Year: 2014

New part photos contrast supposed iPhone 6 design to iPhone 5s

Judging by the growing number of part leaks coming our way, production of Apple's iPhone 6 should be moving full steam ahead. Coming straight out of China from a pretty reliable source, past two weeks have brought us purported iPhone 6 back cover parts, as well as the inner shell.

Now the same source has posted additional shots depicting what appears to be a front as well as back iPhone part, photographed next to an iPhone 5s for a nice design comparison...

Google Shopping Express expands to new places, adds recommendations, new items and more

Google's Shopping Express for iOS has received a nice update bringing the free iPhone and iPad application to version 1.8 and introducing several new features that elevate your on-the-go shopping experience.

For starters, the app makes Google's same-day delivery service available in more places, including in and around the West Los Angeles and Manhattan areas. This version also enables product recommendations based on the stores you shop most, adds new items and more...

The best apps for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

In case you haven't noticed, Apple quietly introduced a new "Soccer Fever" section on the App Store ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a month-long international soccer tournament that kicks off on June 12th. The section consists of four app categories: Soccer Apps, Soccer Games, Share the Fever and Discover Brazil. We've handpicked some of the best World Cup apps for iPhone and iPad from the list ahead… 

Sony unveils Apple TV competitor ‘PlayStation TV’

During its high profile E3 keynote yesterday, Sony unveiled the PlayStation TV, a rebranded version of the PS Vita TV it showed off last fall. The device is small enough to fit in your hand and costs just $99, making it a direct competitor to the Apple TV.

Like the Apple TV, the PlayStation TV will support a variety of streaming services including Hulu, Netflix, and of course Sony's own content. But unlike Apple's set-top box, it'll have a heavy focus on gaming, supporting some 1000 popular titles at launch...

Genie unlocks your iPhone with simple gestures

On a recent article that I wrote, a reader was surprised after reading that I am generally disinterested by a lot of jailbreak tweaks. It might not make sense, given that I write for a blog that is consistently on top of covering the jailbreak scene. Allow me to explain: it's not that jailbreak tweaks do not pique my interest, but rather that some are simply too complex or cumbersome to provide a meaningful purpose.

That's not to discount the fantastic work that developers put into creating jailbreak tweaks. There are just as many good tweaks as there are less impressive ones. Genie is a new Lock screen extension that is a good example. Not only does it provide useful functionality for unlocking your iPhone, but it is a lightweight tweak that isn't dragged down by dozens of confusing settings or unnecessary features. Check it out… 

ESPN Radio talk shows and local NPR stations now airing on iTunes Radio

Right on cue, Apple's free iTunes Radio service has now started delivering the World Cup 2014 audio stream and other national and global news content from ESPN, as well as over forty new National Public Radio (NPR) stations bringing live programming for news, talk shows and more.

And in addition to the World Cup stream, iTunes Radio now offers original ESPN programs, including such national sports talk shows as SportsCenter All Night, SVP and Russillo, Mike & Mike, The Dan LeBatard Show and The Herd.

As for NPR, a total of 42 NPR stations have made their way to iTunes Radio, including New York Public Radio, San Francisco’s KQED, Washington, D.C.'s WAMU and more, plus a number of popular programs like All Things Considered. Additional iTunes Radio stations are already being planned...

Skype 5.0 now available on the App Store

Just one day after teasing a brand new design for Skype for iOS, Microsoft has released the updated app on the App Store for iPhone. Our own Christian Zibreg walked through several of the new features, ranging from a sleeker user interface and faster performance to cross-platform read receipt syncing and the ability to start group chats from the hub. Details ahead… 

$14.99 iTunes movie collections: The Dark Knight, LOTR, Matrix, Lethal Weapon and Ocean’s

I'm a big spender on digital warez sold on Apple's content stores. Typically, I would pick up various digital books and iOS/Mac apps on a regular basis - music not so much, that's what Spotify is for.

I'd also rent TV shows and buy movie downloads from time to time. You couldn't go as far as to say that I'd buy anything because I'm very particular and as such purchase only items that have really piqued my curiosity. The problem is, my interests are very diverse and my wallet can only bear so much.

But if you're a movie buff and don't mind having your movies tied to Apple devices (hello, FairPlay DRM!), you must have spotted Apple's movie bundles before, some of which are sold at a deep discount.

In this not-to-be-missed opportunity the California firm is currently offering several memorable movie trilogies in high-definition, including The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings and more, priced at $14.99 each...

Apple said to expand its in-house advertising team to 1000 employees

Following a report last week claiming that Apple is shifting more of its TV advertising in house, Ad Age has taken an extensive look at the company's new marketing strategies. To regain its edge amid tough competition, Apple has been working hard on assembling an in-house creative team that will eventually number 1000 employees. The company is going after some of the top advertising talent, even poaching executives from its longtime partner TBWA/Media Arts Lab.

Apple now employs the controversial tactic of pitting TBWA against its internal team, siding with whoever comes up with the best creative ideas and running with it. The in-house team has already won at least a few campaigns, including an ad for the iPad Air last year showing off the thinness of the tablet. The internal team was also behind another iPad Air called Your Verse, featuring American actor Robin Williams… 

Screens VNC app now supports Dropbox, in addition to iCloud

An app called Screens is one of the best and most elegant pieces of software for accessing your desktop through the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices, over Wi-Fi or cellular. It lets you connect to remote computers as if you were sitting in front of them, run apps remotely, copy documents between machines and lots more.

Edovia Software, the company behind Screens, has updated both the $19.99 iOS client and $34.99 Mac client with support for Dropbox for seamless syncing of your saved screens across devices...

Macphun Bundle offers $260 worth of pro photo-editing Mac software for just $99.99

San Diego, California based developer MacPhun is kicking off the summer with an attractive bundle which appeals to your inner photography buff.

The prolific developer is responsible for some of the top-rated photo-editing software on iOS and OS X platforms and you could imagine I've gotten pretty excited about their new promotion. Beginning Tuesday, June 10 and through Sunday, June 22, you can get a $260 worth of Mac software for just $99.99.

That's a cool $160 saving right off the bat. The MacPhun Bundle includes Creative Kit Plus which is comprised of Intensify Pro, Snapheal Pro and Focus 2 Pro apps. They're also throwing in a ViewBig Premium membership and a free copy of a brand new app, when it ships later in the summer...

Traces of Preview, TextEdit, standalone iTunes Radio and Siri API discovered in iOS 8 code

As a prominent iOS developer noted on Twitter, looks like Apple is actually toying with a standalone iTunes Radio app, as previously suspected.

In addition, Apple looks to be prepping new stock iOS 8 apps - TextEdit and Preview - as well as potentially enabling third-party Siri access.

Code hooks and hidden assets discovered in the iOS 8 Beta code seem to support these findings, largely corroborating much of the earlier findings by prominent Apple blogger Mark Gurman.

Note that this is no guarantee that Apple will roll out these features - that is, it will only introduce them when they're ready for prime time. For example, The New York Times previously reported that split-screen functionality didn't make the cut in iOS 8. With that in mind, it's fairly safe to speculate that Preview, TextEdit, third-party Siri access and a standalone iTunes Radio could be slated for the iOS 8.1 update...