iDownloadBlog.com

Angela Ahrendts makes good first impression in first weeks at Apple

Cody Lee ∙ May 19, 2014

Apple's former SVP of retail John Browett left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. After just six months in the position, it was pretty clear he wasn't right for the job, and Tim Cook fired him. And not only that, but he spent over a year finding a proper replacement.

The good news is, that replacement was Angela Ahrendts, and by all accounts she's nothing like Browett. In fact, according to a new report from 9to5Mac, she has already visited a number Apple Stores in the the San Francisco area, and the employees love her...

Twitter to try the music thing again, this time by buying SoundCloud?

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 19, 2014

Twitter last month discontinued its poorly received Twitter #music app, but that doesn't mean the micro-blogging giant has given up on music.

According to a report Monday by Re/code, Twitter is considering a deal to buy Berlin-based SoundCloud, the increasingly popular service enthusiasts use to upload, record, promote and share their originally-created sounds.

With a rather cool iOS app available in the App Store and installed user base of over 250 million people (as of October 2013) who turn to SoundCloud to listen to music and audio for free, the service/app has a lot to offer but can it possibly make Twitter relevant in the music space?

Read on for the full reveal...

Poll: which iPhone 6 size would be right for you?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

The rumor mill has settled on two display sizes for Apple's upcoming iPhone models, a 4.7-inch one and a massive phablet-class screen measuring 5.5 inches diagonally (for reference, the iPad mini is 7.9 inches).

I'm dying to find out which model would be more popular with you guys so I put together this nice little non-scientific poll to gauge your form factor preference. This, of course, is assuming that screen size is the only hardware difference between the handsets, just like the iPad Air and the Retina iPad mini.

Don't be shy, jump past the fold and cast your vote now...

Sprint device protection, now with data security, automatic backups and personalized tech support

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 5, 2018

The United States wireless carrier Sprint, the nation's third-largest, on Monday introduced a new equipment protection plan that offers additional protection for your tablet and smartphone devices for an additional two bucks per month. The Sprint Total Equipment Protection Plus (TEP Plus) plan costs thirteen bucks per month, per device.

It offers everything included in Sprint's existing $11 per month Total Equipment Protection - theft insurance, accidental damage and next-day loss, to name a few - and then some more: data security, personalized tech support and automatic media backups.

Jump past the fold for the full reveal...

Apple expands its iPad trade-in program overseas

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Last month, Apple expanded its in-store trade-in program to include iPads. Under its Reuse and Recycling initiative, the program allows users to bring in their old iPads and trade them in for store credit, based on model, condition and other factors.

Initially, the option was only available at Apple stores in the US and Canada, but the company has expanded it overseas this week. Reports are coming in this morning that the iPad trade-in program is now available in France, Spain and Germany...

Verizon launches XLTE service for double the bandwidth in high-traffic locations

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 19, 2014

The nation's top carrier Verizon Wireless on Monday announced it has started utilizing AWS spectrum to bring double-fast fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network in select U.S. markets.

Marketed under the XLTE moniker and launching today, the faster network can be used on XLTE-ready smartphone such as the iPhone 5s, Samsung's Galaxy S5, the HTC One M8, BlackBerry Q10 and many others...

Apple adds Innolux as third iPhone 6 screen supplier, Samsung and Sharp lose orders

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 28, 2016

Although Samsung of South Korea should build Apple's in-house designed A8 processor for the next iPhone and has remained the top iPad display supplier, it looks like the conglomerate won't make it on the list of suppliers providing 4.7-inch display panels for the iPhone 6.

A new report by Taiwanese media alleges that Apple dropped both Samsung as Sharp as iPhone 6 display suppliers, instead adding Innolux as a third supplier of iPhone 6 screens..

Apple and Samsung could settle patent disputes out of court by the summer

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 19, 2014

Apple and its frenemy Samsung have been embroiled in a complex web of lawsuits spanning continents but now a resolution to the long standing patent dispute that has fascinated watchers around the globe could be within reach as the two technology giants are reportedly engaged in settlement talks, according to a Korean newspaper.

The unexpected development arrives hot on the heels of a surprising Reuters report last week confirming that Apple and Google put an end to a dispute with Motorola Mobility which Google inherited after snapping up Motorola 2011.

That agreement even has the two sides banding together on a patent reform, though it excludes cross-licensing of their respective mobile patent portfolio and Apple’s lawsuits with other Android makers like Samsung...

Mailbox picks up support for Facebook App Links

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2018

The popular iOS email client Mailbox, which Dropbox acquired in March 2013, has received an update today bringing support for Facebook's App Links.

Introduced last month as an open-sourced solution for cross-platform app-to-app linking, App Links lets developers control what happens when users click on their content in mobile to send them easily out of their app and directly into another.

Dropbox was listed as an App Links launch partner and today's update enables this feature while squashing some bugs. The update is now live in the App Store...

The Augment offers a new take on the iPhone battery case

Cody Lee ∙ May 19, 2014

If you're in the market for an iPhone battery case, you really only have one option. Well, actually you have hundreds of options, but for the most part they all look the same. Don't believe me? Do a Google Image search for the term 'iPhone battery case.'

Enter the new Augment iPhone case, by Rubix. It features a square design, with a detachable battery pack, so that you can get extra power when you need, and none of the added bulk when you don't. This is definitely not your typical mophie juice pack...

Bulb: add a status bar indicator for the iPhone’s LED flashlight

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 18, 2014

The flashlight toggle in Control Center was a great addition to iOS 7, but it always baffled me why Apple didn't place some sort of indicator in the status bar to tell you when the flash was active. Obviously, most people can see when the flash is on, but there are certain circumstances that one can encounter, which would make such an indicator useful.

What about when you sit your phone down on a table with the LED flash covered? It's possible that the iPhone's battery could die due to the flash being on for a long period of time. I know that may seem far-fetched, but it has happened to the developer of this tweak, and it has happened to me on a few occasions.

Bulb is a jailbreak tweak that will help make users more aware of the status of the LED flash. It places a lightbulb indicator in the status bar whenever the flash is active. Have a look at our video walkthrough for more info.

How to easily search the contents of the stock Settings app

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 18, 2014

As a recent Galaxy S5 adopter, one of the features that I immediately appreciated was the ability to perform a search within the phone's Settings. Granted, Samsung is notorious for packing its phones with so many settings that a search is almost a requirement, but it's still a nice feature to have.

Needless to say, ever since I laid my hands on the GS5, I've been wanting for a similar feature on iOS. Well, that feature arrived just a few minutes ago, and it's, unsurprisingly, brought to us by the prolific developer Ryan Petrich.

SearchSettings is a new jailbreak tweak available on Ryan's beta repo, and like on the GS5, you can perform searches within the settings app. Have a look at our video demo of the tweak in action after the fold.