Amazon today announced a nice little update for its Kindle iOS app, bringing the title to version 3.7. The update includes a handful of bug fixes and improvements, but the biggest change has to be the new VoiceOver support.
Tapping iOS’ Accessibility features, Amazon has made it much easier for blind and visually impaired users to navigate their way around the Kindle app through the use of VoiceOver. More details and full change log after the fold… Read More
Wall Street is nothing if not fickle. Questions over Apple’s future profits sent the company’s stock into a tailspin for the past six months, then a recovery of sorts is now underway.
The iPhone maker Tuesday floated a record $17 billion in debt, an action that literally had investors falling over themselves.
Consider that Apple up until now was literally the only major technology corporation with zero debt on its books. By the end of yesterday, $50 billion in orders were received for what now looks to be Apple’s latest hot product: the iDebt… Read More
RHP Multimedia launched its MirrorCase for iPhone in May 2012. The iPhone 4/4S (a $49.95 value) and iPhone 5 case ($59.95 value) works with a free companion iOS app to let you take pictures and record video while continuing to use your device. It also doubles as an ergonomic shoulder rest for extended phone conversations. Today, the company on Kickstarter announced an iPad version of MirrorCase. What’s in it for you? Read on… Read More
When I got my hands on an iPad more than three years ago, the first thing that crossed my mind was how to get World of Warcraft onto it. Even though Apple has improved the gaming capabilities of their tablet, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game developers, like Blizzard, tend to steer clear of the platform, somewhat of a disappointment for a decade-long fan of the epic fantasy game.
Lucky for fans of space-themed player-versus-player (PVP) MMO gaming, Vendetta Online has taken the leap into iOS and is now available on the iPad. If you are already a subscriber to the all-encompassing sci-fi game, welcome to the pocket version. If you’ve never played Vendetta Online, but fancy yourself an experienced simulation space trade and fighter, you are in for a real treat… Read More
As someone who’s relegated the full sized iPad to the back burner, it’s admittedly a bit awkward to pull this thing back out. But the folks at Belkin have a new product for me to try, and it looks cool enough to convince me to dust off my iPad 3.
Belkin is no stranger when it comes to iOS accessories, but this — the Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad — is perhaps its most thoughtful. The case, which officially launches in May, was created for people who want to get things done on their full sized iPads. It works with any currently available full-sized iPad, including the iPad 2, iPad 3, and iPad 4. It’s not the prettiest keyboard case on the block, and perhaps not the most durable, but it screams functionality.
Belkin sent me a product sample about a month ago, and I decided that I was going to put this thing through the paces. Instead of using it for a few days and reviewing it, I wanted to see if the case actually lived up to its moniker. Read More
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has a very strong track record, having previously predicted a number of Apple products.
For example, he correctly assumed the MacBook Pro with Retina display would be offered alongside the existing models and called for the phasing out of the 17-inch MacBook Pro.
You’ll recall that Tim Cook during last week’s conference call advised against major hardware announcements until Fall. Be that as it may, Kuo now thinks Apple could at its upcoming five-day conference for developers refresh the MacBook notebook lineup with upgrades mostly revolving around a speedier Intel Haswell chips.
He is also expecting a new low-cost iPad mini model – the budget iPad mini, if you will – which should help the company fend off the onslaught of cheap Android tablets on the low-end… Read More
After topping J.D. Power and Associates’ customer satisfaction rankings for smartphones for the ninth consecutive study, Apple’s iPad has now emerged victorious in JD Power’s February 2013 tablet rankings. Specifically, the iPad recorded a score of 836 on JD Power’s overall TabletIndex Rankings.
The index is based on a 1,000-point scale. Amazon’s tablet scored 829 versus the study average of 828 points. The third and fourth-ranked Samsung and Asus tablets received respective scores of 822 and 818 while Acer came in fifth with a score of 782.
