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Apps of the Week: Monument Valley, Fantastical 2 for iPad, and more

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

So, last weekend, I took a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth. I and my companions each had a different “line” app that was supposed to tell us how long the wait times were for each ride. What I learned that day is that none of them are accurate and all of them make you want to just sit down and eat a churro because you know about how long the line is before you even get to the ride.

If you are looking for something to entertain you while waiting in ridiculously long lines, we have a list of apps and games that should keep you from losing your cool…

Just Mobile AluBolt cradles iPhone and iPad mini

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Docks are my favorite iPhone and iPad accessory. I am not exactly sure what about them is enticing, but having my iOS devices propped elegantly at my workstation has been alluring since I first purchased an iPhone. Apple's products are not just devices for productivity. Apple's products are works of carefully crafted art.

In that nature, I would rather prop them up as a showcase. You wouldn't buy a $600 piece of art and let it lay aimlessly around your home. You would place it prominently, making sure others can tell you have great taste. You own an iPhone, right? Apply the same concept...

TinyCo posts teaser video for upcoming Family Guy game

Cody Lee ∙ April 5, 2014

We've been following the progress of the Family Guy mobile project since it was first announced last year. The series is one of the most popular on television right now, and many believe the game has the potential to give The Simpsons: Tapped Out a run for its money.

In fact, the two games will be very similar. TinyCo has said that 'Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff' will be a free-to-play title with various resource management elements. And today, the developers offered up even more information on the project along with a new teaser...

Sprint now offering up to $650 for new ‘Framily’ subscribers

Cody Lee ∙ April 5, 2014

Following in the footsteps of T-Mobile, Sprint announced this week that it is now offering up to $650 in equipment trade-in and early termination fee credits to new subscribers. The goal of the promo is to entice customers to switch over from their current carriers.

Folks looking to cash in on the 'Framily Switching Bonus' offer must port their existing phone numbers from another company to Sprint. They must also trade-in their previous handsets for new smartphones, and subscribe to one of the carrier's new Framily rate plans...

Steve Jobs email reveals past Apple TV ideas: apps, ‘magic wand’ remote and more

Cody Lee ∙ April 5, 2014

We're only a few days in, but we've already learned a lot from the Apple-Samsung patent trial. With it being a legal proceeding, the public is given access to information it wasn't previously privi'ed to by way of executive testimonies, corporate emails and other evidence.

In fact, earlier today a particularly interesting email surfaced from former Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The document, which was submitted as evidence in the case, features a list of things Jobs wanted to discuss at the company's 2010 'top 100' meeting, including the Apple TV...

Apple engineer explains how the iPhone was designed for ‘normal people’

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

The Samsung trial marched on today, with Apple's Greg Christie taking the stand. You might remember Christie, the senior software engineer, from this WSJ article last month, where he detailed some of the early stages of original iPhone development. And this afternoon, he did the same thing in court.

More specifically, Christie shared some new details on the development of the iPhone's 'Slide to Unlock,' which is one of the patents that Apple's accusing Samsung of infringing. He said initially, his team wanted the handset's display to be always on, but they quickly discovered it needed a locked mode...

Apple settles patent infringement suit with Intertrust Technologies

Cody Lee ∙ April 4, 2014

Apple has reached an out-of-court settlement with Interest Technologies this week. The holding company, which is jointly owned by tech giants Sony and Philips, filed a lawsuit against the iPad-maker last year for allegedly infringing on more than two dozen of its patents on distributed computing.

The original suit didn't layout specifically which patents Intertrust was accusing Apple of infringing, but the company counts digital rights management (or DRM) tech among its inventions. So it's not too surprising that the two sides notified the court on Tuesday that a settlement had been reached...

Tim Cook made $74M last year, the highest among all tech CEOs except Zuckerberg

Cody Lee ∙ April 4, 2014

Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn't have an easy job. Not only is he in charge of one of the largest companies in the world, but he has to do so in the shadow of one of the most highly regarded executives of our generation, amidst constant criticism from those that say Apple's best days are behind it.

No need to worry though, Tim is well compensated. According to a new report, he took home $4.3 million in salary and incentives last year, and another $70 million in vested stock options. All told, Cook banked more than any other tech CEO in 2013 except for Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg...

Apple’s PRODUCT (RED) contributions top $70 million

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 4, 2014

Product Red - styled as (PRODUCT)RED - is a marketing brand licensed to other companies, established in 2006 by U2 frontman and activist, Bono, together with Bobby Shriver of the ONE/DATA, with the goal of raising awareness and funds to help eliminate HIV/AIDS in Africa.

The initiative earns money on each participating Product Red sale and proceeds go straight to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Apple's been one of Product Red backers since its inception, thanks mostly to late Steve Jobs who was on good terms with Bono. Product Red today announced that Apple's contributions to the charity have reached a cool $70 million...

Kotoro lets you mix colors in a fun puzzle game

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

When you were a kid, you probably learned about colors. First, we learned about the basic spectrum of primary colors, red, yellow, and blue. Then, we learned about secondary and tertiary colors. Red and yellow make orange. Red and orange make red-orange, etc.

Kotoro is a puzzle game that combines a similar game mechanic as Osmos, but uses colors instead of creatures. Mix colors to create new ones. Don’t mix the wrong ones or you won’t be able to get the right hue…

Meet Project Ara, Google’s modular smartphone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Last October, Motorola’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group, then a subsidiary of Google, announced an interesting partnership with PhoneBloks with the goal of creating highly modular smartphones that customers could build and update themselves much like LEGO bricks.

Basically a free, open hardware platform, Project Ara calls for a structural metal endoskeleton frame designed to hold a bunch of different items in place.

Swappable parts would include commonly used phone components like a display, keyboard, battery, electrical components, cameras and custom 3D-printed module enclosures. The audacious idea behind Project Ara is to allow folks to easily swap out malfunctioning modules or replace components with better parts as technology evolves.

Those who custom-build PCs will know what I'm talking about. It's interesting that the 100 engineers strong ATAP group, led by former DARPA director Regina Dugan, was not included in Google's sale of Motorola to Lenovo and instead got folded into Google’s Android team to work under the direction of Android's new head, Sundar Pichai.

Today, Google posted a video providing a glimpse into the DIY smartphone project, ahead of the first Ara Development Conference which runs April 15-16 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California...

Samsung one step closer to commercializing ultrathin graphene screens for wearables

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 4, 2014

Samsung has been the world's largest maker of LCD panels since 2002. By 2004, the conglomerate was the world's top manufacturer of OLED panels accounting for a 40 percent market share worldwide and as of 2010 has a commanding 98 percent share of the global AMOLED market.

Small wonder that Apple used to source most of its screens for iOS devices from Samsung up until 2012, when Tim Cook & Co. began slowly shifting display orders away from the Galaxy maker amid the ongoing patent spat.

But Samsung is not standing still. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal Friday, the Galaxy maker has claimed significant progress on graphene, described as the next wonder material...