Year: 2014

Apple: ‘several billion’ iMessages sent daily, Apple TV raked in $1 billion last year

Cody Lee ∙ February 28, 2014

As expected, Apple held its 2014 shareholders meeting on its Cupertino campus this afternoon. Apple executives were on hand, as were the company's board of directors, to reassure investors that things are on track for another successful year, and to field shareholder questions.

Most of the meeting was filled with the usual dreck: approving and rejecting proposals, reelecting board members, and so on, but things began to liven up when Tim Cook began dropping numbers. Keep reading for a roundup of some of the most interesting points from the meeting...

NoGrabber: how to hide Notification Center and Control Center grabbers

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 28, 2014

Grabbers, like the one in the photo above, appear while trying to invoke Notification Center or Control Center in a full screen app. The grabbers essentially force you to perform two invoking gestures in order to launch Control Center or Notification Center. The grabber feature is there to prevent accidentally launching the aforementioned overlays while using a full screen application or game.

Some people, apparently, find the grabber feature annoying, and they want to launch Notification Center or Control Center like they normally do, even while using a full screen app. If you're one of those people, then NoGrabber is something you should consider using. It forces the overlays to behave like normal, eliminating the grabber while in full screen applications. Take a gander at our video walkthrough to see how it works in action.

How to quickly swipe between message threads in iOS 7

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 28, 2014

MessageSwiper7 is a recent Cydia release that brings the ability to swipe between Messages app conversations in iOS 7. We posted about the original MessageSwiper almost a year ago, and as you'll see, that version differs quite a bit from the latest version.

Since iOS 7's Messages app already features built-in actions for swipe gestures on both the right and left side of the app, more thought had to be put into the tweak to get things right in iOS 7. We've taken MessageSwiper7 for a brief spin on video to show you how it works. Have a look at our full walkthrough inside.

vColor: change the color of your volume HUD

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 28, 2014

The volume HUD has always held a weird place in the hearts of jailbreakers. It's been used to launch apps, it's been customized, it's been given music features. Now, it's being colored, again.

vColor is the latest volume HUD-based jailbreak tweak that allows you to change up its look. It lets you alter the background, depletion bar, volume number, and volume meter colors. vColor is from developer Javier Brito, and it's available for free right now on Cydia's BigBoss repo. Check inside as we step through vColor's functions on video.

ActiveAlarm: Open the Clock app directly to the alarm section

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 28, 2014

ActiveAlarm is a brand new jailbreak tweak that can be handy for those of you relying on your iPhone as an alarm clock. It's a tweak that allows you to assign an Activator gesture of your choice to the stock Clock app.

While it's true that Activator already contains an action for launching the stock Clock app, ActiveAlarm takes it one step further. ActiveAlarm will take users directly to the alarm clock section of the stock Clock app upon using the Activator gesture. Have a look at our video walkthrough inside as we show you how it works.

Arq – the nested dock that keeps on docking

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 24, 2014

The Arq, a new Kickstarter project, seeks to solve the problem of charging multiple devices simultaneously. This cleverly engineered accessory lets you charge multiple form factor iOS and Android devices individually, via either Lightning or micro USB. And thanks to its modular design, devices can be charged in groups or closely nested together, because Arq docks can be conveniently nested together, all within a small footprint.

To give you the exact idea of the Arq's size, each measures 1.85 inches deep, 4.03 inches wide and 1.38 inches tall. There are also nano micro suction pads on the bottom that keep the Arq firmly anchored to smooth surfaces for easy undocking, as seen on the Slope iPad stand I recently reviewed...

Classic Badges: use iOS 6 app badges on iOS 7

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 28, 2014

Do you hate the look of the app badges in iOS 7? Would you prefer to use the app badges present in iOS 6? If so, ClassicBadges is a new jailbreak tweak that allows you to do just that.

While ClassicBadges is a standalone tweak, it does rely on some help from WinterBoard to get the font and spacing of the old-school inspired badges to look just right. As we always like to do, we've put the tweak through its paces in a hands-on video walkthrough. Check inside for all of the details.

Tony Hawk working on new skateboarding game for mobile devices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Skateboarding legend and mogul Tony Hawk revealed last night that he's working on a new skateboarding game for mobile devices. During an interview with Larry King, Mr. Hawk said that the game will have swipe-based controls and is coming this year.

Unfortunately, very few other details are known about the game—we're not even sure if it's going to launch under the familiar 'Tony Hawk Pro Skater' branding—but given Hawk's track record, we're excited. We have a clip of the Larry King interview below...

Apple Stores reportedly treating Apple TV buyers to $25 iTunes Gift Cards

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 28, 2014

Fueling rumors of a potential Apple TV hardware refresh next month, Apple has apparently instructed its retail employees to start treating Apple TV buyers to $25 iTunes Gift Cards, basically bringing the price of the $99 media-streaming box down to $74.

Of course, you're still paying the full price for the Apple TV hardware, Apple is just throwing in a $25 iTunes Gift Card with every new purchase. The credit can be redeemed against any content purchase in the company's many online stores.

So in a nutshell, you're getting a $25 iTunes credit for apps, books, movies, music and more, free of charge. The offer is valid through March 5, 2014...

Apple reportedly working on iOS update to improve Touch ID

Cody Lee ∙ February 28, 2014

As cool as the fingerprint reader is on the iPhone 5s, it's not perfect. We have, on several occasions, complained about the accuracy of Touch ID seemingly 'fading' over time, and a number of 5s owners have turned out to Apple's support forums to voice their disdain as well.

Luckily, it sounds like there may be light at the end of the tunnel. AppleInsider is reporting this morning that the Cupertino company is currently preparing a software update that will improve the fingerprint recognition experience of Touch ID, and possibly fix the 'fade' issue...

Pocket picks up Google Account login support, offline sharing to Evernote

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 28, 2014

The popular read-later service Pocket (formerly Read It Later) has been bumped to version 5.1. The new build adds a pair of useful features and squashes a few bugs (and likely introduces new ones). Now available free in the App Store, the new Pocket 5.1 lets you use your Google account to sign up and log in to Pocket.

This tremendously useful feature allows new users to start using the app without too much hassle.

Previously, you had to create an account with Pocket before you could use their service. I wish all apps supported standard logins via Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo. There's nothing worse than being prompted to create a brand new account with a service - that's yet another username and passwords to worry about.

I've included additional information about the other new feature right after the break...

Google Maps now lets you choose multiple modes of transit

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 28, 2014

Google has been dutifully adding new features to its native Maps application for the iPhone and iPad. Just earlier this month, we saw Google Maps gain a new feature allowing users to get notified when a faster route becomes available when heading towards a destination in the navigation mode.

Today's minor update, now live in the App Store, includes the obligatory bug fixes and another new feature: an improved route planning with multiple modes of transit.

Although it seems like a minor addition, the feature is quite handy when planning your route because you are no longer limited to defining a route based on either walking, driving or biking and can instead choose multiple modes of transit...