VMware updates Fusion for Mac with support for El Capitan and Windows 10 with Cortana

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 24, 2017

VMware today released Fusion 8 and Fusion 8 Pro with support for running Windows 10 with Cortana on OS X 10.11 El Capitan Macs.

A virtualization solution, VMware allows you to run OS X and Windows 10 side-by-side as opposed to dual-booting between the two operating systems.

Fusion 8 and Fusion 8 Pro also support native display resolution of the iMac with 5K Retina display, the USB-C port and Force Touch trackpad of Apple's 12-inch MacBook and sport other enhancements.

The company said existing Fusion 6 or Fusion 7 customers can upgrade to Fusion 8 for $49.99 or Fusion 8 Pro for $119.99. And if you're a Parallels Desktop for Mac user, VMware will treat you to a cool forty percent discount on Fusion 8 and Fusion 8 Pro.

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Viber gains improved spam handling and reporting in latest iPhone update

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 25, 2015

Viber for iPhone was refreshed this morning in the App Store with improved spam handling. I've noticed an increase of spam messages on Viber lately as I've been regularly getting spam messages from seemingly random people telling me I've won a free iPhone or some fishy contest prize.

While Viber offers the ability to block unwanted contacts from messaging you, this update should help sort out the influx of spam on the service.

No other changes are mentioned for Viber 5.5.1, a free download from the App Store.

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How to customize the iPhone’s respring boot logo

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 12, 2018

BootLogoCustomizer is a brand new tweak that lets users customize the colors of the respring Apple boot logo. Customization is achieved by means of a simple preference panel found in the stock Settings app.

Although BootLogoCustomizer doesn't allow you to change the boot logo that appears when you first reboot your iPhone, it will let you change the one that appears on respring, and it will eventually show up on reboot after the unmodified logo is displayed for a few seconds.

If you're looking for a way to customize your logo and background, than look no further than this $1.00 jailbreak tweak.

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WGradRemover gets rid of the wallpaper gradient overlay shadow

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Have you ever noticed how your iPhone's wallpaper is sometimes noticeably dark at the top of the screen near the status bar? That's because iOS automatically overlays the wallpaper with a shadow gradient. This is done in an attempt to make status bar icons and assets more visible, especially on busy wallpaper backgrounds.

But not everyone wants to have their wallpaper modified by this shadow overlay, as it can change the true look of your wallpaper. WGradRemover is a new jailbreak tweak that helps jailbroken users easily remove the wallpaper gradient overlay.

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Review: RIF6 Cube Projector – a great iPhone companion?

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

The RIF6 Cube ($269 on Amazon) is a portable DLP projector that’s super-small at only 2”x 2”. You can literally fit this projector in your pocket and then use it to project an image from your iPhone’s screen up to 120”.

The main thing that the RIF6 has going for it is its size, or lack thereof. It’s so incredibly tiny, that it’s hard to believe that it can project anything, let alone a 120” picture.

The small size, though, is both a blessing and a curse for the RIF6. Due to its small size, it’s sub-HD at an 854x480 resolution. It also packs a speaker that features barely audible sound quality.

But I’ve decided that both of these downsides are things that most people will be able to live with, because you’re buying this projector for the incredible sense of portability and flexibility that it brings, not because it packs the latest and greatest features in projector technology.

Watch our video review inside as I highlight the unboxing of the RIF6 Cube, and showcase the basic setup and display capabilities that this svelte little device possesses.

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Check out The Amazing Bernard, a gorgeously done platformer hitting iOS soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 24, 2015

The Amazing Bernard by Kumkwat Entertainment is arriving on iOS devices in the coming weeks and boy does it look beautiful. I'm a huge sucker for adventure/platform games such as Leo's Adventure and can't wait to put my hands on The Amazing Bernard.

The game appears to offer a unique blend of action and exploration as you'll be overcoming obstacles, jumping on platforms and running around like there's no tomorrow. You play as a cartoonish character named Bernie O'Tag but the game packs in even crazier characters to meet and many mysteries to be revealed.

We have a full preview ready for your reading pleasure further below.

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Six reasons breaking up iTunes into highly focused, lightweight apps totally makes sense

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 24, 2015

Most people will agree that iTunes for Mac and Windows is a hot mess. Indeed, the app has long been ripe for a thorough change from top to bottom and inside out, if not a complete reboot.

The reasoning is simple: after more than fourteen years of adding one layer of code atop another and cramming every little feature it could possibly think of into iTunes, Apple has made the app bloated and painfully frustrating to use.

At some point during its development, iTunes has become inundated with various user interface inconsistencies. The most recent version with poorly implemented Apple Music has only made things worse.

Now, some have suggested that Apple break up this resource hog of an app into highly focused apps, each dedicated to managing and syncing their own media type. As someone who belongs to that camp, I've put together an opinion piece listing six solid arguments why breaking up iTunes into smaller apps might just make sense.

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Privacy is more dead than we think

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

The concept of privacy has shifted from the connoted right it once was to a fading dream. Where family discussions once never left the dinner table, what a person does and thinks are now plastered across social media in a way once deemed unthinkable because it simply “wasn’t anyone’s business” not that long ago. Now, everything is everyone’s business, and this change in culture has come about largely if not solely because of technology.

Sure, social media has played a large part in changing the way people share information, making what was once personal now more or less public domain. However, there are more subtle forces at work. One common instance many people overlook is the simple request of an app to access your phone’s contacts.

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QuickDictation brings faster dictation access to the Messages app

Jeff Benjamin ∙ August 24, 2015

If you rarely use the audio message feature in the iOS 8 Messages app, then perhaps you should consider changing the functionality of the audio message button into something more useful. QuickDictation is a new jailbreak tweak that allows you to do just that. It changes the audio message button into a dictation button, which is normally resigned to the keyboard.

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Popular YouTubers are ‘doing some stuff with Apple’

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 24, 2015

According to a new report Monday, Apple has enlisted help of popular YouTubers such as Louis Cole and sketch comedy channel Wong Fu Productions who appear to be working in unknown capacity on future Apple promotions.

MacRumors, which first reported on the news, thinks a variant of Apple's 'Shot on iPhone' advertising campaign could be in the works in time for the 'iPhone 6s' and 'iPhone 6s Plus' launch next month.

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