodbye. That pretty much sums up the predicament that we find ourselves in. For that reason we’re always extra careful not to install any tweaks or apps on our devices that might cause problems.

And that, folks, is where SemiRestore has come in to save the day. I was a bit skeptical at first, but I’ve tested it out myself, and I can assure you that it works pretty well. It’s not a genuine full restore — hence its name — but it’s probably the next best thing to a legitimate restore, and will help you regain the stock feeling of a fresh installation of iOS. The best thing about it? You won’t need to upgrade your firmware, and because of this, you won’t lose your jailbreak. Full demonstration inside. Read More

 

Song skipping feature reportedly stalling iRadio talks

By Cody Lee on May 18, 2013

Industry chatter regarding ‘iRadio’ is really starting to pick up. Yesterday, a report surfaced claiming that Apple is struggling to reach deals with record labels because such a service has never been tried before. And today, we have even more details on the talks.

Citing sources with knowledge of the negotiations, CNET is reporting that the labels are actually very keen on Apple’s music service, but there’s a single issue keeping them from signing on the dotted line. Apparently, they can’t agree on song skipping terms… Read More

 

Don’t know what to do this weekend? Check out these 7 apps

By Lory Gil on May 18, 2013

“Everybody’s working for the weekend…” Loverboy’s song never made more sense to me than it does now that I’m always looking for things to do on the weekends. Some of us want nothing more than to relax by the pool with a frosty beverage and a good book. Others want to turn their city into a playground.

Whether you are looking for a game to fill up your free time, an organizer for your movies, or a new photography app to take pictures of your cat with, we’ve got a list to keep you busy this weekend… Read More

 

Circul8: an outstanding theme for iPhone and iPad

By Max Kaslick on May 18, 2013

There are countless amounts of themes already available for iPhone/iPad with more emerging each week. It starts getting harder to find a theme that is truly worthy of your iDevice. That’s where we come in… Introducing Circul8. A theme that is well crafted with the perfect minimalism for a simple but effective look.

The best part? It’s free… Read More

 
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