Year: 2012

Nest thermostat unboxing and first impressions

The Nest Learning Thermostat is one of those products that makes it finally feel like we’re living in the future that we envisioned as children. One step below Jetsons level tech, the Nest harbors contemporary tech in a pseudo-retro styled metal and plastic body that’s a bit unassuming, if not altogether ironic.

When you sit and contemplate about what the Nest is doing, it doesn’t seem all that groundbreaking, especially considering some of the advancements in technology that we’ve witnessed over the last decade. The wow factor comes from the fact that the creators of Nest found an industry that didn’t dare veer far from the status quo, and essentially turned it upside down...

Midway adds iCade support to its Arcade app

Do you have an iCade? Do you like playing old arcade games like Spy Hunter or Rampage? Well if you answered yes to both of those questions, we've got some good news for you. Midway has just updated its Arcade app with iCade support.

For those that aren't familiar with the iCade, it's ThinkGeek's miniature arcade cabinet that allows you to play iPad games. The list of iCade-compatible games is rapidly growing, and now includes Midway Arcade with the following titles...

Apple to webcast second-quarter earnings call on April 24

Apple will webcast its calendar 2012 second-quarter earnings next Tuesday, April 24 at 2pm Pacific / 5pm Eastern. The call will include Apple's performance metrics and sales figures from a three-month period which ended March 31.

According to analysts, Apple is expected to report iPhone sales anywhere between 26 and 44 million units, with the best analysts’ consensus of 35 million units. Some folks are worried about a 24 percent drop in iPhone activations by Verizon and rumors that carriers might drop iPhone subsidy that hurt their bottom line.

I opined these concerns are overblown and should be taken with a grain of salt as crazypants analysts and Apple doomsayers regularly come out of the woodwork ahead of the company's quarterly reports.

Talks are underway to settle iPad trademark dispute in China

Apple is in talks with bankrupt display maker Proview of China over the iPad trademark dispute that has delayed the launch of the third-generation tablet in the 1.33 billion people market, a new report out today alleges.

The two parties have reportedly entered a voluntary mediation procedure that could lead to negotiations over a possible settlement.

If no deal is reached, the higher court will have to make a ruling and the severe consequences for Apple, should it loose the case, could include a hefty fine and a country-wide ban on iPad sales in China...

RedSn0w 0.9.10b7 released for Mac and Windows

A new version of the RedSn0w jailbreak tool was released today, bringing us a nice assortment of new features, and hinting at an even greater things to come...

Beta 7 of RedSn0w 0.9.10 contains a nice assortment of new useful features, including the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Corona A5 untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1.

Check inside for a full rundown of what's new, and what's new to come...

A month after it pulled out of print, Encyclopedia Britannica hits iOS

As you know, Encyclopedia Britannica announced in March plans to stop printing its iconic multi-volume book sets.

The decision to kill the dead-tree edition, following 244 years of publishing, has stunned folks who prefer credibility over availability and the old-fashioned types who enjoy that lovely feeling associated with flipping through the real pages.

Fortunately, fans can sigh a collective breath of relief as Encyclopedia Britannica goes digital, releasing their inaugural app for the iOS platform.

FCC launches online ‘bill shock’ tool as carriers implement overage alerts

Despite best efforts to keep tabs on your wireless usage habits and keep that monthly bill within self-imposed limits, some of us continue to experience so-called 'bill shock', over and over again.

Thanks to a new online tool by The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and an agreement between major wireless operators and The CTIA Wireless Association (CTIA), you can now get information about carriers’ billing policies.

It also lets one check out the state of each carrier’s implementation of free alerts related to one's data, messaging, voice and international roaming usage.

So, is this going to suffice or are some of us going to continue getting bill shock’d each month?

Online availability eases as iPad rolls out to 12 new countries today

As announced, the new iPad is expanding today to twelve additional countries. Meanwhile, availability of the device further eases in the United States, with the company's online store now showing 5-7 day deliveries, an improvement over previous delivery times of between 1-2 weeks.

Today's expansion to twelve markets and an additional roll out to nine countries later this month will improve iPad availability to a total of 57 countries.

Rumor: Apple could use in-cell touch panels for thinner, lighter future iPhones

DigiTimes is out with a new report today claiming that it has learned that Apple is looking to adopt in-cell touch panels for future iPhones — possibly even this year's model. As usual, the information in the report is attributed to supply chain chatter.

Why is this a big deal? Well, if it's true, it could make future iPhones significantly thinner. Unlike on-cell panels, which Apple uses in its current handsets, in-cell panels combine touch sensors and color filters into one layer, making the touch panel much thinner...

As it turns out, Tim Cook didn’t visit Valve’s headquarters

Last week, a report made its way around the blogosphere claiming that Apple's CEO Tim Cook was spotted at Valve's headquarters. This sparked all kinds of speculation regarding the nature of Cook's visit, and the company's future plans in the gaming space.

But alas, the story has been proven to be false. Valve head Gabe Newell debunked the rumor himself during an interview on the weekly Seven Day Cooldown podcast yesterday. And apparently, tech sites weren't the only ones fooled by the report...

Inside JailbreakCon’s massive 13,500 square foot venue

As most of you know, JailbreakCon, the world's largest jailbreak conference, will be taking place in the USA later this year. Hackers, developers and enthusiasts will all gather in San Francisco on September 29th to talk about, what else, jailbreaking.

And for those of you that are under the impression that this is going to be just a tiny get-together, think again. The WWJC (WorldWide Jailbreak Convention) crew just posted a video of a tour inside the convention's massive 13,500 square foot venue...

Apple’s marketing honcho Schiller stops using Instagram because it went to Android

If you couldn't believe those hipsters who stopped using Instagram just because it sold out to Facebook for a staggering $1 billion, wait 'till you hear this.

Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president, apparently stopped using Instagram because the photo sharing service recently expanded to Android.

It's hardly a surprise, if you think of it. Schiller, a prominent figure in Apple's public presentations, has been a member of the company's executive leadership team since Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997.

Being in charge of worldwide marketing at Apple and an active Twitter user, Schiller would be foolish to continue supporting a hugely popular service that up until recently used to be an iOS exclusive...