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Facebook updates Paper with mentions, hashtags, profile editing, better photo viewer and much more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Facebook has just pushed a massive update to its Paper for iPhone app, bringing out a host of much-needed features, starting with the ability to edit your profile picture and cover photo.

The free application now allows you to view photo tags, too, and use mentions to tag friends and let them know about the story. You can explore hashtags to see all the related posts, tilt the phone to explore every detail of the photo, tap-and-hold text to copy it from a post you're reading, change your audience after you post and more...

Apple wanted to buy Parse for iOS 8 CloudKit

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

CloudKit, one of the few platform-enhancing features Apple rolled out at WWDC, had to be created entirely from scratch because the Cupertino firm has failed at buying Parse, a startup that provides much of CloudKit-like functionality.

CloudKit frees up programmers from needing to devote their resources toward building server-side application logic themselves. It does so by providing a common set of APIs for server-based authentication, private and public database, structured and asset storage services and much more.

According to a scoop by The Information, a technology website by former WSJ writer Jessica Lessin, the iPhone maker considered purchasing Parse before Facebook...

Apple begins reaccepting Bitcoin apps on the App Store

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated January 27, 2018

Apple can't make up its mind. Just months ago, it pulled all Bitcoin wallet apps from the App Store after enacting a policy against all apps using the virtual currency. Now, it has reversed that decision and is allowing apps based the virtual currency back into the App Store. As reported by The Next Web, at least one app has already made its return to the storefront. Take a look…

Giveaway: Enter to win I-MEGO MAZE Studio Headphones

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated June 22, 2014

iDownloadBlog is pleased to announce our latest giveaway of the I-MEGO MAZE Studio Headphones, valued at $139.99. The MAZE headphones launched just a few weeks ago, featuring a soft memory foam cushion, semi-transparent vinyl record-like deco plate, and an integrated metal slider. The pair have a patent pending design that aims to deliver enhanced acoustics. Read ahead for how to enter…

Facebook’s iPad app gains new sidebar solely dedicated to entertainment and games

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 16, 2014

Facebook on Monday pushed an update to its iPad client to put more entertainment (and ads) into your hands.

Realizing that seven out of each ten people who use Facebook for iPad played a Facebook-connected game in the past 90 days, Mark Zuckerberg & Co. are now testing a new sidebar within the iPad app, specifically created for entertainment content and game discovery.

The iPad-exclusive section provides game trailers and in-game footage, as well as Trending videos/news articles, social notifications for native Facebook games, as well as those offered on the web, and much more.

Note that this experiment is currently limited to Facebook's iPad users in the United States and there's no word when it could launch globally. Additional tidbits can be found right after the break...

Angry Birds Transformers is in the works

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 1, 2018

I can't stand any more of Angry Birds. There, I've said it. Still, a lot of fans feel the series hasn't run its course yet so this one should be fun: Finland-based Angry Birds maker Rovio Mobile has now partnered with Hasbro on a new tie-in game. They're calling it Angry Birds Transformers and it's coming real soon to an iOS device near you.

Jump past the fold for full details...

WebMD launches Healthy Target, its own health-improvement platform

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 16, 2014

Ahead of iOS 8's public launch this Fall, WebMD today introduced Healthy Target, its own health improvement program for the iPhone that aggregates data from various biometric sensors and makes it understandable and actionable.

It sounds much like HealthKit, Apple's new platform in iOS 8 which gives makers of health/fitness apps and accessories official APIs to store users' performance metrics and health data into a system-wide database accessible by the stock Health app and third-party software...

Yosemite’s Handoff feature may not be compatible with all Macs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Handoff, arguably the coolest feature of the upcoming OS X 10.10 Yosemite, may not be available to all Mac users. In case you're not familiar with Handoff, it's part of Continuity, a new feature designed for seamless transitioning between iOS devices and Macs.

"Now your Mac knows the last thing you were doing on your iOS device and vice versa," Apple's Yosemite webpage explains. "So you can start something on one device and instantly pick it up on another."

As noted by a German blog, Handoff relying on short-range Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity is a strong indication that you'll need a relatively new Mac model in order to take advantage of the feature...

iPhone 6 rumored to run 2K Retina screen

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 29, 2016

According to an Asian source citing “Apple employees” in Hong Kong, Apple's upcoming iPhone 6 will pack in a much improved Retina display boasting Quad HD screen resolution of 2,560-by-1,440 pixels.

This would mark a significant upgrade from both the current four-inch 1,136-by-640 Retina display on the iPhone 5/5s/5c and the rumored 1,704-by-960 pixel resolution screen claimed earlier this month by a reliable blogger...

Beats airs “Jungle” remix of World Cup ad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

After posting a five-minute World Cup commercial - basically an ode to soccer, its headphones and the iPhone 5s - Beats on Monday released a shorter version of the "The Game Before The Game" ad.

Titled "Jay Z + Beats by Dre Jungle Remix", it features a remix of "Jungle", a song born out of the collaboration between Jay Z, X Ambassadaros and Jamie N Commons. Check it out after the break and tell us what you think in the comments...

Geohot “makes it ra1n” on Android with a rooting tool for the Samsung Galaxy S5

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Geohot—a name that's virtually synonymous with iPhone jailbreaking—has taken up quite a few different ventures since departing from the jailbreak scene. He's dabbled in Playstation 3 hacking, and working at Facebook. He was even rumored to have been on the precipice of an iOS 7 jailbreak, but nothing formally materialized from him.

But yesterday, Geohot (real name George Hotz) made his name known on an even wider scale when he released a new rooting tool for the Samsung Galaxy S5 and other Android devices. The tool, which is called Towelroot, is a downloadable package that allows Galaxy S5 users to quickly root their devices. This is especially helpful for GS5 users on Verizon and AT&T, because those two mobile carriers lock the bootloader.

I've tried out Towelroot on my Galaxy S5, and it works just as described. In fact, it reminds me a lot of Hotz's past jailbreak tools. Check inside for all of the details.

Tokyo Apple Store wallpapers

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

After celebrating the Wallpapers of the Week one year anniversary, we forge on to year two. With our new beginning, it is proper to use another fresh start to honor the occasion. Just this past Friday, June 13 at 10:00AM, Apple opened a new store in Omotesando Japan. As always, the store opening was heralded with much fanfare and a feature video captures the exciting moments of building the store.

Prior to revealing the store's interior, a large set of poster images covered the all glass front. The posters included images of greenery. Lisa Jackson, at the Fortune Brainstorm Green conference, spoke about the company's efforts to become more eco friendly. While data centers are turning to renewable resources, the Japan store utilizes a vine covered wall to act as a natural climate control system...