SoundCloud now has Google+ Sign-In and sharing

By Christian Zibreg on May 13, 2013

Nearly a year ago, the Internet giant rolled out Google+ Sign-In as a way to counter Facebook Connect, a feature web site owners predominantly tap to simplify the sign in and account creation process for their users.

The Google+ SDK for iOS was released shortly after, giving Apple’s registered iOS developers a set of tools and social plugins to write programs that are deeply integrated with the Google+ thing.

Although apps that support Google+ Sign-In are few and far between, at least relative to Facebook Connect-enabled mobile software, more and more developers are integrating Google+ features into their warez. The latest example: SoundCloud, an online audio distribution platform that today updated its iOS app with support for Google+ Sign-In and sharing… Read More

 

Flipboard update brings SMS sharing, revamped profile pages, Friends category

By Christian Zibreg on May 13, 2013

Flipboard, the social news reader for iOS and Android, was updated today with a bevy of features and improvements. The new version includes the SMS sharing option which lets you send story URLs to your friends via text messaging.

Moreover, the app’s Share menu has been re-worked for better usability so you can now share content with fewer taps than before.

Another welcomed (and way overdue) feature: if you seen an image you like, Flipboard now finally lets you save it to your Camera roll by tapping its Share icon and tapping ‘Save to Camera Roll.’ Go past the fold for improvements to Flipboard’s custom magazine feature and other tidbits… Read More

 

Bill Gates recounts emotionally on final meeting with Steve Jobs

By Christian Zibreg on May 13, 2013

Microsoft co-founder and chairman previously reflected on his meeting with Steve Jobs shortly before his death on October 5, 2011 at the age of 56. According to Walter Isaacson’s official bio book on Jobs, the two talked about their 30-year relationship and rivalry, including the early days of the Macintosh.

Last night, Gates sat down with 60 Minutes’ Charlie Rose to once again recount his final meeting with Jobs. In an emotional outpouring, teary-eyed Gates reflected on the wide range of topics they discussed, including admitting their failure to re-innovate educational through technology. Your video is right after the break… Read More

 

Apple said to move from Foxconn to Pegatron

By Christian Zibreg on May 13, 2013

Hon Hai Precision Industry aka Foxconn, Apple’s contract manufacturer of choice and the world’s largest product assembler, is under threat to losing orders to rival Pegatron, which has been building older Apple products Like the iPhone 4S and 4.

According to a new Reuters report, Pegatron “wants to grab more orders to assemble the fast-selling iPhone and iPad.” And in order to achieve this self-imposed goal, the Taiwanese manufacturer, which also builds the iPad mini, is reportedly ready to offer “more competitive pricing,” even if it has to sacrifice its margins. The news gathering organization reports that Pegatron “appears to be succeeding” in pulling in more orders from Apple… Read More

 

ABC to start live streaming content via iOS apps this week

By Cody Lee on May 13, 2013

This is kind of interesting. ABC, a TV network under the Walt Disney umbrella, is set to revolutionize its iPhone and iPad apps this week. It’s going to be adding a new ‘Live’ viewing option to the software, which will [obviously] play live programming.

The live stream will work anywhere in a local market—as long as it’s supported— the same way an old-fashioned antenna would. And according to The New York Times, this is the first time that a major broadcaster has turned on this kind of technology… Read More

 

Message Send Percent is a status indicator for your outgoing messages

By Cody Lee on May 13, 2013

We try to cover as many new jailbreak tweaks as we can here at iDB, from game-changers like Velox to the smallest of UI changes. And this next one we’re going to be talking about definitely falls in the latter category.

Message Send Percent, by developer greensnow, is a simple little UI tweak that adds a percentage indicator to your Messages app. This enables you to get a more precise readout on the progress of your outgoing messages… Read More

 

Axis could be the iPhone’s best Lock screen launcher

By Jeff Benjamin on May 12, 2013

There’s no shortage of new Lock screen launchers as of late. You have Atom, Grabby, JellyLock, and a plethora of others. But there’s a newcomer on the block that’s trying to stake claim as the king of Cydia’s Lock screen launchers — it’s called Axis.

