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Google buys visual translation app Word Lens

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2018

Google has just purchased Quest Visual for an undisclosed price. The startup is behind the innovative Word Lens application which Apple recently highlighted in its 'Powerful' Phone 5s ad. The deal was confirmed in the startup's blog post.

The team has decided to make both the Word Lens app and the additional language packs free to download for a limited time, "while we transition to Google". If you haven't tried out Word Lens yet, you should do so right now, while it's still available.

The remarkable software taps Quest Visual's technology to detect text in a live video feed coming from your iPhone's camera. It then replaces foreign language words and sentences with an appropriate translation - matching fonts and graphics, in real time!

15-year-old creates iPhone-powered stethoscope

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 16, 2014

This is so cool. An inventor from Seattle who is just fifteen years old has created a working stethoscope powered by the iPhone. He is calling it Steth IO and went to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon as part of the show's 'Fallonventions' segment to showcase the innovative accessory.

He says that the Steth IO works with an iPhone or Android smartphone and uses a special case to direct the sounds of a beating heart to the handset's mic...

How to fix disappearing /Users folder in OS X 10.9.3

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 1, 2018

Apple yesterday released the OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 Software Update and some of the people who have installed it reported that their /Users folder has seemingly disappeared from the Finder.

The /Users folder is located at the top level of your hard drive and holds sub-folders for specific user accounts so some feared 10.9.3 has messed up their system. Turns out the folder is there, it’s just hidden and here's how to unhide it...

How to view ‘Most Recent’ feed in Facebook 10.0 for iOS

Joe Rossignol ∙ May 16, 2014

Facebook for iOS was recently updated to version 10.0 with several improvements, including a faster news feed and the ability to draft posts without an internet connection. The option to switch the news feed to "most recent" view, which displays the latest posts in reverse chronological order, was also hidden within the settings of the social networking app. By default, the app now displays posts based on a "most popular" setup. If that isn't your preference, there is no need to be worried. Here is an extremely simple tip for how to switch back to the "most recent" feed on Facebook…

Photo of oversized iPad Pro dummy surfaces

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 16, 2014

With all the talk surrounding Apple's next iPhone(s), the rumor mill appears to have neglected the iPad Pro meme. Last we heard about the purported device was nearly two months ago when a DigiTimes story asserted a 12.9-inch iPad would see the light of day in the second half of this year.

And then, silence. Until today, that is. A user on the Chinese microblogging service Weibo has posted a photo that appears to depict a backplate of an obscenely large form-factor iPad...

Pioneer video shows off aftermarket CarPlay kit

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 16, 2014

Pioneer last month announced five aftermarket options aimed at enabling CarPlay on older vehicles, with Apple confirming both Pioneer and Alpine aftermarket CarPlay integration coming later this year.

Today, the Japanese company has shown off how Apple's in-car solution works in tandem with its NEX dash systems and we have a video right after he jump. Just like native CarPlay integration, customers simply plug in their handset and the NEX hardware then takes over and displays CarPlay interface on a built-in capacitive touchscreen (still a rarity in aftermarket systems)...

Game Stew launches another RPG mash-up with Devil Shard

Lory Gil ∙ May 16, 2014

The team at Game Stew Studios is best known for their charming retro role-playing game (RPG) Tower of Fortune. In that mix between adventure and chance, players would battle against the forces of evil to try to reach the top of the terrifying tower. The sequel proved to be just as adorable and twice as hard.

Devil Shard is the most recent release from the mash-up loving team. This time, instead of mixing RPG with slot machines, players fight enemies using a match-three mechanic. Talk about identity crisis…

Microsoft’s Nokia Lumia 630 ad shows how to do a smartphone switch with a football

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 16, 2014

Microsoft-owned Nokia earlier this week announced its first Windows Phone 8.1 handset, the Lumia 630, with sales starting in Asia this week, followed by Europe and the United States.

In promoting the low-to-mid-range smartphone, Microsoft and Nokia put together a commercial sporting Finnish goalkeeper and Trick Shot master Lassi Hurskainen who shows how to do a smartphone switch with a football.

And some of the handsets flying out of people's hands seemingly resemble a certain iconic smartphone from a certain California company. Have a look at the video included after the break and meet us in comments...

Fleksy keyboard breaks Guinness World Record for fastest texting

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 16, 2014

Fleksy, the popular Android keyboard and alternative to Apple's stock iOS keyboard, has broken the Guinness World Record for fastest texting. A longtime user named Marcel used Fleksy's Android keyboard app to break Microsoft's Guinness World Record for fastest texting with a final time of 18.19 seconds.

He bested Microsoft's previous Windows Phone WordFlow keyboard record by 0.25 seconds, Fleksy said. Celebrating the award, Fleksy has updated its keyboard software for iOS and Android with core engine improvements focused on accuracy...

LA Lakers’ Kobe Bryant spotted on Apple’s campus, reportedly meeting with Jony Ive

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 16, 2014

LA Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant has been photographed today along with his wife Vanessa on Apple’s 1 Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino, California. The two were reportedly meeting Apple's design guru Jony Ive to talk upcoming new products. An image a tipster sent in clearly shows Bryant and Vanessa waiting for food.

Apple's familiar corporate campus can be see in the background and image metadata confirms that the photo has indeed been taken with an iPhone on Apple’s campus...

EFF report praises Apple for efforts to protect consumer data

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (or EFF) issued a new report this week entitled 'Who Has Your Back.' The document discusses major tech companies and their user privacy policies, and ranks them on transparency and other categories.

Interestingly enough, Apple was one of nine tech firms awarded a perfect score by the EFF. The Cupertino company received a star in each of the 6 categories, for a total of 6 stars—a remarkable improvement over its 1-star rating just last year...

Instagram update removes option to share likes and activity to Facebook

Cody Lee ∙ May 16, 2014

Instagram updated its iOS client last night, bringing the app to version 5.0.11. The update is small—the change log only mentions one alteration—but significant, as it takes away the auto-sharing of activity to Facebook.

More specifically, users will now only be able to share images deliberately to Facebook using the in-app share button. So the change should go a long way in decluttering News Feeds, a common complaint amongst users...