Year: 2014

Microsoft’s own CarPlay is predictably called Windows in the car

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 7, 2014

At the annual Build conference in San Francisco last week, software giant Microsoft unveiled its upcoming new platform for automotive, Windows in the car. The software, which appears to have borrowed some ideas from Apple's CarPlay, could succeed Sync, Microsoft's ill-fated in-car solution running on the Windows Embedded Automotive operating system.

Microsoft's largest partner for Sync, Ford, in February announced plans to stop producing Sync-equipped vehicles. Seeing where things were heading, coupled with weak support from car manufacturers, probably played an important factor in the decision to come up with a connected car software of the future, from scratch...

Samsung’s #1 priority for 2012: beat Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 7, 2014

A treasure trove of internal documents have been leaking out of Apple's second California trial against the Galaxy maker Samsung.

Not only has the confidential material given us an unprecedented look into the firm's development process for the iPhone and Steve Jobs's wish list for the Apple TV (apps, something called 'magic wand' and more), it's also provided us with valuable insight into Apple's marketing survey explaining why the iPhone's growth has been slowing and another internal research highlighting the most often requested features by early iPhone 5 adopters.

And now, a new set of internal Samsung documents proves the South Korean conglomerate has been pretty much obsessed with crushing Apple in the marketplace, so much so that it devoted all of its energies throughout 2012 to one goal: beating Apple.

The presentation entitled '2011 Summary & Lessons Learned / 2012 Business Forecast' made it clear to Samsung's managers that beating Apple was their #1 priority for 2012. "Everything must be in context of beating Apple," reads the memo.

The document offers an insight into Samsung's thought process, marketing tactics and how it went about containing the iPhone threat by pouring billions into advertising, playing ball with carriers and carpet-bombing the market with countless variants of devices with different screen sizes and price points...

How to add classic wallpapers to iOS 7

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 7, 2014

Perhaps I'm in the minority on this one, but I definitely don't miss any of the old stock wallpaper that was bundled with iOS versions lesser than iOS 7. The old wallpaper feels antiquated, especially when mated with the modern look of iOS 7.

But maybe I'm one of the few that feels this way, because there's a jailbreak release that allows users to get that old pre-iOS 7 wallpaper back on their device. Entitled ClassicWallpapers, this recently released jailbreak tweak brings Apple's old wallpaper out of retirement. Have a look at our full video walkthrough after the jump.

Persistent search bar and swiping improvements added to Vimeo’s iOS app

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 7, 2014

Back in February, the video sharing service Vimeo added support for the handy swiping gesture to its free iOS app.

You can swipe right to reveal options to share a video, like it or add it to your Watch Later list. Swiping left marks a video for download so it can be accessible on your device without an Internet connection.

Today's update, now available in the App Store, removes the Watch Later option when you swipe from left to right, leaving only sharing and liking options in the menu. But don't worry, Watch Later is now available when you swipe from right to left. As a bonus, the app now adds a clip to your Watch Later list and marks it for download at the same time.

Vimeo version 4.0.10 also includes a new persistent search bar at the top, but more on this after the break...

How to quickly kill background apps in iOS 7

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 7, 2014

Clear Background Apps is a recently released, and extremely simple, jailbreak tweak that's available on Cydia. It lets users quickly kill all apps using a button found at the top of the iOS 7 App Switcher.

If you're looking for a quick method for easily getting rid of all running apps on your device, it doesn't get much simpler than Clear Background Apps. We've taken it for a brief test drive inside; check past the break to see how it works.

Amazon Instant Video gets overhauled with iOS 7 styling

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 7, 2014

Amazon on Monday issued a new version of its Instant Video for iOS app. Available free in the App Store, the new Amazon Instant Video version 2.5 now finally features a brand new user interface on the iPhone and iPad which honors Apple's human interface guidelines for iOS 7 development.

Released initially for the iPad in August 2012 and later updated with iPhone UI, the app picked up support for background AirPlay wireless streaming to the Apple TV back in September 2013.

