Screenshots show WhatsApp for iOS’ calling feature currently in beta

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Italian blog iPhoneItalia has posted a series of screenshots showing the new calling feature currently in beta testing for WhatsApp, the hugely popular communications app owned by Facebook.

WhatsApp has been rolling out the functionality to select users as part of a beta testing program over the past few months, with plans to release it to the public in the near future. Since more texts in the world are being sent through WhatsApp than traditional SMS, the new VOIP calling from WhatsApp could be a very big deal.

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Apple’s Eddy Cue details Apple Pay on Apple Watch at NBA game

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple's software boss Eddy Cue, an avid Golden State Warriors fan, was on-hand at Oracle arena in Oakland on Saturday to help with the official rollout of Apple Pay at the team store, the second such to support the mobile payment technology.

While we expect many details for the Apple Watch to be revealed on Monday, Mashable reports Cue, who was wearing a stainless steel Apple Watch, offered details on how Apple Pay will work with the wearable.

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Hands-on with Velox 2

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

I've had a copy of Velox 2 for several weeks, and I've seen it progress as its developer, Phillip Tennen, brings new features to the table. Every week, there seems to be a new feature or a new addition, which is promising for the highly anticipated tweak.

Velox, as you're likely aware of, allows you to access special views for an app on the SpringBoard by means of a simple activation gesture. The default gesture, a swipe up on the app icon, will yield a special "Velox view", or if no view exists for the app in question, a Notifications view for all of the app's pending notifications.

If you're familiar with the original Velox, then you largely know what to expect from Velox 2. But there are several new additions that appear in the sequel that promise to breathe some fresh air into the tweak...

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‘Reserve Strap’ aims to extend the battery life of your Apple Watch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

One of the biggest public concerns regarding the Apple Watch seems to be its battery life. While other smartwatches, such as the Pebble, claim life of up to 10 days, the Cupertino wearable is said to last for less than 24 hours.

But John Arrow and ex-Nike staffer Lane Musgrave are looking to change that with the 'Reserve Strap.' It features embedded lithium polymer cells and an inductive charging cradle to keep your Apple Watch going strong.

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IGN names “Sky Gamblers: Cold War” its Free Game of the Month

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Heads up gamers, IGN has just named "Sky Gamblers: Cold War" its Free Game of the Month for March. The title has an impressive rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars in the App Store, on thousands of reviews, and it typically retails for $4.99.

Cold War holds true to the popular flight simulator franchise, providing console-quality gameplay on the go. You can choose from over 12 beautiful planes to pilot, and participate in a variety of single-player and multiplayer game modes.

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Even more Apple Watch details revealed in new report

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

You will find yourself using your iPhone a lot less, once you've purchased an Apple Watch, according to TechCrunch. The publication has spoken with a number of people who have used the new wearable extensively, and one person even said they "nearly stopped" using their iPhone.

This is because the Apple Watch is built to handle alerts and other matters much more efficiently than your smartphone. Notifications are seen right away and acted on quickly, so they don't pile up, and apparently they're auto-disabled when the Watch is removed or reaches 10% battery life.

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Melodic brings new sharing, metadata editing, and queuing features to the stock Music app

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

When developer samball told me that there was a new jailbreak tweak in the works, I kept my eyes on Cydia for its appearance. That's because samball is a well-respected developer, and behind such jailbreak releases as CameraTweak. Sam's newest tweak is called Melodic, and it brings some awesome new features—like the ability to share music from your library via AirDrop, Messages, and more—to the stock Music app.

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Apple Watch: new details about battery life, apps, features and more emerge

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple has managed to improve the battery life of the Apple Watch to support 5 hours of heavy application use, reports 9to5Mac. Ahead of Monday's event, the site has heard this and other previously unknown details from sources who have hands-on experience with the wearable.

The improvement in battery life should ensure that the Watch will last a full day with mixed heavy and passive use. However, the site makes it clear that users will still need to charge the device every night, as the battery is not strong enough to last a full second day without renewal.

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Breaking brings an RSS feed reader widget to Notification Center on iOS and OS X

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

If you are a news junkie, you probably have all sorts of alerts set up to let you know the moment a story breaks. Wouldn’t it be nice if your RSS feeds were available right in the Today view of Notification Center?

Breaking – News in your Today tab populates your favorite news feeds in Notification Center for iOS and OS X, so you access stories you want to read without having to open a special app for it. All of your news is right in front of you, available with one swipe or click.

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Apple’s upcoming subscription music service apparently won’t offer ad-driven free tier

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 6, 2015

Apple's subscription-based music-streaming service based on Beats technology will not include a free tier supported by advertising akin to iTunes Radio, Re/code reported Friday morning.

This doesn't exclude the possibility of a time-limited trial for new customers, the publication added. According to unnamed sources who have talked to Apple executives, led by SVP Eddy Cue and Beats Music co-founder Jimmy Iovine, the music business “needs to get behind a paywall.”

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Amazon Game Studios announces four new mobile games coming to iOS platform

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 30, 2016

Amazon Game Studios, a games-publishing arm of the online retail giant, announced it will soon be bringing four new iPhone and iPad games to the iOS platform.

“We’re excited to share that two new games, Lost Within and Til Morning’s Light along with customer favorites Tales From Deep Space and To-Fu Fury, will be coming soon to iOS and more Fire devices,” said the studio in a media release Friday.

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