Year: 2016

GraphicConverter for Mac gains facial recognition, Collage, Picture Package and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2016

GraphicConverter by small Germany-based developer Lemkesoft has been dubbed the Swiss Army knife of Mac graphics programs, and for a very good reason: this app converts over 200 different graphic file formats into any of almost 80 graphic formats.

In its latest update, GraphicConverter for Mac was bumped to version 10 and enriched with a trio of major new features—facial recognition for your photos, Collage and Picture Package—along with refinements like support for converting Apple’s Live Photos format into an animated GIF.

New software promises to bring 3D Touch to any smartphone, no special hardware needed

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2016

Apple brought 3D Touch into this world with the introduction of the iPhone 6s in September 2015. Fast forward nine months and Android competitors are still struggling to outfit their devices with an array of force-sensing display sensors.

We know that Google's upcoming Android N will bring system-level support for pressure-sensing screens, but now folks at the University of Michigan have developed a technology that would bring 3D touch-like features to most smartphones, without making any hardware modification.

You no longer need Amazon’s Echo speaker to enjoy Alexa

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2016

If you've ever wanted to take Amazon's Alexa digital assistant for a spin but bulked at the though of dropping $180 on the company's Echo wireless speaker, now you can.

Originally started by Nexmo developer Sam Machin at a hackathon in 2015, a web-based Alexa simulator runs in any standards-compliant web browser.

How Apple’s advanced self-learning technologies could make Siri a lot smarter

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2016

The assistant wars are in full swing, with Google Assistant and Viv entering the fray and existing players such as Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, Hound and Google's Now all stepping up fight for consumers' hearts and minds.

Apple's rumored Amazon Echo competitor, which VentureBeat believes is a next-gen Apple TV, could blow all the assistants out of the water when it comes to deciphering complex natural language queries.

And powering it—VocalIQ, a sophisticate technology Apple acquired back in October 2015. Tech Insider provided an in-depth overview of how VocalIQ could make Siri a lot smarter than it is today.

Samsung’s VR smartphone screen could let you enjoy 3D without any special glasses

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2016

Virtual reality is a new tech buzzword and key players are taking notice, with Samsung Display showing off a cutting-edge smartphone display technology at the Display Week conference in San Francisco last week. The tech promises to let people enjoy 3D content without needing any special glasses.

Apple supplier to build nanowire-based flexible toucscreens, likely for future iOS devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 10, 2017

Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes is reporting that TPK Holding is gearing up to product nanowire-based flexible touchscreens. TPK is on Apple's supplier list so there's a high likelihood that future iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices could switch to these flexible screens based on nano silver ink. Originally developed by 3M, silver nanowire films are flexible and transparent to the eye, making them feasible for wearable devices particular.

Apple paid $33,333 per stair for glass staircase in San Francisco’s Union Square

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2016

Apple's signature glass staircase in its newly launched store on San Francisco’s Union Square set the company back a cool $1 million, or approximately $33,333 per stair, while the shell of the building cost about $19 million, according to official building permits obtained by Patently Apple.

The building's sprinkler system cost an estimated $2.28 million to upgrade, the solar power installation on the roof cost $800,000 while installing canopy panels came with a $150,000 price tag attached to it.

Indian government formally rejects Apple’s plan to sell used iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2016

The government of India has said 'no' to Apple's request to import used iPhones into the country, LiveMint reported today. The move comes hot on the heels of the finance ministry's decision to rejecte a recommendation from the commerce ministry to waive the 30 percent local sourcing norm for Apple to sell refurbished iPhones in its own branded stores in India.

“We are not in favour of any company selling used phones in the company, however certified they may be,” said commerce and industry minister, Nirmala Sitharaman.

Changing the default payment method in Apple Pay

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated January 23, 2019

Despite some Apple device users being skeptical of using Apple Pay for security reasons, many are embracing the power of NFC payment technology everywhere it is supported.

If you're like many Apple Pay users, then you might have more than one credit or debit card linked to your Apple Pay Wallet. If this is the case, then it would be good to know how to choose which card is set as the default card when you choose to carry out payments at the register.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how that's done.

Designer Star Wars wallpapers collection

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated November 8, 2020

Of the running Wallpapers of the Week section, Star Wars wallpapers are among the most popular. Today's collection features fan art in the noir and minimalist categories, taking a new spin on our previous Star Wars wallpaper posts.

With a six year span of Star Wars movies, starting with The Force Awakens in 2015 and a new movie launching each year until 2020, Star Wars wallpapers will continue to be a popular category for new and old fans alike. Inside, take a look at the newest selection and download images for your iPhone or desktop.

Jailbreak tweaks of the week: Prenesi 3, LetMeSwitch, & more…

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated June 4, 2016

Despite the dry Cydia pipeline that continues on due to the lack of a fresh jailbreak, existing iOS developers are still launching jailbreak tweak releases.

This week hasn't been much more impressive than the last, but nevertheless, we'll still recap on everything that's new. We'll start with our favorites, and then we'll finish off with the rest of this week's releases.

Prenesi 3 enables video downloads and more in the Facebook app [jailbreak]

Anthony Bouchard ∙ May 29, 2016

Facebook users who are looking for a little more oomph from their app experience are going to love a new jailbreak tweak release called Prenesi 3.

This tweak not only supercharges the app with additional features, but it even lets users further configure the app's behavior and features to their liking.

A long story short, if you're rocking a jailbroken device and you use Facebook regularly, then this is a tweak you don't want to miss.