If you live in the Amazon cloud, Instant Video for iOS is your gateway to the world of Hollywood entertainment available on Amazon's video service. Today's facelift arrives after the online retail giant announced (and started selling on the same day) its own set-top box last week, the $99 Fire TV that does voice and runs games.

Read on to learn more...

How to replace your battery life indicator with Zelda-inspired hearts

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 7, 2014

Do we have any Zelda fans in the building? If you're a fan of Nintendo's action-RPG series, then you will no doubt appreciate this new Alkaline jailbreak theme from designer alextmoore.

Aptly entitled Zelda Hearts for Alkaline, this recently released theme allows users to replace the stock battery indicator with hearts similar to those that appear in the Big N's popular gaming classic.

Want to see how it works in action? Have a look inside for the video walkthrough.

What early iPhone 5 buyers wanted: stronger battery, better Maps, bigger screens and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 7, 2014

According to Apple's internal survey conducted with early iPhone 5 buyers, the company was well aware it didn't have what consumers wanted most, as far back as the Fall of 2012.

An internal research note from Apple’s lawsuit with Samsung, published by Business Insider reporter Jay Yarrow, indicates the one thing iPhone 5 buyers wanted most was longer battery life, hardly a surprise as the longer-lasting battery is the most frequently cited complaint among smartphone buyers in general.

Early iPhone 5 adopters were also asking for a much improved built-in Apple Maps application, the #2 item on the wish list, and a bigger screen as the third most often requested feature. We're of course expecting iPhones with bigger screens in the second half of this year.

If there's any substance to the rumors floating around, Apple is working on a 4.7-inch iPhone and another one with a screen measuring between five and 5.7 inches diagonally, although the latter model could be delayed over issues with in-cell production technology for the larger screen size...

Apple’s iPhone trade-in program extends to Germany

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 7, 2014

Apple's own iPhone trade-in program is now available across company-owned online and brick-and-mortar retail outlets in Germany. Now available via the Online Apple Store and through Apple's free Apple Store application for the iPhone and iPad, the initiative allows German shoppers to trade-in their existing device in good condition and receive a gift card worth up to €230, or about 315 in US dollars.

Like in the United States, German customers can then redeem the amount on the gift card against a new iPhone purchase to help bring down the upfront cost of the hardware. Your existing devices get disposed of in an environmentally friendly way instead of ending up in landfills...

IGN names ‘Epoch 2’ its Free Game of the Month

Cody Lee ∙ April 6, 2014

Great news gamers, IGN has named Uppercut Games' Epoch 2 its Free Game of the Month. This is one of the first times that the game, which normally retails for $4.99, has ever been made available at no cost.

For those unfamiliar with the title, Epoch 2 features intuitive, gesture-based controls and gorgeous visuals. It continues the post-apocalyptic storyline of the original, and offers new weapons and gameplay modes...

Internal Apple slides explain why it thinks iPhone growth is slowing

Cody Lee ∙ April 6, 2014

Despite posting 50+ million iPhone sales last quarter, Apple's stock slid some 6%. As impressive as the numbers were, they still fell short of Wall Street expectations and reaffirmed fears of slowing growth. Apple's YoY (year-over-year) iPhone growth is now down to just single digits.

The question is why? And Apple has a pretty good idea of what the answer is. According to some internal documents brought to light by the ongoing Samsung trial, the company attributes the slowing in iPhone growth to consumer want for larger, cheaper handsets and other factors...

Sometimes You Die: a side-scrolling platformer with no rules

Lory Gil ∙ April 6, 2014

What would a game look like if you took all of the glitz and glamor out of it - if there were no coins to collect, and no points to earn? What if, in order to progress, you had to kill your character, ruining a “perfect game”?

Sometimes You Die both asks and answers those questions, as well as a few others. It is striped down in looks, but extraordinary in execution. If you think you’ve beaten the game, think again…