iPhone News

A look at newly launched Incipio 5c cases

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated October 24, 2017

Incipio is always quick on the trigger when it comes to releasing new product lines along with Apple's new hardware. Before the iPhone launch, I was already contacted by some friends at Incipio asking me to take a look at their, then unreleased, products. Happily agreeing, they sent over three different cases for inspection.

Inside, I take a closer look at these cases and their form factors, relating to iPhone 5c. These are the first 5c cases I received for any reviewing purposes and they all fit quite well. As with most Incipio line ups, they are affordable and colorful...

US Airways and Alaska Airlines now allow gate-to-gate device use

Cody Lee ∙ November 10, 2013

Earlier this month, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration gave airlines the green-light to allow passengers to use devices such as tablets during all phases of flight. So that means no more turning off your iPad during takeoff.

Now it's just up to each individual airline to change their respective rules, and the good news is most of them seem to be onboard. American Airlines already announced its support, and now US Airways and Alaska Airlines are in...

Samsung ordered to explain why it shouldn’t be sanctioned for leaking Apple docs

Cody Lee ∙ November 10, 2013

Last month, Apple filed a motion against Samsung in a California court for sharing confidential information. In the filing, the iPad-maker accused the Korean tech giant of disclosing details regarding its Nokia patent licensing agreement.

Samsung learned the terms of the deal during its court battle with Apple, and although the info was marked "attorney's eyes only," it used it to negotiate better licensing terms for itself—which Apple says is very illegal. And the judge agrees...

Bloomberg: curved-screen jumbo-sized iPhones coming in 2014

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 10, 2013

We've been hearing a lot lately about jumbo-sized iPhones, but the iPhablet meme is so passé now. So how about a curved-screen iPhone? I'm not talking about a Galaxy Round type of device - according to a new Bloomberg report, a large-screen iPhone featuring a flat screen with the cover glass "that curves downward at the edges" is in the works.

This sounds a lot like the Lumia range as the high-end Nokia devices sport slightly curved screen edges. Note that this is the first time we've heard the curved-screen iPhone being mentioned by a major big media publication. The Bloomberg article also mentions two large-screen models planned for release in the second half of next year and a new pressure-sensitive screen technology. Jump past the fold for the full reveal...

How to quickly search the contents of iDB using Alfred

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Alfred is one of my favorite launchers available for OS X. It serves as a replacement for Spotlight search, and can do a whole bunch of other cool things using custom workflows, searches, etc.

I could write a whole series about Alfred, because it's just that deep. But first things first. To start, I'm going to show you how to perform a custom search on iDownloadBlog. I've included a downloadable custom search in this post that you can import directly into Alfred. Have a look inside to see how it works.

Survey finds iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c attracting fewer early upgraders

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Before the iPhone 5s and 5c went on sale this fall, pundits predicted that Apple would have trouble attracting early upgraders with the two handsets. With them featuring few changes from last year's model, the consensus was that most iPhone 5 owners would skip this generation.

And this week, the folks over at Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (or CIRP) have published a report that proves these forecasts accurate. According to their data, just 6% of the folks who have purchased an iPhone 5s or 5c in the last 6 weeks upgraded from an iPhone 5...

2K Sports releases NBA 2K14 companion app ‘MyNBA2K14’

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 14, 2018

It seems like companion smartphone and tablet apps are becoming more and more popular with big-name console developers these days. We saw one from Rockstar back in September for GTA V, and now we have another from 2K Sports.

The New York-based development studio released a new app this week for the iPhone and iPad called MyNBA2K14. And as the name implies, it's a companion app for NBA 2K14, the popular basketball game that was released earlier this year...

Apple considered acquiring parts of BlackBerry?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 1, 2017

Although tech titans Apple and Microsoft both sought to buy parts of BlackBerry, the board shied away from breaking up the company, according to a report Friday by Reuters. The ailing smartphone pioneer has determined that selling the company in pieces isn't in its best interests, despite bids from Apple, Microsoft, Lenovo and others.

I'm not sure the board has necessarily made a wise choice. First and foremost, a full-blown instant comeback is literally impossible this late in the game. And while still profitable, BlackBerry is burning through its cash fast, unit sales are falling off the cliff, users are defecting to other platforms in droves and, worst of all, there are no cool new products on the horizon to be excited about.

And with the iOS-Android duopoly and Microsoft competing for the #3 slot, it's indeed too late to turn BlackBerry's fortunes around. Seems to me they should have just sold off parts of the company to become a competitive niche player, as one analyst suggested in August...

Blizzard confirms Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft coming to iPhone in second half of 2014

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Back in March, we told you about Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Blizzard's upcoming iPad battle card game set in the Warcraft universe. Back then, we were told the iPad edition would arrive after the initial release for the Mac and PC desktops. Blizzard has now confirmed at its annual Blizzcon conference, which kicked off today, that Hearthstone will be also coming to the iPhone and Android.

The iPhone edition should be due during the second half of next year. The free to play strategy card game will include nine Warcraft classes with fully customizable characters, as well as minions, spells and weapons based on available cards. Players will be able to slug it out versus each other and participate in friendly duels via Battle.net or practice matches against AI...

Microsoft boosts Office Web Apps, could accelerate Office for iOS if Elop named CEO

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Seemingly responding to Apple's recent iWork suite upgrade (or should I say downgrade?), Windows giant Microsoft has rolled out a series of improvements to Office Web Apps. Akin to iWork which now allows for collaborative editing and has full file compatibility across the web, OS X and iOS, the significant Office Web Apps refresh has enabled real-time co-authoring and brought out new formatting controls, the find and replace feature in web-based Word app and lots more.

Additionally, Bloomberg reported today that former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, who is viewed as one of the candidates for the outgoing Steve Ballmer's CEO seat, is open to the idea of accelerating development of the full-on Office suite for competing platforms, including Apple's iOS...

Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies now available in the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Pacific Skies, a great follow up to the original Ace Patrol game released in May 2013 (read Lory's review here), is now available in the Apple App Store as a universal $4.99 download. I enjoyed Ace Patrol a lot as it's an electronic implementation of one of my favorite board games. Besides, an avid iOS gamer really can't go wrong with a title signed by Firaxis and famous videogame designer Sid Meier.

Pacific Skies offers more of the amazing turn-based tactical maneuvering and strategy which has made Ace Patrol such a huge hit. Unlike the World War I-themed original, the successor is set it the World War II Pacific arenas and includes iconic missions such as Pearl Harbor, Midway and Guadalcanal...

Vodafone store evacuated after demo iPad bursts into flames

Cody Lee ∙ November 8, 2013

A Vodafone retail store in Canberra, Australia was forced to evacuate earlier this week after an iPad demo unit burst into flames, according to News.com.au. While no one was injured, the news outlet says that the "explosion" was large enough that the city's firebrigade was called to the scene....