Month: June 2011

Apple’s Battle for App Store Trademark Continues

Cody Lee ∙ June 12, 2011

One thing is certain in the tech industry: If you ever become more successful than others feel you should be, you become an instant target for a lawsuit. And with the way some companies are performing right now, patent and trademark law seems to be a safe bet for a business.

A particular case that has been highlighted recently is the court battle between Apple and Amazon. While the Cupertino company is known for their fierce legal team, they may have a tough time proving that the term "App Store," is solely their property...

Don’t Pay for iPhone Sports Games, Get These 3 for Free!

Guest Author ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Sometimes the App Store seems like a bottomless pit of free games that just don’t pay off. Those looking for a way to get their mobile gaming kick with an athletic game are in luck, however.

Skip right over the waste-of-time apps and onto something hot with this quick guide to the best sports games the App Store has to offer. Best of all, no one has to break the bank to hit the court, field, or rink with these top notch picks!

New PDF Exploit Uncovered By Comex in iOS, Return of JailbreakMe?

Alex Heath ∙ June 11, 2011

We're calling it, folks: famed jailbreak hacker, Comex, has uncovered another PDF exploit in iOS that will allow for a userland jailbreak, ala JailbreakMe.

This is based off the above teaser image, which Comex just announced on his Twitter and is available for viewing on jailbreakme.com. If our detective work is correct, we expect a new, untethered, userland jailbreak for iOS.

New in iOS 5: Snap a Picture with Your Headphones

IDB Staff ∙ June 11, 2011

We already knew it was possible in iOS 5 to snap a picture by pressing the Volume Up button, but iDB reader @MrSergioRamos now tells me you can also take a picture by pressing the Volume Up button of your iPhone headphones as well.

Once again, this is not a killer feature, but a nice one to have, and a nice one to know...

Apple’s iCloud Using Microsoft and Amazon Cloud Services?

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

After months of rumors and speculation, Apple revealed the long-awaited iCloud last week. The free service replaces MobileMe for $99/year, and, considering of all the new features, it's expected to be quite popular.

iCloud is available to all Apple account holders, which Apple estimates to be in the 200 million range. So how can iCloud withstand all that traffic? Aside from their massive NC data center and 12 petabyte digital locker, Apple appears to be using rival cloud services...

iOS 5 Gets Its First Jailbreak Tweak, and You’re Going to Like It

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated June 15, 2011

It's been about 24 hours since the release of RedSn0w 0.9.8b1, a tethered jailbreak for iOS 5 beta 1, and we've already had confirmation that it's possible to add widgets to the Notification Center of Apple's latest mobile OS. Not only we have the confirmation, but we now have the proof as the jailbreak community has already come up with a tweak for it.

The tweak is called UISettings, and could be described as a SBSettings widget for the Notification Center.

Once installed, UISettings will appear in your Notification Center along with the Stocks and Weather widgets, or "tickers", as Apple likes to call them. Just like SBSettings, it gives you quick access to turn On and Off some important features of your device, such as wifi, Airplane Mode, Bluetooth, etc...

Apple Files Motion to Intervene in Lodsys Litigation

Cody Lee ∙ June 11, 2011

When Lodsys originally filed their complaints last month, everyone looked at Apple for answers. Though the Cupertino company has been relatively quiet concerning the Lodsys litigation, their legal department is finally starting to make some noise.

iOS developers have been holding vigilant to see if Apple would step up and help them defend against the threats from the patent licensing firm. After a cease and desist letter failed to stop the lawsuits, Apple has decided to get legally involved...

Two iPhones Going Into Space to Help Conduct Research

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

As if the iPhone 4 needed any more publicity, the device is about to get some intergalactic marketing. Cult of Mac is reporting that a pair of iPhone 4s running research software are headed for the International Space Station next month.

The 2 devices are set to launch into the stratosphere on July 8, and will be running SpaceLab software. The iOS app will help the ISS crew determine their relative position in space as well as aid in several experiments. Want to get hands on with the app?

Third Party Widgets Coming to iOS 5, Thanks to Jailbreak

Alex Heath ∙ June 11, 2011

When the iOS 5 Notification Center was unveiled by Scott Forstall at WWDC, the possibility of third party widgets was also teased to developers. Although no public SDK for widgets was announced by Apple, the first, non-Apple widget has been successfully added to Notification Center, thanks to the RedSn0w tethered jailbreak that recently got updated for iOS 5.

Developer WillFour20 was able to dig into a jailbroken version of the iOS 5 SDK. He uncovered the ability to add his own widget, and he demonstrated it with the above: "Hello World." Thanks to this discovery, developers with jailbroken iDevices will be able to start developing and testing widgets for iOS 5...

Apple’s iCloud Music Service Not Likely Available Internationally Until 2012

Oliver Haslam ∙ June 11, 2011

One of Apple's big announcements at WWDC 2011's keynote was the iCloud music service. Offering cross-device syncing as well as iTunes Match for checking your non-iTunes bought music and adding it to the cloud, iTunes in the Cloud is just one aspect of the very exciting iCloud. While users in the United States can expect the service to go live in the Fall when iOS 5 ships, those living outside the US could be waiting until at least early 2012, according to business insiders.

A spokesman for the Performing Right Society, a group responsible for ensuring musicians and other creative types of the music world get paid, told The Telegraph that negotiations with Apple over the situation are at a very early stage on the international level...

Apple Gets Sued Over iCloud Trademark

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Just about a week after Apple unveiled iCloud, it's already being sued by a company called iCloud Communications over the iCloud trademark. iCloud Communications claims that the use of iCloud in Apple's marketing could be damaging to their business.

And they're serious about it too, requiring Apple to “deliver for destruction all [iCloud] labels, signs, prints, insignia, letterhead, brochures, business cards, invoices and any other written or recorded material.”

New in iOS 5: Rename Your Device

IDB Staff ∙ June 10, 2011

You know in iTunes how you can rename your iPhone or iPad while it's plugged in? With iOS 5, you can now do that directly from your iPhone. This is definitely not a groundbreaking feature but I'm sure some of you will appreciate it.

In order to change your device name, you will have to navigate to Settings > General > About > Name...