iPhone News

Fitbit launches Force fitness tracker with Bluetooth 4.0 and call notifications

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Fitbit's health and fitness trackers are well regarded by fans of wearables. The San Francisco startup has managed to win over the active types with its Flex wristband, Zip and Fitbit One activity trackers and today they're adding another gadget to its lineup: the Force fitness tracker.

Slap it on your wrist and the Force will dutifully record the steps taken, distance traveled, stairs climbed, calories burned and active minutes. It also measures the quality of your sleep (how many times you wake up) and has a nice built-in OLED display to show time and, soon, incoming call notifications...

‘SideSettings’ lets you open settings from any app

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 10, 2013

SideSettings is a recently released tweak that lets you open up the settings for any app as a sidebar. Instead of having to exit the app, go to the Settings app, and access the app’s preferences, SideSettings immediately takes you to the settings of whatever app you have open using a simple swipe gesture.

Of course, all apps don’t have preferences to configure. In cases such as these, SideSettings will open up the stock Settings app instead.

I really enjoy SideSettings based on its originality alone. It’s a must see tweak that you have to witness on video to appreciate its ingenuity. Have a look at our full video walkthrough inside.

As it passes 90M users, Flipboard details its surprisingly affluent audience

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 10, 2013

I'm a regular Flipboard users - have been since its inception in December 2010 - and am glad to see this unique social news reader service thriving. It was just two weeks ago that Flipboard announced a $50 million dollar round of funding and less than a month since it signed up its 85 millionth user and now the company has confirmed it's passed 90 million users.

By any measure, that's a significant milestone.

Any service that can claim nearly a hundred million users is clearly doing something right and deserves our attention. Turns out Flipboard is doing a lot of things right and I've included the most interesting factoids after the break...

Final Fantasy VI arriving this winter, FF VII being considered

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 10, 2013

It has never been a better time to be both a Final Fantasy and an Apple fan. Square Enix released Final Fantasy V for the iPhone and iPad back in March (and Final Fantasy IV hit iOS last December), however the publisher isn't resting on its laurels.

According to Square Enix director Takashi Tokita, the next chapter in the Final Fantasy saga is set to unfold in the coming weeks as the firm, formed as the result of a merger between Square and Enix, gears up to release Final Fantasy VI on iOS and Android this winter. More information follows right below...

Microsoft’s Remote Desktop app coming to App Store later this month

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Just as Microsoft's exiting CEO Steve Ballmer yesterday officially confirmed that Redmond won't release Office for iPad until after a touch-optimized edition hits Windows devices, we're hearing that the Windows maker will release its Remote Desktop software for iOS and Android devices later in October.

Remote Desktop Connection, often simply called Remote Desktop, is Microsoft's implementation of remote desktop client and a Windows component allowing users to remotely log into a networked computer running the terminal services server as if it were accessed locally, with GUI and everything...

T-Mobile launches 2G data roaming in 100+ countries at no extra charge

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Adamant to change the way the world uses their phones, Deutsche Telekom-owned U.S. wireless carrier, T-Mobile USA, on Thursday announced that it will make available cellular data service in over a hundred countries around the world, at no extra charge. It's no secret the industry's been charging huge fees for data roaming. "What's most surprising is that no one's called them out," T-Mobile's boss remarked unapologetically.

Indeed, the telco's deal represents a significant departure from the exorbitant roaming fees wireless carriers typically impose and is a positive step toward providing global data coverage on fair and reasonable terms. The only drawback: only T-Mobile's slow 2G data service is included in the promotion...

Best Buy to offer $100 for old phones towards purchase of iPhone 5s, 5c

Cody Lee ∙ October 10, 2013

It appears that Best Buy is on the verge of launching another smartphone trade-in promotion next week. According to a new report, the retailer will begin offering a minimum of $100 for select older, working handsets.

The catch here is that this trade-in money must be used to purchase a new iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c at the subsidized price—meaning you'll have to sign a new two-year agreement with one of Best Buy's carrier partners...

T-Mobile offering unlimited texting and 2G data in 100 countries

Cody Lee ∙ October 10, 2013

T-Mobile announced some major changes to its 'Un-carrier' smartphone plans last night. In addition to unlimited texting and data here in the US, the provider is now offering free unlimited texting and 2G data in 100 major countries.

"There’s just so many pieces of data that suggest to us this is a huge issue and pain point," says T-Mobile CEO John Legere. Legere notes that over 40% of customers turn off their phones while overseas in an effort to avoid high charges...

Apple’s iPhone trade-in program reportedly headed to the UK

Cody Lee ∙ October 9, 2013

Following rumors and speculation, Apple officially launched its iPhone trade-in program on August 30. Available in all US Apple Stores, customers can use the program to turn their old iPhones into cash—up to $280.

At the moment, Apple is only accepting trade-ins in the United States, but that could be changing soon. According to a new report, the company has plans to launch the program in the UK within the next few months...

Foursquare app updated with new design and real-time recommendations

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Foursquare has issued a fairly significant update to its iOS client today, bringing the app to version 6.4. The update includes a number of improvements, including new UI and an all-new 'Nearby' button.

But easily the biggest addition to Foursquare 6.4 is the new Real-time recommendations feature. With it enabled, the app will send you useful location-based information, like current specials at a restaurant...

Twitter unveils ‘See This’ button: watch TV shows and change the channel from a tweet

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 9, 2013

Ending weeks of speculation, Twitter today announced a new feature that has the potential to take social television to the next level.

Twitter users will soon start seeing a new See It button embedded in tweets that, when clicked, lets folks immediately tune into live programming through their set-top box or a mobile devices such as a smartphone or a tablet.

To replace your remote, Twitter partnered with cable provider Comcast and its fully-owned subsidiary NBCUniversal, giving Xfinity customers the ability to also schedule DVR recordings on-the-fly, directly from Twitter. The feature will debut with NBCUniversal offerings including The Voice and Sunday Night Football.

Go past the fold for the full reveal...

Limited offline viewing coming to YouTube in November

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

I've always hated how Google's official YouTube apps on iOS, Android and other mobile platforms don't allow for offline caching of videos. Sometimes I want to save a particularly funny clip or a music video to my device to show it to friends without having to waste my cellular data. YouTube doesn't allow this.

Worse, Google's been clamping down on third-party apps that cache YouTube videos, such as MCTube for iPhone, for example. The reason: the Internet giant wants to serve ads no matter what.

Playing back cached videos defeats that purpose. Recently, the company hinted it's willing to reconsider its stance: mobile users will be able to save videos for later after all, but with some strings attached...