Year: 2012

Lost tapes reveal new stories about Steve Jobs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Technology journalist Brent Schlender has “found” hours worth of audio interviews with Steve Jobs spanning 25 years that offer a couple interesting previously unknown tidbits about Apple’s late co-founder.

The treasure trove of Schlender's talks with Jobs cover different milestones in Jobs' career and expand on the previously published quotes.

For example, Jobs explains more than two decades ago how exactly he missed the importance of the network even though it was another important innovation that had been presented to him at Xerox's Parc technology laboratory.

What if Apple isn’t building a TV set?

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Fortune ran an interesting article last night entitled "Tell me again. Why we think Apple will make a TV set?" The piece outlines the sketchy details surrounding one of the most anticipated, unannounced consumer products in recent memory: the Apple TV set.

Rumors that Apple has been working on a television have been bouncing around for years now. Started by analysts and fueled by "supply chain checks," the speculation regarding an Apple TV has reached epic proportions. But has it all been for nothing?

Add DSLR features to your iPad with the Padcaster

Cody Lee ∙ April 18, 2012

Apple loaded a number of new features into its third-generation iPad: a faster processor, more RAM, and let's not forget LTE. The company's latest tablet also includes a much-needed camera upgrade, bringing the backside sensor to 5MP.

This finally makes the iPad a viable option for taking photographs and shooting videos while on-the-go. And thanks to the folks over at Manhattan Edit Workshop, it could become the preferred method. Introducing the Padcaster iPad case...

PadSync: a great looking iTunes file sharing alternative

Guest Author ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

PadSync from ecamm is yet another way to access the documents folders of apps on your iDevice. The interface is very similar to iTunes File Sharing, located in the device view of a synced device. The main advantage is that you don't need iTunes running to use it.

Maybe not enough apps you use have added iCloud support yet. Or perhaps you want to be able to easily drag and drop movie files into your movie app from your computer without performing a full iTunes sync. The rest of you might need an easy way to drag a document from your iPhone or iPad to your desktop. Let's take a look at how PadSync can help…

‘Message Transformer’ allows you to convert text into a variety of goofy formats

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 17, 2012

Message Transformer is a recently released jailbreak app that allows you to convert text to various formats. Formats include Pig Latin, backwards, all capital letters, all lowercase, etc.

The app is aimed at those who wish to occasionally use it to compose funny messages, and then copy that message into another app like the Messages app.

Message Transformer isn't pretty looking, and it's definitely not an app you'll be going back to often. That being said, it is free, and it can be fun in small doses...

FireCore releases aTV Flash (black) 1.5 with several updates

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

FireCore announced today that it has released a new version of its popular Apple TV app, aTV Flash (black). The update brings the software to version 1.5, and includes several new additions.

Among the new features is NFS streaming and a revamped media player. And of course there is a laundry list of bug fixes and performance improvements. Full changelog after the break...

Verizon to activate LTE in dozens of new markets this week

Cody Lee ∙ April 17, 2012

Did you recently purchase a new Verizon-flavored LTE iPad? Well if so, you'll be happy to know that the carrier is about to start a massive rollout that will make its high-speed 4G network available to dozens of new markets.

This morning, Verizon announced a number of new expansions and additions to its already vast LTE network. Want to know if your city was included? Keep reading for a full list of the carrier's new 4G markets...

Apple and Samsung bosses meeting for patent settlement talks in San Francisco

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 17, 2012

The rumors were true! It looks like Apple and Samsung could at last settle their complicated legal dealings. This is official: a joint statement before the court has it that Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung Vice Chairman and CEO Gee-Sung Choi will met at a San Francisco court for settlement talks within the next 90 days.

What looked like a pipedream could become a reality, provided the two sides that are embroiled in complicated litigation agree to concessions for the greater good.

Here's to the hoping we will soon put this meaningless patent mess behind us and move on to real news.

‘FastLock’ places handy shortcuts on your Lock screen

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 17, 2012

I know what you're thinking: as if we needed yet another Lock screen shortcut tweak, right? There's no denying it, there are plenty of Lock screen shortcut methods available for the iPhone, and FastLock is the latest entry into an already crowded arena.

When considering just how many alternatives there are to FastLock, it's not surprising that I wasn't exactly jumping for joy after initially hearing about it. In such a dense market, is there room for yet another set of Lock screen shortcuts?

Have a look at our video and judge for yourselves...

No, Steve Jobs never asked prospective employee if he was a virgin

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

I take it you watched Pirates of Silicon Valley, a 1999 made-for-television film directed by Martyn Burke and based on the book Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. If not, you should!

The flick depicts the Microsoft-Apple rivalry and covers the early days of Steve Jobs, played masterfully by Noah Wyle.

Those who saw the movie remember the famous job interview scene which explores the darker aspects of Jobs’ personality, with him famously asking a prospective employee - an IBMer - if he was still a virgin.

That scene sticks in mind as a classic portrayal of Jobs infamous personality tantrums. Too bad it's been made up. Yup, you read that right, this never actually happened...

Analyst is confident Apple will release a smaller iPad

Cody Lee ∙ April 17, 2012

In a note to investors today, Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu said that it was a "question of when, not if" Apple would release the rumored 7.85-inch iPad. He believes it would make strategic sense for it to expand its tablet family.

"A smaller iPad would be the competition's worst nightmare," he explained. Apple's competitors are already having trouble beating the company on price at $399 and $499. They wouldn't stand a chance against a $299 tablet...

Job listing suggests Apple is looking to integrate 3D tech into iOS

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

9to5Mac points to an interesting job listing that recently surfaced on Apple's website. The opening calls for an iOS software engineer with knowledge and experience in 3D geometry and image analysis. What could Apple be working on?

Well a number of things, actually. The company has acquired multiple 3D mapping firms over the past few years, and has several 3D-related patents in its library. Keep reading for the full job description...