Month: May 2013

New hack enables support for iOS push notifications in Google Glass

Cody Lee ∙ May 22, 2013

You knew this was coming. Well-known developer Adam Bell has figured out a way to route push notifications from iOS through Google Glass. By design, the pricey accessory—which is only currently available to devs—doesn't communicate with Apple's mobile OS.

Bell, known for jailbreak tweaks like Stride and Blackout, is working on a hack that will allow Glass users to receive all app push notifications from their jailbroken iOS devices. It's not quite finished yet, but he's just posted a demo video showing the mod in action...

Voice Search coming to Chrome for iOS soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 22, 2013

Google is on a roll these days. Hot on the heels of updating its desktop Chrome browser with Siri-like conversational search earlier today, the Internet giant just published a post over at the official Chrome blog confirming that Chrome for iPhone and iPad with voice search is "coming soon."

A Chrome update for the iPhone and iPad will be ready "over the coming days" and will let you speak your searches into Omnibox, which in Google's parlance means Chrome's combined search and address box.

You'll even get certain results spoken back to you, right in the Chrome browser - how cool is that?

Rdio 2.2 is out with new ‘Find People’ feature, improved UI and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

Hot on the heels of this morning's update from Pandora comes a new version of the Rdio app for iOS. The update brings the music client to version 2.2, and includes a number of new features and improvements.

Perhaps the biggest change in today's release is the addition of "Find People," a new tool that will make it easier for users to find friends and discover artists to follow. And the UI improvements are also blatant...

German online Apple Store now accepts PayPal

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 22, 2013

Although Apple has long offered PayPal as a payment option in the United States for both digital consumer sales on iTunes and volume software purchases by education customers, the firm never instituted paying for online store purchases using PayPal.

That's ostensibly changing now as users in Germany now report being able to complete purchases on their localized online Apple Store using their PayPal account.

It remains unclear why exactly Apple enabled the feature in Germany (could be part of the broader Apple Store changes), but the move could signal a staggered worldwide roll-out...

EU examining tax evasion tricks by Apple, Google and Amazon

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

More than $1 trillion leaked from the tax coffers of EU member states each year, an amount large enough to prompt European leaders Wednesday to hold a summit on reforming corporate taxes. The move follows high-profile investigations showing Apple and other tech giants used European countries to avoid paying taxes in their home countries.

Earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook testified before a Senate subcommittee investigating how the iPhone maker used a hole in Ireland's tax laws to lower its U.S. tax burden on $74 billion held overseas...

Apple claims Google Now violates its Siri patents, adds Galaxy S4 to suit

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 22, 2013

A week ago, news broke that Apple mulled adding Samsung's latest Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone to its patent infringement case against Samsung Electronics. It's not terribly surprising then that Apple has now filed a motion asserting that both the Internet giant's head-turning Google Now feature and Samsung's Galaxy S4 handset violate its two Siri patents and five other inventions...

Cook: US-made Macs to be built in Texas

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 22, 2013

Apple CEO Tim Cook, while squirming Tuesday under Congressional questions about the company's tax-savings tactics, revealed an interesting tidbit: the Lone Star State will build the the tech giant's made-in-USA Mac. Testifying before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Cook said the Mac would be assembled in Texas, with parts coming from other regions of the country...

Penguin settles for $75 million with DoJ in e-book price fixing suit

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Penguin, one of the five named publishers in the Apple e-book price fixing suit, has reached a comprehensive agreement with the United States State Attorneys General and private class plaintiffs to pay a cool $75 million in consumer damages, in addition to costs and fees related to resolving all antitrust claims relating to the e-book price fixing suit...

Sony could spin off entertainment biz to better compete against Apple and Samsung

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 22, 2013

The ailing Japanese giant Sony could spin off its entertainment business amid heightened competition from the consumer electronics giant Apple and the South Korea-based conglomerate Samsung, Reuters reported Wednesday.

The news gathering organization writes the CEO Kazuo Hirai confirmed Sony's board will discuss a proposal by U.S. hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb to spin off up to twenty percent of its movie, TV and music division because Sony has "fallen behind powerful rivals" such as Apple and Samsung in terms of both profitability and innovation...

Google Now-like conversational search goes live in latest Chrome build

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 22, 2013

Google Now-like voice search in the desktop Chrome browser is definitely one of the easily overlooked Google I/O 2013 announcements. There's no denying that it makes a hell of a lot of sense to unify Google's voice search experience, no matter what device or operating system people happen to be using.

Having recently added Google Now to its native Search app on iOS devices, the Internet giant has now enabled very similar conversational voice search capabilities in the latest build of its Chrome desktop browser for Mac and Windows...

Online Apple Store gets Father’s Day revamp

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 22, 2013

After being down for nearly four hours, Apple last night tweaked its online Apple Store with a cleaner look and Father's Day gift promotion.

Gone are the navigation columns on the left and right sides to make room for product teasers that now occupy the entire width of the page.

As part of the redesign, key product hubs (the Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod) are now lined up horizontally across the store's top and the images are now larger. And because Father's Day is drawing near, Apple now prominently features its iPhone 5 and iPads on the store’s homepage...