Month: March 2013

‘Compose’ adds new Mail and Message shortcuts to Notification Center

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 13, 2013

Looking for a quick and easy way to compose new messages and emails via Notification Center? Then perhaps Compose — a new jailbreak tweak that places shortcuts to each respective app in Notification Center — will suit your fancy.

Compose follows the same visual template that Apple created with its Facebook and Twitter Notification Center shortcuts, but it doesn't work exactly the same. Instead of opening up a small pop-up box to type in any content you wish to share, Compose works more like a shortcut to each respective app. More details inside...

Breathometer iOS dongle reads how drunk you are

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3InreEvqeA4

Breathometer, Inc. today launched "the world's first smartphone breathalyzer," an Indiegogo project. It's tiny enought to fit into your pocket and connects to your iPhone or iPad running iOS 5 or above or Android 4.x device via the audio jack. Just blow into the dongle and it will take real-time alcohol readings so you could check out just how drunk (or sober) you are, handy for determining whether you should drive or not. It's available for pre-order now and is scheduled to begin shipping in the summer of 2013...

Apple actually removed one CPU core from Apple TV’s die-shrunk A5 chip

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Silicon analysts over at Chipworks were able to conclude yesterday that the smaller A5 package, which was recently discovered inside a retooled Apple TV, is still being fabbed on Samsung’s 32-nanometer process rather than on TSMC's 28-nanometer technology, as some watchers speculate. Compared to its 2012 counterpart, the new A5 with a 2013 die is noticeably smaller, prompting questions on how Apple has managed to achieve a smaller die without changing fabbing technology.

The full A5 floorplan Chipworks published this morning reveals the culprit: the new die is smaller because the package contains just one ARM CPU core. Now, Apple has always rated the Apple TV as single-core, but previous implementations called for dual-core designs with one core intentionally disabled, though still present.

In removing one CPU core altogether, Apple's silicon team was able to shrink the die size without having to switch to a more sophisticated fabbing process technology...

Training docs indicate Staples will sell iPhones, iPads and Macs as well

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

We've known for a while now that Apple-friendly peripherals and accessories were headed to US Staples stores. The retailer already sells the products in Canada and internationally. And late last month, they started selling them in their US webstore.

But according to newly leaked internal documents, the stores are going to be offering more than just plug-ins and add-ons. The images, which are believed to be of associate training materials, suggest they'll be selling Macs and iOS devices as well...

PayPal outs in-store payment software for iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 13, 2013

eBay-owned PayPal operates in 190 markets and in 25 currencies around the world and has more than 123 million active accounts.

The company has had the PayPal Here iPhone app available on the App Store since March of last year. The free software has now been released on the iPad, marking PayPal's first tablet app ever.

Essential to merchants who prefer PayPal and want to get paid directly at the point of sale, the program works in conjunction with a free credit card reader to let you scan an item’s barcode for faster checkout, wirelessly connect to a cash drawer and printer, track sales activity and more...

Official: Apple’s boss Tim Cook to testify for four hours in e-books trial

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 13, 2013

This past Sunday, Bloomberg reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook may be required to testify in an antitrust lawsuit the United States Department of Justice filed against it and major e-book publishers over an alleged price fixing of e-books. Reuters confirms today that U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan granted the Justice Department's request to compel Cook to sit for a deposition.

The Judge said the death of Jobs was a key reason in ordering the deposition. Cook will be testifying for four hours in the lawsuit, a risky move for the CEO and potentially damaging to Apple. The Cupertino company is now the main target of the suit after all named publishers had settled with regulators...

Security firm says iOS configuration profiles pose malware threat

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Last week, Apple's Marketing SVP Phil Schiller tweeted out a link to a mobile malware report that showed Android devices accounted for a staggering 79% of new mobile threats last year, while iOS devices accounted for just 0.7%.

Of course, the fact that he tweeted the link was far more surprising than the report's data. After all, we've known for years that Android is far more susceptible to mobile malware than iOS. Right? Security experts say not so fast...

Netflix rolls out the improved social experience to US viewers

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc82e7GGHl8#!

Netflix, the popular provider of on-demand Hollywood movies and television shows, Wednesday showed off a slew of new features aimed at making the experience more social and engaging. After being available internationally for well over a year, Netflix customers in the United States can now finally connect their Netflix account with Facebook.

This enables you to check out what your friends are watching and optionally share your favorite shows with them. Interestingly enough, there's a new Do Not Share button to mark those kinky videos you don't want your parents to know about. More Social Settings are available in Your Account on Netflix.com, where you can turn on additional sharing to Facebook or stop sharing altogether...

Teardown reveals the Pebble isn’t repairable at all

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 13, 2013

Perhaps in a slight indication of the kinds of limitations we could expect from Apple's rumored iWatch, repair wizards over at iFixit tore apart the Pebble smartwatch, having concluded that the components are so densely packed in such a tiny space that the gizmo is not repairable at all. As a result, iFixit refrained from giving the Pebble a repairability score in the first place.

And because the makers of the Pebble smartwatch had to use excessive adhesive for waterproofing, the battery is “very inaccessible” and there's no way of prying open the device “without compromising the display”...

Samsung outspent Apple in 2012 smartphone marketing by $68 million

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 13, 2013

For years, the knock (unfairly) against Apple has been its slick marketing was what pushed sales. A report earlier this week put a dent in that urban myth, showing South Korea's Samsung outpaced the iPhone maker in terms of self-promotion.

Samsung spent $401 million to promote its mobile devices in the U.S. during 2012, above Apple's $333 million during the same period, according to the Wall Street Journal. Although Apple's brand is much better known, Samsung is pouring money toward raising brand awareness in the U.S. market, trying to overcome the lead the iPhone already has.

Indeed, Samsung's marketing budget may be cutting into its profits - spending that will only increase as sales of the company's smartphones climb, say analysts...

Android head Andy Rubin steps down, Chrome VP Sundar Pichai takes the reins

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 13, 2013

In a totally unexpected move, Google Wednesday announced its long-time Android head and Senior Vice President of Mobile and Digital Content, Andy Rubin, is stepping down.

He will be replaced by Chrome vice president Cundar Pichai, who will lead Android, in addition to his existing work with Chrome and Apps. Google CEO Larry Page wrote in a blog post he expects Pichai to "double down on Android", noting "the pace of innovation has never been greater".

Despite Android's indisputable lead in terms of device activations, latest data suggests that Apple's iOS stole some share from Google's mobile platform in the United States, the most important market for smartphones. The iOS platform is also the preferred choice for developers because Apple leads in terms of metrics that matter.

The decision to replace Rubin at the height of his career cries for parallels with Apple CEO Tim Cook's firing of iOS boss Scott Forstall in August 2012, whose abrasive management style is said to have created unnecessary friction between key Apple executives...

Let’s Talk Jailbreak – 01: Thanks Alyssa Milano!

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

It's been a long time in the making, (remember this?), but we have finally started our first weekly podcast. This particular podcast, entitled Let's Talk Jailbreak, will be focused mostly on jailbreaking, and the jailbreak community. We hope to have some great developers and influential members of the community on soon. In this first episode, we talk to iDB founder Sebastien Page, as he gives us a high level overview of iDownloadBlog.