Month: March 2013

Marvel’s Unlimited comic subscription service lands on iOS

Good news this week for all of you die-hard comic fans. Marvel Comics has launched its subscription-based service called 'Marvel Unlimited' on iOS in the form of a new iPhone and iPad app.

As the name suggests, the service offers users uncapped access to Marvel's enormous library—including some 13,000 comic books— for a small monthly fee. Keep reading for more details...

The Notier stylus utilizes the industry’s finest tip

The stylus market is a crowded one. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and tips and are an integral part of personal computing history. Today, we take a look at Musemee's Notier stylus, which just received a product update. Boasting the "world's finest tip design," I was interested to give it a go.

As a disclaimer, I last used a stylus in 2004 on my Toshiba e-755 Pocket PC. Makes me sick thinking about it. Sure, I have dabbled here and there with a few styli when my friends have them around, but I have neither set off in quest for one, nor have I dreamed of wanting one. So, here I am reviewing the Notier with a fresh pair of preconceived notions and a nine year break from ever caring...

Sabine wants to enhance your iPad speaker

We all cup our hands behind the iPad when trying to hear our favorite music or videos. I often found the speaker on iPad to be lacking and I even backed a project on Kickstarter last year trying to remedy this problem. Unlike the product I backed last year, the Sabine is anodized aluminum to match Apple's design aesthetic. Additionally, aluminum is a more reflective surface and amplifies sound at a much higher rate. Today, I take a look at 7decibels' Sabine final production prototype...

Mix up your iPhone’s Lock screen with ‘Vexil’

Vexil is an upcoming jailbreak tweak that adds a ton of features to your iPhone's Lock screen. If you can see it on the Lock screen, you can probably change it by means of this tweak.

Virtually nothing is off limits here, from the Lock screen clock to the Slide to Unlock nub. It's not the prettiest, or even the most useful tweak in the world, but with a little effort you can come up with a certified original look for your device.

AT&T issues statement on unlocking policy

There's been a lot of commotion lately regarding the recent expiration of a DMCA exemption that makes the unlocking of smartphones illegal. The people are talking about it, the government is talking about it, and the word is, it could lead to new legislation.

Today, AT&T issued a statement on the topic, reassuring customers that the DMCA rule has no effect on its unlocking stance. The whole thing comes off as a bit garish, as no one was really worried about that in the first place. But it does offer clarity on their policy...

How to stop your iPhone from vibrating on tables

Don't you just hate it when you place your iPhone on a table, and notifications start going off? You get that annoying buzzing sound, which is the result of the vibration motor pulsating on the hard table surface. Wouldn't it be awesome if your iPhone knew when it was laying on a flat surface, thus disabling the vibration? Well, that's the premise behind MyVibe.

MyVibe is a relatively new jailbreak tweak that's available for $1.99 on Cydia's BigBoss repo. Once installed there are quite a few options that can be configured using the tweak's preference panel. Take a look inside for a video walkthrough showcasing how to use MyVibe, and why it may be beneficial for you.

Auxo designer posts new concept video for Lock screen toggles

Sentry, the designer behind Auxo, has been extremely busy this year. In addition to helping design one of the most popular jailbreak tweaks we've seen in a long time, he's also posted a number of well-received iOS concept videos.

And today, we're adding another concept clip to the list. It's entitled 'iOS Lock Screen Toggles,' and as you might have guessed, it showcases Sentry's vision for a Lock screen tweak that offers users quick access to Settings toggles...

Proposed bill would finally allow the use of iPads during takeoff

In 2011, the FAA green-lighted several commercial and charter airlines to replace their bulky, 50-page paper flight manuals with iPads. And last year, they expanded the rule to allow pilots to use their new tablets during all stages of flight.

So why in the world are passengers still required to power down their electronics before takeoff? No one really knows. And that's why Senator Claire McCaskill says she's putting together a bill that would, by law, remove this silly restriction...

Apple rules the skies: 84% of in-flight Internet use comes from iDevices

In-flight Wi-Fi provider GoGo yesterday released an interesting infographic based on its real-world data on what devices passengers are using to access its service and what they are doing online. Apple's iPhones and iPads dominated 2012 with a commanding 84 percent share, which sounds about right even if the figure is a bit higher than Apple's other web usage stats.

Android is gaining some ground in the air, so to speak, and in 2012 accounted for sixteen percent of in-flight Internet use, sharply up over just 3.2 percent in 2011. Apple's share in 2011 was 96.8 percent so clearly the company lost some ground to Android.

Five Apples for every Android on Gogo's networks is in stark contrast to other surveys highlighting Android's unit sales lead. Nonetheless, this is a real-world data point, therefore suggesting that either other market share estimates are inherently flawed or that Android-totting passengers are just not as fond of using their devices on a plane as their Apple peers are...

Apple wireless charging rumors abound again

Despite Apple's traditional reluctance to implement wireless charging on iOS devices, the dream continues to live on. The notoriously unreliable DigiTimes, an Asian trade publication, has revive the rumor Friday morning, reporting that Apple is planing to implement the technology for its "flagship models" of smartphones in 2013.

Unlike the Qi inductive charging method, an interface standard developed by the Wireless Power Consortium for inductive electrical power transfer over distances of up to 4cm (1.6 inches), the iPhone maker is said to be working on its own wireless charging technology. At the very least, that does sound a lot like Apple...

Social apps become the third highest App Store category in terms of revenue

Last year saw the rise of social networking apps. While not as dominant as games, apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Skype helped revenue for the category skyrocket nearly 90 percent, compared to the previous year. Likewise, social networking apps flew to third place on Apple's App Store, behind only games and productivity. That's a notable jump from 2011, when social apps ranked only twelveth.

Revenues for the category on the App Store jumped 87 percent year-over-year in January 2013, with a 30 percent rise in monthly downloads now accounting for fiver percent of total downloads. On Google Play, social networking apps became the number one category, besides games, an app research firm announced Friday...

DirectionBar adds a live compass to your iPhone Status bar

Have you ever wanted to be able to quickly know what directions you're heading to just by looking at your iPhone Status bar? Well, me neither, but I'm sure there is someone out there with a need for this new tweak by jailbreak dev Rud0lf77 called DirectionBar.

As you might have guessed by now, DirectionBar adds a handy live compass to your Status bar. Simply pull out your iPhone from your pocket, hit the Home button to wake your device, and look for the little compass pointing to the North...