Apple gets help from Chinese authorities to fight iPhone 6 leaks

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

There has been an abundance of iPhone 6 rumors and leaks over the past several months, ranging from alleged photos of the back cover and backlight panels to 3D printed mockup models and purported cases for the 5.5-inch smartphone. But the leaked information could be coming to a halt, as the well-connected Sonny Dickson tweets that Apple has enlisted the help of 200 security officers in China to catch anyone suspected of selling iPhone 6 accessories… 

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Broadcast radio stations and locally targeted ads reportedly planned for iTunes Radio

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2014

According to The Information, a technology blog run by the former Wall Street Journal star reporter Jessica Lessin, Apple is about to bring broadcast radio stations to its iTunes Radio service and permit advertisers to target listeners with greater granularity than before.

These latest strides, said to materialize later this year, are believed to be aimed squarely at the likes of Pandora as Apple moves to make its service more competitive versus established Internet radio offerings...

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Forbes details Microsoft’s rumored iOS-compatible smartwatch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

After taking on both Apple's iPad tablet and the ultra-portable MacBook Air notebook with the recently announced Surface Pro 3, the Windows giant Microsoft appears ready to challenge Cupertino on wearables.

Yes, I know Apple has yet to reveal its cards concerning the long-rumored iWatch project, but an exclusive report by Forbes has it that Microsoft is betting heavily on a smartwatch of its own.

In line with the software giant's One Microsoft mantra and its renewed commitment to make its software and services available under every major platform, the gadget will reportedly sync with the iPhone and iPad, as well as with Android and Windows Phone devices...

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1TapVolume makes audio adjustment a snap

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 27, 2018

I know what you might be thinking right now. Why would we be spotlighting such an ugly looking app, right? This is one of those occasions where looks don’t matter. It’s ability that counts, especially in the case of this volume control app.

1TapVolume is a utility app that makes it possible for you to turn your iPhone’s volume up to full, mute it, or adjust it to any preset level with a single tap, no jailbreak required. No more futzing about with those pesky volume buttons, especially if those buttons have stopped working on your iPhone…

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Apple’s added 43 new iPhone carriers in 7 months

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2014

According to an analyst note by investment firm Wells Fargo Securities Friday, Apple has increased its carrier count and now distributes the iPhone through a total of 323 wireless carriers worldwide.

We know that the iPhone was sold through some 280 carriers as of October so the Cupertino firm has been able to add 43 new carriers in the past seven months.

In contrast with the above figure, the iPhone 5 launched in a hundred countries on 240 different carrier back in September 2012.

And as a basis for further comparison, Apple had 316 carrier partners in mid-April so it's added seven new carriers since...

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FlipCam: a quicker way to switch between the front and rear-facing camera

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 30, 2014

FlipCam is an extremely simple jailbreak tweak that does one thing and one thing only. FlipCam allows you to quickly switch between the front-facing camera and rear-facing camera using a long press on the camera viewfinder.

At times I find that the button used to switch between views is in a difficult to reach spot, because it's located in the upper right-hand corner of the Camera app interface. FlipCam makes it easy to switch between each camera view, because the viewfinder is always within reach. Take a glance at our video walkthrough after the break for more information.

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StatusPeek: replace the Notification Center grabber with the status bar

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

StatusPeek is an interesting new Cydia release that does something pretty cool. It allows you to replace the little grabber icon—the thing that appears when invoking Notification Center while in a full-screen app—with something useful: the status bar.

In essence, StatusPeek allows you to quickly look at the contents of the stock status bar—the bar the normally resides at the top of the screen, which contains the time, signal strength, etc.—while within a full-screen application.

In a default state, full-screen apps remove the status bar to allow for more screen real estate, so having the status bar more easily at ones disposal makes perfect sense. Check out our video walkthrough inside to see how StatusPeek works.

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How to make the stock Camera app more minimal

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

MinimalCamera is a new jailbreak tweak that allows you to remove the UI elements from the stock Camera app's viewfinder. It works in all modes, including photo mode and video modes.

This tweak provides users with a simple and distraction free canvas for composing new shots. Have a look at our video walkthrough after the break to catch a glimpse of MinimalCamera in action.

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Photo of alleged iPhone 6 back cover surfaces

Cody Lee ∙ May 29, 2014

While we've seen a number of physical mockups and case leaks for the iPhone 6, we haven't seen very much in the way of actual components. There was the front panel, the tray full of batteries, and this recently-leaked backlight panel, but that's pretty much it.

We're adding another part to the pile tonight, though. Macfixit Australia says it has obtained what is believed to be the back cover of an iPhone 6. The site says that it belongs to a 4.7-inch model—one of two rumored to be released this year—and is silver in color...

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Google Play Music adds Downloaded Only filter, playlist editing, Shuffle Artist and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 29, 2014

Google's iOS client for its Play Music service has received a little update today bringing a few useful enhancement to make the experience better and less frictionless. For starters, the new Google Play Music version 1.2.1.1787 has removed a major annoyance: you can now finally edit playlists on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Needless to say, any changes made to a playlist on one device instantly reflect on all your others.

And when sorting through your cloud music library, the app now makes it dead simple to filter only the tracks that you've downloaded to your device for offline listening. There are two other additions, explained after the break.

Google Play Music is free in the App Store...

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OkSiri: always-on voice recognition for Siri

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 29, 2014

One of my favorite things about Android is the "OK Google" command that allows you to perform quick voice searches on a whim. Now iPhone users can (sort of) join in on the fun.

OkSiri is a brand new jailbreak tweak that brings always-on voice recognition to iOS 7 devices. Have a look at our video walkthrough inside for a demonstration of how it works.

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