Samsung introduces new Tizen-based ‘Gear 2’ smartwatches

As rumors regarding Apple's iWatch project continue to bounce about the web, Samsung introduced its second generation smartwatch tonight. The announcement came at Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, and actually includes two separate products: the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo.

Perhaps the most notable difference between these smartwatches and the one Samsung released 6 months ago is that these run the company's open source operating system called 'Tizen,' not Android. Samsung says that the switch in OSes results in easier use and much better battery life...

iOS 7.0.6 update patched a major SSL bug, OS X still vulnerable

When we told you that Apple had released iOS 7.0.6 to the public yesterday, all we really knew about the update was that it fixed an SSL connection verification issue. We didn't know it at the time, but it turns out that this was actually a major security flaw in iOS 7.

In a support document, Apple noted that the patch repaired a specific vulnerability that could allow an attacker with a "privileged network position" to capture or modify data protected by SSL/TLS. In other words, iOS was vulnerable to a 'man-in-the-middle attack.'

Evasi0n7 1.0.6 released with support for iOS 7.0.6

Following Apple's release yesterday of iOS 7.0.6, the evad3rs have released an update to their evasi0n7 jailbreak tool. The update, which brings the tool to version 1.0.6. included a fix for an SSL connection verification issue, which turned out to be a major security flaw in the operating system.

For this reason, we recommend that, if possible, you update to the latest firmware and then use evasi0n7 1.0.6 to jailbreak your device…

WhatsApp confirms outage, working to restore service [updated]

Update: It appears that WhatsApp service has been restored for at least some users. I am successfully able to send messages again using the app in Canada. We will wait for official word from WhatsApp to confirm that the downtime has been resolved.

Twitter is lighting up with tweets that popular cross-platform messaging service WhatsApp is experiencing a widespread outage. iDownloadBlog can confirm that the downtime is affecting users in Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and several South American countries, and numerous tweets indicate that other areas are affected as well. The outage has been ongoing since at least 1:30 to 2:00 PM Eastern… 

IntelliScreenX 7 beta set to land next week

We've been getting asked on a fairly frequent basis over the past few weeks if we've heard anything about IntelliScreenX. The all-in-one Lock screen jailbreak tweak has been very popular with users since it first launched in late 2011, and it's one of the few remaining holdouts for iOS 7.

Well this morning we finally received word from Intelliborn, the developers behind the tweak, and it's good news. Apparently the team is almost finished with an iOS 7-compatible version of IntelliScreenX, and they are planning on releasing a beta version of it as early as next week...

Apps of the Week: Dungeon Highway, Tengami, Astro Golf, and more…

It is hard to believe that March is just around the corner. On my side of the U.S., we still haven’t had a decent amount of rainfall. The sun shines every day while the days start to get just a little bit longer. Where did my winter go?

If you are longing for cozy winter nights, or are sick of the snowfall in your neck of the woods, and want some apps and games to distract you, we’ve got a list for you to check out this weekend…

Upcoming NES-inspired game ‘Venture Kid’ looks like a blast

Most gamers these days are drawn to titles that push the limits of the hardware found in their mobile devices with 3D graphics and complex gaming engines, but there are still a lot of folks out there that prefer the 8-bit platformers of the 80's and 90's.

Well if you happen to fall in the latter category, you have to check out this trailer for an upcoming game called Venture Kid. Its 8-bit graphics and synthesized soundtrack make this title seem like it would have felt right at home on the original Nintendo...

US Air Force replaces 5,000 BlackBerrys with iOS devices

The Air Force Times is reporting this week that the US military branch is replacing 5,000 of its BlackBerry devices with smartphones from Apple. The move is part of a broader strategy to exchange the legacy devices for modern handsets.

Eventually, the outlet says that all Air Force mobile users will be required to trade in their old BlackBerrys for Apple's iPhone, or other approved devices. This will be in addition to the 18,000 iPads the branch purchased in early 2013...

How to jailbreak iOS 7.0.6 using Evasi0n

iOS 7.0.6 was just released earlier today, and it contains a fairly serious SSL bug fix that everyone should upgrade to. Unfortunately, the latest build of Evasion7, build 1.0.5, is not yet compatible with iOS 7.0.6. But don't worry, we have you covered. We've uploaded a custom Hex-edited version of Evasi0n7 1.0.5 with the proper build numbers so that you can easily jailbreak iOS 7.0.6 after updating. Check out our full video tutorial after the jump for the proof.

Update: the evad3rs have released evasi0n7 1.0.6 with support for iOS 7.0.6, so the hex-edited file is no longer needed, you can download the proper Evasi0n 7 1.0.6 file from our downloads page. Note that the steps described in this post still work. Just make sure to download the latest official version of evasi0n7.

Twitterrific gets a Flappy Bird inspired Easter egg: this is how to play it

The Flappy Bird drama has slowly begun to dwindle down, but there are still artifacts left over from the game's immense popularity. For example, The IconFactory—creators of the highly regarded Twitter client Twitterrific 5—have planted a Flappy Bird inspired Easter egg inside its iPhone Twitter client called Ollie Soars.

Inside, we'll show you how to access Ollie Soars by means of an easy to use gesture. The app even lends the ability to tweet your high score after you die. And die you will; I've found Ollie Soars to be significantly more difficult than Flappy Bird ever was. Check inside for the video.

I love the 90’s: episodes of Doug, Ren & Stimpy and more go free on iTunes

As a kid who grew up in the 90's, I spent a lot of my free time watching cartoons on Nickelodeon. I'm not too familiar with the stuff that's on now, but I know there was some really good shows on back then like Doug, Rugrats and Hey Arnold!

So you can imagine how excited I was when I came across the Nickelodeon Animation Showcase promotion in iTunes this afternoon. Apparently, Apple has made a deal with the network to offer episodes from some of the 90's TV shows for free...