Year: 2014

Pad & Quill introduces beautiful new wallet case for iPhone

In the world of iPhone and Mac accessories, there are two names I trust almost above all others: Twelve South and Pad & Quill. Both of them have a keen sense of design, and both are known for making high quality products out of high quality materials.

Over the weekend, the latter unveiled a new iPhone case called the Traveler. Like many of P&Q's cases it features a built-in pocket for carrying credit cards and other knick knacks around, but this time instead of a book-like design, they went with a rear shell...

Apple releases Safari 7.0.3 update for Mavericks

Apple has released a plethora updates on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the company has revamped its web-based iWork for iCloud suite and then followed up by half a dozen matching updates to Pages, Keynote and Numbers for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices and Mac computers.

Available now through your Mac's Software Update mechanism, the new Safari 7.0.3 update brings a bunch of bug fixes and a few noteworthy security-related enhancements like the strengthened Safari sandboxing, improved credit card autofill compatibility with websites and more...

Apple updates iWork for iOS and Mac with read-only sharing mode and other new features

Hot on the heels of refreshing iWork for iCloud earlier today with updated design, Retina graphics support, the ability to share view-only documents, the option to open documents directly from iCloud Mail and other enhancements, related updates to the iWork suite of applications for iOS and OS X have now surfaced on the App Store and Mac App Store.

Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iOS and OS X have picked up a dozen new features each, including sharing view-only documents for cross-platform compatibility across the web, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac. Your download links and accompanying release notes are right after the break...

iWork for iCloud apps updated with Retina support and other improvements

Hot on the heels of Microsoft's Office for iPad release, Apple has updated its iWork for iCloud apps with a number of improvements. The web versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote have each received new features, and it looks the changes will soon be hitting the Mac and iOS apps as well.

As a group, all three apps have been updated with Retina display support, as well as the ability to share view-only documents and the option to open documents directly from iCloud Mail. Individually, each app has received updated designs for their respective editors and other enhancements...

Anyone can now create iAd campaigns

Apple released iAd Workbench last summer, giving its registered iOS developer a much-needed tool to create, manage, optimize and track in-app iAd campaigns, build customized banners and more. The mobile advertising tool used to require a paid iOS developer account, $99 per year.

Starting today, non-developers are free to use iAd Workbench as well: all that's needed is a regular Apple ID account. Or to put it other way, Apple's just given anyone the ability to make their own iAds. Additionally, the iPhone maker has expanded its advertising platform by adding a new video iAd unit to Workbench...

Rumor: Apple buying Renesas SP Drivers to improve iPhone battery life and image sharpness

The Japanese business site Nikkei is reporting that Apple is in discussions with chipmaker Renesas Electronics concerning taking over their division that builds mobile display chips, Renesas SP Drivers.

The deal should enable Tim Cook & Co. to bring another technological piece under their roof and help Apple's engineers "improve image sharpness and battery life" on iPhones.

Renesas Electronics is included on the official list of Apple's suppliers. Apple is known for investing in its partners and suppliers when it makes sense. For instance, the company holds a ten percent stake in UK's fabless semiconductor maker Imagination Technologies which provides blueprints for GPUs used in iOS devices...

Razer’s Kazuyo iOS controller redesigned for slimness, has fully remappable buttons

I'm sorry if this thought sounds a little depressing, but there's no two ways about the fact that the first batch of iOS controllers leaves a lot to be desired. The iPhone controllers from Logitech, Stratus Moga and others have all received poor reviews, with critics slamming their high price tag, less than stellar build quality and lacking features.

Razer, a privately-held American accessory maker that specializes in high-performance hardware specifically marketed to gamers, is thinking differently when it comes to its own iOS 7 controller, the Kazuyo.

We previously highlighted this 'Made for iPhone' (MFi) controller and now new details surfaced Tuesday helping paint a better picture of the upcoming accessory...

New Comedy Central app puts all shows in one place

Comedy Central has several free apps in the App Store, each dedicated to its own show, like The Daily Show Headlines, The Colbert Report and Tosh 2.0, to name a few.

In the commendable effort to reduce user confusion and increase engagement, the comedy channel owned by MTV Networks Entertainment Group has released a new iOS app simply named Comedy Central that consolidates all their shows into one place.

The dedicated streaming app is now available to download free of charge in the App Store. Wait, you haven't heard the coolest thing: you can stream episodes of select shows free of charge, no cable subscription required whatsoever, with some caveats...

BBM updated with stickers, large file transfers and image sharing in multi-person chats

The Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry is launching a new version of its BBM instant messaging software for iOS, Android and BlackBerry.

As previously reported, this BBM edition enables popular stickers and includes a couple feature additions, such as the ability to share images with multiple parties in multi-person chats and send larger files to others.

Various sticker packs can be purchased from the new BBM Shop, with some stickers like the legacy BBM emoticons offered free of charge. It's interesting that BlackBerry partnered with brands on themed sticker packs like CosCat, Gilbert’s Tales, Bubble Bot and many more.

The new BBM 2.1 will be launching in the App Store later today...

LaCie Fuel now offers 2TB of wireless storage for your Mac and iOS devices

LaCie, a Seagate Technology brand that makes premium storage solutions and accessories, has refreshed its Fuel external wireless hard drive with an expanded capacity of two terabytes.

That's double the storage of the previous Fuel and LaCie claims the updated product now offers "more storage than any 2.5-inch wireless hard drive on the market."

It uses Seagate's free Media app to make available your files to Apple devices over a Wi-Fi network.

The Fuel also includes a built-in ten-hour battery and plays nice with AirPlay so you can mirror content on your big screen TV through the Apple TV.

The full reveal is after the jump...

This Friday, EA’s Origin distribution platform will finally go all-digital

Super publisher Electronic Arts is finally bidding a fond farewell to optical media as its Origin platform is going all-digital this coming Friday, April 4.

For those unfamiliar with Origin (formerly EA Download Manager), it's a digital distribution software that lets players purchase DRM-enabled games for desktop and mobile and download them to their system using the Origin client.

Origin for Mac has been available since February of last year and now the Origin game store will be entirely digital downloads for PC and Mac, the publisher announced...

Apple to announce second quarter earnings on April 23

Folks wondering how Apple did during its quiet second quarter will have their answer in just a few short weeks. The Cupertino company has updated its Investor Relations page to note that it will be releasing its financial results for Q2 2014 on April 23rd.

There were no new products announced during the 3-month period, but Apple did make some changes to its device lineup. In March, the company launched a new 8GB version of its iPhone 5c in certain countries, and reintroduced its 4th generation iPad...