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Microsoft mulls porting Cortana assistant to iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 13, 2014

Microsoft has wont to arrive late to parties: following Siri's introduction nearly three years ago, Redmond in April of this year has finally gotten around to unveiling a personal assistant of its own, Cortana, at the Build Developer Conference in San Francisco.

Originally conceived as a Windows Phone 8.1 exclusive, the Windows giant is now reportedly considering bringing the virtual assistant to rival platforms, namely to iOS and Android.

Let me get this straight. Beats updates Android app. Microsoft launches Office for iPad before even releasing a touch-optimized version for Windows 8 tablet. Apple reportedly mulling iTunes for Android...

What a difference a few years make, eh?

Despite Apple deal, Beats updates Android app, plans on using Samsung shill LeBron James in ads

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 2, 2016

Looks like Tim Cook wasn't joking when he told The Financial Times Apple would keep alive Beats Music apps for Android and Windows Phone platforms. Keep in mind that Cook made that promise after Apple snapped up Beats' streaming-music service, headphones, brand and talent in a $3 billion transaction.

Indeed, Beats has now issued an update to its Android client, the first refresh post-acquisition. But that's not all: it seems Beats will continue to feature Samsung endorser and Miami Heat cager LeBron James in future advertising...

Apple cracking down on fake App Store ratings

Joe Rossignol ∙ June 13, 2014

The latest statistics reveal that there are over 1.1 million apps and counting on the App Store, making app discovery for small and large developers alike increasingly challenging. On top of that, Apple is known to have an algorithm that makes only apps with higher ratings more easily discoverable.

As a result, a significant number of developers manipulate the position of their app in the App Store charts by posting fake reviews with high ratings, often times five stars. But according to TechCrunch, Apple is aware of the rank manipulation and is now taking action against these fake ratings…

iOS 8 lets native apps tap into Safari’s AutoFill & Passwords for frictionless login experience

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 13, 2014

In addition to using your device’s iSight camera to scan in credit card information, Safari in iOS 8 makes it easy for third-party apps to tap into the browser's AutoFill & Passwords feature for hassle-free logins.

Provided a user has previously saved their username and password for a specific website using Safari's AutoFill & Passwords feature, a native iOS app is now permitted to retrieve this information and re-use it to authorize a user quickly and securely, bypassing the login screen altogether...

Subscribe to Beats at a discounted rate: Target now selling Beats Music gift cards at 25% off

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

On the heels of its eyebrow-raising $3 billion deal with Apple, the Beats Music subscription service has recently dropped its annual membership from $119.88 to $99 per year, or $9.99 per month, making itself more competitive with Spotify and the like.

If you'd rather not use your credit card (or carrier billing) for recurring payments, the service now allows you to apply promotional codes provided on the physical Beats Music cards, carried exclusively by Target and offered in several denominations.

And conveniently enough, Target is currently offering 25 percent off Beats Music $50 and $25 gift cards, resulting in respective savings of $12.5 and $6.25...

Apple announces iPhone USB charger replacement program over ‘safety risk’ concerns

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 13, 2014

Apple Friday announced a replacement program for certain USB iPhone power adapters sold in Europe and elsewhere that "may overheat and pose a safety risk". The affected adapters that carry a model number of A1300 have been recalled and will be replaced with a new variant, the A1400 model.

According to the firm's official statement, the five-watt Apple European USB power adapter that "in rare cases" may overheat came with the iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s units.

These iPhones shipped from October 2009 to September 2012 to a total of 45 countries, mostly European. The broken adapter was sold as a standalone accessory, too...

Tweetbot 3 for iPhone updated with support for viewing/posting multiple images

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

The Tapbots have updated their popular Tweetbot 3 app for iPhone this morning. The update brings the Twitter client to version 3.4, and brings about a handful of new features, including support for multiple image viewing/posting, and more.

Users can now view and post multiple images from within Tweetbot 3, although Tapbots cautions that multiple images won't show up in search or streaming timelines until Twitter enables support. We have the full change log after the break...

Apple launches new ‘Browse by Category’ section in App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Apple has introduced a new section in the App Store entitled 'Browse by Category.' Available in the Featured section of both the iOS and desktop versions of the App Store, the new area makes it easier for users to discover and browse app categories.

While users have long been able to browse apps by category, the past experience was fairly truncated: users had to click on the Categories label in the upper left hand corner and scroll through a drop-down menu. This way is far more visually appealing...

Facebook Messenger updated with Instant Video Sending and Big Likes

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Facebook has posted an update for its iOS Messenger client this morning, bringing the app to version 6.0. The release includes the usual bug fixes and improvements, as well as two new features in 'Instant Video Sending' and 'Big Likes.'

Both new features are exactly what they sound like. Instant Video Sending allows users to shoot and play 15-second video messages from the camera, right in the app, and a Big Like is essentially a larger thumbs up for things you really like...

Samsung unveils the Galaxy Tab S with multi-user fingerprint sensor

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Samsung hosted an event in New York yesterday afternoon to take the wraps off a new version of its Galaxy Tab. It's calling the tablet the Galaxy Tab S, and it includes a high resolution Super AMOLED display that comes in 2 sizes: 8.4 and 10.5-inches.

Perhaps one of its most interesting features, though, is its fingerprint sensor. It can recognize up to eight different users, and each scan will load a different custom user profile based on the fingerprint with personalized settings, app shortcuts and more...

‘ReadQuick’ goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Joe Rossignol ∙ June 12, 2014

I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but what an eventful Thursday it has been on the App Store. Lory shared her thoughts on WordWildWest, Cody told us about Angry Birds Epic and Amazon's new Prime Music service, Christian covered updates for Skitch, Flickr and Scanbot, and we've still got the App Recap coming later this evening…

Apple’s Angela Ahrendts sends out first memo to retail staff

Cody Lee ∙ June 12, 2014

Angela Ahrendts began here tenure as Apple's senior vice president of retail and online sales in early May. The former Burberry CEO has made a good first impression in her first month, garnering praise from folks inside and outside the company.

Today, Ahrendts sent out her first memo to Apple retail employees, which officially sets the tone for her incumbency. In the letter she thanks everyone for their hospitality, and pledges to continue to evolve the customer journey in stores and online...