Year: 2014

Irish newspaper claims U2 won’t be involved in iPhone 6 launch, retracts itself minutes later

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

There's been a flurry of speculation by fans and watchers alike that the popular Irish rock band U2 will be performing live at Apple's media event next Tuesday and even preload its new album on the forthcoming iPhone 6. Thursday morning, an Irish newspaper added to the confusion.

The band's spokesperson purportedly quashed the rumor in a statement released to Independent [Google Cache]. The story got pulled minutes later without an explanation, casting doubt on its veracity.

As Cody told you last night, The Sunday Times newspaper first started this rumor based on vague hearsay among fans and shady photographic evidence in the form of images depicting U2's secret video shoot in Dublin last week, which music promotor Stephen Browne shared on Twitter.

WSJ: NFC-enabled iWatch has ‘a role in mobile payments’, features curved OLED screen

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Adding up to the ongoing conversation about Apple's purported wearable project dubbed by the media the 'iWatch', The Wall Street Journal affirmed Thursday that the fashionable gizmo will connect to the upcoming iPhone 6 via NFC and come in two sizes to appeal to both gender’s preferences.

NFC stands for Near-Field Communication, which is a short-range wireless technology required for the handset's rumored mobile payment functionality.

In their write-up behind the paywall, reporters Lorrraine Luk, Daisuke Wakabayashi and Greg Bensinger quote people familiar with the matter as saying that both iWatch sizes feature a curved organic light-emitting diode screen, or OLED.

There will be sensors to track and monitor health and fitness data, as expected. According to the Journal, Apple's use of NFC technology on the iWatch signals that it “sees a role for the device in digital payments”.

KGI on iPad Air 2: launching next Tuesday with ‘significant spec upgrades’

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 4, 2014

Rounding up a trio of predictions that Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities released to clients this morning, AppleInsider quotes the influential analyst as making a surprising claim that the upcoming second-generation iPad Air will be unveiled at Apple's media event next Tuesday.

A gold color option and Touch ID-powered fingerprint scanning should be expected for the so-called iPad Air 2, too, the well-connected analyst told investors in his report. This is in contrast to the rumor-mill which has long called for a separate media event in October to refresh the iPad lineup, based on Apple's annual refresh cycle over the past three years.

KGI on iPhone 6: no sapphire, barometric pressure sensor, programmable power button and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 4, 2014

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities is on a roll today. After detailing his expectations for an iWatch, the analyst in a note issued to clients today also summarized his thoughts concerning the upcoming iPhone 6 devices which are expected to be unveiled next Tuesday at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, California.

As per AppleInsider, which has obtained a copy of Kuo's report to clients, rumored sapphire protection won't be an option for this year's iPhone refresh. Moreover, both 4.7 and 5.5-inch models should be available in a 128-gigabyte storage flavor and will include a new barometric pressure sensor to support indoor navigation applications, as well as new health-related functions related to spirometry.

Wrapping up his report, Kuo wrote that the iPhone 6 device should also feature a programmable power button for integration “with specific applications”.

KGI on iWatch: 2015 debut, 8GB of storage, 512MB RAM, multiple materials and screen sizes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

According to a new report that KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo released to clients Thursday morning, the rumored Apple wearable device that Re/code said would get announced next Tuesday alongside the iPhone 6 will come outfitted with a whopping eight gigabytes of storage, with its yet-unknown processor thought to pack in 512 MB of RAM (of the LPDDR3 variety), like the iPhone 4/4s.

According to AppleInsider which has obtained a copy of the analyst report, the device should be available in a gold finish (”to add a luxury image to the product”) and aluminum variants (“as it has been widely used in Apple products”), as well as two sizes — one with a 1.3-inch screen and the other featuring a larger display measuring 1.5 inches diagonally — which matches up with previous reports calling for different iWatch sizes for men and woman.

Drone captures a giant building Apple built in front of the Flint Center ahead of the keynote

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 4, 2014

As Apple is gearing up for a major media event scheduled for the next Tuesday at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in its hometown of Cupertino, well-plugged in blogger Jim Dalrymple noticed the iPhone maker has also constructed its own building on the Flint Center grounds.

And thanks to enthusiasts like Sachin Patel who flew a drone over the building, we've now fully realized just how massive the secondary structure is — as in, it's taller than the Flint Center itself!

I've included the footage after the break so give it a watch and join the conversation.

Much-improved Rdio launches with new look and features, free version coming to 20 countries

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

Rdio, the popular Internet radio service, on Thursday launched a major redesign of its mobile app which now aims to compete with the likes of Spotify and rival Pandora by bringing its ad-supported free Stations to 20 countries.

The new look includes your personalized Home featuring an evolving mix of music stories based on your listening history and tastes, a new Browse section which now features both genre and curated Stations, a Trending feature showing what's popular right now, the ability to favorite just about anything, from albums to artists to songs to stations, and much more.

Rdio is free in the App Store.

Rovio releases Angry Birds Stella

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

Rovio, the Finnish games maker which made a name for itself with the Angry Birds physics-based puzzler series, on Thursday released a brand new game set in the Angry Birds universe.

Called Angry Birds Stella and available as a freemium download in the App Store, it puts you in the shoes of the lead character Stella who joins five of her bird friends on a quest to protect Golden Island from the piggies and the greedy Bad Princess.

There are more than 120 playable levels in this initial release of Angry Birds Stella, with more to come by way of future content updates. Jump past the fold for the full reveal.

Hands on with Truffol’s reversible USB Lightning cables

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

There have been a lot of rumors going around about Apple's alleged reversible cable. Most recently, reports are saying no such cable will be included with September's iPhone 6 launch. It is shocking reversible USB cables are not already in mass production. After all, the technology is quite old. Only since the reversible cable was linked with Apple, has there been such a firestorm.

Last week, we posted an article about accessory maker Truffol debuting a reversible cable, available for purchase immediately. I was able to get my hands on a pair of cables from the manufacturer and am quite pleased with their build quality!

Infinity Blade III ‘Kingdom Come’ update is out with new maps, enemies and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

The highly anticipated Infinity Blade III 'Kingdom Come' update is now available in the App Store. This is not only the final content update for the popular game, but ChAIR says that it includes everything needed to bring the entire Infinity Blade trilogy to an end.

Among the additions in today's release are 6 new treasure maps, 5 new enemies to battle, and over 25 new items for both Isa and Siris to collect and sell. It also features new goals and achievements, and unlock-ability for Master Items has been raised to level 100.

U2 rumored to be on hand for Apple’s iPhone 6 event

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Some interesting rumors began bouncing around the tech world earlier today regarding popular Irish rock band U2 and Apple's big media event next week. The chatter has ranged from the iPhone 6 coming preloaded with the band's new album, to it performing live after the keynote.

Much of the speculation seems to stem from U2's secret video shoot in Dublin last week. According to The Sunday Times, the group closed down Samuel Beckett Bridge for the recording and placed black sheets around the set to prevent the public from seeing what they were shooting.

Jony Ive says “Switzerland’s in trouble” ahead of expected iWatch unveiling

Cody Lee ∙ September 3, 2014

After years of speculation, it's believed that Apple is finally ready to show off its new wearable device, dubbed the 'iWatch' by much of the media. And according to the company's senior vice president of design Jony Ive, the folks over in Switzerland are in trouble.

In a recent article on tech and fashion, The New York Times' Nick Bilton mentions that he spoke with Mr. Ive about the so-called iWatch. Obviously, the designer doesn't offer up an official comment on the secret project, but it's clear that he's very confident in it.