Year: 2014

How to watch the NHL Draft on iPhone and iPad

The future players of the National Hockey League will be chosen on a pick-by-pick basis tonight at the NHL Draft, which begins tonight at 7:00 PM Eastern on NBCSN in the United States and TSN in Canada. It will be interesting to watch how the first round plays out, as there is no clear consensus on who will be picked first overall. The second to seventh round picks continue tomorrow at 10:00 AM Eastern.

The first pick, which belongs to the Florida Panthers, could be used on anyone from Kingston Frontenacs center Samuel Bennett or Barrie Colts defenseman Aaron Ekblad to Kootenay Ice center Sam Reinhart or Prince Albert Raiders center Leon Draisaitl. To help you follow the action as it unfolds, we've prepared this guide on how to watch the NHL Draft on iPhone and iPad… 

Fly brings multi-cam video editing to iPhone

The App Store is home to some of the best photography and video editing apps on any mobile platform so there are plenty of choices for video editors and mobile podcasters, from Apple's own iMovies app to innovative third-party solutions like MixBit by YouTube creators, Pinnacle Studio by Corel and Chromic, to name a few.

If you're really serious about editing video on the go and want to compose advanced edits with professional-looking effects that go beyond ready-made templates, look no further thanFly by Fly Labs, an innovative and fast video editor that supports multi-device video capture function.

Available free of charge in the App Store, Fly brings multi-cam editing to your iPhone and lets you compose videos with picture-in-picture and split-screen effects using simple and intuitive gestures...

Siri creators develop Kasisto, virtual personal assistant for business

SRI International, the startup behind the Siri personal assistant that Apple famously bought four years ago and implemented across its iOS device lineup, has spun off a new company called Kasisto that has developed a namesake personal assistant for businesses, Re/code reported Friday.

The business-minded personal assistant is aimed at companies wishing to implement Siri-like functionality within apps for industry verticals such as healthcare, automotive and more. Companies can train Kasisto for specific areas to perform complex tasks, which often require deep domain knowledge and human interaction...

Apple adds ‘Best New Game Updates’ section to App Store

Apple has introduced a new section on the App Store called "Best New Game Updates" for showcasing recently updated games for iPhone and iPad. The new category accompanies the long-existing "Best New Games" section, which is now exclusively for promoting new game releases. Plants vs. Zombies 2 and FarmVille 2 are among the first lineup of updated games featured.

App Store discovery has been a growing problem for developers, as the total number of apps available has eclipsed the 1 million mark and counting. This new section should provide at least one additional way for iOS gamers to uncover the best new content updates, and I personally recommend reading our daily App Recap roundup on top. Take a look at the first 16 apps featured ahead… 

YouTube previews new ‘Creator Studio’ app for iPhone

YouTube has announced that it will be releasing an iOS version of its "Creator Studio" app in the coming weeks, as part of a broader effort to offer improved tools for a growing number of content creators. The app is already available on Android, allowing anyone that uploads YouTube videos to track analytics, including views, minutes watched, total subscribers, estimated earnings, engagement statistics and more… 

Samsung rolling out 21-day trial program for smart devices

Apple and Samsung continue to fight for supremacy as the top consumer electronics maker in the United States, and the latter has a new move up its sleeves to help thwart its competitor. Beginning in July, the South Korean handset maker will be kicking off a 21-day trial program that allows customers to test drive select smartphones, tablets and smart watches from its product lineup.

After quietly launching the trial program in Manhattan last month, Samsung will be extending the offer to Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Santa Clara. The devices available to test drive are the Galaxy S5 and Note III smartphones, the Gear smart watch and the Gear Fit fitness tracker. Prospective buyers can test the devices on different carriers, with Samsung compensating the wireless costs. A refundable deposit of $350 must be made beforehand… 

Walmart discounting iPhone 5s to $99, iPhone 5c to $29 tomorrow

If you are planning on purchasing a new iPhone, you will be happy to hear that Walmart is discounting the 16 GB iPhone 5s to $99 (down from $149) and 16 GB iPhone 5c to $29 (down from $49) when activated on a two-year service agreement. The new prices are effective tomorrow, making this one of the better iPhone deals available in-store in the United States… 

Apple hires head software engineer from Atlas Wearables, likely to work on the iWatch

Apple is believed to have an interesting pipeline of new products planned for the second half of this year, including new Macs, iPhones and its first wearable device. It has been speculated over the past several months that the company is gearing up to launch the so-called "iWatch" in the fall, a smart watch that will double as a health and fitness tracker for managing your heart rate, calories, blood glucose levels and more…

What is your jailbreak story?

Earlier this week, we were treated to the pleasant surprise of an iOS 7.1.1 untethered jailbreak by the Chinese team Pangu. I had the privilege of discussing the jailbreak with our video guru Jeff Benjamin on the most recent Let's Talk Jailbreak episode, which was a lot of fun. In the podcast, Jeff asked me to introduce myself to the community and to describe my jailbreak roots.

The story begins in December 2007, when I was on a family vacation near the sandy beaches of Cape Coral, Florida. My older brother, now a software engineer at Google, was incredibly interested in this new product called the iPod touch. In particular, he wanted to jailbreak it. As a thirteen-year-old eighth grader at the time, I had never heard of the device. I especially did not know what jailbreaking was… 

Apple’s official Podcasts app crashing for several users [updated]

There are widespread reports this afternoon that claim Apple's official Podcasts app is crashing for several users upon launch. The app does temporarily open, but then immediately closes and returns to the Home screen in a matter of seconds. The issue appears to be affecting devices running both iOS 7.1.1 and iOS 8 beta, according to multiple tweets and other reports.

A significant number of users have turned to the Apple Support Communities to voice their concerns about the problem, with complaints ranging from the app crashing to multiple icons and album artwork. The crashing issue appears to have been affecting users since at least 2:00 PM Pacific, when the first reports began to appear on Twitter and elsewhere… 

Paperama turns your iOS device into a fun origami game

The art of origami is both impressive and beautiful. I’ve always been interested in paper craft and origami is an art form that requires patience and skills. Reading the instructions for origami is like reading a different language.

Paperama takes the complexities of origami and mixes it with the challenge of puzzle solving. Already a huge hit on Android, FDG Entertainment has brought the game to iOS. We’ve got an in-depth game review of Paperama below…

128GB option could be exclusive to 5.5” iPhone 6

Exclusivity appears to be the name of the game concerning Apple's rumored 5.5-inch handset. Thus far, we've learned that Tim Cook & Co. could distinguish Apple's first phablet-class device with several exclusive features.

These would presumably include (other than display size) optical image stabilization, an ultra-sharp screen at 2K resolution and multiple new sensors for measuring air pressure, temperature and humidity.

You can now put 128GB of storage on your list of 5.5-inch iPhone 6 exclusives...