Month: August 2011

Forbes Ranks Apple as World’s Fifth Most Innovative Company

Apple has received numerous awards throughout the years for its incredible success in the tech industry, and now Apple has received recognition once again from Forbes.

Forbes Magazine has compiled a list of the world's most innovative companies based on what it calls "the five skills of disruptive innovators." 

Vonage Releases iPhone App With Discounted International Calling, 15 Minutes Free For Early Adopters

Vonage has released an interesting application in the App Store that offers incredibly cheap rates on voice calling with access to over 100 countries for international calling. The app, called Time to Call, works like popular VoIP services (Skype) to deliver pay per calls and discounted rates for iPhone users.

With Time to Call, you'll be able to talk internationally for 15 minutes at no charge, and then be charged $1.99 for each 15 minute international call after the first.

The Worst iPhone Case Ever

We've seen our fair share of weird and creepy iPhone accessories, but this one might reach a new height. Coming from Japan, let me introduce you to the Hand Case.

We don't know much about this case. I can't tell you where you can get it or how much it costs, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue as I doubt you'd be interested in buying it anyway...

Apple Still Signing iOS 4.1 Firmware

Today, we received an interesting tip from iDB reader Burge. He informed us that Apple is still signing the iOS 4.1 firmware. He told us that he tested it on his newer model iPhone 3GS and his son's iPod Touch 2nd generation.

This is very interesting for 2 reasons. First, why would Apple sign a firmware that came out in September? Also, why out of all the iOS updates, 4.1 is the only one in the past still being signed?

Apple Cracking Down on Non-Developer iOS 5 Users

Apple opened up iOS 5 Beta 1 to developers earlier this summer, and since then, there have been 3 updates. Given the nature of human curiosity, you can guess that it hasn't just been developers taking the new firmware for a test drive.

There's a few ways for non-developers to acquire a copy of iOS 5, but the most popular method of late has been by purchasing a UDID slot from a person or business with an Apple developer account. It looks like those days may soon be over...

The U.S. Divided by Mobile OS of Choice [Infographic]

I've always said that the Android vs. iOS debate could spark another civil war here in the states. It seems like arguments for and against the industry's 2 hottest platforms can get heated in a hurry.

With that in mind, here's an interesting infographic displaying the results of mobile ad firm Jumptap's ad-tracking data. It shows the U.S. with states color-coded according to which mobile OS dominates the region. Hit the jump to find out what OS your state prefers.

SGP iPhone 4 Case Winner Announced + iPad 2 Case Giveaway! [Winner Selected]

Last week, we announced the SGP iPhone 4 Case Giveaway and it was a big success. Unfortunately, we can only pick one winner among the more than 500 entries, but we randomly selected a winner today, so be sure to check inside to see if you won.

If you didn't win, fret not. We have more cool swag to hook you guys up with, and we're going to make these freebies a regular part of our routine going forward. Case in point? We have three (3) new iPad 2 Harmonie cases from SGP to give away!

The rules have changed a bit, but we strive to keep it as simple as possible. Check inside to see if you won the SGP iPhone 4 cases, and how to enter to win (3) brand new SGP iPad 2 cases...

Did a Support Rep Confirm a Sprint-Bound iPhone?

Alongside the iPhone 5 rumors we hear on a seemingly daily basis, there has also been a lot of speculation that Apple would be expanding its carrier partnerships this Fall. Although they've come a long way from 2007, there's still a huge opportunity for growth.

The gossip thus far has focused on a possible deal with China Mobile and their 600 million subscribers, but there has also been some chatter regarding the 2 major U.S. carriers left that don't carry Apple's smartphone...

Clear Your iOS App Icons Badges with BadgeClear

BadgleClear is a new jailbreak application, and I'd put in the same category as No Badges and No Folder Badges. Just like its name implies, BadgeClear will clean up your iPhone or iPad apps icons badge notifications at the tap of a button.

Unlike the 2 apps mentioned above, BadgeClear actually lets you choose what badges you want to clear up. Simply bring your icons to wiggle mode (tap and hold), then tap any badges you wish to remove. BadgeClear will even clean out all the icon badges inside Folders if you tap a Folder's badge...

Jailbreak Tweak Adds Speedometer to Your Maps App

The jailbreak community is responsible for creating many extremely useful utilities for our iDevices. This however, is not one of them.

Speed for Maps more likely falls in the "Hey, that's kind of cool" category. This new jailbreak tweak installs itself in your native Maps application, and it places a speedometer in the bottom right corner...

Cheaper iPhone Would Have to Be an “Innovative, Category-Killer Experience,” According to Apple

Since the beginning of this year, rumors have been heating up that Apple will release not one, but two iPhone models this year. One of these devices would be the next flagship iPhone 5 based on the the current pricing structure, while the second device would be a cheaper (possibly pre-paid) "Nano" handset.

Apple's COO and CFO have chimed in on what it would take for the company to release a cheaper iPhone. They describe that the product would need to be an, "innovative, category-killer experience."