Axis is a jailbreak tweak designed by Sentry, and coded by an enigmatic, but an obviously talented young man by the name of rud0lf77. We’ve had our share of run ins with Mr. rud0lf77 in the past, but talent’s talent, and he’s apparently got some of it.

Sentry really needs no introduction. He’s been a part of a string of hits on Cydia as of late, and has even more in the way of concepts. He’s been the inspiration for numerous tweaks that have made their way to the Cydia store, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

At first glance, his new Lock screen launcher tweak may seem familiar to you. It’s actually pretty similar to the aforementioned Grabby Lock screen launcher tweak recently released by Ryan Petrich. In what seems to have been nothing more than a pure coincidence, both tweaks take the same basic idea, but the approach is different enough to make each tweak stand on its own.

Take a look inside, as we break down what makes Axis such an appealing new tweak. We go hands-on in this detailed video walkthrough. Read More

 

iPhone, iPad granted security clearance for Pentagon’s network

By Cody Lee on May 12, 2013

It appears that all of that talk regarding iOS devices being close to gaining Pentagon clearance was spot on. Bloomberg is reporting this weekend that the US Department of Defense plans to give Apple security clearance later this week.

As we’ve discussed before, the DoD’s approval would mean a lot for the Cupertino company, who has been trying to get its iPhone and iPad into government buildings, that were once reserved for BlackBerry, for quite some time now… Read More

 

Kill apps in a single swipe with Slide2Kill

By Cody Lee on May 12, 2013

Like Sebastien, I uninstalled the popular jailbreak tweak Auxo earlier this year. Though beautifully designed, the app switcher replacement felt a little too bloated for me, and I was convinced that it made my iPhone slower.

I do miss a few of Auxo’s features though, like its revamped iPod controls and the ability to swipe down on an app icon to close it out of the switcher. But luckily, a new tweak just came out that takes care of the latter for me… Read More

 

The iDownloadBlog top news stories of the week – May 12, 2013 edition

By Sebastien Page on May 12, 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!

 

SEGA’s weekend App Store sale includes Crazy Taxi and more

By Oliver Haslam on May 12, 2013

SEGA has been known to put its iOS apps on sale every once in a while, and this weekend is one such occasion, with three of the Japanese company’s games having a couple of dollars slashed from their App Store price.

The three available games have been around for a while, but if you’ve not picked them up yet, or have perhaps been on the fence about picking them up at their normal price, then now’s the time to bite the bullet and get the credit card out.

So which games are included in the sale? Well, if you’re into some of SEGA’s classics, then you’re going to love the games Sega has included in its promotion… Read More

 

Increase T-Mobile LTE download speeds on iPhone 5 thanks to a hacked carrier update

By Oliver Haslam on May 12, 2013

T-Mobile subscribers are still getting used to having access to the iPhone, and those with existing AT&T unlocked iPhone 5 received a carrier update to add LTE support for T-Mobile’s frequency. Unfortunately, that’s not all it did.

Turns out that update may have also limited the bandwidth available to T-Mobile customers using one of those unlocked handsets, leaving them with something of a gimped LTE service. Bummer, right?

Well, remember the guy that worked out how jailbroken iPhone users could enable T-Mobile’s LTE before the aforementioned carrier update? That same clever man has also worked out how to give T-Mobile the bandwidth you’d expect from one of the hottest LTE handsets on the market. And you don’t even need to be jailbroken for it to work… Read More

 

Quickly clear your Messages text field with Triple Tap To Clear

By Cody Lee on May 11, 2013

Inputting text on the iPhone can be a tedious task. It’s not so much the typing. But due to limited display space, editing can be irksome. It seems like doing things such as copying or deleting text are more complicated than they need to be.

