Year: 2012

Kickstarter foldable iPhone keyboard pushes all the right buttons

Oliver Haslam ∙ July 8, 2012

We've brought you plenty of Kickstarter projects over the years. Some iPhone related, some iPad related, and a few of them have been keyboards, too. This particular keyboard though has something of a party trick, with the Spike iPhone case and keyboard combination allowing owners to fold the buttons around to the back for when they are not in use.

Costing around $50 for the premium model, the case and keyboard combo needs to reach $75,000 in order to be fully funded, and is expected to begin shipping around October time.

Don't worry though, you've still got 34 days in order to get your pledge in...

The top 10 iOS news of the week on iDownloadBlog

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

A new week is coming, but that doesn't mean you have to miss out on what happened last week. If you think you may have missed a few of the top stories from last week, don't sweat it, we've got you covered.

We've gathered the top 10+ most popular stories from iDB last week for you to check out. As always, make sure that you're friends with us on Facebook, Google+, and that you are following us on Twitter...

CoverMeNot doubles the status bar height for improved banner notifications

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

CoverMeNot is a brand new jailbreak tweak that does something extremely simple, yet just as brilliant — it doubles the height of your status bar when a notification banner appears on screen. This prevents the banner from covering up the content on your iPhone — hence the name.

Once the banner notification times out, the status bar is resized back to normal. If you're tired of incoming banner notifications covering up your on screen content, then you need to try CoverMeNot...

Embedded YouTube videos not working on your iPhone? Try this fix

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

Don't you just hate it when you see this dreaded image in the place where a YouTube video is supposed to be embedded? If you consistently have this issue, then there is a fair chance you have your YouTube app hidden via a jailbreak tweak, or you have restrictions enabled. Restrictions can be enabled without a jailbreak.

As it turns out, having the YouTube app hidden can result in embedded videos being replaced with the image above. YouTube videos on the actual YouTube site will still play fine regardless, but embedded videos can give you problems if your stock YouTube app is hidden, or you have restrictions enabled.

Check inside for a video walkthrough on how to apply the easy fixes.

Apple pulls products from Environmental Assessment Tool registry

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Despite Apple's efforts — utilizing large solar farms at all of its major campuses, and offering a recycling program for used products — the company continues to catch heat over its effect on the environment.

And this latest move certainly isn't going to help its case. Word is that the company has just pulled all of its products from EPEAT's (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) green-friendly registry...

Apple accused of stealing noise reduction technology

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Apple is no stranger to the defendant's chair in the courtroom. It's been sued a number of times over the years, for a number of reasons — most recently over alleged patent infringements involving Siri.

But this new lawsuit from Noise Free Wireless seems a bit more serious. The small Silicon Valley company is claiming that Apple intentionally stole critical noise reduction technology from them...

iPhone Photography & the Magic of HDR

Justin Balog ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

Great to have you back for our 3rd installment in the iPhone Photography Series here at iDB. A couple quick housekeeping items. If you'd like it see what I'm up to as I prepare our next lesson or if you have questions, give my Facebook page a like or follow me on twitter (@justinbalog). I always do my best to help others realize their own creative vision.

A few non-iPad users asked about my book being available for other devices, I have good news. It's now available in .PDF which will work on all your devices. Also included in it are the videos from the interactive iPad Version.

In the previous two lessons, we took a deep dive into exposure and how to leverage it to our creative advantage. In both lessons, we were working within the limitations of the iPhone's ability to record light. It's not your iPhone's fault, it's a limitation of all cameras. Whether it is film, or the most advanced digital sensor, cameras aren't nearly as good as your eyes at dealing with a wide range of bright and dark.

That being said, the world of photography has had a long standing workaround. It's a technique called High Dynamic Range photography (HDR)...

Pandora app updated with refreshed UI and reduced battery usage

Cody Lee ∙ July 7, 2012

Pandora has released a major update for its iOS application this weekend, bringing it to version 3.2. The new app includes a refreshed UI, and several other welcomed ehancements.

Among the new features is a modification to the app's architecture, which, Pandora claims, greatly reduces the amount of battery life it uses. Keep reading for the full change log...

How to use Google voice search from anywhere on your iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

VoiceSearch is a relatively new jailbreak tweak that allows you to perform Google voice searches from anywhere using a simple Activator action.

Obviously VoiceSearch can't replace all of the functionality that Siri brings to the table on the iPhone 4S, and upcoming iOS 6 update for the new iPad, but it is a somewhat decent holdover for non Siri-enabled devices...

On Apple’s plans for a mobile payment system

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

There have been a few rumors bouncing around the Apple community for the last two years that just won't die out. Among them is the iPhone-embedded, iTunes-based mobile payment system. Pundits believe that Apple, and its 400 million iTunes accounts, has the ability to kickstart the struggling mobile payment industry.

Apple itself added fuel to the fire last month when it unveiled its new Passbook application. It acts like a digital wallet of sorts, allowing users to store event tickets, gift cards, and even creditcards on their iOS devices. But it's still not the end-all mobile payment solution we were all expecting. At least not yet anyway...

Tiny Wings 2 set to hit iOS on July 12th

Cody Lee ∙ July 7, 2012

Back in May, Tiny Wings creator Andreas Illiger told reporters that the world could expect a sequel to his popular mobile game "within 3 weeks." But those 3 weeks came and went, and we haven't heard a peep.

Then yesterday, Illiger finally broke the silence by releasing a Tiny Wings 2 teaser trailer. And while the video doesn't give much information away regarding the game, we have to admit, it's pretty fun to watch...

iPad mini: made in Brazil, has 3G, almost as thin as iPod touch

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2012

Following up on a string of recent reporting which revives the iPad mini rumor, the usually accurate Japanese blog Macotakara claimed that the device will be produced in Foxconn's new manufacturing facilities in Brazil. Manufacturing is apparently set to ramp up in September, just in time for mass availability around the holiday shopping season, as indicated in other reports...