iPhone News

Photography apps can now tap the full range of manual camera controls in iOS 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 19, 2014

Don't you hate it when your favorite camera app from the App Store is unable to provide the full range of manual controls supported by your iOS device's camera hardware?

Responding to developer feedback, Apple has now addressed that particular customer pain point by opening up manual camera controls in iOS 8.

That's right, developers of photography apps such as Instagram, ProCamera and Camera+, to name a few, can finally implement the full assortment of camera controls in their apps using the official iOS 8 SDK APIs...

Skype 5.1 for iPhone delivers enhancements to People, Favorites and Conversations

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 19, 2014

Precisely a week after releasing the remastered Skype 5.0 for iPhone featuring a Windows Phone-like interface, the Microsoft-owned company has released the first update containing a few messaging enhancements customers have been asking for.

In a bid to close the gap between desktop and mobile, the free Skype 5.1 for iPhone update brings out new options to manage your favorites.

The app now allows you to filter the People list with new "Skype" and "Online" filters, with filter settings saved across mobile and desktop Skype apps. Other improvements to conversations and favorites are also included in this nice little update...

Gameloft unleashes Dungeon Gems onto the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 3, 2017

With an influx of role-playing games in the App Store, it's probably never been a better time to be a fan of the genre. Now available free in the App Store for the iPhone and iPad, Dungeon Gems by the prolific French publisher Gameloft offers a combination of strategic RPG-style party management and fast-paced puzzle gameplay as you develop and advance your heroes to take on the mighty dragons. Jump past the fold to watch the trailer and learn more about this premium monster slasher...

How to add shortcuts to the volume HUD with Volume+

Jeff Benjamin ∙ June 19, 2014

Volume+ is a new jailbreak tweak that infuses the volume heads up display that appears when adjusting your device's volume with new features and shortcuts. It's used to better equip you with handy controls while listening to music from the stock Music app or other music playing applications.

If you've been keeping a keen eye on Cydia over the last few years, you'll know that it's not the first volume HUD altering jailbreak tweak, and it probably won't be the last. Unfortunately, it falls into the lower tier of similar tweaks, because its buggy and suffers from some poor design choices. Have a look at our video walkthrough to see what I mean.

Disney’s new iPad app lets you recreate and customize iconic Star Wars scenes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

Following Disney's unexpected purchase of Lucasfilm from George Lucas for $4.05 billion, the Mickey Mouse house is poised to release a seventh Star Wars film later this year. As part of the pre-release hype, the animation powerhouse has released a new Star Wars-themed app in the App Store.

Called Star Wars Scene Maker, it lets you create your own three-dimensional scenes and recreate iconic sets from the movies by dragging pre-made 3D objects representing characters, environments, weapons, props and ships across the screen and applying perfect camera angles (fixed mode, fixed tracking camera and chase camera) to them.

It's available in the App Store now and I have additional tidbits in store for you right after the break...

Activation Lock helps curb iPhone theft in New York, London and San Francisco

Joe Rossignol ∙ June 19, 2014

You may remember stories from a few years ago that described how iPhone theft was becoming a serious problem. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg even claimed that iPhone thefts had contributed to an overall rise in crime in New York City in 2012. The problem prompted Apple to team up with Google, HTC and others to help put anti-theft measures in place on smartphones.

Apple's own anti-theft measures appear to be working, as The New York Times reports that police in New York, San Francisco and London are finally seeing a decline in theft of the iPhone. The introduction of Activation Lock on iOS 7 has seen iPhone robberies drop 38 percent in San Francisco, 24 percent in London and 19 percent in New York, based on the six months before and after Apple released the feature…

Video: hidden iOS 8 Maps feature – Flyover City Tours

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 19, 2014

There's a nicely done new Apple Maps feature hidden in iOS 8 Beta 2. Called City Tours, it's basically a set of manually programmed and scripted virtual tours of select major cities, rendered and animated in Maps' three-dimensional Flyover mode.

Apple hasn't talked about City Tours during its WWDC keynote (aside from a brief mention on one slide) and the feature couldn't be found on the official iOS 8 webpage, in WWDC session videos or inside Apple's official developer documentation...

Yo app takes quick messaging to the extreme

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 30, 2014

There's a new messaging app in town and it's unlike anything you've ever tried. It's lightweight and efficient, doesn't require you to provide a screen name, won't ask for your cell phone number nor will it pester you with ads - and boy is its Home screen icon unique.

It's called Yo. (with the full-stop) and could easily be the simplest and most efficient communication tool in the world, with an insane twist on the mobile messaging concept...

T-Mobile announces new ‘Music Freedom’ and ‘Unradio’ initiatives

Cody Lee ∙ June 18, 2014

During T-Mobile's event in Seattle tonight, the carrier announced a handful of new 'uncarrier' initiatives. There's Test Drive, which we've already talked about here, and two new programs for music lovers: 'Unradio' and 'Music Freedom.'

Unradio is an interesting new streaming music service from T-Mobile and Rhapsody that addresses "major pain points" of other services, and Music Freedom allows users to stream music without it hitting their monthly data allowance.

Keep reading for a full breakdown of both programs...

T-Mobile announces new ‘Test Drive’ program at latest Uncarrier event

Cody Lee ∙ June 18, 2014

T-Mobile has kicked off a press event in Seattle, Washington tonight that it is calling 'Uncarrier 5.0.' The provider has used similar uncarrier events in the past to announce industry-changing initiatives like 'Jump' and 'No ETF fees,' so that should tell you what we could see tonight.

John Legere has been on stage for a few minutes now, and has already made a number of announcements. Perhaps the biggest one we've heard thus far is a new program called 'Test Drive,' which will allow customers to borrow an iPhone 5s free for a week to test out T-Mobile's network...

Wikipad introduces new ‘Gamevice’ controller for iPad mini

Cody Lee ∙ June 18, 2014

Wikipad, the company behind last year's interesting-but-not-very-successful Android gaming tablet, has announced a new accessory for iOS devices today. It's called the Gamevice, and it's a decked out MFi game controller made specifically for the iPad mini.

The Gamevice was actually announced earlier this year for Android and Windows 8 tablets, but it appears to now be an iOS exclusive. As you can see it features a 2-piece cradle design, with the iPad mini in the middle, and slightly resembles a Wii U gamepad...

Sony’s World Cup sponsorship bars players from wearing Beats in stadiums

Cody Lee ∙ June 18, 2014

Watching this epic Beats ad featuring several high-profile football stars, you would've thought that Apple's newly-acquired headphone line was going to be a staple at this year's World Cup, but that hasn't been the case at all. The iconic accessory has been noticeably absent from players' necks since the tournament began last week.

And apparently Sony is behind the anomaly. The company's licensing agreement with FIFA, the governing body behind the World Cup, says that players can't 'advertise' rival hardware at games or media events...