iPhone News

Change or hide your status bar carrier name with ‘CarrierPigeon’

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

There are literally about a million and one ways to change the carrier name on an iPhone, and CarrierPigeon is the latest such jailbreak tweak to hit Cydia. As you would imagine, CarrierPigeon is a simple and straightforward jailbreak tweak. Its settings panel contains options to allow you to outright hide the iPhone's carrier name in the status bar, and of course, an option that allows you to customize the carrier name with your own text.

Google updates mobile Gmail web app with new UI and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 14, 2018

Google has updated its mobile web application for Gmail this afternoon with a refreshed user interface, similar to that of its recently revamped iOS email client, and a few other improvements.

In addition to its new look, Google says that the mobile app update also brings new features such as improved search and integration with Google Calendar, search predictions, and more...

Marvel giving away 700 first issue comics for free through its iOS app

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Pay attention comic book fans. Marvel has just announced that it is giving away a bundle of over 700 first issue digital comics from throughout its 60+ year history for free through its iOS and web apps.

The deal, which the publisher describes as 'unprecedented,' is part of a special promotion for this week's South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas and will save you up to $4 on classic comics...

New report claims iPhone 5S will feature a fingerprint sensor and NFC

Cody Lee ∙ March 11, 2013

The chatter regarding Apple's next-generation handset, the iPhone 5S, has stayed fairly consistent over the past few months. The talk points to a device with an iPhone 5-like design, an improved camera system and other internal upgrades.

Another rumor that continues to surface is that the phone will feature a built-in fingerprint sensor. And it's popped up again this morning in a new report, claiming the 5S will use that and NFC to push Apple further into mobile payments...

Harlem Shake (iPhone Edition)

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 11, 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaJZzA3m0iI

While I still have some beef with this newfangled Harlem Shake, because it's not the real Harlem Shake, I still have to admit that this creation from @bensge is quite humorous. HarlemShake is a jailbreak tweak that randomly shakes your Lock screen after respringing. It's not available yet on the default Cydia repos, but if you want to try it right now, simply add the following repo to Cydia and install: http://bensge.com/repo.

Remember, it's random, so you may have to respring a few times before it kicks in. And yes, the music plays along with it. What do you think? But wait, that's not all, we have another edition of the Harlem Shake for the iPhone, and this one impacts the Home screen app icons, and includes an Activator gesture. Want to see it in action? Check inside...

Peekly – an awesome new Lock screen theme featuring weather, calendar, and more

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Peekly is an awesome new Lock screen theme for WinterBoard. Not only does it look wonderful, but the theme features built in functionality for current weather, forecasts, calendar, RSS feeds, and more.

Like many Lock screen WinterBoard themes, Peekly can be configured using a simple javascript file, which can be edited by means of the text editor bundled with iFile. If you're looking for a relatively lightweight Lock screen theme that looks absurdly good, then look no further than Peekly. Take a look inside for our full hands-on video review and setup guide.

HiddenApps lets you disable iAds and hide stock Apple apps, no jailbreak required

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Occasionally, an app escapes the watchful eye of Apple's review team and gets released on the App Store despite ignoring Apple's stringent rules for third-party iOS development. HiddenApps by David Goelzhaeuser, a 15-year-old German iOS developer, is one such example.

The whole point of this free application is to let you hide Apple's stock apps from your Home screen, like Passbook, Newsstand or Stocks - no jailbreak required.

It can also disable Apple's iAds altogether and give you access to a Field Test mode which gives you precise readings of your cellular signal strength. You better download as it's going down in 5, 4, 3, 2...

This is China’s iPhone 5S

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82Xj-cfjuGU

With the iPhone 5S reportedly a few months away, ardent copycat vendors in Shenzen, China took it upon themselves to come up with an iPhone 5S of their own. Meet the GooPhone i5S, a total rip-off based on Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 which sells for just $149 contract-free.

Now, imagine if Apple actually made a sub-$200 budget iPhone - or offered a $149 off-contract iPhone 5 for that matter (its cheapest contract-free handset is the $450 iPhone 4). GooPhone's cheap iPhone lookalike - and I'm using the term loosely here - goes on sale tomorrow and the first 1,000 buyers will pay only $99 for it...

Very early iOS device prototype surfaces

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 11, 2013

The monster 2012 Apple v. Samsung trial was a treasure trove of various iPhone prototypes that we had never seen previously. These not only gave us a glimpse into Apple's creative process, we also got to see the various bodies Apple had been exploring for its then still work-in-progress iPhone. But this is something entirely different from everything so far.

For the first time, at least to my knowledge, we are offered a look into an extremely early iOS device prototype. The thing looks like something engineers would duct-tape together after a brainstorming session in Apple's kitchen. As you can see, it has a bunch of chips, tacked-on ports and a massive screen measuring five by seven inches. A former Apple employee said that "at the time, it was really impressive seeing basically a version of OS X running on it"...

Rovio to air Toons series through Angry Birds apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_7JjB0At_s

As we told you, Finland-based Angry Birds maker Rovio continues to milk its franchise with the announcement of an animated series titled Angry Birds Toons. It's premiering on the weekend of March 16 and 17 and today Rovio revealed that it will be airing the episodes directly via its Angry Birds apps, in addition to other more traditional distribution channels.

That's a clever move considering more than 1.7 billion Angry Birds downloads across devices and operating systems. If they offered a standalone Toons app, I don't think many people would download it. The first episode titled 'Chuck Time' will be airing in the Angry Birds Toons channel this Sunday, March 17, with a trailer for it included right after the break...

Philips opens API for Hue lightbulbs to third party devs

Cody Lee ∙ March 11, 2013

Good news for current and potential owners of Philips' app-controlled Hue lightbulbs. The company announced this weekend that there is now an official developer program for the popular LED light set.

This means that we can expect to see more innovative third party applications for the Hue system like Ambify, an iOS app released last week that syncs Philips' lightbulbs with the beat of your music...

Foxconn and TSMC recruit 5,000 workers each ahead of Apple product launches

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 11, 2013

Apple's contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry - also know in the Western world as the controversial Foxconn - and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest independent semiconductor foundry, will each add 5,000 new jobs just as Apple is conveniently expected to refresh its existing product families and possibly venture into the HD TV and smartwatch markets. If true, the report could also explain "the worst February" Topeka Capital has seen in terms of Apple's supply chain procurement of components...