iPhone News

Google announces Play game services coming to iOS

Google is in the middle of its I/O developer conference keynote right now, and so far it's been pretty boring. There's been no mention of consumer products yet, just some talk about developer API access and some new software and services.

The search giant did, however, unveil a new game service. Flying under the Google Play flag, the service resembles Apple's Game Center, hosting leader boards, achievements, and facilitating real-time multiplayer. Oh, and it's coming to iOS...

DirecTV app now supports voice navigation

DirecTV has a decent iOS app on the App Store which streams live television programming, supports DVR functionality and lets you browse and access on-demand streams of past television shows and movies.

The company previously promised to activate voice-enabled features and today it made good on that promise by updating DirectTV software to version 2.5.

The new version uses voice-activated navigation to enable users to find whatever they want to watch on their telly. It's just like Siri: simply speak to the app just as you would to a person in order to find something to watch. In fact, DirectTV's software gives us a good indication how a rumored Siri-enabled Apple television set could enhance the experience...

EA bringing its Frostbite game engine to iOS

Games super publisher Electronic Arts is bringing its Frostbite game engine to the iOS and Android platforms, the company confirmed Tuesday.

Developed by EA Digital Illusions CE, creators of the Battlefield series, the Frostbite engine supports Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms and powers a wide range of video game genres, from first-person shooters to racing game and real-time strategies.

A mobile version called Frostbite Go will target "all major mobile platforms," Electronic Arts confirmed, specifically mentioning iOS and Android...

Limelight, cool-looking app to browse and organize your movie library

If you thought TodoMovies was great, wait until you see Limelight for iPhone. Created by young developer Oliver Cameron of the iOS app development agency called 9:42am, Limelight lets you manage your collection of the movies you've already watched or want to watch, share your movie lists with friends, receive recommendations and more.

It basically wants to become your go-to movie library app and it's bringing some nice features to the table. In a nutshell, Limelight isn't just focused on keeping track of your favorite movies, it also monitors when they're released to theaters...

DoJ calls Apple out for allegedly facilitating e-book price fixing

As you know, publishers Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster all settled with the US Justice Department (DoJ) in an antitrust lawsuit the government filed against them and Apple in April 2012. In turn, DoJ is focusing on Apple now and, according to a new report, is calling Apple out for being a facilitator of an alleged price fixing related to electronic books sold on its iBookstore.

Furthermore, DoJ claimed it collected evidence that proves Apple was the "ringmaster" in the price fixing conspiracy...

Googiri is Google voice search meshed with Siri

I don't think I've left it up to sleuthing to understand that I pretty much loathe Siri. It's a great idea no doubt, but the execution is so poor that it makes me hate the service. Perhaps I'm in the minority, but Siri rarely, if ever, does what I want it to. I ask her for directions to Starbucks, and she replies with "I can't find a place called scarred duck." It's really pathetic.

So imagine how ecstatic I was when I first tried out the voice search embedded into Google Now. It was amazingly accurate, fast, and it didn't sound like an old worn out robot from the 70's. Sad to say, but this is the how Siri should be. Google owns the new gold standard for voice recognition...

New class action lawsuit claims iPhone 4 has faulty power button

In a class action lawsuit filed in San Jose, California last week, Florida resident Debra Hilton claims that Apple was aware of a flaw in the flex cable that controls the power button on the iPhone 4, but chose to stay quiet about it to sell more handsets.

Hilton is seeking more than $5 million in damages from the Cupertino company on behalf of thousands of iPhone 4 owners she believes bought devices with defective power buttons. Allegedly, Apple knew about the issue, but did nothing to fix it...

LockBar Settings Lite adds hidden toggles to your Lock screen

It's tough sometimes to get excited about a jailbreak tweak that performs the exact same function as several others before it. Today's tweak, for example, adds system toggles to your Lock screen. I can't even count how many others there are that do this.

But that doesn't mean you should ignore LockBar Settings Lite all together. In fact, it's actually a pretty handy little utility. You see, its toggles stay hidden on your Lock screen until you swipe up, or double tap, on the 'slide to unlock' bar to reveal them...

See who you’re talking to with Messages Conversation Photos

If you’re looking for a jailbreak tweak that embeds your contact photos into your native Messages app, there’s several options to choose from. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Copic, ChatPic, and xMessages.

Today, we’re adding another one to the pile with Messages Conversation Photos. And like the others, it takes the images from your contact list and applies them to your messaging threads in the default Messages app…

Let’s Talk iOS 10: We’re going underground

Sebastien and Jeff talk about the obvious podcast name change, why we did it, and what the future holds for Let's Talk iOS. We also discuss clicky keyboards, the frustrating aspects of iOS, and our top items from the previous week. It's a episode that's jam packed to the brim with goodness. Don't miss it.

The XiStera: a multifunctional accessory for your iPhone 5

Looking for an accessory that will help you get the most out of your iPhone? Then you might want to check out the XiStera, by the SwipeCase team. With 8 different functions, it's essentially the swiss army knife of iPhone accessories.

The XiStera may look like a little 2-3-inch piece of plastic, but it's not. Under that TPV santoprene mold is a stainless steel component that houses multiple useful functions including a headphone wrap, tripod mount, and more...

BlackBerry confirms BBM is coming to iOS and Android this summer

In a better-late-than-never announcement, Canada-based BlackBerry today posted a surprising announcement confirming it will be bringing its BlackBerry Messenger platform to Apple's iOS and Google's Android platform. Yes, BlackBerry's killer app won't be exclusive anymore.

BlackBerry's move comes amid consolidation in the instant messaging space. Two increasingly popular services, Viber and WhatsApp, recently passed 200 million users each.

With iMessage pretty much ruling the messaging game on iOS devices and Google's rumored unified chatting platform dubbed Babel expected soon, it is no surprise that BlackBerry Messenger will be available to mobile users who don't use BlackBerry devices...