Month: May 2013

Bill Gates: you’re frustrated because your iPad lacks real keyboard and real Office

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates thinks Apple’s iPad is "frustrating" to use because it lacks a physical keyboard and doesn't run Office. The Surface, he says, brings the "portability of the tablet but the richness of the PC" to mobile productivity.

Being a Google Apps fan, I'm obviously biased and not exactly the right guy to comment on the Office part of Bill's comment.

Now, I'm underestimating the real world outside the Apple bubble and obviously there are heavy Office users out there who agree with Gates on Office for iPad. Regardless, you'd think Microsoft's co-founder should know that any Bluetooth keyboard works with iPads.

On top of that, a bunch of iPad cases incorporate physical keys like NIBIQÜ's and Logitech's Surface-like iPad cases, the latter featuring physical keys seamlessly fused into its interior fabric. Go past the fold for the full quote and video evidence...

Fitbit’s new activity-tracking Flex wristband now available for $100

Cody Lee ∙ May 6, 2013

At CES this year, fitness accessory startup Fitbit announced the final missing piece of its highly-regarded activity-tracking line: a wristband. Dubbed the 'Flex,' it offers all of the durability and accuracy of its clip-on products, in a more wearable solution.

Initial market feedback for the band was tremendous, but a lot of that enthusiasm has seemingly subsided during this lengthy waiting period between announcement and availability. Nevertheless, the Fitbit Flex is finally here and available for purchase...

This new Velox add-on lends a stopwatch to your Home screen

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 6, 2013

As we predicted in our Velox walkthrough, the add-ons for the tweak are proving to be popular, even at the outset of its release. For example, Stopwatch for Velox is a brand new jailbreak add-on for Velox that places a handy stopwatch on your Home screen.

In pure Velox fashion, this add-on allows you to perform a swipe gesture on the stock iOS clock to reveal a usable stopwatch. Take a look inside to see it in action..

Verizon to start offering $100 off iPhone 5 this month

Cody Lee ∙ May 6, 2013

T-Mobile must have rattled some cages when it introduced its $99 iPhone 5 last month, because we're starting to see more competitive pricing from the other carriers. Sprint is currently offering $100 off the iPhone 5 for new customers, and it looks like Verizon is about to launch a promotion of its own...

Apple missing some 2.8 billion potential iPhone customers due to carrier demands

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 6, 2013

Much talk surrounding Apple has centered on a cooling consumer demand for its flagship product, the iPhone smartphone. However, it may be time to shift the narrative to feet-dragging by a number of global operators that could hold the key to as many as 2.8 billion iPhone customers, according to a Monday report.

Instead of a slowdown in demand, a Monday report by Bloomberg suggests the larger problem is vastly limited access to customers. Two numbers go far to tell the story: 240 and 800. While Apple has 240 carrier agreements throughout the world, rival Samsung has inked deals with virtually every of the 800 wireless providers. Indeed, Apple is lacking agreements to boost sales of the iPhone in some of the most-populated regions, including China, Japan, India and Russia...

I’m Listening: Share your now playing track from anywhere

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 6, 2013

Are you finding that iOS' options are a bit limited when it comes sharing information about the music you're currently listening to? If so, then I'm Listening might be the jailbreak tweak for you.

I'm Listening is a recently released tweak on Cydia, and it allows you to customize the various sharing activities available for your currently playing song. The tweak works with the stock Music app, and also plays nice with 3rd party music apps like Spotify. I'm Listening utilizes a variety of methods: gestures in the app switcher, gestures on the Lock screen, and Activator gestures, in order to share your now playing track. Take a look inside for our hands-on video detail...

Accessories makers embracing Bluetooth to side-step Lightning, AirPlay and Apple exclusivity

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

A growing trend by accessory makers to adopt wireless connections could disconnect Apple from a significant source of revenue. In a departure from the days of the iPod, where accessories such as speakers were designed with 30-pin connections fitting only Apple devices, add-on device manufacturers are have increasingly been turning to Bluetooth for some time to connect a growing number of mobile devices - many not made by Apple.

The reason for the transition includes the rise of Samsung, Amazon and other iPhone and iPad rivals, along with the feeling Apple kept secret from accessory makers its new Lightning connection. As a result, some of the largest accessory makers are turning to the wireless Bluetooth standard to avoid any more surprises from Apple, according to the New York Times...

Gmail iOS update adds two useful tweaks

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 6, 2013

Google on Monday issued a maintenance update to its Gmail client for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices, adding two welcomed new features.

Gmail version 2.2.7182 adds support for signing out of a single account in settings. Previously, hitting the Sign Out button signed you out of all accounts at once, which was rather clunky and not very user friendly.

The application also has a new setting which lets you specify that YouTube, Google Maps and Chrome links go directly to these native apps instead of the mobile web - of course, provided you have them installed on your device...

Your fresh batch of attractive iWatch renders

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

I'm a big fan of 3D artist Martin Hajek and his work. In case you're unfamiliar with Hajek, he's the brains behind the often gorgeous renderings of rumored Apple products and is renowned for his 3D modeling skills, as evident in his exquisite renderings. Back in March, Hajek created a more traditional concept of the rumored iWatch for the MacUser magazine.

He's back at it again, having created a fresh batch of alleged Apple smartphone mockups for the April 2013 issue of the magazine...

How to get an iTunes inspired MiniPlayer on your iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 6, 2013

MiniPlayer is a new jailbreak tweak that allows you to add an iTunes inspired mini player to the iPhone. The player can be easily docked on the right-side of the iPhone's screen, and revealed with a simple tap gesture on the album artwork.

MiniPlayer features superb animations, and is based on a concept by Sentry, the designer behind Auxo. If you're looking for a way to spice up the music playing experience on your iPhone, then this is a tweak that you want to check into.