Year: 2012

Checkmark hits the iPhone, is what Reminders should have been

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

We told you about Checkmark, Snowman's upcoming location-aware organizer app for the iPhone, earlier in the month. Today, the program has finally landed on the App Store and can be yours in exchange for 99 cents. Checkmark bests Apple's stock Reminders app on many levels while ticking all the important boxes.

It one-ups Apple with triggers based on both location and time so you can, say, be alerted to pick up your laundry half an hour before you get to the mall or have that reminder about calling your wife pop up 15 minutes after you leave work. And if Reminders' illogical and inefficient user interface isn't your cup of tea, you'll definitely fall in love with Checkmark...

Smule releases new AutoRap app for iOS

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Do you dream of becoming the next Eminem? Well, this won't help you become a world-famous rapper. But it will sure make you sound like one.

Smule, the company known for apps like Ocarina and I Am T-Pain, has released a new music-creation title in the App Store today called AutoRap...

How to jailbreak iOS 6 beta 3

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 17, 2012

Now that the iPhone Dev Team has released RedSn0w 0.9.13dev3, it's easy to jailbreak the latest iOS 6 beta 3 release. This jailbreak will also work with previous versions of iOS 6 beta, such as iOS 6 beta 2.

Bear in mind that this is still a tethered jailbreak, and it will not install Cydia on your device. Since you must point to the current beta firmware, you need to be a developer so that you can access iOS 6 beta 3.

If you meet these requirements, then step right inside as we walk you though using RedSn0w 0.9.13dev3 to jailbreak an iPhone 4 running iOS 6 beta 3.

iOS 6 beta 3 will expire on September 30th

Sébastien Page ∙ July 17, 2012

Here is a gentle warning for those of you who have downloaded iOS beta 3, which was released yesterday. According to iOS hacker iH8sn0w, this latest version of Apple's mobile operating system is set to expire on September 30th, 2012.

But what will happen after this date?

iOS 6 Beta 3 brings support for VIP inbox, Shared Photo Streams on iPhone 3GS

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 17, 2012

Not all iOS 6 features are supported across every iOS device on Apple's compatibility list and that has been ticking some people off. Sometimes limited support stems from steep hardware requirements, but (too) often Apple is being accused of intentionally obsoleting older devices by going to great lengths to ensure certain software features are kept exclusive to the latest hardware (Siri, anyone?).

Luckily, with yesterday's release of iOS 6 Beta 3 to registered developers, Cupertino added two features that previously were not supported on the iPhone 3GS, VIP Mail recipients and Shared Photo Streams...

The verdict is in: Motorola’s Xoom doesn’t copy iPad’s design

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

A German court ruled today that no, Motorola's Xoom tablet doesn't infringe upon the iPad's design, Dow Jones Newswire has it. As a result, Apple won't be able to ban the device across Europe, as it originally planned. It doesn't matter as the Xoom, an inaugural tablet running Android 3.0 Honeycomb, was introduced at CES in January 2011. The device barely passed the one million units mark and in the first quarter of 2012 sold just 100,000 units. The ruling also rejected Motorola's assertion that the iPad's design patent is invalid...

Barnes & Noble launches Nook for Web, iPad support coming soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 17, 2012

Barnes & Noble today introduced Nook for Web, a cloud platform that strives to make e-reading easier by providing browser access to electronic books without needing a download, a Nook account or a Nook device for that matter. The overdue move follows in footsteps of Amazon which last August introduced Kindle Cloud Reader, a service that lets you access Kindle books instantly in a web browser (works great on iPad), no Kindle device required. UPDATE: the article is updated with a simple fix to run Nook for Web on your iPad...

Android is still losing one-third of current users to the iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

A few interesting observations from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster's note to clients (via Fortune), issued this morning. Munster conducted his annual cell phone survey and found out that nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of polled respondents would pick an iPhone as their next handset. Only one in five (19 percent) plan to go with Android and just 2.5 percent, or one in forty, will stay loyal to their BlackBerry, a result of RIM's downturn.

What's more, 51 percent of respondents who planned on making the iPhone their next smartphone (whether current iPhone users or not) said they were waiting for the next iPhone...

Updated Xbox Live app brings 360 control to iPad

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Last month, Microsoft released an update to its My Xbox LIVE application that brought Xbox 360 control to the iPhone. The feature gave users the ability to control their consoles with an Apple-branded handset.

Yesterday, Microsoft released another update that brings that console control to the iPad...

WSJ confirms new iPhone will use thinner in-cell display technology

Cody Lee ∙ July 17, 2012

Since April of this year, Apple has been rumored to be using in-cell display panels in the next iPhone. The panel combines touch sensors and color filters into a single layer, making them much thinner.

Tonight, a major news outlet has added its weight to the theory. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that it has learned that Apple is indeed using the improved display tech in its latest handset...

Here’s why we think AT&T might begin charging for FaceTime over cellular [Video]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 16, 2012

This video showcases the new pop-up dialogue box that interrupts you when trying to enable FaceTime over cellular in iOS 6 beta 3.

Apparently, AT&T has a scheme in the works to pry more dollars from their iPhone customers. As Cody noted via Twitter, perhaps they're thinking about rebounding after taking a hit on text messaging fees due to iMessage.

Take a look inside as we demonstrate the differences between an AT&T iPhone 4S, and a Verizon iPad 3, when attempting to enable FaceTime over cellular...

Will AT&T charge to use FaceTime over cellular?

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 16, 2012

It almost seems unthinkable, but there is a strong possibility that AT&T might charge to enable FaceTime over cellular capability in iOS 6. 9to5 Mac posted a screenshot that shows a dialogue box prompting the end user to contact AT&T in order to enable FaceTime over cellular. This is indicative that AT&T could perhaps plan on charging customers to use this feature, despite the fact that their customers are already paying for the data.

As Mark Gurman notes, this is highly similar to the process that users go through to enable the Personal Hotspot feature on the iPhone. Of course, we can't say for sure whether or not this "feature" will make the final GM version of iOS 6, but I'd say it's possible judging from the screenshot provided from the iOS 6 beta.

The question is this: Is AT&T brave enough to actually go through with this, further alienating an already highly pessimistic user base? I can smell the backlash already...