iPhone News

Sketchy schematic drawing of next-gen iPhones surfaces

Cody Lee ∙ March 28, 2014

A fairly sketchy, schematic-like drawing has surfaced on the web this morning depicting what could be two next-gen iPhones. The image, which is of terrible quality, was first published by popular Japanese magazine MacFan and then passed on by Macotakara.

As you can see, the drawing shows two separate handsets: one with a 4.7-inch display and one with a 5.7-inch display. This lines up with several previous reports, as do many of the design elements of the devices such as their bezel-free screens and slim profile...

‘Threes’ developers publish gigantic work log in response to clones

Cody Lee ∙ March 28, 2014

Clones of popular games are a common sight in the App Store. They're a way for not-so-creative developers to make a quick buck by riding the coattails of hit titles and trends—the recent flurry of Flappy Bird copycats is a great example of this phenomenon.

But while we had a good laugh at some of the ridiculous FB clones, like 'Flappy Beard Hipster Quest,' it's not so funny for developers. In fact, the creators of the hit game 'Threes' recently took to their blog to vent their frustration with the growing list of ripoffs...

Roku CEO unfazed by talk of new Apple, Amazon TV boxes

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

With Amazon expected to unveil a new set-top box device next week, and Apple rumored to have a new TV product of its own in the wings, you have to wonder if the folks over at Roku are concerned at all about their business. Well if they are, they certainly aren't showing it.

Roku CEO Anthony Wood joined Peter Kafka on stage last night for an interview at the inaugural Code/Media event, and he appeared unfazed by the news that Amazon will likely be encroaching on his turf. He also didn't seem too worried about Apple's future television plans...

Gameloft’s ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ now available in the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

As promised last month, Gameloft has released its highly anticipated title 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' for iOS. The game is a tie-in to the upcoming Marvel movie of the same name, and is now available for download on your iPhone or iPad.

The good news is this doesn't look like your typical tie-in. The graphics sort of resemble those found in Borderlands and other comic book-style games, and we're hearing that Marvel actually co-wrote the story. Keep reading for a complete overview...

‘At the Ballpark’ app updated with new iOS 7 design and iBeacon support

Cody Lee ∙ March 28, 2014

Baseball fans will be happy to hear that MLB.com has updated its At the Ballpark iOS app this morning. The update brings the client to version 3.o, and features an all-new design for iOS 7 and support for Apple's new 'iBeacon' tech that will be available in select ballparks this year.

We've known for a while now that Major League Baseball was working with Apple on its geolocation technology, which its Advanced Media group demonstrated last fall. And the organization has said it hopes to roll out the feature to at least 20 parks ahead of 2014's Opening Day...

Facebook Messenger picks up contact groups, message forwarding and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

The social networking giant, Facebook, has just updated its slick Messenger client for the iPhone and iPod touch with a pair of long overdue feature additions.

The first lets you forward a message to another person (even Apple's own Messages app supports this) and the other finally makes it possible to create groups for the people you message most, with custom group photo and name.

The new Facebook Messenger 4.0 is now live in the App Store so update your copy to check out contact groups and message forwarding for yourself...

Drawnimal goes free as Apple’s latest Free App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 27, 2014

It's Thursday, and this can only mean one thing: the awesome Darklings game goes back up to its regular price as Apple gets to bring another iOS application down to $0, as part of the App Store's ongoing Free App of the Week promotion.

Today's free app: Lucas Zanotto's Drawnimal. If you have children or a very young brother/sister, Drawnimal is the perfect way to teach them the alphabet and at the same time get them excited about art.

Designed to help kids learn to think out of the box, the app ingeniously puts up a fun image of an animal on the screen, requiring your kid to follow the prompts and actually draw around the device that's sitting on a piece of paper.

Drawnimal will be free until next Thursday so grab it now in the App Store before it slips your mind...

WSJ: Amazon working on free video streaming service

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Much of the tech world seems to be infatuated with Office for iPad today, but I think what's going on over at Amazon is more interesting. Not only is the company expected to unveil a new TV device next week, and working on Internet radio, but a new report claims it's also building a Hulu-like service.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting this afternoon that Amazon is planning a free, ad-supported streaming service that will offer video content to all customers—not just Prime members. The outlet says the service could be used to stream original Amazon shows as well as other licensed programming...

Apple getting its standard 30 percent cut on Office for iPad subscriptions

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 27, 2014

Following today's long expected release of the Office for iPad applications, Apple's boss Tim Cook issued a nice tweet welcoming Word, Excel and PowerPoint into the App Store. Returning the favor, Microsoft's newly installed chief executive Satya Nadella took to Twitter to thank Cook, saying he was "excited to bring the magic of Office to iPad customers".

Redmond couldn't have wished for a better endorsement than this!

So, why are these powerful Silicon Valley executives droning politely on to each other, do you think? And how come Cook is promoting Office for iPad even though the software competes squarely with Apple's own iWork suite, free with iDevice purchases?

Could it be because folks at Cupertino are getting their standard 30 percent cut on Office 365 subscriptions sold within the app...

Popular PC game ‘Faster Than Light’ landing on iPad next week

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Good news for gamers this afternoon, as it's been announced that the popular PC/Mac title Faster Than Light will be making its way to the iPad next week. The developers announced the release date via the official FTL Twitter account, and said it will be accompanied by a free desktop content expansion pack.

For those who are unfamiliar with FTL, it's a top-down, real-time strategy game that has players managing a crew and its faster-than-light spacecraft as it flies through multiple galaxy systems. In it, you'll face off against rebel and other hostile forces, recruit new crew members and ensure your ship's safety...

Yahoo updates Weather app with new animations, pull-to-refresh for photos and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 27, 2014

The reinvigorated Yahoo has updated its gorgeous Weather application for the iPhone and iPad, available free of charge in the App Store, with some noteworthy visual enhancements and feature improvements.

I've always absolutely loved how the app presents full-bleed photographs of chosen location(s), sourced from the Flickr community.

But, there was no way to browse through different photos of the same location. Starting today, you can now simply pull down on the image to load a new one, when possible. Another enhancements, straight from the design department: new animations for moon phases available as you scroll through details...

Office for iPhone is now free for home use

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Shortly after Microsoft brought the mobile edition of Office to the iPhone last summer, fans of the Windows giant's productivity software cried foul as the app came across to them as more of an Office companion for mobile than a full-blown productivity application.

Although available free of charge and with editing functionality for your Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, the app initially required an Office 365 subscription - much like the newly released Office for iPad. But not anymore.

Started today, Microsoft is making both the iPhone edition of Office and the version for Android smartphones free for everyone, like on Windows Phone. And to reflect the updated business model, the app has been rechristened and is now simply called Office Mobile for iPhone - much shorter and easier to remember than 'Office Mobile for Office 365 subscribers', which used to be its full name before...