Month: November 2011

How to Quickly Launch Apps With Siri

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 6, 2017

One of the glaring features that Apple left out of Siri is the ability to integrate with and launch apps. You can do all sorts of things with your voice and Siri, but you can't use third-party apps (short of a few exceptions and the services Apple officially partnered with for launch) or open apps with a voice command.

Thanks to the widely undocumented world of iOS URL schemes, you can actually trigger app shortcuts with Siri on your iPhone 4S. While it's not the cleanest method, there are tons of possibilities for quickly launching apps with Siri. Let's take a closer look...

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iOS 5 Untethered Jailbreak Possible Thanks to Discovery of New Bug

Jeff Benjamin ∙ November 7, 2011

Some encouraging news was revealed this morning via Twitter for all of you dying to have an iOS 5 untethered jailbreak. It appears that Chronic Dev Team member pod2g has found a bug in iOS 5 that will make it possible for an untethered jailbreak.

The team of hackers already confirmed to have found multiple exploits in iOS 5, but this is the first news that we've had in a while regarding the progress of an untethered jailbreak...

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Oink: Could This be the Next Hit iOS App?

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

Oink is the first app from Kevin Rose's startup, Milk. You might recognize Rose from his previous success story, Digg. The young entrepreneur made a fortune off of his sharing service. Now he's hoping he has another hit on his hands.

Oink certainly has all of the makings of a hit title: the ability to follow and share photos of things with other users, image filters, and Twitter/Facebook integration. But the photo-sharing software space is already pretty crowded...

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The Breakup: How Apple Could Use Siri, Maps, and Bing Against Google

Sébastien Page ∙ November 6, 2011

The Next Web's Matthew Panzarino wrote a great article this morning, titled "How Apple will use Siri, Maps and Microsoft to divorce itself from Google," where he explains how Apple could dump its partnership with Google in favor of its own products, but also by partnering with Microsoft.

Apple and Google have had a tumultuous relationship in the mobile landscape. When the iPhone was launched, Google was a partner from day one. Their map data, YouTube archive and default search option were integral parts of the iPhone experience. [...] By using Google’s services, Apple is effectively supporting their competitor’s products to the tune of 250M installed devices. This is something that has to change and Apple knows it. This is why it is currently working, as it has been doing since 2009, to divest itself of as much of Google’s products as it can.

I invite you to read Panzarino's article as it is full of insights that paint an interesting picture of how Apple might breakup with Google in the near future.

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iOS 5 Tip: How to Delete Songs From the Music App

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

Here's an iOS 5 tip that we at iDB already knew about, but many seem to have not noticed. iDB reader Brian emailed us and thought it would be a good thing to remind everyone, which I am doing now.

iOS 5 has introduced a plethora of new features that make it even easier to manage data on your device. One of this new features allows you to delete songs directly from your Music app...

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Save Web Pages For Offline Viewing With ‘WebOffline’

Jeff Benjamin ∙ November 6, 2011

WebOffline is a jailbreak tweak that allows you to save entire web pages for offline viewing in Safari. It's tightly integrated with Apple's stock iPhone browser, and makes offline reading fairly effortless.

While there are other 3rd-party offline browsing solutions available, if you're looking for the most native implementation you can come by, WebOffline may be worth a look...

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Samsung Being Investigated for Possible Antitrust Practices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Back in April of this year, Apple filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung. The Korean manufacturer responded with a counter-infringement lawsuit, and the two companies have been in and out of courtrooms ever since.

In their latest battle, Samsung attempted to bar Apple's products from the European Union, once again based on patent infringement. But instead of winning an injunction, Samsung caught the eye of the European Commission...

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A Look at Yahoo’s New Livestand iPad App

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

Yahoo was once the most visited web portal on the internet, but it has had a rough last couple of years. In an industry where companies are transitioning into the mobile arena at breakneck speeds, Yahoo has struggled to stay relevant.

But that doesn't mean it's not trying. Yahoo recently unveiled several new mobile applications at its Product Runway event. There were a couple of notable titles, but the star of the show had to be the Flipboard-like app for the iPad, Livestand...

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The i+Case Aluminum Bumper Adds a Touch of Class to Your iPhone

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 6, 2011

We're big fans of Kickstarter here at iDB. If there's a great iPhone, iPad, or iPod accessory to be had, the chances are it has originated from one of the numerous extremely clever guys and gals who are looking for a way to get a project underway on Kickstarter.

One of those projects is the i+Case, an aluminum bumper turned case that we think adds a touch of class to any iPhone 4 or 4S. Hey, it's got to be better than one of Apple's rubber band bumpers, right?

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Lost Steve Jobs Interview Heading to Theaters This Month

Cody Lee ∙ November 5, 2011

Like many great historical figures, Steve Jobs seems to be even more popular after his passing. Not only is his recently released book selling like crazy, but the late Apple co-founder has been at the forefront of news stories for weeks.

There is even a movie slated to come out later this month starring the iPhone creator. "Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview" is on its way to 19 Landmark Theaters across the nation starting November 16...

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Introducing The iPhone Wallet

Cody Lee ∙ November 5, 2011

With the release of Apple's new smartphone this Fall, a lot of consumers have found themselves looking for a new case. It's not that the handset's design changed drastically, but the re-positioning of its mute and volume buttons rendered many old cases useless.

If you're still in the market for a new iPhone case, TUAW has a good suggestion for you: the iPhone Wallet by Waterfield Designs. The accessory doubles as both an iPhone case and a wallet, leaving you with one less thing to carry...

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