Year: 2012

Bored? AnoStyle exquisitely paints and protects your iPhone 5 or iPad mini

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 26, 2017

Looking to pimp your iPhone 5 or iPad mini beyond the stock black & slate and white & silver finish? Talk to AnoStyle, a company that offers quite a remarkable anodization service which paints your device in a bunch of great looking colors. Just send them your brand spanking new iPhone 5 or iPad mini and pick your color of choice.

These include red, pink, yellow, gold, orange, blue, teal, violet, copper, green, blue steel or bronze shades for a brand new look. The conversions is gonna set you back $249 per iPhone 5, or $299 for an iPad mini mod. You can also add an optional $40 Ghost Armor that has been "precisely pre-cut to invisibly protect your device from scratches and dings" with a material that the military helicopter blades, fighter jets' wingtips and the space shuttle's wingtips are made of...

Real estate agents now using Passbook as a business card

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 17, 2014

The iPhone - and particularly the iPhone's Passbook feature - is quickly making the traditional business card extinct. Real estate agents, huge users of business cards, are now one of the biggest proponents of Passbook as Re/Max Regional Services adopts iPhone-based business cards for its 4,500 agents and brokers. Agents in Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Southern Ohio and Southeastern Michigan will use iPhone's equipped with a "CardSense" feature that includes a scannable QR code on the lock screen. A QR reading app then grabs a copy of the business card...

Gmail updated: sleek UI, multiple accounts, search predictions, infinite scrolling

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 4, 2012

Google has just updated its Gmail iOS app with multiple account support, a way overdue feature which finally allows you to set up, use and switch between up to five different Google accounts with just a few taps.

Gmail version 2.0, a major overhaul, in addition to a much cleaner and sleeker look has learned a few useful new tricks, like infinite scrolling inbox, threaded conversations, profile pictures, search predictions and auto-complete contact names, to name a few.

But the list of enhancements doesn't end there. Numerous new animations from swivels to transitions will dazzle you. Plus, you can now respond to Google Calendar invites inline, set up real-time notifications for new mail or take advantage of the interactive Google+ posts support to +1 and comment on Google+ posts inline. There's also a new app icon and a redesigned welcome experience. Do any of these features ring a bell? Profile pictures? Multiple accounts? Threaded conversations?

Yup, seems Google made good on its promise to leverage May's Sparrow acquisition towards improving the Gmail mobile experience. The search firm occasionally refreshes Sparrow with maintenance updates, like last month when the Sparrow app gained iPhone 5 and Passbook support...

Qualcomm comes to the rescue, invests $120M in Sharp to help advance IGZO panels

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 4, 2012

More good news for people keeping their fingers crossed for Sharp's IGZO panels appearing on iOS devices: Tuesday morning, The Wall Street Journal reported that chip maker Qualcomm has agreed to invest as much as ¥9.9 billion, or approximately $120.4 million, in "what is expected to be the first in a series of capital injections to shore up" Sharp's battered finances and advance its IGZO tech.

That's good news as Foxconn's and Apple's multi-billion dollar deals with Sharp appear to be going nowhere. Sharp's stock was downgraded to junk and the ailing Japanese consumer electronics maker is now trying to obtain investments from anyone, be it Apple, Intel, Foxconn or Qualcomm.

The launch of Sharp's awesome, albeit pricey, 32-inch 4K IGZO pro monitor and the introduction of its own tablet, the Aquos Pad SHT 21, which has a seven-inch IGZO display, both indicate yields are improving and so the likelihood of Apple re-considering IGZO panels in future iOS devices is now growing with each passing day...

Amazon updates Kindle app with X-Ray for Books

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 4, 2012

After updating its Kindle e-reading app for the iPhone and iPad last month with the X-Ray for Textbooks feature, the online retailer Amazon today refreshed the software, having added the useful X-Ray for Books capability. Basically the “bones of the book”, as Amazon puts it, X-Ray for Books helps you learn more about notable characters, places and phrases with nice descriptions from Shelfari.com and Wikipedia. In addition to this feature, the new Kindle app also boasts Manga image rendering improvements, per iTunes release notes. The new Kindle app is still a free universal binary and it looks great on all iOS form factors, including the iPad mini...

Improving iPhone 5 production expected to increase Apple’s profits

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 4, 2012

The picture appears brighter for Apple's iPhone 5. Not only is the new smartphone easier to find in stores, it's also the top searched for gadget in 2012 and looks to be off to a great start in China. Now, improving supplies is reducing cost and increasing profitability for Apple, one analyst said Tuesday. A smoother supply chain has meant shipping time cut in half to just two days, down from four. Additionally, the improvements come as Apple preps to offer its handset in more than 50 countries during December...

Modern Combat 4 launches on iOS this Thursday

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAEHLePiCOM

Popular mobile games maker Gameloft today confirmed that its war shooter Modern Combat 4 will launch on iOS first this Thursday, December 6, 2012, followed by the Android version "shortly after". You won’t be only playing a U.S. soldier as the game also puts you in the shoes of the villain Edward Page.

When we first saw the reveal trailer, it dawned on us that Gameloft's latest chapter in the blockbuster FPS franchise offers eye-popping mobile graphics that takes full advantage of the power provided by Apple's latest A6 and A6X chips.

The iOS version has been confirmed to support the iPhone 5 and developers tapped the Havok engine, which has been improved on mobile and now features real-time shadows. I've also included two dev diary clips for your viewing pleasure, find them right after the break...

Apple wins trademarks for the Retina moniker and the Game Center icon design

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 4, 2012

Apple today received two interesting trademark grants seeking to protect the Game Center icon design and the Apple-coined Retina moniker. The former describes a rounded icon divided into four quadrants, each sporting a distinct combination of colors and shapes. It was originally filed in June 2012 under international classes that cover multiplayer games, scoring and tracking game performance and "providing an online portal for social networking through virtual communities".

More important than the Game Center icon is the widely used Retina name, now a registered trademark of Apple, Inc.

Judge says patents involved in Apple-HTC deal must remain unsealed

Cody Lee ∙ December 4, 2012

In a ruling late last night, US District Court Judge Lucy Koh ordered that the patents Apple and HTC are cross-licensing as part of their settlement are to remain unsealed, suggesting that the public will eventually get a look at this information.

The order comes two weeks after US Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal granted Samsung's motion to compel, forcing Apple to disclose the terms of its deal with HTC to its legal team. But now it looks like we'll all get a peek inside the pact...

Apple officially launches iTunes Music Store in 56 new countries

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Yesterday we reported that the iTunes Music Store had gone live in Russia, Turkey and a handful of other countries. The rollout came just one day before Apple's rumored iTunes event in Moscow.

But as it turns out, the Music expansion is much bigger than we originally thought. Apple published a press release last night announcing that it's rolling out iTunes Music to 56 new countries...

China Unicom sees 100,000 iPhone 5 pre-orders in first day

Cody Lee ∙ December 4, 2012

China Unicom, the second largest carrier in the country, and 22nd largest in the world by subscriber base, opened up iPhone 5 pre-sale reservations on Monday ahead of its December 14 launch. And during the first 24 hours, the provider received over 100,000 pre-orders for the handset...

Ashton Kutcher’s jOBS film set to debut at Sundance in January

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

As most of you know, there are currently two Steve Jobs-based movies in the works. One is an indie film that has been in production for several months now and stars Ashton Kutcher. And the other, a Sony project, is being penned by Aaron Sorkin.

Well as it turns out, the former, entitled jOBS, is almost finished. And the Sundance group just announced that they would be debuting the flick during their legendary Sundance Film Festival this upcoming January. More details after the fold...