Year: 2012

Apple Asks European Organization to Standardize Patent Licensing

Cody Lee ∙ February 8, 2012

Apple and Motorola have really been going at it over the last few weeks. Motorola seems to have the upper hand in the ongoing patent lawsuit, as it recently won a court decision forcing Apple to remove some of its products from its online store.

But Apple's [obviously] not going down without a fight. It claims that the patents that Motorola is holding against it are standards-essential patents (required to function), and, if nothing else, should be licensable under FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non Discriminatory) terms...

US Air Force Looking to Buy 18,000 iPads For Cargo Aircraft

Jake Smith ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Following suit with American Airlines and other commercial airlines, the United States Air Force hopes to rid of all of the paper and charts in their cargo planes with iPads.

All of those pilot manuals, which weigh a ton, will be replaced with iPads that have the manuals preloaded digitally. Tab Times reports that the Air Force hopes to buy a minimum of 63 and a maximum of 18,000 iPad 2s...

App Booster SDK Lets Developers Add In-App Notifications For Free

Jake Smith ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Some of the best ways we keep engaged with our favorite apps is through notifications. Whether it's an in-app notification or a notification pushed to our homescreen, they help us stay in the loop with what's going on at the present time.

Sometimes they can be hard to implement for developers, but luckily, there is now a free tool in order to help create in-app notifications for better engagement...

Tiny Umbrella Developer Reminds Us to Save Our iOS 5.0.1 Blobs

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 6, 2016

Are you enjoying your newly jailbroken devices as much as we are? If so, you may want to make sure that you have saved your iOS 5.0.1 SHSH blobs. If not, you could risk losing the ability to jailbreak in the future.

It's been over a month since Apple released iOS 5.1 beta 3, so it wouldn't surprise us to see a public release sometime in the near future. And from what we've heard, the new software will patch the Corona exploit...

Use Your iOS Device to Control Your TV and More with the VooMote Zapper

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

The iOS accessory space has seen a number of universal remote control add-ons over the last few years. There's the Peel, and the Griffin Beacon — both of which allow you to control your entire entertainment center with your iOS device.

But now there's a new kid on the block, the VooMote Zapper. And unlike the aforementioned accessories, it doesn't require an external infrared receiver. The Zapper plugs directly into your device's 30-pin dock connector, and doesn't require batteries...

The ‘App Economy’ Has Led to 466,000 New Jobs in the US in Four Years

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 27, 2017

We all know developers are hard at work to create our favorite apps. With over 500,000 apps currently on the iTunes App Store alone, there is sure to be a ton of developers that need to create these apps, and make a living in doing so.

According to a new report released today from TechNet, the "App Economy" -- which includes both iOS and Android -- has sparked an impressive 466,000 new jobs in the last four years in the US alone. Obviously being the first to launch a market place for apps, Apple is the leader of this booming app industry...

Proview Asks Apple for $1.5 Billion Over iPad Trademark Hiccup

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

It seems that Apple's legal team just cannot catch a break these days, and the company's lawyers certainly seem to have their work cut out if they are to avoid a large payout to Proview, a monitor and display company.

Proview is apparently the owner of a Chinese trademark for the term "iPad" and is currently locked in a legal battle with Apple over the use of the word for its – you guessed it – iPad.

The matter has already found its way into the courts, with large sums of money currently being discussed. The biggest number to come across our computer screens today is a staggering one, with Proview apparently set to ask Apple for a cool $1.5 billion in compensation for the whole ordeal...

Issue with iPhone 4S and China Mobile SIM Cards Confirmed

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated March 9, 2016

Apple has confirmed that some people are experiencing compatibility issues when marrying a China Mobile SIM card and the new iPhone 4S. China Mobile itself has also confirmed that a potential issue has reared its ugly head.

The list of symptoms is varied but all follow a similar theme, with connectivity issues the main problem. Reports of users being unable to activate their handsets are rife, with others claiming to be unable to connect to the network completely.

Apple has reportedly already discovered the cause of the problem, and is hard at work on a fix...

iPhone Developers Now Required to Submit Retina App Screenshots

Cody Lee ∙ February 7, 2012

As noted by MacRumors, Apple has notified its iOS developers that future app updates and submissions are now required to include screenshots that meet Retina resolution specifications.

The requirement applies to both iPhone and iPod touch developers, and it looks like Apple won't be approving apps that don't qualify...

Path Uploads Your Entire Address Book to Its Servers

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Blogger Arun Thampi accidentally discovered that Path uploads your entire address book to its servers. Path CEO quickly explained why the company chose to take this path (pun intended):

We actually think this is an important conversation and take this very seriously. We upload the address book to our servers in order to help the user find and connect to their friends and family on Path quickly and effeciently as well as to notify them when friends and family join Path. Nothing more.

We believe that this type of friend finding & matching is important to the industry and that it is important that users clearly understand it, so we proactively rolled out an opt-in for this on our Android client a few weeks ago and are rolling out the opt-in for this in 2.0.6 of our iOS Client, pending App Store approval.

The app that everybody loved a few months ago is now the app that everybody loves to hate. I'm sure it won't last long though. Path will fix "the glitch" and get praised by everyone for how quickly they came through. But that's only assuming MG Siegler or Gruber don't put them on the gallows first.

Change Your iPhone’s Keyboard Layout From Qwerty to Dvorak

Cody Lee ∙ February 7, 2012

The Dvorak keyboard layout was patented in 1936 by Dr. August Dvorak (thanks Wikipedia). Proponents of the layout believe that it requires less finger motion than the traditional QWERTY style, allowing you to type faster with fewer errors.

If you happen to be a fan of the Dvorak layout, or would just like to see what it looks like, a new jailbreak tweak has just surfaced in Cydia that will install the keyboard on your iOS 5 device...

Simplexity: A Simple Yet Complex Method for Viewing the App Switcher

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 7, 2012

Looking for yet another alternative to the stock App Switcher? I know, there's no shortage of alternate app switchers, but there's always room for one more, right?

Well, on second thought, maybe not. Simplexity is a recently released jailbreak tweak on Cydia that wholeheartedly lives up to its name. While it's simple in some aspects, it can make what should otherwise be a no-brainer function overly complex...