Month: May 2013

Apple patents smart audio splitter

Many of us have shared a pair of earbuds with a friend. The problem crops up when you enjoy rocking out at max volume while your friend enjoys a more modest audio level. Enter Apple with what's essentially an intelligent audio splitter.

Instead of enduring the default sound level of the iPhone or iPod, an adapter envisioned by Apple would allow you to customize your individual audio, according to a patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Tuesday.

Additionally, the headphone splitter would permit two people to use built-in mics to speak over the soundtrack, opening up some wild possibilities with gaming...

Apple manufacturer Foxconn looks past iPhone, anticipates iTV orders

Hon Hai Precision Industry - better known in the Western world as Foxconn - is the world's top manufacturer of consumer electronics. And with Apple products - the iPhone in particular - accounting for at least 40 percent of its revenue, the contract manufacturer's fortunes are tied to Apple's.

Needles to say, the company's leadership never complained about relying on Apple so much as long as sales were growing substantially. But with Apple's growth cooling off amid a broader sales lull affecting pricey high-end smartphones like the iPhone, Foxconn is now looking to lessen its exposure on the Apple smartphone and is apparently gearing up for a mass-scale production of an Apple-branded television set, the rumored iTV...

Viber hits desktop, iOS app gains video chat, live call transfer, new stickers and more

Viber, the popular instant messaging service and WhatsApp's chief rival, has fallen behind a bit in the past year or so. Not only did WhatsApp take the lead - the service claims to handle an astounding eighteen billion messages every day - but the search monster Google is getting ready to unify its many chat services under a new Bable IM brand.

Small wonder then that Viber in a major move on Tuesday announced a brand new desktop application for Mac and Windows PCs. Available as a free download from the Viber's web site, Viber for Mac lets you send free messages as well as make free calls to other Viber users.

The much-welcomed software release now enables one to keep their communication in sync across mobile and desktop devices because in addition to desktop, Viber is now available on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Nokia and Bada platforms.

Moreover, Viber - which was founded by American-Israeli entrepreneur Talmon Marco - has revamped its mobile iOS/Android client with video messages, an improved voice engine said to help improve call quality and lots more. Go past the fold for an introductory video and more tidbits...

Rovio rolls out cloud Account to sync your game progress across devices

You know what has been ticking me off for ages? That we're living in the 21st century and yet the vast majority of mobile games won't save progress in the cloud. Think about it: gamers spend hours playing a title only to lose all their progress after removing the game from their device. There has got to be a better way to keep those game saves in sync.

Showing signs of progress, several major developers have already implemented - or are implementing - their own solution to the problem. For example, Japanese games developer DeNA (formerly ngmoco) has just re-released classic iOS block-stacking game Topple with the newly implemented support for Mobage social game network that stores your progress and keeps it synchronized across devices.

Angry Birds maker Rovio is also among the devs who dare to think different. On Tuesday, the Finnish games maker rolled out its own cloud-based Rovio Account which lets you store your game progress and continue playing on another device...

Tigris & Euphrates turns your iPad into an empire

As a self-proclaimed board game fanatic, I feel compelled to seek out every digital version of my favorite games, as well as ones that I’ve never played. Sometimes, a low-priced digital board game will prompt me to spend the big bucks on the real deal.

Reiner Knizia’s Tigris & Euphrates is an empire building board game that uses tile placement as a means to take over a kingdom. This is one of those games I’ve seen on the shelf at my favorite board game store, but never had a chance to play. If the physical version is anything like the digital, I’m in…

Ngmoco’s classic iOS game Topple 2 makes a comeback on the App Store

Ngmoco (short for "Next Generation Mobile Company) used to be my favorite iPhone developer, their classic games like Rolando and Topple defining the golden age of iOS gaming.

The Tetris-like Topple with its physics-based twist is particularly interesting: the game has you balancing and stacking playful blocks using multitouch and accelerometer controls.

After a long hiatus, the sequel to Topple, Topple 2, has been revived from the archive and re-released on the App Store. The new version, in addition to supporting the iPhone 5's taller screen, includes 30 levels scattered across six new worlds, while enhancing the experience with four new game modes, head-to-head multiplayer, Mobage social game network support for online leaderboard, game progress synchronization across devices and more...

How to turn on vision accessibility features in iOS

Touch screen devices like Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, are not particularly usable for visually impaired people. If you are blind, or simply have a difficult time seeing the small images and texts on the screen, iOS devices are effectively useless.

Apple has worked to make their touch screen products usable for those with impaired vision. Apple’s accessibility features offer a variety of options for vision including VoiceOver, zoom, inverted colors, and more. We have a basic tutorial for activating these features, plus an explanation of what each one does…

Apple widens net on discovery app crackdown

Apple's removal of AppGratis last month sent a clear message to developers that it's going to start clamping down on app discovery apps. That was the second time in the past six months that it had pulled such an app from the App Store.

And it doesn't look like it's going to stop with just app discovery apps either. According to a new report, Apple has begun rejecting third-party applications that allow you to filter, bookmark, search for, or share App Store apps as well...

Facebook Messenger updated with Stickers, swipe-to-delete

The social networking giant Facebook today issued an update to its standalone Messenger app for the iPhone and iPod touch. Facebook Messenger version 2.4, available now, has brought out the popular Stickers feature that was rolled out nearly a month ago in the major Facebook iOS client update. And if Stickers are getting on your nerves, perhaps the reappearance of the swipe-to-delete functionality is just what you needed all along? I've included a few more tidbits right below...

PopCap reveals Plants vs. Zombies 2 coming in July

Good news Plants vs. Zombies fans! Seattle-based game publisher PopCap revealed today that there is a sequel to the game in the works. The team released a video teaser earlier today, announcing that the highly-anticipated title will debut this summer.

Although sought-after on all major consoles, Plants vs. Zombies has been particularly popular on iOS since it landed on the mobile platform in 2010. In fact, Apple says it ranks #12 for all-time paid iPhone apps. Now here, check out the teaser for version 2...

The next Nike+ FuelBand has Bluetooth 4.0, sports in-built heart rate monitor

Just like accessories maker Jawbone had to release a re-tooled version of its Up fitness band following not-so-flattering reviews, Nike is now reportedly testing a next-generation Nike+ FuelBand in the wild. The device should address some of the annoying shortcomings of the original clip-on product and bring out new features.

For starters, the FuelBand successor will incorporate Bluetooth Smart wireless technology. Also known as Bluetooth 4.0, it allows for a considerably reduced power consumption whilst maintaining a similar communication range compared to Bluetooth 3.0.

As Bluetooth Smart is featured on Apple mobile devices from the iPhone 4S onward, the next Nike+ FuelBand will instantly support these low energy features on newer Apple devices right out of the box.

Nike plans to make it easier for developers to create software that connects to the fitness band. The second-generation FuelBand has additional new features, detailed after the break. The timing of the report is pretty interesting as rival FitBit earlier today started shipping its Bluetooth Smart-enabled $99 activity tracking wristband, the Flex...

Adobe unveils new iPad-friendly Bluetooth stylus and digital ruler

 Adobe announced a number of new products and changes to its current lineup today, during a keynote at its MAX conference. The company is ditching its Creative Suite, and turning its focus to a new cloud-based platform it's calling CC.

In addition to the software announcements, Adobe also showed off new hardware today. And there are two products that we're particularly interested in, an iPad-friendly smart stylus code-named "Project Mighty," and a digital ruler...