Year: 2014

EU officials upset as Apple remains mum on proposed IAP policy changes

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 18, 2014

In-App Purchase, a way overused feature which provides a way for supposedly free games and apps to ask users for cash in order to enable advanced features or unlock virtual items, is increasingly drawing ire of regulators across the globe.

In-App Purchases are notorious for fooling less-informed adults and kids into downloading so-called freemium apps so it's no wonder the European Union officials have repeatedly warned that companies like Apple and Google should stop labeling free-to-download apps that contain In-App Purchases as "Free".

Companies could soon be forced to make the “true cost of apps” unambiguously clear before purchase, according to a complaint the European Commission filed today...

Epic Games builds support for iOS 8 Metal deep into Unreal Engine

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 18, 2014

Though Metal isn't among the headline user-facing features of iOS 8, its impact on games with snazzy visuals can't be overstated.

Introduced at WWDC 2014 alongside a number of other features aimed at developers, Metal is billed as a new graphics runtime that wants to replace OpenGL ES by trimming the fat to provide what Apple calls the lowest-overhead access to the A7 chip’s GPU.

And now, Epic Games - which makes the tremendously popular and powerful graphics engine that powers many premium games - has announced that the latest version of Unreal Engine (version 4.3) adds Metal support...

Watch Amazon’s inaugural TV ad for its upcoming Fire Phone

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 18, 2014

Last night, the online retail giant Amazon has begun airing the first television commercial for its Fire smartphone ahead of its debut next Friday in the United States.

Rather than take jabs at competitors as Amazon did with its launch ads for the Fire tablets, the Fire Phone commercial instead zeroes in on the fact that it comes with a full year of Prime membership, bundled free of charge.

It's a major selling point which cleverly takes advantage of Amazon's diverse interests in digital media and its continuos focus on undercutting the value proposition of its rivals...

Amazon launches $9.99 Kindle Unlimited e-book and audiobook subscription plan

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

As suspected, Amazon today formally introduced its brand new all-you-can-eat e-book plan, Kindle Unlimited.

Priced at $9.99 per month, the iOS-compatible service gives reading aficionados unlimited access to more than 600,000 books, including best-selling titles like the Harry Potter series, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Hunger Games trilogy and Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.

The subscription plan is available on Kindle devices, as well as free Kindle reading apps for iOS, Android and more...

Mass production of 4.7-inch iPhone 6 to begin this month, 5.5-inch in August

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Reuters is out with a report this evening regarding the production timeline for Apple's iPhone 6. Citing local media sources, the outlet says that the 4.7-inch model is set to begin mass-production later this month, with the 5.5-inch ramping up in August.

The bulk of the manufacturing will take place at Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, also known as Foxconn. Pegatron is also said to be taking orders for the upcoming handset, and both companies have gone on hiring sprees to handle the workload...

Gameloft releases endless jumper ‘Ninja UP!’

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Gameloft today released an interesting new game called Ninja UP! It's not a first-person-shooter, movie tie-in, or anything else the studio is typically associated with—instead it's an endless jumper, à la Line Jumper and others.

Gameplay is as addictive as you'd expect. Players are tasked with sending a ninja flying upward by drawing lines that simulate trampolines. The smaller the line, the bigger the bounce, and levels are littered with deadly obstacles...

Amazon readying $9.99 a month Kindle Unlimited service with 600,000+ e-books and audiobooks

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Amazon has been testing a new subscription service dubbed "Kindle Unlimited," said to bring unlimited access to 600,000 e-books and thousands of audiobooks on any device for a flat fee of just ten bucks per month. That's according to company webpages that have been pulled down yesterday.

The service appears to provide unlimited access to both books from Amazon’s publishing imprints and those that were already available through Amazon’s Kindle Owners Lending Library, including such titles as the Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series...

Retiring Bill Campbell reflects on Steve Jobs and other Apple memories

Cody Lee ∙ July 17, 2014

This afternoon, Apple announced that Susan Wagner, a founding parter of asset-managment firm BlackRock, had been elected to its board of directors. She takes the place of Bill Campbell, who is retiring after 17 years on the board.

In the press release, Campbell said that Apple today was is in "the best shape" that he's ever seen it. And in an interview with Fortune, he shared some addition thoughts on the company and memories of his time there with Steve Jobs...

Hours for iPhone: gorgeous time-tracking app by Apple Design Award winner Tapity

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2018

I don't use time-tracking software because it's a huge pain in the you-know-what. Part of the reason is that I don't have enough time to keep track of how I spend my day.

On the flip side, I'll be the first to admit there's something inherently fun and appealing about the concept of monitoring when I work and how I spend/waste my day.

Realizing as much that most time-tracking apps suck anyway, Tapity — an Apple Design Award-winning studio behind Languages, a beautiful offline translator, and the popular student organizer and GPA calculator Grades — has spent the past three years bringing Hours for iPhone to life.

Now available as a $4.99 download, Hours takes the pain out of time tracking by letting you visualize how you spend your precious time...

Susan Wagner joins Apple’s board of directors as Bill Campbell retires

Cody Lee ∙ July 17, 2014

Apple announced this afternoon that Susan Wagner, a founding parter of asset-managment firm BlackRock, has been elected to its board of directors. She is considered a pioneer in the financial industry, and has been named one of Fortune Magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business.

Wagner joins the Cupertino company's board as long-time member Bill Campbell has decided to leave it. Alongside Sue's appointment, Apple also announced today that Bill Wagner, who has been on the Mac-maker's board of directors for 17 years (longest serving member), is retiring this year...

This is the coolest iPhone photography you’ll see this week

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 29, 2018

We're big fans of iPhone photography here at iDB. Whether we're sharing simple tips or powerful apps, at the end of the day, we just want you to have the tools to become a better photographer, or at least learn a couple things along the way.

Those of you who are in search of a creative boost might find inspiration in these photos by French photographer François Dourlen, who has been mixing movie characters with real life situation, resulting in what might very well be the most original photos you'll see this week...

Geohot joins elite team of hackers for Google’s Project Zero

Cody Lee ∙ July 17, 2014

Since wunderkind George Hotz, better known as Geohot, first made a name for himself by hacking the iPhone at age 17, he's bounced around to several projects. He hacked the PlayStation, did some work for Facebook, and more recently popped up in Android land.

His latest gig is an internship for Google's Project Zero—a team of elite hackers tasked with finding and eradicating serious software vulnerabilities. Back in March Geohot won $150K for exposing Chrome exploits, and it seems the Mountain View company took notice...