Month: March 2015

JOTO is a solid tempered glass screen protector for iPhone 6

Screen protection is a varied subject. Some iPhone owners will argue that the screen is tough enough to withstand all manner of abuse without leaving behind a scratch. Others believe that, not even a single fingerprint should ever touch the ion-strengthened touch screen.

JOTO is a screen protector made from tempered glass to satisfy those in the latter camp. If you are going to cover your screen with something, why not make it the strongest protector on the market.

If you have $10,000+ to spend, Apple will give you a 30-minute hands on with Apple Watch Edition

Those who have a minimum of $10,000 to spend on Apple Watch Edition are in luck, as Apple will offer them 30 minutes to check out the device in select stores, according to IBT, which talked to Apple Store employees in two separate New York locations.

Standard appointments can be scheduled beginning April 10, and will last for 15 minutes, which should give enough times to figure out what specific model or band to choose. People interested in spending big will have double that time to make their decision.

New CNNgo channel launches on Apple TV, cable subscription required

CNN announced on Wednesday that its new CNNgo channel is now available on Apple TV. This marks the first Turner brand to launch on Apple's set-top box, and it features the largest collection of CNN’s on-demand content to date.

In addition to on-demand programming, the channel also offers access to Live TV and shows, such as the popular Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown and Anderson Cooper 360. Of course for these things you'll need cable credentials.

Using pre-release software? You beta be sure

So there I was, two days into my carrier's billing cycle looking at a text message saying I had used 80% of my 2GB data allowance. I'd used 1.6GB of 4G data in a couple of days, and I have Wi-Fi at home and at work. In fact, the only place I don't have Wi-Fi in my day-to-day life is my car.

I'd used 1.6GB of 4G data in my car. How?

The answer came after much toggling of iOS option switches, browsing of websites and general trial and error. It turned out the 'Documents and Sync' portion of the inner workings of iOS was eating data like there was no tomorrow, which, once it reached that 2GB cap, wasn't far from the truth. I had to buy more data just to give me wiggle room to do some more testing and once I knew where in iOS I could specifically track the usage that was causing me problems, I had somewhere to start.

Now believe it or not this post isn't about hunting for strange iOS bugs and squashing them with the contempt that they deserve. It's not even to point out that the culprit, after it was first thought to be iCloud Drive and in particular my favorite text editor, was actually iCloud Photo Library. It's to remind everyone that betas aren't as fun as you may think.

Facebook turns Messenger into a platform, opens API to third-party developers

Facebook unveiled at its F8 Developer Conference on Wednesday it will make its Messenger API available to third-party developers, making Messenger a platform, like previously reported.

Developers will not only be able to hook their apps into the service, but Messenger users will also be able to install apps and make purchases inside Messenger. Facebook says 40 apps are launching within Facebook Messenger right away. 

2K’s best iOS games are on sale, starting with BioShock at $3 and more

Publisher 2K Games is having a killer Spring Sale deal on its premium 2014 releases in the App Store, reports TouchArcade. Avid gamers can now grab triple-As at a sharp discount, for a limited time. iPhone and iPad titles like BioShock, NBA 2K15, NHL 2K and others are now available starting at just three bucks each.

BioShock for iOS, for example, can be now yours in exchange for $2.99, down sharply from its usual asking price of $10.99. This is actually the first time BioShock has been discounted below five bucks since its release on the App Store.

Google to take on Twitch with own game streaming video service

Google is going to announce a new YouTube-branded live video streaming service with an emphasis on gaming, according to the British newspaper The Guardian on Wednesday citing a scoop by tech blog The Daily Dot.

The Internet giant is reportedly prepping to introduce its live-streaming service under the YouTube Live moniker. YouTube Live will apparently relaunch later this year, re-focused on game streaming and e-sports.

Such turn of events wasn't entirely unexpected. A year ago, Google wanted to buy Twitch but has failed to seal the deal and got outbid by Amazon, which paid a cool $1 billion for the popular game-streaming service.

Users reporting problems accessing App Store and iTunes (update: back up again)

A growing number of users are taking to Twitter this morning to complain of yet another outage affecting Apple's App Store and the iTunes Store. Several folks around the world have reported problems purchasing new applications, with the App Store and iTunes returning a "The item you've requested is not currently available” error message.

Others complain about not being able to conduct searches for content on the iTunes Store and App Store and download apps and other content.

UPDATE 11:35am ET: all systems seem to have become operational again following a brief outage that lasted about an hour or so.

Google working to let you pay bills from directly within Gmail

Google is working on a new service that will allow you to pay your bills from directly within your Gmail email inbox, ridding of the need to visit multiple websites every time you pay your bills each month.

Recode was able to get its hands on all the details for the secret project, dubbed "Pony Express". Internally, it's being called "the future of paper mail" and is expected to roll out in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Apple’s iSpaceship campus will use recycled water

Apple's upcoming Campus 2 building, nicknamed by the press iSpaceship due to its appearance resembling a flying saucer that has just landed in a field, will be more environmentally friendly than initially thought with news Wednesday that the facility will take full advantage of recycled water.

As reported by The San Jose Mercury News, the Santa Clara Valley Water District board last night approved a $17.5 million project that will deepen the use of recycled water in the parched South Bay “and make Apple's futuristic new campus a little bit greener.”