Reeder 2 gains iOS 7 Background App Refresh, refinements, bug fixes and more

Reeder, a popular RSS client for iOS and OS X by Italian developer Silvio Rizzi, has been bumped up to version 2.2 today.

The $4.99 iPhone and iPad application has notably picked up support for Background App Refresh, an iOS 7 technology which delivers new app content automatically and in the background, so the app is always up-to-date whenever you fire it up.

Reeder 2.2 also includes visual tweaks such as a new loading progress indicator for the in-app browser and refinements like a new setting to disable favicons for subscriptions and article lists. The full list of changes is right after the break...

German carrier leaks likely iPhone 6 release date: September 19

German wireless carrier Deutsche Telekom has apparently instructed its call center representatives to nudge wavering customers toward staying with them.

Support staff was reportedly told to drop hints that customers' loyalty could be well rewarded as the company gets to carry the anticipated iPhone 6 in mid-September - more specifically, on September 19.

That's the gist of a new report by Apfelpage.de. The date is likely more than an educated guesstimate.

Remember, Deutsche Telekom is one of the largest carriers in the world and they own T-Mobile. That being said, we're filing this away into our mental drawer under the 'Very Likely' category...

Noted analyst says Apple bringing Touch ID to 2014 iPhone and iPad models

Back in April, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo gave us a roadmap of all the products Apple has in the pipeline for 2014 and now he's back with an analysis of Apple's plans for the Touch ID sensor.

His conjecture is that every new iPhone and iPad model shipping in 2014 will be outfitted with an improved Touch ID fingerprint reader.

Kuo has become one of the most reputable Apple analyst analysts out there who churns out some of the most reliable predictions about Apple's future product plans so it's worth paying attention to what he has to say...

Take Healthbook for a virtual test drive on your iPhone

Apple is expected to unveil iOS 8 at its upcoming WWDC keynote in just one week. A number of new features and apps are expected to be announced, one of them being Healthbook. The health-focused app is said to provide users with vital information, such as heart rate, hydration, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, blood sugar, weight and more.

An increasing amount of speculation about Healthbook has inspired visual designer Jayaprasad Mohanan to create a live demo of the app that you can try right on your iPhone. The concept is entirely based on what we've heard from bloggers over the past four months, including leaked Healthbook screenshots posted by the well-connected Mark Gurman back in March. Check it out… 

Check out these 3 beautiful iOS theme setups

A few of our readers have asked us what happened to Theme Thursday, a weekly column that covered the best new Winterboard themes for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The answer is that we decided to discontinue this column in April, primarily because themes started being released on a less frequent basis. Nevertheless, the theming community is still going strong.

Despite the slowdown, there are still a number of quality themes released every now and then that are worth mentioning. As such, we've turned to the /r/iOSthemes community on Reddit and hand picked three iOS theme setups that we think look gorgeous. Where possible, we've included the themes and jailbreak tweaks used to achieve each setup. Take a look ahead…

DefaultSpot makes Spotify the default music player on iPhone

Spotify is one of the most popular cross-platform streaming music services, with over 40 million active users worldwide. While I am out of luck using the service as a Canadian, our neighbors to the south and elsewhere can benefit from a jailbreak tweak called DefaultSpot. The simple iOS extension sets Spotify as the default music player on iPhone, and also integrates with the Control Center playback controls.

LockScreen Informer is a Cydget that brings useful info to the Lock screen

The latest trend of jailbreak tweaks that attempt to enhance the Lock screen experience, such as IntelliScreenX and Helius, continues with the release of a new Cydget called LockScreen Informer. The tweak displays important info directly on the Lock screen, saving you the trouble of opening Notification Center or fully unlocking your device on many occasions. You're probably thinking this is exactly like the LockInfo7 tweak we covered last week, but there are some notable differences… 

FT: Apple readying software platform for the connected home

If a new report Monday by the reputable Financial Times is an indication, Apple is working on a brand new software platform for the smart home.

Details are scarce, but the paper has learned that your iPhone - or any iOS device, for that matter - would get turned into "a remote control for lights, security systems and other household appliances.” The move is said to part of a bigger push into the Internet of Things.

Citing unnamed sources, the article goes on to note that the Cupertino company will be previewing the new platform at its upcoming summer pilgrimage for developers, the Worldwide Developers Conference, which kicks off with a keynote on June 2...

Google releases VirusTotal Uploader for OS X

Google on Monday released a useful tool for OS X aimed at beefing up Mac security by making it easy to upload suspicious files for scanning. The software works in conjunction with the popular VirusTotal service which was designed to accept user-submitted suspicious files.

It's simple to use and the whole experience is quite frictionless. After installing the free tool onto your Mac, you can simply right click on any file and selecting the pertinent option from the context menu to upload the file to VirusTotal for scanning...

Apple now makes it clear you’re not allowed to update or redownload refunded apps

If you've ever asked for a refund on a Mac, iPhone, iPod touch or iPad app you purchased in the Mac App Store or the App Store, Apple somewhat unexpectedly did allow you to update your existing installations - even reinstall previously refunded apps.

That's no longer the case. According to multiple reports, users who try to update or reinstall refunded iOS and OS X applications are now greeted with a prompt informing them that Apple no longer supports the practice...

Kids react to Apple II: ‘too much pixelation’, ‘where’s the mouse’ and ‘I don’t get the 1970s’

The Fine Brothers (Benny and Rafi Fine) have made a name for themselves with their popular React video series, comprised of shows like Kids React, Teens React, Elders React and YouTubers React.

In the latest episode of the Kids React show, today's generation of 6-13-year-olds get confused by an Apple II, one of the first mass-produced computers designed primarily by Steve Wozniak...

Revived rumor reiterates Apple continues to prototype Macs with ARM chips

It's been speculated for years that Macs which run ARM-based processors instead of Intel chips have been in internal testing for quite some time.

This weekend a French publication has resurrected the rumor, claiming that the iPhone maker is indeed actively prototyping several ARM-based Mac models.

Moreover, the company is also working on a brand new keyboard which integrates the Magic Trackpad, Apple's multitouch trackpad currently available as a standalone $69 accessory. But why would Apple transition from Intel to ARM-based chips and what benefits would such a major brain transplant bring to your daily computing?

Read on for the full reveal...