Year: 2012

AuthenTec tells clients to buy fingerprint sensors elsewhere in 2013

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Earlier in the summer, smart sensor maker AuthenTec agreed to be bought by Apple for $356 million. Still pending approval, the transactions left even the seasoned watchers scratching their head.

People began wondering whether Cupertino might leverage AuthenTec's fingerprint sensors to bolster enterprise security in iOS devices. Or, perhaps, Apple was keen on tapping AuthenTec's sensors to add consumer features to iPhones, iPods and iPads, the stuff like finger-based unlock or a secure e-wallet service.

The deal remains shrouded in a veil of secrecy because Apple isn't talking much and neither is AuthenTec. A report out this morning claims that AuthenTec's current clients are "in a state of panic" as the company is telling them it will stop offering its technology and NFC/fingerprint sensors as of next year...

Verizon iPhone 5 to stay unlocked due to FCC agreements

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Last week, we discovered that the Verizon version of the iPhone 5 comes with an unlocked SIM slot. Our very own Jeff confirmed the theory by using his VZW handset to connect to AT&T's GSM network.

While this was obviously great news, we were worried that things wouldn't stay this way because carriers don't generally like unlocked phones. But according to a new report, Verizon may not have a choice...

Foxconn: iPhone production to resume Tuesday

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

A little riot shouldn't delay iPhone production in China. Long-troubled Foxconn, which makes iPhones, among other electronic devices, said Monday it will resume operations Tuesday following a riot involving 2,000 people that sent 40 to the hospital. In a statement, the manufacturer denied anyone died or that the uprising was work-related.

"The cause of this dispute is under investigation by local authorities and we are working closely with them in this process, but it appears not to have been work-related," the company said in a statement provided CNet...

Google Chrome updated with iPhone 5 support

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 24, 2012

My favorite iOS browser, Google Chrome, has been updated to support the larger screen size of the iPhone 5. The update accompanies iOS 6 compatibility, as well as the often included stability and security improvements.

All of you who were using Safari in the interim, can now return to your regularly scheduled program.

iPhone 5 personal pickup live after 10pm tonight

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Strong demand and five million sales (perhaps even more) during the opening weekend continue to put a strain on the initial iPhone 5 supply. If you're in the market for an iPhone 5 and are an avid Apple fan, there's a reasonable chance you'll want to waltz inside one of Cupertino's shiny retail shrines. After all, a new iPhone is a once-in-a-year event so why not treat yourself to that talked-about buying and ownership experience, right?

The problem is, the iPhone 5 is hard to come by at the moment, even as Apple is regularly stocking stores. Luckily, there's now a better way of buying the sought-after device involving a simple online pre-reservation for in-store pickup the following day...

Apple TV gets Shared Photo Streams, new screen savers, iTunes account switching and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 24, 2012

Apple today pushed out an update for its Apple TV set-top box. The update is focused on iOS 5.1 build 10A406e and a slew of enhancements and a few new features. Among the things we like in the new Apple TV software (in addition to the obligatory stability and performance fixes) is the ability to easily save multiple iTunes accounts and switch between them, support for Shared Photo Streams and AirPlay broadcasting from Apple TV to other devices...

iPhone 5 support is “coming soon” to Sparrow

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 24, 2012

According to co-founder and developer Dominique Leca, the Sparrow team (now part of Google's Gmail team) is working on a minor update that will enable support for the iPhone 5 and its taller screen. "iPhone 5 support is coming soon to Sparrow", Dominique wrote on Twitter.

Still a big fan and regular user of Sparrow on both the Mac and iOS platform, I sure am pleased that they are continuing to provide at least basic level of support to ensure the program runs smoothly on refreshed devices...

Keyboard shortcuts not working on iOS? Here is a quick fix

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated February 27, 2020

If there is one jailbreak tweak I particularly miss, it's Xpandr, a tweak that let's you create keyboard shortcuts, just like TextExpander does on your Mac. To me, it's an invaluable tool that has saved be hours of typing.

Keyboard shortcuts aren't a jailbreak-only feature though, as they were introduced with iOS 5 a few years ago. Though not as powerful as Xpandr, they're my fallback solution when there is no jailbreak available for my device.

So one of the first thing I did when I got my new iPhone last Friday was setting up a bunch of shortcuts (Apple calls them Text Replacement) that I use on a daily basis. Everything worked fine for a day, and then, they magically stopped working. Though I was worried I'd have to restore my iPhone to fix the issue, it turns out the solution was much simpler than I thought.

That didn’t take long: Passbook for Android lands

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 24, 2012

The brand new Passbook app in iOS 6 is garnering traction in both tech press and the real world with the likes of Starbucks, Target, theme park Accesso, airlines Delta, American Airlines, Virgin Australia and others all announcing they have or are implementing Passbook support.

As Passbook simply organizes digital coupons, tickets, loyalty cards and other items wrapped inside Apple’s new .pkpass file type, developer Attido Mobile was able to create a handy Passbook client for Android devices. It has been available for some time, is called PassWallet, does pretty much everything Apple's app is capable of and could easily be gone if Apple has any say over it...

We’re giving away 10 copies of TwitkaFly

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

In case you haven't figured it out by now, we love giveaways here at iDB. It's our way of saying thanks to you, our awesome readers, by giving you a chance to win something cool.

For today's giveaway, we're offering up 10 copies of moeseth's popular TwitkaFly jailbreak tweak, which allows you to tweet and reply to Twitter notifications from anywhere in iOS.

Keep reading for details on how to enter...

iPhone 5 initial sales held back by limited supplies

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Wall Street analysts were busy Monday attempting to explain why Apple's record-setting sales of 5 million iPhone 5 handsets during the weekend was fewer than investors expected. Among the chief reasons offered: there just weren't enough of the new smartphones to meet demand. Despite the disappointment, Apple watchers remained confident the Cupertino, Calif. company still has the Midas Touch.

High-profile analyst Gene Munster told investors Apple's sales figures released earlier today did not include online preorders, which he estimated at around 1 million units. Another potential reason "only" 5 million iPhone 5 were reported sold during the initial launch weekend: Apple was reserving some of its inventory for the smartphone's international launch on Friday...

Light leaks reported on some white iPhone 5 models

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 24, 2012

In addition to discovering aluminum is softer than glass, some iPhone 5 users are now reporting issues with light leaks. It's unclear whether this is a minor manufacturing issue affecting a small portion of users or a widespread problem. People may not even be aware that their device is leaking light as this becomes apparent only in low-light situations and for many it's not even a biggie. Did you spot light leaking out of your iPhone 5?