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Facebook updates Messenger with video sharing, improved search and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 28, 2014

Social networking giant Facebook today has refreshed its iOS Messenger application, redesigned from the ground up last November, with a few new features you should know about.

The biggest news in Facebook Messenger 5.0, available free for the iPhone, is its newly added ability to exchange video messages from your library with other Messenger users. Previously, you could only share photos and short voice recordings using the app.

Other enhancements worth mentioning include easier photo sharing, improvements to the search feature, a tweaked user interface making it easier to send photos, voice messages and more...

Microsoft’s first Nokia ad positions Windows Phone as something different

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 11, 2016

Following Microsoft's finalized acquisition of Nokia's Devices and Services unit last week, 25,000 Nokia employees get to join the Windows giant today. To celebrate the merger, the Windows giant has just published its very first Nokia television commercial with Microsoft branding.

Windows Phone often gets relegated to the Others category in global smartphone surveys: currently, it's a distant third, after Android and iOS. The new ad, entitled 'Not Like Everybody Else,' plays on Microsoft's underdog status by promising a bunch of colorful smartphones and tablets that should draw attention and make heads turn...

Stride 2: unlock your iPhone with style on iOS 7

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 28, 2014

Adam Bell's much-loved Stride jailbreak tweak has finally received some love for iOS 7, and it comes in the form of Stride 2, a brand new upcoming incarnation of Stride that works on Apple's latest version of iOS.

Stride 2 lets users unlock their devices by drawing a password on screen using a finger. It's an elegant and individualistic method for unlocking a device. Have a look at our full video review of Stride 2 inside.

Apple has 2x or more credit cards on file than Amazon

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 28, 2014

Following Apple's most recent earnings report, Tim Cook revealed in a conference call with analyst that there are now more than 800 million iTunes accounts in use and said that “the majority of those have credit cards behind them.”

How does this compare to Amazon, the king of online commerce? Turns out that Apple actually has twice as many credit cards on file than Amazon, at least. This poses a tremendous opportunity should Apple decide to introduce a mobile payment service of its own, as expected...

Apple gives you extra $80 trade-in credit for iPhone 5 with faulty sleep/wake button

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 28, 2014

Apple last week put forth a new replacement program dealing with the malfunctioning sleep/wake button on some iPhone 5 devices.

Apple has confirmed that "a small percentage" of iPhone 5 models manufactured through March 2013 exhibit an issue where the button may stop working or work intermittently and the firm has moved quickly to allow for free sleep/wake button replacements on the affected handsets.

It's now come to light that Apple's brick-and-mortar stores will also treat owners of the affected iPhone 5 handsets to an extra $80 when they trade in their device, although employees were instructed not to advertise this benefit actively...

Skype makes group video calling free on OS X, Windows and Xbox One, coming soon to iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 28, 2014

One-on-one video calls have always been free on Skype and now the Microsoft-owned communication platform is making the group video calling feature, unveiled in 2010, available free of charge to desktop users running OS X or Microsoft Windows, with no expiration date, as well as to owners of the Xbox One console which has Skype deeply integrated.

Up until now, group video calling used to be limited to Skype's Premium users on Windows desktop and Mac, which costs $4.99 for a day pass or $8.99 per month. Microsoft has said it will make the feature free on all platforms "in the future"...

Apple Maps adds 3D Flyover of Stonehenge

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Apple lately has been increasingly expanding coverage of the three-dimensional view of its mapping service. Just earlier this month, 3D Flyover coverage extended to include the east side of the San Francisco Bay Area, including the city of Berkeley and its University of California, the birthplace of the flavor of Unix used in OS X and iOS.

But what if you could take a 3D topographic tour of the ancient monument? Well, now you can as Flyover coverage now includes areas of Wiltshire, England, about two miles west of Amesbury and eight miles north of Salisbury where this mysterious prehistoric monument is located...

Poll: would iPhone 6 be worth $300 to you?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 3, 2017

iPhone 6 rumors are heating up as we inch closer to Apple's summer developers conference and an assumed Fall launch of a 4.7-inch iPhone 6.

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek recently claimed in a note to clients that Apple is negotiating with wireless carriers to raise the iPhone 6 price by $100, because the handset will be "the only headline-worthy high-end phone launched this year.

The price hike would make the larger-screened iPhone retail for $299 after a two-year contract with a carrier versus the usual $199 starting price of latest on-contract iPhones. Interestingly enough, a recent study has found that one-third of iPhone shoppers would indeed pay more to get an iPhone with a screen larger than four inches.

What about you?

Concept: Hold2Speak – answer a phone call directly in speaker mode

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Every now and then I stumble upon a feature that I would like to have on the iPhone, but usually I end up forgetting about it, or just stashing it away for later. Sometimes, though, I get enough gumption to push for an idea to be brought to fruition. TypeStatus was a good example of that, and it turned out pretty well. Others haven't turned out so well, but it doesn't hurt to keep trying.

This latest concept is something that I've been marinating on for quite some time. It's called Hold2Speak, and it allows you to answer a call directly in speaker phone mode by tapping and holding the Answer button. Normal taps on the Answer button would still use the headset as a means of communicating with the other party.

I've created a video walkthrough for the Hold2Speak concept. Would you consider using something like this? If the demand is high enough, perhaps one of the community's developers wouldn't mind taking on such a project. Check inside for the video and details.

New speech synthesizing action added to latest Activator beta

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 27, 2014

As usual, Ryan Petrich has been on quite the tear with updates to the Activator beta. The latest update, which comes in at version 1.8.4 beta 11, adds a new speech synthesis feature to the fray.

What does speech synthesis do? We've created a video that shows you step-by-step how to use this new feature. Check it out after the break.

Convergance: a complete Lock screen replacement for the iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 27, 2014

Unless you've been living in an underground bunker in Siberia for the last month or so, you've likely heard of Convergance. It's the newly released jailbreak tweak that acts as a complete Lock screen replacement for iOS.

Along with the redesigned Lock screen interface comes widgets, quick shortcuts, custom themes, and HTML support for even deeper custom Lock screen features. Oh, and did I mention that there's an API for developers to extend Convergance's features?

Needless to say, Convergance is one of the most hyped tweaks of 2014. Does it live up to the hype? Have a look inside for the details.

Acompli is a one-stop shop for all your productivity needs

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

When it comes to email apps, we love the ones that are simple, efficient, and fast. Getting to the elusive “inbox zero” is not an easy task. Especially when, for many of us, email is tied to a myriad of other productivity activities, like scheduling meetings and sharing files.

Acompli is a new productivity app that incorporates email, contacts, file sharing, and calendar events into one. The best part is that the app supports Microsoft Exchange. You’ll never have to switch apps to take care of business again…