Case in point, try typing a lengthy message in your Messages app. Now delete the whole thing. As it stands, the fastest way to do this is to tap on your text, ‘Select All’ and then delete it. But as with most things in iOS, it could always be faster…. Read More

 

Customize the look of your Home screen icons with Athena

By Cody Lee on May 11, 2013

Folks who enjoy customizing their iOS devices, but hate overweight theming apps like WinterBoard, might want to check out Athena. The new jailbreak tweak, developed by SuperDev, allows you to completely change the look of your Home screen icons.

Want dark icons? No problem. Want pink icons? No problem. Athena has a wide array of settings that enable you to change nearly everything about the color attributes of your app icons, providing you with seemingly endless customization options… Read More

 

Major changes reportedly coming to AppleCare this fall

By Cody Lee on May 11, 2013

Apple reportedly held a town hall session with its employees this week to discuss some significant changes coming to its AppleCare warranty service. The new policies are expected to start rolling out in the US ‘very soon,’ and international shortly after.

So what’s going to be different? According to the report, one of the biggest changes has to do with how Apple Store employees handle iPhone repairs. Apparently, staff have been told that they will be doing a lot more in-store repairs, and less exchanges… Read More

 

8 apps and games you should check out this weekend

By Lory Gil on May 11, 2013

Last weekend, I received some feedback regarding ideas for future weekend app lists. They are great suggestions and I’m here to please. This weekend, I’ve focused on free and non-game apps. Not every app fits that description, but I think you’ll be pleased with this list.

Whether you are in the mood to clean out your address book, create fancy collages, or find something to do this weekend, we’ve got a diverse list of apps to keep you busy… Read More

 

Smart Merge review: how to easily find and merge duplicate contacts

By Lory Gil on May 11, 2013

When you sync your desktop contacts with your iOS contacts and then throw your Facebook contacts into the mix, you will inevitably end up with duplicates. Just like a physical address book, every time one of your friends gets a new email address or phone number, you end up with multiples from the same person.

Smart Merge helps you clear out duplicate contacts by fishing out email addresses, phone numbers, and names that are the same. It also comes with a backup feature so you can store a Dav-Card file in your email account, just in case something happens in the future… Read More

 

Mosaique is a simple puzzle game for the minimalist in you

By Lory Gil on May 11, 2013

Puzzle games are a dime a dozen in the App Store. Actually, they are about $11.88 a dozen, if you assume the average price is $0.99. My point is that there are a lot of them and they are basically all the same with slightly different skins. However, every once in a while, a unique twist on a simple game comes along and impresses the world.

Mosaique is one of those apps that transcend traditional puzzle games. With its minimalistic design and innovative gameplay, you’ll be drawn into its relaxed structure and simple design. According to the app’s summary, colonist engineers on the moon of Vraxis play this game, so you are in good company… Read More

 

Capture every moment of your life with Days

By Lory Gil on May 11, 2013

Whenever I head out on a road trip or drive into the City for a day of record shopping and urban adventuring, I take pictures. If I see a cool sign or some really fancy graffiti, I whip out my iPhone and snap a quick pick. I’m always thinking I’ll show these pictures to someone, someday. Most of the time, they never make it past my Apple TV screensaver.

Days – Your Visual Photo and GIF Diary lets you gather all of your daily antics into one collage so that you can share it with others without making them scroll through hundreds of individual shots of your pizza dinner… Read More

 

How the iPhone camera has improved over the years

By Cody Lee on May 10, 2013

The iPhone may be one of the most popular cameras in the world today, but it hasn’t always been like that. The original iPhone (and the iPhone 3G) had just a 2MP camera, with no flash, putting the handset well behind the competition in terms of photo-taking.

Since the 3G, however, Apple has made sure to update the phone’s camera with ever iteration. It went from a 3.2MP sensor to a 5, and then to 8. And wouldn’t you know it, someone has created an image showing its improvement in picture quality over the years… Read More

 
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