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You can now drag and drop files on iPad between Readdle’s productivity apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 25, 2017

Readdle, Ukrainian makers of fine productivity software for iPhone, iPad and Mac, today announced that, for the first time ever, they're making it possible to drag and drop items in the split screen mode on iPad between its most popular productivity apps: Documents, PDF Expert, Scanner Pro and Spark.

In addition to cross-app drag and drop in Split View multitasking mode, Readdle's excellent Documents app has received a major update that turns it into a Finder on iOS of sorts.

Cross-app drag and drop

Drag and drop between Readdle apps works like a charm, really.

For instance, you can drag a file from Documents and drop it on Spark to instantly create a new email message with an attachment. Or, you can drag and drop scans from Scanner Pro to PDF Expert for further editing.

How about moving that attached contract from Spark to PDF Expert to sign it before sending the signed document back to Spark as a reply? You can do all that—and much, much more—across the aforesaid Readdle apps on your iPad.

The promo video below showcases drag-and-dropping files between Readdle apps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epzh9-rd-AI

True, some third-party iOS apps do support direct manipulation of content within the app.

That being said, however, the ability to drag and drop files and other content between multiple apps has not been utilized on iOS at all. While Apple could enhance iOS's Split View multitasking mode in the future with useful interactions like drag and drop, Readdle has already found a way to make cross-app drag and drop work.

Denys Zhadanov, Readdle's Vice President of Marketing, said via email:

We see it as a major improvement of iOS and this is how all iPad apps should work between each other. It’s so freaking awesome—glues all our apps into a phenomenal productivity ecosystem.

“The Readdle Team hopes that Apple will introduce their own implementation of inter app drag and drop one day,” developers noted. “That will support other apps and make iPad a much better productivity device than it is now.”

New features in Documents 6

As mentioned earlier, Readdle's capable (and free) file manager, called Documents, is getting a major update today turning it into the iOS Finder you’ve always wanted. The update brings out various enhancements, including an overhauled design with Spark-like quick actions, an easier way to import files, improved file management, an all-new media player, on-the-fly editing of cloud files, music and video streaming and more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-314ezmBgE

According to Readdle:

iOS has always been a 'no-file-manager' system. Everything is taken care of by the apps. That’s a blessing and a curse at the same time.However, some of us are very comfortable with controlling things on our devices, especially when it comes to getting real work done.

This is why we created Documents, an extremely powerful, versatile hub for all of your files on iPhone or iPad. It’s your Swiss knife that removes iOS file management woes.

Documents has always been a powerful iOS file manager and now it's gotten even better.

The completely rethought user interface is very functional.

As the screenshots attest, you can now easily edit, zip, tag, move or sync your files with fewer taps than before. Bigger file preview thumbnails give you a better idea of the content of that Excel spreadsheet or PPT presentation before you even open it.

A prominently featured “+” button lets you quickly import files, including documents from your computer, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, WebDAV or any other cloud-based storage source. Files are now organized into folders exactly the way you are comfortable with.

Just select one or a few of them and easily drag them to the right location. And with cross-app drag and drop support, you can move a single or multiple files between Documents and Spark, Scanner Pro or PDF Expert.

“The best part is that you can access any of the locally stored files in any app with the ‘Open in’ option,” notes Readdle. “This is a unique experience on iOS, and it’s what finally gives you that Finder feel on your iPhone or iPad.” Now you can work directly with your cloud files in Documents and even stream photos, videos and music from any cloud storage without needing to download the files to your device.

The new media player helps you organize your music into playlists, with the ability to shuffle and loop your favorite tracks. And if you have PDF Expert installed on your device, Documents will let you annotate and edit PDFs, fill out forms, sign applications and more.

If you haven't played with Documents before, you should really give it a try.

Acting a central hub for all of your files, it lets you view almost any file format natively, store your files directly on the device or connect to the popular cloud storage service to keep everything together in perfect sync.

Availability

Spark and Documents are available at no charge from App Store.

PDF Expert is $9.99 on App Store.

Scanner Pro is $3.99 on App Store.

You should really download the latest version of Spark, Documents, Scanner Pro and PDF Expert and see for yourself what kind of a productivity device your iPad can be with proper drag and drop support.

How to create a ringtone or text tone for free on your iPhone using GarageBand

Steffen Reich ∙ Updated February 18, 2022

Using the free GarageBand app by Apple, you can take a song or voice recording on your iPhone, turn it into a ringtone, and set it as your iPhone's incoming call or text tone. This tutorial shows you how to do that.

