Month: March 2013

webOS-inspired iOS 7 multitasking concept

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 25, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRt5qagkGBU

Remember webOS? Say what you will about Palm, but the HP-acquired firm has pioneered what's arguably the most efficient implementation of multitasking on a mobile device to this date (no jailbreak required, of course). For those not in the know, the webOS multitasking metaphor is a stack of cards which represents your running tasks.

Each card can be moved around, dismissed and manipulated with a flick of your finger. It's a remarkably fun and engaging solution to efficiently interact with your apps, one which gets the job done while moving out of the way. Designer Jesse Head took that idea and applied it to the problematic iOS multitasking tray, replacing the boring grid of icons with app tiles sporting nearly full-screen live previews. It appears as useful as it's gorgeous to look at, no?

Yahoo to buy mobile news start-up Summly for $30 million

Cody Lee ∙ March 25, 2013

Yahoo! announced today that it will be acquiring mobile news start-up Summly. The deal, said to be worth around $30 million, is for both the app and the team, and is expected to close sometime in the next few months.

For those unfamiliar with the company, Summly created and maintains the popular news-summarizing iPhone app of the same name. It uses special algorithms to deliver 'snapshots' of stories that match a users' interests...

Foxconn posts record profits on Apple’s aggressive product refreshes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known in the Western world as Foxconn, is Apple's favorite manufacturer that assembles a lot of its products, with Pegatron taking care of the rest. Foxconn also helps a number of other tech giants build and assemble their gadgets.

As Apple is its most visible high-volume client, Foxconn's earnings are often scrutinized for hints of Apple's sales performance. Today, Foxconn reported a record quarterly profit on increased manufacturing efficiency and output of Apple's iPhones and iPads, after having solved production bottlenecks in the prior quarter.

The increased revenue and improved profit margins also could mean that Foxconn may have had some room to push Apple for better pricing, Bloomberg reports...

Apple now offering refurbished 16GB iPad minis for $299

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Folks thinking about buying an iPad mini, but just can't get over the tablet's exorbitant $330+ price tag, will be happy to hear that you can now get one for less than $300 from Apple's web store.

The company began offering a handful of refurbished iPad mini models, alongside fourth-gen iPads, earlier this month. And they've just added black and white 16GB Wi-Fi-only models to the mix...

Spotify could rival Netflix with own video service and original content

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 25, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwd3aCXYncM

Spotify, which recently updated its iOS client with a brand new biography feature in the artists view, is reportedly considering getting into video with a rumored streaming product meant to take on the likes of Netflix and HBO. Conveniently enough, the Swedish startup has kicked off its first-ever advertising blitz around music as it steps up efforts to sign up more people to its service.

Spotify battles Pandora and Rdio (and quite possibly Apple and Google soon) and has emerged as the most popular streaming music service out there. It offers two basic tiers that bring the best of both worlds, an ad-supported free desktop streaming and a $9.99 a month premium tier for unlimited ad-free music.

Though the firm does have lots of experience negotiating media deals and moving chunks of data through Intertubes, a full-blown video streaming service would be an entirely different pair of shoes, one marking a radical shift in strategy for the young company...

Google+ updated with photo filters, new profile design and more

Cody Lee ∙ March 25, 2013

Google has rolled out a significant update for its iOS Google+ client today. The app, which is now in version 4.3, received a number of improvements, including new photo editing features and redesigned profiles.

The new photo editing features are probably the most welcomed addition, and come courtesy of Google's recently acquired Snapseed application. You can now add filters to, crop and rotate, your photos on the fly...

FAA: iPad can fly, but iPhone remains grounded

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 25, 2013

It took some arm-twisting and a bit of public mockery, but it appears the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is preparing to allow flying consumers to use some electronics on planes.

However, it may take longer for your iPhone to gain acceptance. The rule-change allowing use of electronic devices such as the iPad or Kindle during takeoffs and landings is expected to be announced by the end of this year.

In July, an industry group which hard worked with the FAA on guidelines for electronic devices, is expected to unveil its findings, according to a weekend report...

XCOM: Enemy Unknown iOS port due this summer, Mac build launches April 24

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 25, 2013

If you're fond of complex strategy games that go past the Command & Conquer series (which, in my personal opinion, doesn't look and play well on iPhones and iPads), you should jump with joy on news that developer Firaxis and publisher 2K Games are porting XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the popular turn-based tactical role-playing strategy, to Apple's platform.

The game has some pretty ardent following and a port for iOS was officially announced at a PAX East panel on this past Saturday. What's in it for you and why should you care? Go past the fold more some more tidbits...

Sanity returns: lower Apple earnings, but higher revenue projected

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Like the first hints of green during a long-awaited spring, some sanity regarding Apple's fiscal future is poking its head above ground. Wild speculation that the iPhone maker was washed up has been replaced with realism. The latest example: calm predictions that Apple's second quarter income will be down - but with record projected revenue.

Fortune reports a Wall Street consensus of $10.18 per share, down from $12.30 for the second quarter of 2012. At the same time, Apple is projecting record quarterly revenues of $41 billion to $43 billion. If there is a "problem," it may be lower margins from all the new products Apple introduced...

Facebook voice calling now available in UK, seen elsewhere

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 25, 2013

The social networking giant Facebook back in early-January updated its free Messenger app with the ability to share audio snippets, having added that feature to its official iOS client, also a free download, later that month. Initially only available to Canadian and North American users, today the company has expanded in-app voice calling to people in the United Kingdom in the form of a quiet backend update.

The handy feature should presumably become available to UK users through the company's main iOS client at a later stage as well...

T-Mobile unveils new contract-free plans ahead of iPhone launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 25, 2013

T-Mobile is holding a press conference tomorrow to discuss a new way of doing business, which means getting rid of long-term contracts in favor of unsubsidized model that promises more affordable monthly installments in exchange for paying for the full price of your device upfront. As expected, the company has launched new off-contract plans as part of the "Uncarrier" initiative.

These new tiers start at $50 a month for half a gigabyte data and top out at $120 a month 12.5GB of cellular data. Go past the fold for the full breakdown...

Teach your Lock screen a few new tricks with Grabber Enhancer

Cody Lee ∙ March 25, 2013

In iOS 5.1, Apple revamped the Lock screen Camera shortcut so that users could access the app with a single swipe. The icon, commonly referred to as the camera grabber, has been very popular with jailbreak developers.

We've seen a lot of tweaks involving the icon over the months, and today, we're adding another one to the list. Introducing Grabber Enhancer, a recently-released Cydia package that adds functionality to the camera grabber...