Month: January 2013

Budget iPhone: the augur of a new era of lower Apple margins

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

What should the rumored budget iPhone cost and how low could Apple price it without sacrificing its industry-leading profits? Jean-Louis Gassée, a former executive at Apple, where he worked from 1981 to 1990, ran some numbers on his Monday Note blog to try and make sense of the idea. The crux: there's no way Apple could make a compelling, inexpensive device sporting today's hardware encased in a less exquisite (dare I say, plasticky?) body without sacrificing its powerful margins.

Should the Cupertino, California company in fact pursue the low-cost iPhone, the move will be remembered as the augur of a new era of lower Apple margins and as such likely signals a new brutal phase in the Smartphone Wars...

Apple again seen cutting iPhone 5 panel orders

Cody Lee ∙ January 21, 2013

Last week, a couple of reports surfaced claiming that Apple has been trimming component orders for its iPhone 5. While the exact reasons for the cutbacks are still unknown, many market-watchers are citing weaker-than-expected demand as the main factor.

But no matter what the reasoning is, it seems the cuts are happening. Another report popped up this weekend claiming that the Cupertino company has contacted Sharp Corp. and asked them to cut their iPhone 5 LCD panel orders in half for next quarter...

Apple rumored to unveil ‘iPhone Math’ with 4.8-inch display in June

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Despite the fact that Apple just launched the iPhone 5 in September of last year, talk of the next iteration of the handset has already started to accumulate. It seems like we hear rumors regarding the next-gen iPhone on a weekly basis.

The latest report claims that Apple is actually planning on unveiling three new handsets this year. It says that the first two, the iPhone 5S and the 'iPhone Math,' will launch in June, and a third, unknown model, just before Christmas...

How to use Newsstand as an app folder without jailbreaking

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

A new non-jailbreak tweak was recently revealed to us via email, and it involves the ability to place and launch an unlimited amount of apps from the Newsstand folder on iOS 6. Yes, it works perfectly fine with the iPhone 5.

First sent to us by reader, Pim Oomen, the trick involves a little bit of timing and practice. The end result is an infinite scrollable folder that may contain as many apps as you can throw into it.

The nice thing about this trick is that it doesn't rely on any external websites or apps in order to make it work. Take a look at our step-by-step video walkthrough inside to see how easy it is.

NYPD iPhone app takes crime-fighting mobile

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

The New York Police Department is pretty tech savvy for a government agency. Last fall, it launched a smartphone registration program to help track down stolen iPhones. And this month, it's released its own iPhone application.

The app, which is simply titled 'NYPD,' sports a number of useful features for New York City residents including a photo gallery of wanted criminals, and breaking news. And you can even use it to submit anonymous crime tips...

New Samsung ad says iPhones are not for work, blasts BlackBerry

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fcUf4d-Y3s

You can't blame Samsung for amping up its anti-everyone advertising as it's worked out so well for them thus far. In this new commercial aired during tonight's NFC championship game and subsequently published on Samsung's YouTube channel, a bunch of hipsters working for a mobile games developer are depicted using Galaxy smartphones and tablets. In one instance, the clip highlights multitasking capabilities of these gadgets where you can set the video to play while continuing to browse the web or sort through your email.

Then the focus turns (mark 0:40) to one of the old guards who tells a young office chick that she won't "consolidate" her phones because she has "a system": her BlackBerry with its clickety-clack keyboard is for work and an iPhone with an ugly case is for home. The lady abruptly cuts off the younger colleague after her attempt to explain the benefits of the Galaxy S III: "Allie, please respect my system".

The commercial is a bit weird and primarily targets the struggling BlackBerry (talk about beating the dead horse). There are more jabs at RIM and Apple in an apparent shift of strategy as Samsung takes aim at enterprise market. Oh, and what's up with the unicorns and that guy from 30 Rock?

iSpy Tank: an iPhone-controlled tank with built-in spy cam

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

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

iHelicopters, the makers of such iPhone-controlled toys as the iUFO, RC cars and helicopters, has a new toy on the market, an iDevice-assisted miniature tank (looks like a sci-fi car to me). In addition to a free app which lets you control the vehicle by tilting your device, the iSpy Tank features a built-in camera.

You can control the camera angle via the app and even beam video feed from the toy straight to your device's screen, in real-time: perfect for spying on your neighbors or checking on your cat while you're at work. Turn the volume down before playing the promo clip above...

Apple files for new iPad trademark in China

Cody Lee ∙ January 20, 2013

It's been a busy couple of weeks for Apple in China. First there was Tim Cook's visit, which involved meetings with government officials and China Mobile chairman Xi Guohua. Then there was the cellular iPad and iPad mini launch on Friday.

And now we know that Apple's legal team applied for a new iPad trademark in China last week. They submitted the filing, which covers the likeness of the best-selling tablet, to the country's Patent and Trademark Office on Friday...

‘Auxo’ update adds new toggles, VIP apps, and native Activator support

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the first major update to Auxo has just been finished, and it should be pushed out to Cydia tomorrow. The update brings a whole host of new features to the popular app switching tweak. Included are new toggles, the ability to hide toggles, VIP app designations, native Activator support, and more.

We've landed our mitts on a sneak preview of the update, and we really like what we see. For those of you who felt that the initial version of Auxo didn't bring enough personal customization to the table, then version 1.2 is sure to change your mind.

Free Press launches AT&T petition site over FaceTime rules

Cody Lee ∙ January 19, 2013

Last week, AT&T announced that it was going to be opening up FaceTime over cellular to all tiered data plans. This is the latest in a string of policy changes made by the carrier to appease the Net Neutrality groups.

But it doesn't look like the groups were very impressed. In response to AT&T's decision to continue to exclude the feature from those on grandfathered unlimited data plans, the Free Press has setup a petition site...

Opera Ice: a new WebKit-based mobile web browser

Cody Lee ∙ January 19, 2013

In a move to stay relevant in the mobile space, Opera will be unveiling an all-new web browser for Android and iOS next month. The client will be based on WebKit, and will focus on hiding the technology as much as possible, while embracing rich applications.

Of course, Opera already has a browser on iOS. But this new one, dubbed 'Opera Ice,' will be much different. Like a lot of apps these days, Ice's UI is button-less, and all major functions are controlled by gestures. We've got a video of it in action after the fold...

Creating creative lens flare with your iPhone

Justin Balog ∙ Updated March 18, 2019

Welcome back to iDownloadBlog's lessons in iPhone photography. The last couple of lessons we have been exploring a the basics of photography (iPhone or otherwise). We learned about exposure, white balance, and white balance locking. Because we have covered the basics, I thought it would be fun to explore a more radical facets of iPhone photography: lens flare!

For years, photographers have come up with all sorts of ingenious ways to reduce that distracting little ball of light that appears in your photos when you point your camera at something bright. Very expensive lenses are measured by their ability to combat against this. You can easily pay $2,000 or more for glass that is lens flare resistant. Personally, it has never really bothered me. I kind of dig it. So much so, I seek it out. So in today's lesson I thought it would be fun to show you how to achieve it as well as enhance it using the new app Light Camera App - Mark I...