Apple continues its international expansion of iTunes services this afternoon, with the launch of iTunes Match in Japan. iOS users in the country can now access the service, which first launched in the United States back in 2011.
For those unfamiliar with the service, iTunes Match allows users to 'mirror' their music libraries to the cloud. This enables them to access their songs from any compatible device, without having to spend hours uploading them...
Amazon is expected to unveil its first smartphone in the not-so-distant future, and according to a new report from BGR, this is what it's going to look like. The site says the image on the above slide was created for internal use by graphic designers at Amazon.
Note that the handset looks quite different than the prototype we saw last month—BGR explains this is because that device was housed in a protective casing. The actual phone's design resembles that of the iPhone and other smartphones currently on the market...
Good news for iOS users in Germany today, as Apple has expanded iTunes in the Cloud in the country. The cloud-based sync-and-storage service now supports the streaming of movies and television shows.
What this means is that German users will now be able to access previously-purchased movie and television content on any Apple device, including the Apple TV, by accessing the 'Purchased' tab in iTunes...
Sunrise Calendar, which made our list of best calendar apps for iOS back in March, was updated today. The new release brings the app to version 2.3, and includes a handful of improvements as well as a new feature called 'Interesting Calendars.'
As the name suggests, Interesting Calendars allows you to add various types of pre-made calendars with a few simple taps. Sunrise now offers over 25,000 calendars to help you keep track of holidays, sport team schedules and more within the app...
Following the news that Sprint is considering buying T-Mobile comes word of another major acquisition. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that AT&T has approached DirecTV to begin possible buyout talks. The deal, the outlet says, could be worth over $40 billion in cash, stock and other assets.
Between DirecTV's satellite business and AT&T's U-verse arm, the move would result in a combined 26 million TV subscribers—which would be second only to the hypothetical Comcast/TWC combination, should that deal go through. So essentially, the two companies would hold most of the market...
According to a new report from Bloomberg, Sprint is preparing to acquire T-Mobile this summer. It's a rumor we've heard before, but the outlet says that the carrier has met with a number of banks, and plans to make a serious bid as early as June.
SoftBank and Deutsche Telekom, which own majority stakes in Sprint and T-Mobile respectively, are said to be in 'active discussions' over the buyout and possible CEO prospects. And unsurprisingly, T-Mobile's John Legere is the leading candidate...
1Password users will be happy to hear that AgileBits posted a new version of the iOS app this week, bringing the popular password manager to version 4.5.1. The update includes several enhancements, including background Dropbox syncing and more.
In fact, much of the update revolves around data syncing. In addition to the Dropbox fix, the app now uses the network activity indicator to show when sync is occurring, and conflict resolution during syncing has been improved. Full change log below...
Apple announced last fall that it was opening up a new crystal sapphire production plant in Mesa, Arizona with partner GT Advanced Technologies. It's believed that the company is using the facility to make sapphire display covers for the upcoming iPhone 6.
Adding weight to the theory is a new report claiming that GT shipped small quantities of sapphire from Arizona to one of Apple’s partners in China this month. The news comes as manufacturers are believed to be ramping up production on the next-gen iPhone...
Google has launched a pair of new productivity apps for iOS this morning: Google Docs and Google Sheets. For those unfamiliar with the two apps, they're front-end clients for the company's web-based word processor and spreadsheet editor.
The move follows the release of Microsoft Office for iPad last month, and Apple's move to make its iWork apps free late last year. Can Google's business software suite compete in this space? Keep reading for an overview and more screenshots...
In case you needed any more proof that wearables aren't just a passing fad, Amazon launched a new storefront this week dedicated specifically to the space. Dubbed the 'Wearable Technology' store, the page highlights health trackers, smartwatches and more.
Since it's likely that many of Amazon's customers aren't familiar with the new devices just yet, the company has supplemented its retail offerings with other content like 'Learning Center' videos, product comparisons, recommendations and editorial reviews...
As part of its ongoing 25th anniversary celebration, CNBC put together a list of what it believes were the top 25 most influential people in the last 25 years. Dubbed 'First 25: Rebels, Icons & Leaders, the list includes the likes of Jeff Bezos and Oprah Winfrey.
For many, it'll come as no surprise that CNBC ranked Steve Jobs #1 in the list. The outlet said that the co-founder of Apple deserved the top spot because "his vision spurred changes far beyond his industry and put an indelible stamp on the wider culture."
An interesting new iPhone case is garnering some attention in the tech world right now. It's called the Lunecase, and it features a built-in LED alert system that can let you know when you are receiving a phone call or text message via a glowing icon.
That may not sound like a big deal, but the real trick is that it's able to do this completely wirelessly, without the need for any batteries or a connection to your iPhone. And it pulls this off by utilizing the electromagnetic energy emitted by the device...