Year: 2014

Foundation announces complete E.O. Wilson’s Life on Earth for iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 30, 2014

Following-up on Apple's announcement of the forthcoming iTunes U 2.0 update with new creation tools and discussion feature on iPads, Foundation - a non-profit behind E.O. Wilson’s "Life on Earth" - today announced launch of the complete series on iTunes U and the iBooks Store.

Provided free of charge, the first seven chapters in the 41-chapter series released today as interactive iBooks textbooks, with the remaining materials to be rolled out throughout 2014. In addition, the series is accompanied by an iTunes U course that gives learners access to course materials included in the Biology course...

iPhone 6 mockups only a rough approximation, no antenna breaks in final design

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 29, 2016

Are you worried, based on the mockups that have been floating around, at the possibility of Apple's next iPhone disappointing fans with cheap design?

If you have any doubts as to Apple's build quality, then you don't know Apple.

The crude, rapidly produced 3D-printed mockups that have been made of low quality materials do not reliably represent the final iPhone 6 design and build quality.

Those ugly, thick white-striped lines on the back, you say? Not part of the final external design, according to a new report by the Japanese business paper Nikkei. The story also notes that the iPhone 6 won't have the antenna breaks and claims the screen will have rounded edges to lay it flush with the device's round corners...

1Password with Touch ID authentication and Safari Share sheet support shown off

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 30, 2014

A big part of what makes iOS 8 so great is how Apple is finally opening up its mobile operating system to developers, more than ever before.

Take Touch ID, for example. With a little help from the iOS 8 SDK and the new Local Authentication Framework, third-party apps can tap Touch ID to authenticate a user in a safe manner as fingerprint data is protected and never accessed by iOS or apps.

Brands such as PayPal have pledged to update their apps with Touch ID authentication when iOS 8 gets released for public consumption this Fall and now a beta tester has posted screenshots and a short video of Touch ID integration in 1Password for iOS, the popular password management program by AgileBits...

Apple announces iTunes U 2.0 with new creation tools and discussion feature on iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 30, 2014

Apple on Monday announced a major new version of its iTunes U educational app with a number of new creation and discussion features for iPad. The new iTunes U 2.0 app, due July 8, will enable teachers to create, edit and manage entire courses directly on iPad for the first time, while students will get to take advantage of some interesting new collaboration capabilities, including the ability to start class discussions and ask questions right from their iPad...

Apple airs new ‘Parenthood’ iPhone 5s ad

Cody Lee ∙ June 29, 2014

Apple has this evening posted a new TV commercial for the iPhone 5s to its YouTube channel. The ad is entitled 'Parenthood,' and it touts the handset’s ability to morph into a useful tool for parents.

Set to the tune of "Life of Dreams," by Julie Doiron, the spot showcases various iPhone apps and products for parents such as Withings' Smart Baby baby monitor and the popular Draw Animal app...

Simple geometry wallpapers

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Another Sunday, another set of wallpapers. As the World Cup continues to rage, you may want to go back in time. Last week, we featured World Cup wallpapers to help everyone get excited about the continuing world wide fútbol battle. For additional Wold Cup coverage, check out our latest Let's Talk iOS podcast, which has armchair commentary from your favorite iDownloadBlog podcasters, @SébastienPage, @JeffBenjam, and @Melvco.

Moving away from theme-related wallpapers this week, I am featuring a wallpaper set submitted by avid iDB reader, Afrokat. A frequenter among the involved readers, I have received items from him, time-to-time. Today, his simple geometric designs grace the Wallpapers of the Week section...

How to jailbreak iOS 7.1.x with Pangu 1.1 on Windows [video]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

The highly anticipated Pangu 1.1 update was just today released for both Windows and Mac users. Obviously, the big news here was Mac compatibility, as Mac users were left without a usable version after the initial Windows-only version of Pangu 1.1 was released.

But Windows users should be happy too, as version 1.1 of Pangu brings with it English text that makes it easier to follow along in the jailbreak process. The update also gets rid of the nefarious checkbox that allowed pirated software to be easily installed on your device.

Pangu 1.1 is a streamlined version of the original tool. If you've been on the fence about using it, then perhaps this latest update will ease your concerns. Check inside to view our step-by-step jailbreak tutorial for Pangu 1.1 on Windows.

The best apps for taking selfies

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

I actually hate the word “selfie.” It is one of those trendy words that has stuck around much longer than it was supposed to. It caught on, like a virus, and spread across the world. Even the President of the United States uses it.

I have to admit defeat here, and use the word to describe this list. We know you love to take pictures of yourself with a new outfit, a funny hat, or while eating a burrito. So, here is our list of best apps to take selfies.

How to jailbreak iOS 7.1.x untethered with Pangu on Mac OS X [video]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Pangu for the Mac was just released today, and it brings with it the ability to jailbreak iOS 7.1.x untethered. The Windows version, which was released last week to much fanfare, has already allowed many people to enjoy the fruits of jailbreaking iOS.

I think it's safe to say that the Mac version has been highly anticipated since word of Pangu first hit the Internet. For those of you who remained patient, your patience has paid off. You can now jailbreak iOS 7.1 and iOS 7.1.1 using your Mac. Check our our full video walkthrough inside for all of the details.

Tim Cook and Apple show support at San Francisco Pride celebration

Jake Smith ∙ Updated February 11, 2016

Apple CEO and frontman Tim Cook took the streets on behalf of Apple to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride parade and celebration happening in San Francisco on Sunday.

Cook was seen in a snazzy Apple Pride t-shirt in a photo on Instagram user Daniel Soto's profile. Cook's company is one of the many corporate sponsors for the San Francisco Pride event that has taken place this weekend, and what better to have the CEO come and show support.

iPhone turns 7 – and I still remember holding it for the first time

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 29, 2014

It's hard to believe, but today Apple's legendary smartphone turns seven years old. The phone which revolutionized smartphones and kickstarted the mobile revolution shipped with the simplest user interface imaginable, comprised of a grid of eye-candy icons.

Anyone that could touch the icons could use the new handset. It had no physical keyboard to begin with, which at the time was something of a heresy. The hyped device sold its first million units in 74 days.

It would go on to become the industry leader and cultural force, popularizing in just few short months the then nascent smartphone category outside the confines of boardrooms and high-level managers who were happy to dutifully type away their emails on the BlackBerry's clickety-clack keyboard.

My fifth and sixth iPhone anniversary articles, for the most part, touched on the handset's impact on the society. For this anniversary, I wanted to pay a special tribute to the device that has changed phones forever and reminiscence on my early impressions and the experience of picking the original iPhone up for the first time...

Pangu jailbreak now available for Mac with English support and bug fixes

Sébastien Page ∙ June 29, 2014

Users who weren't able to jailbreak their iOS 7.1.x devices because of the lack of Mac support for the Pangu jailbreak tool can rejoice. Earlier today, the Pangu Team released Pangu 1.1.0 with a few improvements and bug fixes. Most notably, Pangu 1.1.0 brings support for Mac and is now available in English.

Among the imrprovements, it appears that one major bug that threw some devices into a boot loop has been fixed. From what we hear, it is now much more stable than the previous version...