iPhone News

Congress passes bill making phone unlocking legal

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Earlier this year, a DMCA exemption expired, which made unlocking your iPhone not only illegal, but also punishable by a $500,000 fine, five years in jail, or both.

Today, Congress passed a bill that makes unlocking your phone without permission from your carrier legal. The bill was first unanimously passed by the Senate a couple of weeks ago, and the policy was unanimously passed by the House of Representatives this afternoon. The last step is for President Obama to sign the bill, which will officially turn it into a law.

Official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie game arrives

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 25, 2014

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the official mobile game of the upcoming movie, has made its surprise debut on the App Store, well ahead of the movie's August 8 premiere.

Created by the same that which brought you Combo Crew [Universal, $1.99], this movie tie-in classes as a classic beat 'em up where you play as one of the four classic turtles.

You'll have to learn powerful combos and counter-attacks to defeat Shredder's minions, chain multiple attacks to build up your Turtle Power meter combo to unleash your other turtles and much more.

The $3.99 iPhone and iPad game sneakily includes a bunch of In-App Purchases to boost your scores and stats...

Bose sues Beats over noise-cancelling patents

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

As Apple is prepping to shell out $3 billion to buy Beats Music and Beats Electronics' high-end headphone biz, reports are coming in that audio equipment specialist Bose has gone on the offense and is now taking Beats Electronics to court over its noise-cancelling headphone patents.

Bose alleges its patented tech is used in the Beats Pro noise-cancelling headphones and other products like the Beats Studio and Beats Studio Wireless.

Furthermore, Bose is now seeking financial damages and a sales ban on some Beats headphones, claiming patent infringement. Bose develops, markets and sells a vast range of loudspeakers, noise-cancelling headsets, automotive sound systems, amplifiers and headphones.

Needless to say, Bose holds a number of patents in this space. Its QuietComfort line of headphones has in particular proven itself popular with consumers who want to get away from outside noise. And just like Beats, Bose gets frequently criticized as some reviewers slam their high-end products for being overpriced and of average quality...

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse leaps onto the Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

Following its release on the iPhone and iPad last November, Sega's 1991 adorable platformer has at last made its way to the Mac.

Developed by Feral Interactive and published by Disney Interactive, the $14.99 download features eye-candy cartoonish graphics and stars Mickey Mouse who is on the quest to save his lovely Minnie, kidnapped by the jealous witch Mizrabel.

The game involves lots of running and jumping along a side-scrolling landscape, spiced up with attacking enemies, throwing projectiles, solving puzzles and more. The Mac edition has of course been brought to the 21st century with new layouts, updated graphics and silky smooth 60FPS execution...

Select ComiXology titles now available to download without DRM restrictions

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 25, 2014

I downright hate digital-rights management (DRM). No, I'm not a cheapskate who'd rather pirate someone else's hard work rather than support publishers with my wallet - my average monthly spending on iTunes is about $50, for those wondering.

Now, it's perfectly understandable that content owners should be entitled to imposing copy protection on their digital products, but the annoyances to consumers far outweigh the benefits to content owners, methinks.

ComiXology is a typical example. But, but - comics want to be free of the clutches of DRM! Having realized as much, ComiXology on Friday sent out en email informing customers they can now download backup copies of select titles from certain publishers without the dreaded DRM restrictions, using its free iOS app...

Chinese sources: mass production of 4.7″ iPhone 6 begins, 5.5″ and new iPads start in September

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 2, 2017

As the purported parts and cases thought to belong to the iPhone 6 continue leaking out, Apple is now said to have started mass production of a 4.7-inch handset variant. As for a bigger 5.5-inch version, the handset is understood to enter production in September, alongside upcoming new iPads.

If true, there may after all be some truth to the rumors that the two phones won't launch simultaneously in order to avoid cannibalization. Just yesterday, for instance, the hit-and-miss DigiTimes said the 4.7 and 5.5-inch models of the iPhone 6 will launch separately as Apple wants to “avoid competition between the two models”...

Google reportedly buying streaming video platform Twitch for $1 billion

Cody Lee ∙ July 24, 2014

Google has reportedly reached an agreement to acquire Twitch for $1 billion. After several months of rumors that the search giant was courting the streaming video platform, VentureBeat says that it has confirmed with several sources that it's a done deal.

For those unfamiliar with the service, Twitch is a San Francisco-based company that enables people to broadcast video game sessions from their consoles, computers, and as of March, mobile devices. It also distributes content from CBS Interactive partners...

Wii-like dance party in the living room via Apple TV? Yes, please!

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Back in June, India-based Rolocule Games teased its upcoming Dance Party game which would supposedly bring multiplayer fun to the living room with a little help from Apple's AirPlay technology and the $99 Apple TV media-streaming box.

At first, I was skeptical. But as Dance Party launched earlier today in the App Store as a free download, I've come to the realization that my fears were unfounded.

Yes, the game indeed works as advertised!

Dance Party really has to be seen live to be fully appreciated. Much like dance games on the Nintendo Wii, users mimic the onscreen dancer to get feedback on how they are doing. The game is basically airplayed from an iPhone to the Apple TV and takes advantage of Rolocule's award-winning motion tracking technology called Rolomotion...

‘TMNT: Rooftop Run’ goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ July 24, 2014

Attention gamers, Apple has just named 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rooftop Run' its App of the Week for this week. This means that through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the game for both iPhone and iPad, for free—a sizable savings of $4.

TMNT fans will feel right at home in this endless-combat-runner. Set in New York, the game pits Leo, Donnie, Raph, Mikey and other unlockable characters against the Foot Clan and company, and players must run, jump, fight and even drive to save their city...

Can’t redeem Yosemite beta code? Here’s a fix.

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Apple today opened the floodgate by posting the public beta of its upcoming OS X 10.10 Yosemite software, which launches officially sometime this Fall, and already a bunch of people took to Twitter over an error message saying the redemption code has already been used.

Each copy of Yosemite beta requires a promotional code which must be redeemed in the Mac App Store to download the installer. Is there anything you can do about this error message?

Yes, there is - and a remedy couldn't be simpler. Read on...

BioShock may finally be coming to iOS

Cody Lee ∙ July 24, 2014

We've been hearing rumors since 2008 that 2K was bringing its popular first person shooter BioShock to mobile platforms. At one point, they actually released a trailer for the game, and named IG Fun Studios as its mobile port partner.

But somewhere along the way, the concept got shelved, and was never mentioned again—until now. Yesterday, 2K tweeted the above photo followed by '#discuss,' and many believe it's a hint the BioShock mobile project is back in gear...

Gmail for iOS update adds Google Drive support

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated June 11, 2018

Google has released an update for its iOS Gmail app that adds support for saving attachments directly to Google Drive and inserting Google Drive files directly into email messages.

There are also new account management options for hiding accounts in the Gmail app without removing them altogether. Additionally, users can now change their profile picture in the app's settings.