Jony Ive has been appointed chancellor of London’s Royal College of Art

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 25, 2017

Jony Ive, Apple's Chief Design Officer, has been appointed chancellor of London's Royal College of Art (RCA), which is the world's leading art school. According to the press release, Sir Jony Ive succeeds Sir James Dyson OM, Provost of the College (2011–17), as this key honorary role is renamed.

“I am thrilled to formalise my relationship with the RCA, given the profound influence the College has had on so many of the artists and designers that I admire,” said Ive.

“Our design team includes many RCA alumni, who embody the fundamental values of the College,” Apple's design tzar added. “I look forward to advising both the College and students, hoping that my experience proves useful in their work.”

He will take up the role in July.

In 2017, RCA was ranked the world's best institution for art and design for the third year in a row by QS University World Rankings.

Paul Thompson, Rector of the Royal College of Art, commented:

We are delighted to welcome Sir Jony Ive as our new Chancellor. It is a great honour to be joined by the world’s leading designer of his generation, who has produced consistently innovative and commercially successful technology and design.

As Chancellor, Jony embodies the RCA’s ideals of technology and design excellence, inspiring students and staff, and enabling us to educate the next generation of world-leading artists and designers.

As Chancellor for a five-year term, Ive will advise the College during a period of expansion, embodied in the construction of a new building at Battersea, scheduled to open in 2020.

From the release:

Ive joins the RCA at a critical point in its evolution into a dynamic, STEAM-focused postgraduate university, expanding its research and knowledge exchange centres into the domains of computer and materials science, the impact of the digital economy, advanced manufacturing and intelligent mobility.

Ive received an honorary doctorate from the RCA, conferred in 2009.

He was awarded a CBE in 2006 and a KBE in the 2012 New Year’s Honours list. Among others, Ive also holds honorary doctorates from both Oxford and Cambridge Universities. In 2012, D&AD named Ive and his team the Best Design Studio of the past 50 years.

The Chancellor is head of the College, presiding over meetings of the Court, a member of its governing body, Council, and conferring degrees at Convocation. Baroness Gail Rebuck remains Chair of Council and becomes Pro-Chancellor of the university. The posts of Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor are non-salaried.

Ive holds over 5,000 patents.

At long last, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 hits App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 24, 2017

Konami on Wednesday announced that its official Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 mobile game for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch has made its global debut across 150 countries. The game is available free of charge with non-compulsory In-App Purchases.

Optimized for a realistic football experience on mobile with swipe-to-pass and tap-to-shoot mechanics, the soccer simulation is built on the same game engine used in the original Pro Evolution Soccer console series, providing a fun and realistic soccer experience on-the-go.

Watch the official PES 2017 mobile trailer below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZIm9Eg2Kow

Featuring local and online multiplayer, official partnerships with club giants FC Barcelona, Liverpool FC and Borussia Dortmund, plus official licenses with top teams and players from Europe, Latin America and Asia, Pro Evolution Soccer is a no-brainer if you're a soccer fan.

Key highlights include:

The PES 2017 mobile experience—Take total control of every action on the field in a way that only the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise can deliver. Natural player movements, precision passing and in-depth tactics bring the true experience of the beautiful game to your mobile device. Swipe to pass, tap to shoot—Controller actions have been optimized to make playing on your mobile device feel as smooth and exciting as a PES action game should. Utilize advanced controls for precise passing and controlled shooting. Classic virtual pad controls are also available. Master your technique and feel the excitement of scoring the winning goal in the ultimate action soccer game. Official club partnerships— Scout and recruit thousands of soccer stars from the best teams in Europe, South America and Asia. Prepare to feel what it takes to play with or against stars like Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique. The official EUFA Champions League—Experience official visuals from the UEFA Champions League as you compete against the top teams in Europe. Build your winning eleven team—Acquire players through Scouts, Agents or the Scout Auction. Choose the best players to fit your unique tactics (e.g. Giroud has excellent physicality and Ozil excellent balance). Every player is unique and every match is a new experience. Local and online multiplayer—Challenge Friends in Local Match or discover new rivals in Online Match mode. PES 2017 mobile now lets you play PES on-the-go, anytime and anywhere.

As part of the launch, special scouts and agents will be available for a limited time through several in-game events.

