Year: 2014

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus reservations in China reportedly top 4 million

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Reservations for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in China have already topped 4 million, reports Tencent. The Chinese media outlet says that demand for the two new handsets is strong in the country, with reservations hitting 2 million in just 6 hours, and 4 million in within the first day.

Note, this number does not include official iPhone 6 pre-orders, which haven't started yet. Apple announced on September 29 that it had picked up the necessary approval to sell its two new smartphones in China, and told customers that pre-orders would begin Tuesday, October 14.

Hulu Plus app updated with new design, in-app subscriptions and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Hulu has posted a major update for its Hulu Plus iOS client, bringing the app to version 4.0. The update features a number of enhancements, including an all new design, new navigation options, and in-app subscriptions, which allows you to subscribe to the Hulu Plus service.

In addition to these changes, the Hulu Plus app also received a new Search function, which now offers contextually grouped results to help you find what you're looking for. The app has also been updated to support iOS 8, and to "run beautifully" on the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Apple in talks with record labels to lower Beats Music fees

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Apple is working to bring down the fees associated with Beats Music, reports Recode. The site says the company is speaking with major record labels about a new set of rights and features it would like to include in a revamped version of the streaming music service for less than $10 per month.

Discussions are in their early stages, as Apple isn't launching the overhauled Beats Music service until next year, but some critics wonder just how successful the firm will be in convincing folks in the music industry to agree to a price cut on a product they never wanted to exist in the first place.

Popular jailbreak tweak ‘CallBar’ receives a big iOS 7 update

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

CallBar, the tweak that lets you better manage incoming calls, has received a fairly big update to better suite iOS 7. The tweak now features Notification Center integration, which allows users to handle all telephony needs from a familiar location. The update also features a re-designed incoming call screen, which allows you to use your device more efficiently while your iPhone is ringing.

All in all, CallBar for iOS 7 is a fairly massive upgrade over its predecessors from a visual and usability standpoint. Many of the functions remain the same, but the tweak has been laid out in a manner so that it's easier to use and easier on the eyes. Have a look at our video overview of CallBar for iOS 7 after the jump.

Leonardo DiCaprio out, director Danny Boyle in for Sony’s Steve Jobs biopic

Cody Lee ∙ October 2, 2014

Oscar-nominated actor Leonardo DiCaprio has withdrawn from negotiations to play Steve Jobs in Sony's upcoming movie on the Apple founder, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The actor was slated to begin work on the film after wrapping up The Revenant, but he has instead decided to take an extended hiatus.

With DiCaprio out, a number of other high profile names have come back into the mix. THR says that top talent including Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Bradley Cooper are all on Sony's wish list, but it adds that Affleck seems unlikely given he just signed on to a film with a similar production schedule.

A closer look at the layers of security behind Apple Pay

Sébastien Page ∙ October 2, 2014

Yoni Heisler gives a detailed look at the security mechanisms of Apple Pay, and explains why it may very well be the safest way to make any type of credit card payment. Based on discussions with a few credit card executives involved in the Apple Pay development process, Heisler paints a great pictures of the various security elements behind Apple Pay.

Halfbrick Studios launches completely redesigned Fruit Ninja game

Cody Lee ∙ October 2, 2014

Halfbrick Studios has released today what it is calling the "biggest update ever" to Fruit Ninja. The popular game, which has garnered nearly 700k reviews on the App Store, has been redesigned from the ground up with new content, gameplay elements and more.

At its core, most of the mechanics are still the same—the game is still about slicing fruit as quickly and efficiently as possible. But there are a lot of additions, such as new experience and currency systems, which are used to buy various upgrades and power ups.

Artistic photography app Fragment is Apple’s new Free App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

Artistry in iPhone photography can now be in everyone's hands with Fragment, Apple's new Free App of the Week. As you know, each Thursday the App Store editorial team cherry-picks a new app to slash from its regular price to zero bucks, for a week.

Fragment by Pixite is a nifty little iPhone and iPad app that puts cool prismatic effects in your pocket, allowing you to transform your snaps into unique artworks.

It also plays nice with iOS 8 and includes a handy extension to edit your images right within the stock Photos app. Fragment is free until next Thursday, a $1.99 saving.

New videos highlight iPhone 6’s faster Wi-Fi and real-world multitasking performance

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 2, 2014

A pair of videos have surfaced this week offering a good look at real-world multitasking performance of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus relative to competition, while demonstrating the speedy 802.11ac wireless networking Apple's implemented on both devices.

The results suggest that the new iPhones offer nearly three times faster Wi-Fi performance than the iPhone 5s while beating out Samsung's Galaxy S5 and HTC's One M8 handsets in app loading times and task switching.

Apple names Steve Dowling interim PR chief

Cody Lee ∙ October 2, 2014

Apple has named Steve Dowling as its new head of public relations, reports Recode. Citing sources close to the company, the outlet says that after 6 months of searching for a replacement for Katie Cotton, Tim Cook offered Dowling the position last week and he accepted.

Dowling’s appointment is temporary as of right now, and Apple will continue to evaluate high profile candidates as they come up. But Recode points out that since Cook selected the long-term veteran himself to lead Apple's PR team, there's a good chance he could stay put.

iOS 8 Translator Keyboard lets you translate text from one language to another

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 2, 2014

You can now put Translator Keyboard by developer Steven Barnegren on your list of system wide third-party keyboards available in the App Store for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices running iOS 8 or later.

First spotted by MacRumors, the $1.99 iPhone and iPad software makes it easy to translate any text to 44 different languages (and translate from 30 languages) by choosing your source and target language straight from the keyboard.

Twitter for Mac gains photos in DMs, picks up supports for multiple images per tweet

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 28, 2018

After refreshing its iPhone and iPad app with support for Interactive Notifications on iOS 8 and revamped profile pages, the micro-blogging platform Twitter on Thursday issued an update to its Mac client implementing a pair of new photo features.

The first allows you to add an image to your direct messages and the other introduces support for attaching up to four images to a single tweet.

Twitter for Mac 3.1 is available free in the Mac App Store.