Year: 2014

How much will stainless steel and gold Apple Watches cost? New rumor has the answer

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 4, 2014

The Apple Watch will start at $349 for the basic Sport edition with its anodized aluminum case and come in Spring 2015.

But what about the more expensive stainless steel version — and especially the luxurious gold edition which features a case crafted from 18-karat gold that “our metallurgists have developed to be up to twice as hard as standard gold“?

While the Cupertino firm has yet to reveal pricing for these Apple Watches, a new rumor shared by French blog iGen.fr [Google Translate] pegs the asking prices of the stainless steel model with a polished or black side at $500.

And if you have a hole burning in your pocket that demands to be filled with cash, you'll definitely want to avoid the pricey gold edition.

iOS 8.1.1 apparently kills Pangu jailbreak

Sébastien Page ∙ November 4, 2014

The cat and mouse game between Apple and the jailbreak community is still very much happening, if an unconfirmed message from an apparent member of the Pangu Team is to be believed.

Weibo user Daniel_K4, who is apparently a member of the Pangu Team recently posted that iOS 8.1.1 beta that was released yesterday patches exploits used by the Pangu jailbreak, incapacitating the jailbreak process on devices that will be updated to the latest OS version once it is released to the public.

Pangu jailbreak for iOS 8 updated to version 1.2.0 with fixes for CPU drain and Safari issues

Sébastien Page ∙ November 4, 2014

It seems that not a day goes by without the Pangu Team or saurik releasing an update of some sort for their respective tools. Today, the Pangu Team announced the release of Pangu 1.2.0, an update that brings yet another round of fixes for the iOS 8 jailbreak tool.

Office mobile apps will soon sync to Dropbox

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Software giant Microsoft has partnered with Dropbox, the hot cloud-storage startup that Steve Jobs once wanted to buy for $800+ million, to give Office users across desktop, mobile and the web built-in access to Word, Excel and PowerPoint files in their Dropbox, the firms said Tuesday.

Soon, Dropbox users will be able to link their account directly to the Word, Excel and PowerPoint iPad apps.

As a result, customers will be able to edit Office documents right from their Dropbox mobile app, and access their Dropbox from within their mobile Office apps.

Disney’s Movies Anywhere out for Android, makes cross-platform movies a reality

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 2, 2018

In a somewhat ironic twist of fate, Disney is helping blur the lines between Apple's and Google's respective ecosystems with Tuesday's release of its Movies Anywhere app for Android, now available free of charge in the U.S. Google Play Store. That's right, the app now lets folks buy and enjoy Disney content on both iOS and Android devices.

The movie-curating app debuted as an iOS exclusive in February 2014 with support for free streaming of any Disney, Pixar and Marvel content previously purchased from Apple's iTunes Store. Any of the 450 Disney movies you bought using the app would immediately register as purchased inside the iTunes Store.

Now that Disney Movies Anywhere is available for both iOS and Android, not only can you watch your Disney movies across Apple's and Google's platforms, but also purchase any Disney, Pixar or Marvel Universe movie on Google Play and have it available on iOS and vice versa.

AT&T’s new Next 24 plan lets you pay off your iPhone in 30 months

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 4, 2014

Joining the existing Next 12 and Next 18 plans, U.S. wireless carrier AT&T at Tuesday's AT&T Consumer Industry Analyst Conference took the wraps off its new Next 24 plan which allows customers to take 30 months to pay for their iPhone (or other smartphone) in monthly installments beginning November 9.

Just like the Next 12 and Next 18 plans which allow subscribers to pay off their device in 20 and 24 months, respectively, the Next 24 plan upgrades you to a new device after 30 months have passed and you've brought in your current smartphone in good condition.

As a bonus, the carrier also announced a $150 bill credit for switchers who activate a new line of service with a smartphone on AT&T Next.

Rumor: Microsoft developing next-generation Surface Pro with 13″ to 14″ screen

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 4, 2014

Software giant Microsoft is reportedly considering developing a bigger Surface Pro tablet with a thirteen to fourteen-inch screen that should appeal to business users for whom productivity is the chief concern, according to a rumor Tuesday out of Taiwan.

As reported by DigiTimes, a Taiwanese trade publication, success of the current twelve-inch Surface Pro 3 — Surface business revenues surged 127 percent to $908 million in the third quarter of 2014 — has encouraged decisions makers at the Redmond firm to consider an even bigger tablet.

First HomeKit certified chips now shipping to smart home device makers

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 4, 2014

Although Apple hasn't officially launched its HomeKit yet (they're still finalizing the protocol), first certified chips that run a beat version of the upcoming HomeKit firmware have begun shipping to smart home device vendors such as makers of connected climate controls, lighting, security cameras and door locks, Forbes reported Tuesday.

The iPhone maker requires that accessory makers use officially certified Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chips from Apple-approved chipmakers Texas Instruments, Marvell and Broadcom, which have now started shipping HomeKit chips to device vendors. By all accounts, there shouldn't be too long a wait until first HomeKit-certified smart home devices arrive.

UniChar Picker is an iOS keyboard for Unicode characters and symbols

Lory Gil ∙ November 4, 2014

We’ve seen dozens of colorful keyboard apps that don’t do a whole lot. We’ve tested a handful that have incredible features, but are still basic keyboards, nonetheless. We’ve even seen keyboards that let you access GIF memes so you don’t have to write actual words. How about something very unique and useful to coders?

UniChar Picker does just that. It features more than 500 Unicode characters across six different categories. Set it as your default keyboard to type in any app, or copy and paste symbols in the app to create just the right text.

Pinterest 4.0 is out with sleek new iPhone interface

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Pinterest has updated its iOS client this morning, bringing the app to version 4.0. The update doesn't feature a lot of changes, but it does include some speed improvements and bring about a sleek new interface for the iPhone.

The Pinterest team says it "de-cluttered and simplified" navigation within the app, so it’s faster to find your way around, and created more space for Pin images and descriptions, making it easier to sift through and digest content.

iTunes has the Dark Knight trilogy for $15 and other movie deals

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Heads up movie lovers and Batman fans, the iTunes Movie Store is offering a great deal on the popular Dark Knight trilogy. For a limited time, you can get all three movies: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises in HD for just $14.99.

Given that $15 is typically the standalone price tag for each of these movies, the promotion will net you a savings of $30. The three films, which star Christian Bale, come highly recommended too, with all of them rated an 85% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes.