iPhone News

Inside 2013 Apple TV: redesigned power-savvy A5 chip, cost optimizations

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple shipped five million Apple TVs last year for a nearly $500 million in additional revenue. That’s a very successful hobby and while talk of Tim Cook & Co. building a standalone HD TV set remains just that - rumor mongering - Apple has quietly retooled the $99 set-top box, with most of the under-the-hood tweaks aimed at optimizing production costs.

AnandTech took a peek inside the gadget and found some minor changes. The publication found a significant reduction in the new model’s power consumption, directly related to the optimized A5 chip, leading AnandTech to speculate that perhaps Apple could use this chip for another device, “perhaps one powered by a battery” (hint: iWatch)...

Duke Nukem II coming to iOS in April

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 15, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZJc2W8SBE5U

Duke Nukem II side-scroller, which celebrates its 20th anniversary, is coming to Apple's iPhone and iPad in April, Interceptor Entertainment and 3D Realms announced. The universal binary will be priced at $1.99 and include all of the 32 level from the original levels, enhanced with multitouch controls, a new soundtrack, refreshed graphics, online leaderboards and more. Above is the launch trailer above for a look at Duke Nukem 2 iOS in action and I've included a few more details right after the break...

‘PodSwitcher’ available on Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 15, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWba_D_seEI

PodSwitcher is a jailbreak tweak available on Cydia's BigBoss repo for $1.49. The purpose of the tweak is to allow you to interface with the stock Music app via the iPhone's app switcher. PodSwitcher adds advanced controls that you won't find with the stock Music controls found in the app switcher. Along with the advanced controls, you can peruse your entire music library using various built-in animations like Cover Flow, Linear, Rotary, and more. If you've given PodSwitcher a try, share your experience with the tweak in our comments.

George Lucas-founded THX takes Apple to court

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 15, 2013

THX, a high-fidelity audio-visual reproduction standard, has filed a lawsuit against Apple before a federal court in Northern California, alleging patent infringement, Bloomberg reported yesterday.

THX was founded by the famous Star Wars producer George Lucas, who used to control the company through his Lucasfilm enterprise between 1983-2001.

THX is now independent and no further details, including a copy of the complaint, were available at press time. Neither Apple nor THX would comment on the news...

$149 iPhone 5 now available from Strata Networks

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 15, 2013

As promised last week, Strata Networks, a regional U.S. wireless carrier, finally landed the iPhone 5 today. And, in emulating fellow rural telcos, Strata is offering Apple's device with a $50 discount compared to the asking prices at Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. Specifically, the iPhone 5 is available for $149 for the 16GB model, $249 for the 32GB model and $349 for the high-end model with 64 gigabytes of storage. The iPhone 5 is available in all Strata stores in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming.

They don't mention web sales, though Strata did update its web site this morning to reflect the devices' availability. The carrier is also selling the iPhone 4S for $49 and the iPhone 4 for free, with a qualifying contract. Would-be subscribers should be pleased to know that the iPhone 5 is compatible with Strata's 4G LTE network that the company started deploying ahead of Christmas 2012...

Zite announces new alternative for Google Reader

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Since Google announced earlier this week that it would be shutting down its Reader service this summer, we've seen no shortage of other companies step in to try and fill the void. Seriously, we made a list of them.

Today, Zite—the popular news magazine app—has announced that it's joining the fray. It says that it's built a viable replacement for Reader that does not utilize Google's infrastructure, and it's ready to use today...

John Browett tells why he sucked as Apple’s short-lived retail boss

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

John Browett became Apple's head of retail in January 2012, two months after the Apple Store father Ron Johnson had left the company for a CEO position at JC Penney. His stint at Apple was a brief one: Browett would last on the job a little over six months.

Partly responsible for the silly Apple Store campaign, Browett single-handily alienated retail staff after proposing layoffs in a bid to prove his worth to the bosses. "We messed up," he admitted, but it was already too late for apologies.

Having tarnished the Apple brand, the former Dixons boss quickly fell out of favor with CEO Tim Cook, who fired Browett alongside iOS boss Scott Forstall in a major August management shakeup.

Finding a new role as CEO of Monsoon Accessorize, UK's low-cost women fashion and accessory retailer, Browett now reflects on his experience as Apple's short-lived retail boss. He told attendees of the Retail Week Live conference that he is a “kinder person” now and admitted he just couldn't fit within the iPhone maker's demanding corporate culture and work ethos...

14 Google Reader alternatives

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 21, 2018

Google sent shockwaves throughout the tech world yesterday when it announced that it would be killing off Google Reader this summer. Despite a recent decline in usage, a number of people, and apps, still depend on the service.

But never fear, as usual, iDB has you covered. We've done all of the leg work, and put together a list of 10 Google Reader alternatives. And by the time you get done reading through them, you'll be saying "Google what?"

Apple releases OS X 10.8.3

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 14, 2013

Just a few moments ago, Apple released an update to Mountain Lion — OS X 10.8.3. The update, which has been in beta since December of 2012, brings quite a few new changes into the fold.

The main people that will be happy with this update are Boot Camp users. First of all, Windows 8 is now supported with Boot Camp, which is obviously a big deal for those of you who dual boot your Macs. Secondly, Boot Camp now supports Macs with a 3TB drive. Check inside for more details on the release...

Samsung unveils new Galaxy S4 handset

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Say what you will about Samsung, but the company has managed to distance itself from the other Android device makers to become Apple's greatest competitor in the smartphone space. The two of them, in fact, account for a majority of all handset profits.

So you can understand why we've been so interested in seeing Samsung's new flagship handset, the Galaxy S4, which it just unveiled onstage at its New York-based Unpacked event. And as usual, we've put together a handy roundup of all of the highlights...

The first PSP emulator for iOS now plays games at 60FPS

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIsTO4bIZa4&hd=1

A few days ago, we told you about PPSSPP — the first PSP emulator for iOS. While the initial screens and video looked promising, at the time, the frame-rate was really low due to some technical issues. Now, it appears that those technical issues — the lack of JIT compiling — have been ironed out, as new video has surfaced showing PPSSPP playing Wipeout pure at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second.

Check out the video above, which showcases Wipeout Pure running at a silky smooth rate. Again, thanks to our friends for the heads up. Again, be sure to visit the official PPSSPP website for more information.

EU watchdog tightens privacy rules governing mobile apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

The Article 29, a watchdog comprised of the European Union's top privacy protection groups, today issued a set of new recommendations aimed at app developers and tech giants that run the mobile application stores in the latest attempt to bring order to how your apps handle your private information.

The new set of more detailed recommendations arrives following the recent EU probe into the privacy practices of Google and other tech firms.

The United States Federal Trade Commission set out a similar set of guidelines last month so EU's new recommendations could have serious ramifications on how Apple's App Store, Google's Play Store and other application stores operate...