Month: February 2013

‘Haptic Keyboard’ tries to make your typing experience more engaging

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Haptic Keyboard is a new jailbreak tweak that institutes haptic feedback with each press of a key on the iPhone's keyboard. Similar tweaks have appeared on Cydia in the past, but their compatibility has been spotty with recent iOS updates.

The purpose of haptic feedback, is to give the end user the sensation of actually typing on a physical keyboard, instead of a piece of smooth glass. Unfortunately, in the case of this latest version of Haptic Feedback, the idea is much better than the final execution.

Plants vs. Zombies goes free, get downloading

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 18, 2018

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr7sdmS_jWo

If you didn't download Plants vs. Zombies because it costs money, now there is no reason you shouldn’t pick it up because developer PopCap has for the first time slashed the popular casual strategy game to $0 on the App Store. From the people who also brought you Bejeweled, Peggle, Zuma and Bookworm, Plants vs. Zombies since its June 2010 iPhone debut has won more than 30 Game of the Year awards.

The game challenges you to soil your plants while battling zombies who are about to invade your home. Retina devices and iPhone 5 are supported and both iPad and iPhone builds are free now. A few screenies and additional description right after the break...

Flickr updated with comment alerts, @username tags, volume shutter and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 21, 2013

After a long time, I recently fell in love with Yahoo's Flickr service, all over again. I mean, not everyone is on Facebook. More importantly, Instagram leaves a lot to be desired in terms of screen resolution so Flickr, which stores original-res photos, is becoming increasingly relevant to my iPhoneography workflow. The freshly updated software now supports @username tagging (with tags linked to users' photo stream) and can notify you via push alerts when someone tags you in their comment.

And if you happen to find the volume shutter feature of the stock iOS Camera app useful, you're going to love this update as it lets you snap a photo using your iPhone's volume up button. The program also includes a few other improvements, mentioned right below...

Sony announces PlayStation App for iOS and Android

Cody Lee ∙ February 21, 2013

Sony held a pretty big press conference last night, where it talked about its next-generation gaming console. And although the PlayStation 4 itself didn't actually make an appearance, the company offered a plethora of details about the system.

And shortly after the event, it added to the day's announcements by unveiling its official PlayStation mobile application. The app, which will land on both iOS and Android, will expand PS4 gameplay by offering a 'second screen' experience...

Twitterrific updated with mute filters and several other improvements

Cody Lee ∙ February 21, 2013

In December of last year, Iconfactory introduced an all-new version of its popular iOS Twitter client, Twitterrific 5.0. The app was completely rebuilt from the ground up with a fresh user interface and a laundry list of features.

Today, that list of features gets even longer with Twitterrific 5.1. The update posted late last night, and it includes several new features and improvements such as mute filters, and more. We've got the full change log after the fold...

Strategy Analytics: iPhone 5/4S are world’s two most popular smartphones

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

Just as investors are (again) punishing the Apple stock on talk of Foxconn freezing recruitment in China amid weakening iPhone 5 demand (or perhaps because the iPhone 5S is entering production in March?) comes a new survey of the smartphone market by research firm Strategy Analytics. And the numbers look good: the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S each outsold Samsung's Galaxy S III during the all-important 2012 holiday quarter.

This makes the iPhone 5 the world's bestselling smartphone, but what's really eyebrow-raising is that the 16-month old (and now discounted) iPhone 4S also overtook Samsung's flagship device...

Sony “unveils” its next-generation gaming console, the PlayStation 4

Cody Lee ∙ February 20, 2013

After months of teaser videos, and years of speculation, Sony has just unveiled its next-generation gaming console, the Playstation 4, at its "See the Future" event in New York City. That's right, it's supercharged, it's intuitive, it's social, and it's finally here.

This might seem a bit off topic for iDB, but with growing rumors that Apple's looking to add apps and games to its set-top box, you don't have to work very hard to create the connection. Not to mention, we love games too. So without further a do, here's the PS4...

Apple and Google app stores are nearing saturation point

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Making it big in mobile apps is getting tougher. That's the finding from a company which researched how many new developers reach the top level at either Apple's iOS App Store or Android's Google Play. In fact, just two percent of first-time App Store developers enter the top 250 list of publishers while only slightly more - three percent - reach that level at Google Play.

As a result, three times as many "newcomers" to the app game publish for Google Play than the iOS App Store. According to analytics firm Distimo on average six Android apps are published for every two Apple titles. And the news doesn't get much better for newbie app developers hoping to cash-in at either app store...

Real-life footage shows what it’s like wearing Google Glass

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 20, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1uyQZNg2vE

With speculation of Apple's growing interest in wearable computing and a smartwatch-like gadget the company's reportedly working on, it's worth remembering Google entered the space in a big way with last year's astonishing on-stage demonstration of its Android-driven augmented-reality eyewear, Google Glass. One of CEO Larry Page's moonshot projects, the Glass is still in its infancy, but watchers predict it will become the next big thing in wearable computing.

While only Google developers are allowed to buy the $1,500 sci-fi eyewear, Google is working on mainstreaming the technology in order to get even more people use its services all the time. And in doing so, the search Goliath has released new footage showing what it actually feels wearing the Glass.

In case you were wondering, everything you see has been captured through the Glass...

Netflix gives its iOS app better playback controls

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 20, 2016

Netflix has a pretty decent app on the iOS platform that really becomes indispensable if you're among the growing number of people subscribed to its service that streams Hollywood movies and television shows to your home.

Today, the company has issued a new version 3.0 build of the iOS app, tweaking the user interface while adding a few improvements. For starters, the zoom icon is back so you can control your experience when in full screen.

And if you're on an iPad, you can also touch the player UI screen to see the title of the currently watched show...

Apple hires Rolls Royce director to bolster European corporate communications

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 20, 2017

Less than two weeks after recruiting OLED display expert Dr. Jeung Jil Lee from LG, Apple has hired another high-profile executive away from a major company. According to a new report, the Mac-maker has picked up Rolls Royce's Josh Rosenstock.

Rosenstock has been with the London-based aerospace firm for 4 years, as the director of external communications. It's believed that he will join Apple in a similar role, as it attempts to bolster its corporate communications for its EMEIA region...

How to enable HDR Camera mode on iPad, and iPod touch 4G

Mike Schnier ∙ Updated January 28, 2017

HDR is a photography mode that stitches together several pictures along a range of exposure settings. Using various algorithms, the effect creates pictures that can have fewer dark or washed out spots than a conventional digital still, which is great if you intend to capture textures and detail instead of glare or shadow.

Apple introduced HDR photography to iOS 4.1, but the feature wasn't rolled out to every device. The devices that currently lack the option to enable HDR in the stock camera app include the iPod touch 4G, iPad mini, and the iPad 2 to the iPad 4. Lucky for us, this disabled feature is fairly easy to manually reintroduce on a jailbroken device...