Year: 2014

Christmas Lumia sales collapse, Nokia schedules media event to – unveil Android device?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2016

After reading a Forbes article two days ago highlighting 24 countries where Windows Phones outsells the iPhone - which disregards the fact that Microsoft is gaining traction in markets where the iPhone doesn’t compete because Windows Phone sales are most in the low-end - I wanted to write a reality check type of an article.

Today, both Nokia and Microsoft were served a reality check after the struggling Finnish handset maker reported a whopping 29 percent lower handset revenue in the Christmas quarter. Worse, sales are decelerating at an alarming clip: Nokia said it sold 8.2 million phones during the Christmas quarter versus Wall Street consensus of ten million units. And they only sold 30 million handsets during 2013.

The company has now scheduled a press conference at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in February amid persisting rumors of a budget Android phone with the Nokia logo on it, the ambitious project apparently code-named Normandy...

How to remove the numbers and letters from the passcode buttons on the Lock screen

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Interested in removing the letters and numbers from the passcode buttons on the Lock screen? If so, then SimplePasscodeButtons is a tweak that was created just for you.

SimplePasscodeButtons is an extremely simple tweak (hence the name) that allows you to hide the letters on the passcode screen, or both the letters and numbers. The end result is a a bunch of circles on the passcode screen with nothing inside them. Have a look inside for our video walkthrough and more details.

How to slim down banner notifications in iOS 7

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

TinyBar is a brand new jailbreak tweak that allows you to slim down the look of incoming banner notifications in iOS 7. The tweak, which is configurable from the stock Settings app, also features the ability to implement scrolling for messages that eclipse the width of the iPhone's screen.

TinyBar is an interesting way to go about customizing the look and feel of banner notifications. Take a look at our video walkthrough inside for a demonstration of how it works.

SwiftKey note-taking iPhone app leaks, shows off custom auto-correct keyboard with predictions

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 23, 2014

TouchType is behind the popular SwiftKey software keyboard for Android phones and the company previously went on the record expressing hope that Apple would allow third-party software keyboard development for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

"The keyboard is the thing that needs work more than anything on that platform," TouchType's marketing chief Joe Braidwood said last summer.

For the record, Tim Cook did promise that his company would open iOS up more for third-party developers. While the stock iOS keyboard is still off limits, TouchType is now incorporating its popular SwiftKey keyboard technology into an upcoming new note-taking iOS app, SwiftKey Note...

Haswell-based Mac mini refresh underway in late-February

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 23, 2014

Apple's Mac mini is way overdue for a specs bump - it's now been a whopping 458 days since the $599 desktop received its last hardware refresh, bringing faster processors and other updated internals.

According to a Belgian retailer’s online storefront, Apple's most affordable Mac desktop is about to be updated with the latest Intel Haswell Core i5 and Core i7 processors.

This information has been corroborated by at least one source who was able to confirm that the Mac mini refresh tidbit came from “reliable sources”...

iPhone 5s owners guzzling up 20 percent more data than iPhone 5 users

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

A new research report from JDSU has revealed that owners of the iPhone 5s are gobbling up 20 percent more data compared to people who own an iPhone 5. This means that for every five megabytes (or gigabytes) of cellular data consumed by an iPhone 5 owner, an additional megabyte (or gigabyte) gets guzzled up by an iPhone 5s owner.

In fact, looking at the list of top ten devices that downloaded most data in 2013, Apple's iOS gadgets took six slots. I'm guessing Tim Cook is smiling as we speak for this survey is another sign of Apple's devices getting far more actual use compared to Android-driven handsets, Android's lead in terms of sheer volume notwithstanding...

Bardbarian review: crush bad guys with your shredding guitar licks

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

I love a good mash-up. Mix Slayer with DMX and you’ll win my heart. Mix “Shining” with a feel-good trailer and I’ll giggle. Mix role-playing games and castle defense and I’ll be glued to my iOS device for hours.

Bardbarian is a mash-up game that combines the fantasy of role-playing battles with the tactics of castle defense. Throw in some lowbrow humor and a sprinkle of metal music for good measure and you can see why it is so fun…

Pixelmator 3.1 brings photo printing, Mac Pro GPU acceleration and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Pixelmator is my favorite Photoshop replacement and today's 3.1 update code-named Marble brings a new Order Prints feature, full support for the Mac Pro and its dual-GPUs, including 16-bits per channel color image support, a few new effects, a number of improvements for Layer Styles, Type Tool and selections and a whole bunch of other minor refinements and bug fixes. The update is free for those who've purchased the app, a $29.99 download from the Mac App Store...

Life Graphy helps you stay on track with your New Year’s resolutions

Lory Gil ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

Millions of people set resolutions on Jan. 1 of this year. Thousands have probably already given up on their goal. You don’t have to walk away from your resolutions just because you didn’t start three weeks ago. You can still follow through with your goals. You may just need some help sticking with it.

Life Graphy is a simple app that helps you be accountable to yourself when there is no one else to be accountable to. Whenever you think about eating that late-night snack, just remember you won’t be able to mark that goal as successful today…

Analyst: iPhone 6 design locked down, specs include 4.8″ screen, 802.11ac Wi-Fi

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 23, 2014

Apple has apparently decided on the design of its next iPhone and specifications are said to include a 4.8-inch display, according to an analyst with Cowen and Company who must have been following our non-scientific poll which had the majority of respondents opt for a 4.7-inch form factor.

The phone should additionally include the latest 802.11ac networking, also known as Gigabit Wi-Fi, for three times greater wireless transfer speeds. Apple currently supports Gigabit Wi-Fi in the recently refreshed AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule wireless appliances and across its Mac Pro, MacBook and iMac families...

Foxconn managers arrested for allegedly accepting bribes

Cody Lee ∙ January 23, 2014

According to a new report, Taiwan police officers have arrested around a dozen managers at Foxconn on suspicion of soliciting several million in bribes from iPhone parts suppliers. Vendors reportedly had to pay 2.5% in kickbacks and other off-the-books fees to secure orders.

The group of arrested employees includes some pretty high-level Foxconn executives like Deng Zhixian, director general for Foxconn's committee of surface mount technology, and retired senior vice president Liao Wancheng, who police think was the mastermind of the scheme...

Sunrise Calendar criticized over request for iCloud credentials

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 31, 2017

We're big fans of the Sunrise Calendar app here at iDB. We named it one of our Apps of the Week in October of last year, and it has a permanent spot on our list of Best iPhone apps. It's a great-looking, full-featured alternative to Apple's stock Calendar.

But Sunrise has been taking a lot of heat lately for one of its newer features: iCloud support. You see, in order for you to add your iCloud account, the app requires you to enter your Apple ID and password. And some people see this as a huge security risk...