Beginning today, you can earn players with high levels of shooting skills, like Lionel Messi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, by participating in the Great Finishers event. Another event, called Step Up Challenge, lets you play against COM teams under certain conditions and receive prizes based on the number of wins earned.

Kick-Off Campaign bonuses will continue to be available through 4:59 UTC on August 23.

Kick-Off Campaign gives PES fans the opportunity to gain rare, minimum silver status-guaranteed players from partner clubs FC Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool FC.

For more details on these events, visit konami.com/wepes/mobile.

In case you've been sleeping under a rock for the past two decade or so, Pro Evolution Soccer is Konami's flagship series of football action games that have been enjoyed by football fans from around the world for more than 20 years.

The games sold more than 96 million copies worldwide, as of March 2017.

Download Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 for free from App Store.

Apple releases AirPods firmware 3.7.2

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 24, 2017

Apple today released AirPods software 3.7.2, bringing unspecified improvements and bug fixes to the company's first Bluetooth earbuds featuring the in-house designed W1 wireless chip.

According to the German-language publication Macerkopf.de (Google Translate), which first spotted the new firmware, it's possible that it addresses the reported Bluetooth connectivity issues where AirPods would lost connection with their paired iPhone during phone calls.

To install the new AirPods firmware, put both earbuds inside their charging case, then close the case and connect it to a charger or a USB port on your computer. Your iPhone must be paired with your AirPods and connected to Wi-Fi in order for the firmware to download and install.

TUTORIAL: How to install software updates for your AirPods

Keep the charging case within a few inches of your iPhone or the AirPods firmware won't be updated. Keep in mind that updating your AirPods may take a few minutes to complete.

During the update process, your AirPods may be unavailable for use.

You can find out your AirPods firmware version in Settings → General → About → AirPods on your iPhone when the earbuds are connected to the phone.

AirPods originally released with firmware version 3.3.1.

Video: tricking Galaxy S8’s iris scanner into unlocking the phone

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 24, 2017

Eyeballs and faces are not as secure as fingerprints—German hackers with the Chaos Computer Club have bypassed iris authentication technology that's prominently featured in Samsung's Galaxy S8 smartphone. All that's needed to trick Galaxy S8's iris scanner into unlock the phone is an infrared photograph of the eye of the phone’s owner and a contact lens.

ArsTechnica says the photo need not even be a close up.

This video below, originally posted by Starbug (the moniker used by one of the principal researchers behind the hack), demonstrates how to circumvent the iris recognition of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S8 smartphone—such as a basic digital camera, Samsung's laser printer and a contact lens—by using equipment that costs less than the $725 price of an unlocked device.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccQZs8Ofpuk

An attacker must posses a photograph of the phone owner's face, which must be printed out to place the contact lens on the iris in the printout. Holding the image in front of a locked Galaxy S8 fools the iris scanner into unlocking the device.

Princeton Identity, the makers of Galaxy S8's iris authentication technology, say the phone provides “airtight security” and that consumers can “finally trust that their phones are protected”. Samsung itself claimed that Galaxy S8's iris scanning mechanism is “one of the safest ways to keep your phone locked.”

That said, we've known that bypassing the phone's biometrics is laughably easy.

In March, iDevice posted a video proving that Galaxy S8's facial recognition feature can be fooled into unlocking the phone by scanning a simple headshot of the phone's owner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXd26Nqg5tQ

According to The Korea Herald, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus handsets can even be unlocked by scanning the face of a sleeping person. Samsung is aware that Galaxy S8's facial unlocking technology is not its most secure biometric system: in a March statement to Mashable, a company spokesperson said that facial unlocking cannot be used for purchases with Samsung Pay.

For that, you still must use the phone's fingerprint reader as the iris scanner can only be used to purchase apps and media or unlock the phone. Galaxy S8 includes both iris scanning and facial recognition via the front-facing camera, in addition to fingerprint scanning via a sensor relocated to the rear side.

Apple's own Touch ID fingerprint reader isn't immune to hacks either.

Back in 2013, Starbug demonstrated that fingerprints casually collected off of water glasses can be leveraged to fool Touch ID into unlocking your iPhone. Android phones are susceptible to a similar hack.

As you know, Apple is expected to use facial unlocking and maybe even iris scanning in iPhone 8. Starbug, however, cautions that future smartphones with iris recognition may be equally easy to hack. Iris recognition, says Starbug, is hard to make hack-proof because you can't really hide your iris.

“It's even worse than fingerprints,” added the hacker.

