iPhone News

2015 iPhones and iPads could achieve photorealism with ray-traced graphics from Imagination

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

Imagination Technologies, a fabless UK-based semiconductor maker, has been supplying PowerVR-branded mobile graphics IP for Apple's in-house designed iDevice chips since the iPhone's inception.

Detailed 3D graphics, speedy animations and smooth performance have always been one of the hallmarks of the iPhone and iPad so it's no surprise that Apple is an investor in Imagination.

Following Imagination's announcement of a next-generation PowerVR GX6650 GPU that promises to smoke graphics giant Nvidia's own Tegra K1 mobile processor, Imagination yesterday said it is taking PowerVR graphics architecture to the next level by adding ray-tracing capabilities.

Apple likely won't utilize this technique in its upcoming A8 chip for the iPhone 6 and 2014 iPads because Imagination's technology won't be making its way into products until 2015.

This means that come 2015, your iPhone and iPad could easily give dedicated game consoles a good run for their money graphics-wise, by supporting high-quality lighting and shadows, accurate transparency and photorealistic reflections...

Pandora upping monthly ‘One’ fee, dropping annual subscriptions

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Pandora announced this week that it is going to making some significant changes to its Pandora One subscription service over the next couple of months. Most notably, it's going to be raising the monthly subscription cost and eliminating the annual option.

Citing rising licensing costs, Pandora says that it's raising its 'One' fee from $3.99 per month to $4.99 per month, and taking away the discounted annual plan altogether. The company says that royalty rates it pays to artists have increased 53% since it began...

Several users complaining of Hotspot issues in iOS 7.1

Cody Lee ∙ March 20, 2014

Folks having trouble with their Personal Hotspot feature in iOS 7.1 aren't alone. A number of users have been complaining of tethering issues since installing the latest iOS update, as evidenced by this 16-page thread in Apple's support forums.

Specifically, the problem seems to occur when trying to save custom APN settings in a device's Cellular menu. Apparently you can enter information into the text fields, but the values don't save and any attempt to make a connection errors out...

On-rails shooter Star Horizon now available in the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ March 20, 2014

Great news gamers, that beautiful on-rails space shooter 'Star Horizon' we told you about earlier this month is now available in the App Store. This means you can download it now to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (running iOS 6 or later) and get to playing.

Star Horizon was developed by Tabasco Interactive, and is powered by the brawny Unity engine. The game follows John, a private in the service of the Federation, in his journey through the cosmos as he rescues friends and battles the enemy in his warship...

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes companion app hits the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Konami today released the next installment in its popular action-adventure stealth franchise, Metal Gear Solid. The game is officially called Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and available for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

And to go with it, Konami has created a namesake iOS companion app, now available free in the App Store.

Although the iPhone and iPad application connects to the main Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, some modes do not require console connectivity. Jump past the fold for full details...

Yahoo launches new Classic Games site for Web, Android and iOS

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Yahoo today announced a renewed push into gaming with the launch of its Classic Games site. The site features an easy-to-use design that allows you to browse for and play games across the Web, Android and iOS devices.

The company also introduced the Yahoo Games Network, a new platform for third-party game developers akin to Apple's Game Center. It offers various tools including analytics, player authentication, monetization, and social sharing...

Eddy Cue calls out inaccuracy in new post-Jobs Apple book

Cody Lee ∙ March 19, 2014

Early reviews are out for former WSJ writer Yukari Kane’s new book on post-Jobs Apple: 'Haunted Empire' ($14.99 in the iBooks Store), and they aren't good. Many readers believe that Kane fails to make her obvious preconceived point that Apple is doomed, and doesn't even appear to try.

Even Tim Cook had something to say about the book, telling CNBC yesterday that "this nonsense belongs with some of the other books I’ve read about Apple." And today, another executive has spoken out. SVP Eddy Cue says that the epic 'pen' story Kane tells in her book never happened...

Hackers caught using EA Games servers to phish for Apple IDs

Cody Lee ∙ March 19, 2014

According to a new report from security research firm Netcraft, Electronic Arts' servers have been compromised. Two websites from the video game publisher's domain have been hacked and are now hosting phishing pages setup to steal Apple ID and credit card information.

It works like this: when a potential victim arrives at one of the pages, they are asked to enter their Apple ID and password. Once completed, they're taken to a second page which asks for personal details and credit card info, and then redirected to the official Apple ID website...

Flappy Bird developer confirms he’s bringing back the hit game

Cody Lee ∙ March 19, 2014

Watch out Flappy Bird copycats, the original is making a comeback. Developer Dong Nguyen has confirmed with fans on Twitter that he is restoring his hit game to its rightful place in the App Store, although he hasn't given a specific launch date.

Nguyen is also on hand at this week's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and several developers and gamers that have run in to him at the event have said the same thing: that Flappy Bird will be making its highly-anticipated comeback...

Review: ProWidgets

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

One of the most highly anticipated jailbreak tweaks to surface in some time has been released on Cydia. I'm, of course, referring to ProWidgets—a brand new jailbreak tweak that we previewed extensively last week. To celebrate its release, we're bringing you our hands-on review.

ProWidgets is a release that we discussed in-depth on today's episode of Let's Talk Jailbreak as well. Be sure to have a listen to hear Sebastien, Cody's, and I talk about the pluses and minuses of the tweak.

Without further ado, step inside to read our take on the final version of ProWidgets. We'll show you what makes the tweak so compelling, and why the future is even more exciting.

Epic Games unveils Unreal Engine 4: OS X support, subscription-based, full code access

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 19, 2014

Epic Games' Unreal Engine powers some of the most graphics-intensive games on consoles, desktop computers and mobile devices, like the Gears of War and Mass Effect franchises, or the iOS-exclusive Infinity Blade series, for example.

During a press event at the Game Developers Conference this morning, Epic's chief Tim Sweeney announced the latest version, Unreal Engine 4.

The software was built by a team of over 100 engineers, artists and designers around the world and is designed to scale from PC and console to mobile and the web. The announcement is significant in ways more than one.

For starters, for the first time ever Epic is making available the whole widget - including Unreal Engine's full source code, the editor, everything - on a subscriptions basis, for as low as just nineteen bucks per month. Yup, you read that right, just $19 per month.

That's just scratching the surface so read on for the full reveal...

Leo’s Fortune, arguably the most gorgeous iOS platformer, is coming real soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 19, 2014

I'm a huge, huge fan of both physics-based and platform games (especially side-scrolling ones), dating back to the golden Amiga days and home consoles. The App Store has some really nice platformers, but the upcoming Leo's Fortune by looks like it could top them all with unbelievable graphics, novel gameplay and butter smooth execution.

Co-developed by two Swedish game developers, Leo's Fortune has you controlling a green puff thing named Leopold, tasked with hunting down the thief that stole his gold. He can inflate himself to float which - coupled with physics-based concept and puzzle elements - adds a bit of variety to the otherwise oversaturated genre.

I'll let the video do the talking so jump past the fold and have a look...