Despite Apple’s relatively modest lead in TabletIndex rankings, the iPad fared far better in consumer ratings, another important metric of the JD Power study. Consumers rated the Apple tablet ‘Among the Best,’ giving it a score of five out of five. Interestingly enough, no other tablet was rated about ‘Above Average’ (four out of five) while Acer received the lowest ranking of 2 out of 5 denoting ‘The Rest’… Read More
I previously reviewed a Toast iPhone skin, which remained on my iPhone 4 until last week when I shipped it to my father. It had a long life and properly adhered to my iPhone the whole time. Now, Toast has added the iPad mini to their collection and mastered their technology by creating a skin that will cover a multi-curved corner. The new Toast skins will completely cover the back of your iPad 2, 3, 4, or mini in completely natural real wood veneers.
The combination of technology and natural wood grain is quite special. I do not fancy myself a lover of woods, but the elegance of nature immediately next to one of the most beautifully designed Apple products is truly a sight. Having used the iPad mini skin for a while, I was impressed with its grip, finish, and design… Read More
Not everyone knows all of the aspects of their iOS devices. Especially when Apple regularly updates its mobile operating system and throws you for a loop. Because of that, we like to write little how-to guides for those looking for some help. We know it isn’t “news,” and some how-to guides are fairly common knowledge for some of our more tech savvy readers. Think of our tutorials as a conversation with aunt Linda. She is always asking questions about how to use her device and we are here to help.
For this tutorial, we are going to explain how to set up your iOS device so that you can use a different signature for each email account. If you prefer to keep you personal life separate from your work life, you might find this little tip useful… Read More
Unlike Sparrow, the popular iPhone email client whose chances of seeing a native iPad version went down the drain after Google acquired the team back in July 2012, Orchestra’s Mailbox will make the leap to the iPad, developers confirmed Thursday on Twitter.
“An iPad version is in the works,” the tweet reads. Developers wouldn’t state whether the iPad build is weeks or months ahead.
Mailbox has been picking up serious steam since Dropbox last month acquired devs to help reach “a much different audience much faster.” Just ten days ago, Mailbox version 2.2 arrived, adding subtle enhancements to gesture controls and more granular smart snoozes… Read More
Let the post-mortem begin. It is a ritual on Wall Street: forecast Apple’s quarterly numbers, then afterwards dissect the data the iPad maker releases. And once more, the coverage conflates shipment with usage to determine the status of Apple or Android.
Although Apple Tuesday announced selling 19.5 million iPads during the first quarter of 2013 – an improvement from 11.8 million tablets sold during the same three-month period in 2012 – the focus Wednesday was on the iPad shedding market share to Android. But do unit sales trump actual usage? Read More
One day after Apple announced selling 19.5 million iPads during the second quarter, new numbers show the tablet dominated online traffic as late as last month. The device held the market in a stranglehold, controlling 81.9 percent of tablet web traffic in the US and Canada, according to an online advertising network. According to the Chitika Ad Network, the 1.4 percent increase is the first month-on-month advance in the iPad’s share of web traffic since December 2012…. Read More
You would think, given Android’s raw numerical advantage, that app developers would first build for the larger market. However, Apple’s iOS appears to offer companies other, more valuable qualities. Indeed, one need only look to last Friday, when Twitter unveiled its #music service – available initially only to iOS users. Another iOS exclusive, Twitter’s Vine, has yet to hit the Android platform.
Key to why companies are still developing apps first for iOS are findings that Apple’s mobile software is both used more often and the users are more loyal to the apps they download. What is Android’s response: change how such things are measured…. Read More
Yesterday we showed you a couple of free, handy jailbreak tweaks that allow you to activate the new Chat Heads and sticker features in Facebook’s 6.0 app. And that’s great for the folks that didn’t have access to them, but what about everyone else?