Thunderbolt 3 to go royalty-free by 2018

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 24, 2017

Intel announced today it will be making Thunderbolt 3 royalty-free for manufacturers in 2018 to boost adoption. Moreover, the chip giant will be natively integrating Thunderbolt 3 into its future CPUs, which should help reduce the overall solution cost on the computer.

“We think the first thing is going to drive broader adoption and deployment of Thunderbolt 3 in PCs,” Jason Ziller, Intel’s lead for Thunderbolt development, told Wired. “The second will drive also broader adoption in the ecosystem, with a lot of different peripherals and other devices.”

Intel is continually working with the industry to lower the cost of the cables and the devices. The improving USB-C economies of scale should help Thunderbolt 3 drive down costs.

There are currently about 60 Thunderbolt-compatible peripherals.

About 180 seventh-generation Core CPUs from Intel include native Thunderbolt 3 integration, with another 30 or so expected by the end of the year.

Dan Riccio, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, said:

Apple and Intel have collaborated on Thunderbolt from the beginning, and as the industry leader in its adoption, we applaud Intel’s efforts to integrate Thunderbolt technology into its CPUs and open it up to the rest of the industry.

The Thunderbolt protocol has been struggling to gain traction.

Jointly developed by Apple and Intel six years ago, it's failed to go mainstream due to the royalty fees vendors are required to pay and a combination of high cost and low availability.

Thunderbolt 3 supports data speeds of up to 40 Gbps, allowing you to transfer a 4K movie in about thirty seconds. In addition to data, the protocol allows for power, USB, DisplayPort, HDMI and VGA to be carried over a single reversible port that's compatible with USB-C.

“There always have been and probably will continue to be some wired ports on even the thinnest and lightest computers,” says Ziller. “So having a single port that really do everything that you need is our vision for Thunderbolt 3.”

Apple's MacBook Pro uses a dedicated Thunderbolt 3 controller measuring 10.7mm × 10.7mm.

Microsoft has enhanced Thunderbolt 3 device plug-and-play support in the now available Windows 10 Creators Update, with additional enhancements planned for future OS releases.

By integrating the protocol into its CPUs and making the Thunderbolt specification available to third-party chipmakers royalty-free next year should help Thunderbolt 3 become an industry-standard it was always meant to become.

Apple granted patent for iPhone-compatible Apple Pencil

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 24, 2017

The United States Patent and Trademark Office yesterday awarded a new patent to Apple, seemingly covering a future Apple Pencil that would work with an iPhone. Apple's $99 stylus is currently exclusive to iPad Pro models because the accessory requires a special system underneath the display, which iPhones currently don't have.

The U.S. Patent No. 9,658,704, titled “Devices and methods for manipulating user interfaces with a stylus”, describes a future Apple Pencil as supporting a myriad of electronic devices outfitted with a touchscreen and one or more sensors to detect signals from a stylus.

In some embodiments, the patent describes using a stylus with portable communications devices like iPhone, iPod touch and iPad by taking advantage of the projected mutual capacitance sensing technology that Apple's existing OS devices currently use.

The wording of the patent indicates strongly that a future Apple Pencil may work with other types of apps like word processing, spreadsheet making, game playing, web browsing, image editing, email and more.

Other devices like Macs with touch-sensitive trackpads might also work with a stylus.

Both “iPhone” and “phone” are referenced many times throughout the patent application. One of the included patent drawings clearly illustrates a stylus being used with an iPhone-like device.

The patent was originally filed for in September 2015 and credits Apple engineers Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, Linda L. Dong, Mark K. Hauenstein and Julian Missig as its inventors.

Tim Cook may have hinted in an interview last September that Apple Pencil could soon work with iPhones, thereby suggesting that the next iPhone might incorporate additional sensor support for a next-generation digital stylus from Apple.

Foxconn and Sharp buying a stake in micro-LED startup eLux

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 24, 2017

Apple's favorite contract manufacturer Foxconn Electronics is teaming up with its display-making subsidiary Sharp to acquire a 31.82 percent stake in eLux, a Delaware-based startup engaged in research and development of micro-LED technology and its application to virtual reality and augmented reality devices.

The American startup was established in October 2016 by researchers formerly employed at Sharp's research facilities across the United States.

Sharp says it will team with CyberNet Venture Capital, panel maker Innolux and Advanced Optoelectronic Technology (all affiliated with Foxconn) to buy eLux in October.

