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Google Drive update adds passcode protection

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 1, 2014

Google's frontend iPhone and iPad app for its Drive cloud-storage service has received a much-needed passcode lock feature in an update this morning.

If your productivity depends on the Google cloud and you store your documents, presentations and spreadsheets in Google Drive, a thief was able to access all your files simply by launching the Drive app on a stolen device.

Fortunately enough, this won't be possible going forward as Google Drive 3.0 is now live in the App Store with a handy new passcode feature...

Microsoft updates OneNote for iPhone/Mac with new look, Office Lens and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 1, 2014

After updating Office for iPad apps with a new printing capability and a few other useful features that boost your mobile productivity, software maker Microsoft today issued a refresh for its note-taking app, OneNote, that contains some much appreciated enhancements on both the iPhone and Mac systems.

The new versions of OneNote, available free in the App Store and Mac App Store, have gained a dozen new features.

Most notably, OneNote for the iPhone now lets you create new notebooks and sections, includes a new design and comes with an optical character recognition feature called Office Lens. The Mac edition has received even more goodies...

Rumor: larger OS X 10.10 presence at WWDC as some iOS 8 features shift back to iOS 8.1

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 1, 2014

Reliable blogger Mark Gurman is stepping back from some of his earlier claims regarding rumored iOS 8 features like Healthbook and public transit in Maps.

Apparently, the blogger's sources have had a change of heart, now cautioning that some of the headline features planned for iOS 8.0 (code-named 'Okemo') could be moved to iOS 8.1.

As a result, Apple could place a larger emphasis on the next major release of its desktop operating system for Macs, code-named 'Syrah' after the wine.

It is speculated that the company's been allocating iOS user interface teams to OS X as Apple races to finalize a brand new OS X design in time for WWDC, which kicks off with a keynote on June 2...

Video of alleged iPhone 6 dummy unit gives a better look at various physical changes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 29, 2016

Two days ago, French blog NowhereElse.fr passed along a batch of photos of an alleged iPhone 6 dummy unit that appear consistent with earlier mockups, photos of supposed cases, molds, front panel parts, schematic drawings and more.

"Evidence" - and I use the term loosely - seems to point to an ultra-thin device with a slim 6mm body with various physical changes such as a relocated sleep/wake button, redesigned volume buttons and so forth.

Give the video included after a break a watch and join us in the comment section...

Snapchat picks up live video chatting and text messaging

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

The controversial ephemeral photo sharing service Snapchat has received a major update today bringing out a text messaging feature conveniently named Chat, plus another one called Here which allows you to engage in live video chats with other users.

To start chatting, just swipe right on a friend’s name in your Snapchat inbox. Yes, the service will immediately clear all message exchange upon leaving the chat screen, leaving no traces of your communication session.

How to get snapchat update? Well, the update should land on the App Store later today so keep your eyes peeled..

AT&T reportedly considering buying DirecTV for $40 billion

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 20, 2018

Following the news that Sprint is considering buying T-Mobile comes word of another major acquisition. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that AT&T has approached DirecTV to begin possible buyout talks. The deal, the outlet says, could be worth over $40 billion in cash, stock and other assets.

Between DirecTV's satellite business and AT&T's U-verse arm, the move would result in a combined 26 million TV subscribers—which would be second only to the hypothetical Comcast/TWC combination, should that deal go through. So essentially, the two companies would hold most of the market...

Sprint said to be preparing to buy T-Mobile this summer

Cody Lee ∙ May 1, 2014

According to a new report from Bloomberg, Sprint is preparing to acquire T-Mobile this summer. It's a rumor we've heard before, but the outlet says that the carrier has met with a number of banks, and plans to make a serious bid as early as June.

SoftBank and Deutsche Telekom, which own majority stakes in Sprint and T-Mobile respectively, are said to be in 'active discussions' over the buyout and possible CEO prospects. And unsurprisingly, T-Mobile's John Legere is the leading candidate...

1Password for iOS updated with background Dropbox syncing and more

Cody Lee ∙ May 1, 2014

1Password users will be happy to hear that AgileBits posted a new version of the iOS app this week, bringing the popular password manager to version 4.5.1. The update includes several enhancements, including background Dropbox syncing and more.

In fact, much of the update revolves around data syncing. In addition to the Dropbox fix, the app now uses the network activity indicator to show when sync is occurring, and conflict resolution during syncing has been improved. Full change log below...

AutoBlue: enable or disable Bluetooth connectivity based on Wi-Fi connection

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 30, 2014

AutoBlue is a smart idea wrapped into a somewhat unassuming package. It disables Bluetooth when connected to your home Wi-Fi network, and reenables Bluetooth when disconnected from the Wi-Fi network.

The goal of AutoBlue is to save battery life by keeping Bluetooth disabled when it's not needed. Of course, this is only useful if you don't use Bluetooth at home, and there's really no telling how much battery life you actually save by disabling a Bluetooth connection when it's not in use in the first place.

But it's still a good idea if you happen to meet the criteria necessary to not make this tweak a hinderance. Check out our video walkthrough of AutoBlue in action after the fold.

New Fantastical, Calculator, and iDB ProWidgets reviewed

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 30, 2014

Slowly but surely, the ProWidgets add-ons keep trickling out. Today's bounty—a release of three new widgets to the ProWidgets library—is the result of the efforts of a single developer. Tim Perin, the developer of Calculator ProWidget, Fantastical ProWidget, and an unofficial iDB ProWidget, is the one responsible for single-handedly turning the platform into something that's a bit more decently supported.

In my review of ProWidgets, I stated that only time would tell the true success of the tweak, with much of the success relying on the jailbreak community to lend its support developing new add-ons. I think it's safe to say that the support hasn't been as good as most would have hoped, but today's series of releases is a definite step in the right direction.

Check out our video walkthrough after the break, as I showcase all three widgets in action.

Quickdraw is a sturdy, magnetic Lightning cable alternative

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated May 19, 2014

I recently went on a road trip to Montréal, only realizing upon arrival that I had forgotten my official Lightning cable back home. With my iPhone running out of battery and no Apple Store within a short distance, I reluctantly purchased a third-party knockoff cable from a local electronics shop. In hindsight, it was a terrible decision. The cable barely worked and my iPhone constantly prompted me with compatibility warnings. It was a waste of both $20 and my time.

For that reason, I am enthusiastic about a new Kickstarter campaign for an upcoming product called the Quickdraw Cable by Woodford Design. It is hard to get excited over a simple cable accessory, but the Quickdraw has several advantages over a traditional Lightning connector and most third-party knockoffs. For starters, the one-meter cable is crafted with anodized aluminum plugs that are high quality and sturdy. That includes both strong cable strain relief and a waterproof design…

Beats Music is coming to iPad soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Beats Music, a new streaming music service from music mogul Jimmy Lovine, musician and producer Dr. Dre and other industry figures, is about to extend to the iPad soon.

According to the startup's teaser image shared on Twitter - captioned with the 'Something Big is Coming' tagline - the iPhone-only app should soon be available on Apple's tablet, too.

The $9.99 per month service launched on January 20 and is still struggling to hit the ground running despite an impressive set of features and a library of over 20 million songs that can be streamed on-demand to the iPhone, Windows Phone and Android devices and to your web browser...