Siri to soon speak Polish, Czech and Slovak

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 20, 2016

iOS 8 has added more than two dozen new languages to Siri, but Apple isn't standing still. As first noted by Czech blog LetemSvetemApplem [Google Translate], the voice activated personal assistant feature for the iPhone and iPad could soon start parsing queries in Polish, Czech and Slovak.

The publication has made the conclusion after uncovering a series of text strings within the ‘Localizable.strings’ file in iOS 8.1.2.

For those wondering, the file contains translated content for Siri responses concerning stuff like restaurants, sports information and more.

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Facebook adds AMBER Alerts to people’s News Feeds on mobile and the web

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2015

Facebook on Tuesday announced adding AMBER Alerts to both its mobile applications and the web interface in order to help find missing children in a more systematic way than before.

Realized through a partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the initiative will deliver AMBER Alerts, which include photographs and other details about the missing child, to people’s News Feeds in targeted search areas after a child has been abducted and the National Center has issued an alert, said the social networking behemoth.

Facebook is betting that the power of its network will help find the missing children and is encouraging users to share these alert with friends and link directly to the National Center’s missing child poster.

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iPhone 6s rumor: Force Touch, dual-lens camera with optical zoom

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 8, 2017

Apple pundit John Gruber said in November that the next iPhone refresh — likely to be marketed under the ‘iPhone 6s’ name — will include “the biggest camera jump ever” and now UDN’s supply chain sources are chiming in with some details.

According to the report Tuesday, relayed by GforGames, the next iPhone will feature a dual-lens camera out the back that will have optical zoom capabilities rather than digital zooming like all prior iPhone models.

Moreover, Apple is rumored to use some form a 3D pressure sensor akin to Force Touch technology that Apple Watch uses to sense the difference between a tap and a press.

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Looks like Apple stopped running ‘Single of the Week’ free song promo on iTunes

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2015

We're nearly halfway into the first month of 2015 and yet no free songs have appeared on iTunes, leading Business Insider to wonder whether Apple has killed off the promotion for good.

Conceived as a promotional vehicle to drive sales of music downloads and expose music lovers to new songs, Apple's “Single of the Week” promoting launched a decade ago, back in 2004 (three years after the launch of the iTunes Store).

The promotion has been running ever since, giving out free music every week on iTunes up until the start of 2015.

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DigiTimes: 12″ MacBook Air with Retina screen ramping up for Q1 launch, replacing 11-incher

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Contract fabricator Quanta Computer is ramping up production of the highly anticipated MacBook Air model with a twelve-inch screen as Apple preps to launch the forthcoming ultra-portable during the first quarter of this year, if a new report by DigiTimes, a Taiwanese trade publication, is an indication.

Well-informed blogger Mark Gurman recently claimed that Apple is expected to raise the bar on notebook portability by engineering a lighter, thinner computer without a fan that ditches standard USB ports, the SD Card slot, Thunderbolt I/O and the MagSafe power connector in favor of a single, fully reversible USB 3.1 Type-C port.

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Apple TV-compatible AllCast media streaming app now available on iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2015

Following a beta on Android that first launched more than a year ago, courtesy of CyanogenMod developer Koushik Dutta, the AllCast content streaming app is now available for the iPhone and iPad.

The software allows you to stream online or locally-stored content such as photos, music and videos to your Apple TV, Roku and a number of other set-top boxes and DLNA-compatible devices, including Amazon's Fire TV, Sony's PlayStation console, Microsoft's Xbox and more.

Moreover, the app supports popular online content sources such as Instagram for photos, as well as Dropbox, Google+ and Google Drive, and is compatible with smart TV brands from Samsung, Sony and Panasonic.

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Drop Wizard review: another classic retro arcade game for nostalgia’s sake

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

With 16-bit gaming practically a relic, anyone over the age of 25 will look back on such antiquated graphics with fond memories. Some younger gamers will appreciate the simplicity, as well. It’s all about what types of games make you happy.

Drop Wizard seems like it dropped out of 1987. It is a retro arcade game with nicely designed 16-bit graphics and a chip tune soundtrack that will make old-schoolers giggle with delight. We’ve got a full game review of Drop Wizard for you today.

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Let’s Talk iOS 064: The overblown

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Episode 64: A discussion about Apple's recent software missteps and how they could fix the situation. A talk about the rumored 12" MacBook Air, and what it could mean for the software side of things.

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Ryan Petrich releases a new cache cleaning tool

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

If you have Ryan Petrich's beta repo added to Cydia, then you likely saw the presence of a new jailbreak tweak called CacheClearer. The tool, which is available for free, allows users to clear app caches from the Usage section of the stock Settings app. The great thing about CacheClearer is that it feels like a native part of iOS, and not a bolt-on. If you're looking for a sleek way to manage individual app cache, then you should definitely give CacheClearer a look.

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CBS News overhauls iOS app, adds 24/7 live streaming video, breaking news alerts and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 12, 2015

CBS News issued a major refresh to its iOS application sporting an overhauled appearance and offering a plethora of new features. CBS News 3.0 brings out, among other enhancements, 24/7 live streaming video, push notifications for breaking news, in-depth coverage for constantly evolving stories, nicely designed photo galleries, a new ‘Quick Read’ feature and much more. The free of charge software is at last being provided as a single universal binary for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

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Google releases Chrome Remote Desktop app for iOS

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Google released its long-rumored remote desktop app for iOS today. Dubbed Chrome Remote Desktop, it's available now in the App Store for both the iPhone and iPad, allowing you to securely access your computers from either device.

Setup falls in line with other remote desktop applications. You'll obviously need Chrome installed on your computer (PC, Mac and Linux), the desktop client, and the aforementioned iOS app, and then you simply follow the instructions.

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