Nikkei said earlier this week that Sharp will take a stake of just over 30 percent in eLux, valued at $7 million, in exchange for related patents. Additionally, the Japanese giant will transfer 21 patents regarding micro-LED technology to eLux, said DigiTimes.

Apple is apparently serious about this promising new display technology.

Aside from acquiring micro-LED specialists LuxVue back in 2014, the Cupertino company could kick off trial production of micro-LEDs by the end of 2017, with Apple Watch Series 3 likely switching from OLED to micro-LED display technology.

Power-conserving micro-LEDs consist of small, light-emitting diodes that render images.

They're capable of boosting battery life by as much as 300 percent versus LCDs. The technology allows for improved color gamut and up to two to three times the brightness of OLED-based screens under the same power consumption.

Apple could start building micro-LED screens by end of 2017

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 24, 2017

Despite many technological bottlenecks, Apple could kick off trial production of the power-efficient display panels based on a relatively new and unproven micro-LED technology by the end of this year. According to a supply chain report Wednesday from Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes, the Cupertino giant is likely to crank out a small volume of micro-LED display products from its plant in Taoyuan, northern Taiwan at the end of the year.

Other companies are looking to commercialize micro-LEDs, too.

Samsung-owned PlayNitride should install a production line for micro-LEDs in the second half of 2017, which will use a mass-transfer process that mounts micro-LED chips on thin film transistor substrates. Micro-LED are so small that a five-inch 400-by-600 pixel smartphone panel requires nearly one million and a 4K TV panel about 50 million tiny chips.

PlayNitride doesn't expect first micro-LED-based mobile products to appear before 2019.

Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute is expected to tie up with local businesses to begin trial production of micro-LEDs in 2018, using its in-house developed technology.

Let's not forget Apple's contract manufacturer Foxconn, which recently announced plans plans to acquire display startup eLux for the development of next-generation micro-LEDs.

Apple itself acquired micro-LED specialists LuxVue three years ago.

Business Korea claimed last month that Apple Watch Series 3 is likely to use a micro-LED display before the technology proves feasible enough to be deployed on a mass-scale across Apple's iPhone, iPad and Mac devices.

Samsung Display and LG Display, which currently supply LCD screens for Apple devices, could lose around $1 billion per year should the iPhone maker adopt micro-LEDs.

As we explained before, micro-LEDs could pave the way for Apple devices with longer-lasting batteries and brighter screens. As you know, traditional LCD-based screens waste a lot of energy because they require a backlight.

In addition to boosting battery life by as much as 300 percent versus LCDs, micro-LEDs allow for higher-resolution screens with improved color gamut and two to three times the brightness of OLED technology under the same power consumption.

Image: LuxVue's patent related to commercialization of Micro-LEDs, now owned by Apple.

1Password’s Travel Mode protects your private data from unwarranted searches

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Developer AgileBits announced yesterday a new Travel Mode feature in 1Password, its password manager for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows and the web. Designed to protect your sensitive data from unwarranted searches when crossing borders, Travel Mode removes all vaults from your devices except for the ones marked “safe for travel.”

Even if a security agent at the US border asks you to launch and unlock 1Password, they'll be unable to disable Travel Mode from within the app or even realize that the app is currently in Travel Mode, for that matter.

To mark the vaults as safe for travel, sign in to your account on 1Password.com.

Click the pencil icon on the vault you wanna mark as safe for travel, choose Safe for Travel and click Confirm. Right before you travel, turn on Travel Mode by clicking your account name in the top-right corner of the interface, choose My Profile and click Enable Travel Mode.

On the devices you’re traveling with, open and unlock the 1Password app.

Any vaults that haven’t been marked as safe for travel will be instantly removed from the app. Rather than simply hide the vaults, the app completely removes them from your devices, including all items and your encryption keys so there are no traces left for anyone to find.

When you’re done traveling, return to My Profile on 1Password.com and click Disable Travel Mode. Just like that, your temporarily removed vaults re-appear on your devices.

“Whenever you turn Travel Mode on or off, you’ll need to open 1Password on your devices while connected to the Internet for the change to take effect,” reads the FAQ on the official website.

AgileBits notes that Travel Mode is included with every 1Password subscription. If you’re a team administrator, you can turn Travel Mode on and off for team members and manage which vaults are safe for travel.

A single-user 1Password subscription cost $2.99 per month, or $4.99 per month for a multi-user family account. Separate subscription options for teams are available as well.

1Password for Mac is a freemium download from Mac App Store.

1Password for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch is available free on App Store.