Report: TSMC has a “good chance” of winning Apple’s chip biz in 2014

by Christian Zibreg on May 2, 2012

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has long been rumored to become an alternative supplier for Apple-designed processors powering iOS devices. However, yield issues and manufacturing difficulties with the foundry’s 20-nanometer process pushed back those plans.

Meanwhile, Samsung continues to make the Ax-series of processors for the latest iPhone and iPad. Per chatter from Asian supply chain, TSMC is working hard to ramp up 20-nanometer production “ahead of schedule”, apparently in a bid to win over Apple’s chip business from Samsung by 2014… Read More

 

Dock your iPhone in style with the ODOC

by Cody on May 1, 2012

Folks in the market for a high-quality iPhone dock might want to look into the ODOC Kickstarter project. The ODOC is an elegantly-designed dock for your iPhone or iPod touch that’s packed full of features.

The accessory’s main selling point is its patent-pending ball-bearing mechanism that can lock your device into five different viewing angles, allowing you to use it in different positions while it charges… Read More

 

Jawbone outs Big Jambox, a bigger, louder Bluetooth boom box

by Christian Zibreg on May 1, 2012

I like accessories Jawbone makes. Last year, I had a chance to test-drive their wireless portable speaker system, the Jambox, and to say that I walked away pretty much impressed would be an understatement.

As for the original Jawbone headset, it’s still widely regarded as one of the best Bluetooth headsets available.

The recently released iPhone health bracelet dubbed Jawbone Up also stirred up quite an interest, even with certain reviews have not been so favorable.

The latest from Jawbone is Big Jambox, essentially a blow up version of the original Jambox. This badass speaker system is a dream come true for party-goers as it provides more oomph, offers greater personality and promises more bang for your buck than its $200 predecessor… Read More

 

“Something even bigger” coming as Angry Birds Space clear 50M downloads

by Christian Zibreg on Apr 30, 2012

Angry Birds Space, the latest installment in the popular birds vs. pigs videogame series, has amassed more than 50 million downloads on all platforms in the 35 days since its March 22 launch, Rovio announced on Twitter this morning.

This makes Angry Birds Space “one of the fastest growing games ever” and by far the fastest-growing game on mobile, the company bragged.

Previously, the game zoomed past the ten million mark in less than three days. Rovio largely owes such a successful launch to Angry Birds’s seemingly unstoppable popularity, still rising across the globe. Another crucial factor: Apple’s iOS platform which now powers more than 365 million devices, as this is where the vast majority of paid downloads occur… Read More

 

Skype for iOS gets UI tweaks, the ability to move own video preview

by Christian Zibreg on Apr 30, 2012

A new version of Skype for iOS apps is out of the gate this morning, offering the obligatory bug fixes and minor UI improvements. While the interface still remains way too clunky on an iPad and not conforming to Apple’s own guidelines, a minor enhancements stands out: you can now finally move your own video preview around. Here, your release notes… Read More

 

Did Apple just kill Chomp for Android?

by Christian Zibreg on Apr 27, 2012

As we told you, Apple in February acquired Chomp for an undisclosed sum. Chomp is a popular recommendation engine that makes iOS and Android app discovery a more efficient and pleasing experience.

Coincidentally or not, the California-based powerhouse has now pulled Chomp for Android from the rival Google Play marketplace, also removing the Android app search option from the Chomp website.

The iPhone maker also submitted a Form S-8 regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), detailing stock options to Chomp’s twenty employees… Read More

 

iOSLiveTV.com streams live television to your iOS device totally free of charge

by Christian Zibreg on Apr 26, 2012

Here’s something pretty cool (or should I say, ‘magical’): a website that streams live television from anywhere in the world, right to your Apple mobile device, using an iOS-friendly MP4 video format via the AirPlay protocol. You just pull up the webpage using the Safari browser on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, pick one of the listed countries and up pop live television channels airing in the selected territory.

From here, tap the channel of your choice and live television content begins streaming, licensing restrictions be damned. In case you were wondering: yes, they have the XXX section covered as well. It’s a hack, no question about it, so expect either Apple or broadcasters (or both) to restrict or even take down the site as we speak… Read More

 

LinkedIn hits the iPad, looks gorgeous

by Christian Zibreg on Apr 26, 2012

LinkedIn just updated their excellent free of charge iPhone client with native iPad support. LinkedIn 5.0 is optimized for the Retina display on the new iPad and has a new calendar feature that lets you see LinkedIn profile information for people you’re meeting with. If you’re on LinkedIn and love your iPad, this one’s a no-brainer… Read More

 

The 2012 Apple Design Awards nominations now open, get your apps ready

by Christian Zibreg on Apr 25, 2012

As Apple announced this morning that it will hold its annual WWDC conference from June 11-15 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, they also revealed details about this year’s Apple Design Awards. The prestigious award recognizes the best of the best in iOS and Mac app design, innovation and technology adoption.

Developers who intend to have their work included for this year’s Apple Design Awards consideration are required to submit their apps by May 1 through Apple’s developer portal. However, even if you don’t submit your app, Apple could still award your work in one of the categories… Read More

 

Clear to-do app updated with shake to undo, secret themes, UI tweaks

by Christian Zibreg on Apr 23, 2012

Realmac Software’s nice-looking to-do app dubbed Clear has been updated today with new features. It’s the first update since the software’s debut on the App Store in mid-February.

In addition to the shake-to-undo feature which, in my opinion, makes for a good demo but gets boring fast, Clear 1.1 added additional inspiration quotes while tweaking the interface with new gestures and other nice-to-haves.

The biggest new feature is support for ‘secret’ user interface themes. How secret? Well, you will need to unlock those to find out… Read More