Don’t worry, we have you covered too. For those of you who already have Chat Heads enabled in the Facebook app, there’s a new jailbreak tweak out called FB Unlimited Chat Heads that removes Facebook’s pesky 4-Chat Heads-or-less limitation… Read More
Hopefully you’re not one of those people, but if you are, then listen up. I am, of course, talking about people who take pictures and record video with their iPads. Not only is it awkward, but it’s also incredibly goofy looking.
With that in mind, I was taken aback a bit when an email from the developer of CameraTweak — a tweak that I had already reviewed for the iPhone — arrived in my box. The email stated that there was a new app, CameraTweak HD, and they wanted my opinion on it.
I immediately thought to myself, “cool, an upgrade to the awesome CameraTweak for the iPhone,” but soon after I realized that this was for the iPad. Admittedly, it did take me a while to get used to the idea of using my iPad to take pictures, but I somehow got through it.
My conclusion goes a little like this: If you’re going to look silly and take photo and videos with your 10″ tablet, then you might as well do it with the best available software out there. Ladies and gentlemen, like its precursor, CameraTweak for iPhone, CameraTweak HD is hands-down the best camera oriented jailbreak tweak for the iPad. If you want to take awesome photos and videos while having a plethora of options at your disposal, then look no further. Read More
Google’s Fiber, a broadband network infrastructure using fiber-optic communication, has gone live in Kansas City which became the first U.S. community where the Internet giant deployed this promising technology.
Just a quick recap: the most obvious benefit of Google Fiber is the hundred times faster data rates, in both downlink and uplink, compared to the traditional broadband services.
Following last month’s release of the Fiber TV app for Android devices, the search monster today issued a build for Apple’s iPad tablet. Should you happen to live in select areas of Kansas City, go download the Fiber TV iPad app and start browsing, buying and watching television shows and movies that are airing live, right on your iPad… Read More
A month ago, accessory maker Logitech launched colorful new Keyboard Folios for iPads. Prior to that, the company announced the Ultrathin Keyboard for the iPad mini (our own Jeff Benjamin liked it) and a solar-powered Bluetooth keyboard which doubles as an iPad protective sleeve.
Tapping all that expertise and knowledge and taking a page from Microsoft’s book, logitech today announced new iPad keyboard covers which behave a lot like Microsoft’s Touch Cover and Type Cover for the Surface tablet.
These new covers are available with or without built-in keyboard, come in a range of colors and are billed as the first Bluetooth keyboard solution with keys seamlessly fused into its interior fabric.
I’ve included more information and two nice promo clips so jump past the fold to learn more about these Surface-like iPad cases… Read More
This is pretty cool. Discovery Channel Communications has released updates today for both the Discovery Channel and TLC iOS apps with a new interactive second-screen experience called ‘Plus,’ that promises to make TV watching more enjoyable.
For those unfamiliar with second-screen apps, they essentially allow users to sync their smartphones or tablets with TV shows/movies to serve up additional—meaning more than what’s being offered through the show itself—content to them in real-time… Read More
Those in the market for an iPad photo editing app will be happy to hear that the folks over at MacPhun have just announced that following the success of last week’s free iPhone app offering, they’ve made their popular FX Photo Studio HD free for a limited time.
The team says that the $1.99 discount is in celebration of the iPhone version of FX Photo Studio hitting over 1 million downloads during its 3-day free promotion last week, where it became the top free photography app in the App Store of 39 different countries… Read More
Apple started offering refurbished iPad 4 and iPad mini back in March, bringing the used 16GB iPad mini down to $299, representing a modest $30 saving. Refurbished products are always good buys as these little-used devices are good as new: Apple tests them for defects, throws in a brand new battery and outer shell and backs them with its standard one-year AppleCare warranty.
After realizing some people were kinda hoping for deeper discounts, Apple just instituted an additional $50 price cut on the second and third-generation cellular iPad refurbs. For example, the entry-level cellular iPad 2 with sixteen gigabytes of storage originally cost $399 refurbished, but customers can now pick it up for $349 for an additional $50 discount, or a nice $180 saving over its usual $529 asking price… Read More
