Apple has acquired UK-based voice technology startup VocalIQ, according to a report from the Financial Times. A spokesman for the Cupertino company has confirmed the buyout with the usual boilerplate statement of "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."
Apple on Thursday named Tapinator's "Combo Quest" its App of the Week for this week. This means that for the next 7 days, you'll be able to grab the popular role playing game for free for both your iPhone and iPad—a nice little savings of $1.
For those unfamiliar with the title, Combo Quest is an epic, time-tap role-playing adventure. You play a knight that must fend off vicious enemies and terrifying beasts on a heroic quest to retrieve the Combo Crown, taken by a mischievous dragon.
HBO on Thursday pushed out an update for its HBO Now streaming app, bringing the iOS client to version 1.3. The update is a significant one for folks running iOS 9, particularly those with a late-model iPad, as it adds compatibility with some of the new software's features.
The most important of those features is Picture in Picture, which allows [newer] iPad owners to watch videos in a small, standalone window while using other apps. Additionally, the update adds support for Spotlight Search, as well as various other bug fixes and improvements.
Apple on Wednesday seeded the third beta version of iOS 9.1 to developers. The software is available to registered developers either over-the-air, for those running the latest iOS 9.1 beta, or via Apple’s developer website.
Today's release comes one week after beta 2 was made available to developers, and 3 weeks after iOS 9.1 was first introduced to the public during Apple's iPhone 6s event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.
Photographer Lisa Bettany, co-founder of the popular iPhone app Camera+, on Monday posted a series of images comparing photos taken with the iPhone 6s with its predecessors. The comparison images feature identical shots taken with each of the 9 iPhone models (sans 5c).
The image you see above shows macro photos taken of colored pencils against a white backdrop. You start to notice more details with the iPhone 3GS, and furthermore with the 4s. After that it becomes harder to discern differences, but the iPhone 6s photo clearly looks the best.
Amazon is currently offering a significant discount on its popular Prime service, cutting the one-year membership fee from $99 to $67. The promotion is in celebration of the company's 5 Emmy wins earlier this week, and is good through 11:59 p.m. PT Friday night.
For those unfamiliar with Amazon Prime, the service includes a number of benefits. There's free 2-day shipping (and same-day in some areas) on millions of products, and free access to Prime Video, Prime Photos, Prime Music and the Kindle Lending Library.
Apple has named Nickelodeon's "Doodle Jump SpongeBob SquarePants" its App of the Week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you could grab the special SpongeBob edition of the popular platformer for free—a solid savings of $2.
In the game, players are tasked with restoring order to Bikini Bottom after Plankton and his crew steal the Krabby Patty Secret Formula. You do this by helping Doodle Jump SpongeBob jump up and across the sea, blasting bubbles at anyone who gets in his way.
Pebble on Wednesday announced a new addition to its smartwatch lineup called the Pebble Time Round. As the name suggests, the device sports a round face, and the company is billing it as "the world's lightest and thinnest smartwatch."
At 7.5mm thin, with a weight of just 28 grams, this may very well be true, but the size reduction comes at a steep cost: battery life. While Pebble watches are typically known for near-week-long battery life, the Round only lasts about 2 days.
Apple on Wednesday seeded the second beta version of iOS 9.1 to developers. The software is available to registered developers either over-the-air, for those running the first iOS 9.1 beta, or via Apple’s developer website.
Introduced earlier this month, iOS 9.1 will bring about new features for the just-announced iPad Pro, such as support for new accessories. The update also includes support for Unicode 8, which will add several new emoji.
Apple has named Triada Studio's Shadowmatic its App of the Week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you'll be able to download the popular 3D puzzler for free, for both iPhone and iPad, saving yourself a solid $3.
For those unfamiliar with it, Shadowmatic is an imagination-stirring experience in which you are tasked with solving a series of 3D silhouette puzzles. The title has received high praise for its stunning visuals and relaxing, captivating gameplay.
The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that Apple is entitled to an injunction that would bar Samsung from using its patented technology in its devices. The decision could force the Korean manufacturer to change certain features on its smartphones and tablets.
At the heart of the matter is 3 software features that Apple has patented: slide-to-unlock on a device's touchscreen, the automatic correction of spelling errors, and quick-linking, which allows a user to do things like tap on a phone number within a body of text to place a call.
Apple on Thursday seeded the first beta of OS X 10.11.1 to developers. The new build is available to registered developers via the Updates section of the Mac App Store or through Apple’s Developer Center.
The update, labeled build 15B17c, comes two weeks before the release of OS X El Capitan to the public. It's similar to the approach we've seen on iOS, where the first iOS 9.1 beta arrived ahead of the iOS 9 launch.