iOS jailbreak hacker Winocm joining Apple later this year

Another famous hacker is joining the ranks at Apple. Following in the footsteps of jailbreak community members Comex, and Peter Hajas, jailbreak developer Winocm announced this afternoon on Twitter that he would be joining Apple.

It's still unclear as to what capacity he'll be joining Apple, but if the past is any indication, it's probably for an internship—Just like Hajas, and Comex a.k.a. Nicholas Allegra. I've reached out to Winocm for a comment, but he declined to elaborate. It looks like he's already getting used to the Apple culture...

Fitibt recalls Force fitness band over skin irritation, offers refunds

Here's a little wake-up call for companies jumping on the wearable devices bandwagon like there's no tomorrow. You don't get to ever think about skin irritation in regard to computers, digital cameras, smartphones, tablets and other gadgets. But fitness trackers and health bands are quite a different story: this kind of technology gets worn on one's person and is in direct contact with skin more or less 24/7.

Case in point: accessory maker Fitbit on Friday announced a voluntary recall of its Force fitness tracker due to complaints of skin irritation. The company has stopped sales of the rash-inducing wristband and will be offering refunds, according to Consumerist...

Apple has acquired Burstly, the company behind iOS testing platform TestFlight

TechCrunch is reporting that Apple has acquired Burstly, the company behind the popular iOS testing platform TestFlight. There's no word on the details, or pricing, but the company has confirmed the acquisition and its employees are already working in Cupertino.

For those unfamiliar with the service, TestFlight allows developers to distribute its apps to beta testers before pushing them to the App Store for release. It's similar to HockeyApp, and several developers create their own testing platforms via Apple's enterprise program...

Apple brings another ad shop under its wing

Apple for some time now has been moving to bulk up its in-house marketing team and bring a few of its favorite external ad shops under the same corporate umbrella. In the latest move, Rosetta, one of Apple's longtime advertising partners, has launched a new agency brand, Level, which appears to be exclusively dedicated to Apple. This is another example of Apple's ongoing efforts to consolidate all of its agency partners under the same roof...

Apple releases iOS 7.0.6, iOS 6.1.6 with various bug fixes

As we continue to wait for iOS 7.1 to be released to the public, Apple has seeded iOS 7.0.6 to the public this morning. The release comes a month after iOS 7.0.5 landed at the end of January, which also featured bug fixes for certain newer models of iPhones.

It also looks like Apple has released a similar bug fix for iOS 6 users in iOS 6.1.6 Both updates are available either over the air, by visiting Settings > General > Software Update, or by plugging your device in iTunes. Or you can find them on our Download page...

Ayeris review — a subtly re-imagined iOS 7

Ayecon is probably the most well-known jailbreak theme of all time, and for good reason; it was groundbreaking upon its initial release, harnessing the power of the then newly-christened Retina display for insanely detailed and hyper-skeuomorphic app icons.

But when Apple decided to switch things up with iOS 7—ushering in its first post-Forstall release and shedding tons of skeuomorphic weight in the process—Ayecon no longer felt fresh and new. Ayecon is like the anti-iOS 7, because it heavily depends on the now outdated skeuomorphic identity of iOS 6 and below.

When the iOS 7 version of Ayecon was released earlier this year, it was met with mixed reactions due to its polarizing nature when compared to iOS 7. Although some pledged unequivocal allegiance to the legendary theme, not a few were disappointed that it didn't usher in something new, something more iOS 7 appropriate, something, well, more flat.

Surenix's first new theme since Ayecon is the perfect answer to the semi-collective "meh" heard across the jailbreak community. Instead of trying to shoehorn an old theme into a mold it was never intended to fit, a fresh new start was warranted. Ayeris is that fresh start.

Unlike Ayecon's heavy-handed approach to design, Ayeris is a much more subtle re-imagining of iOS 7. We've been testing Ayeris for the past few weeks on our day-to-day devices, and we'd like to show it to you now. Check inside for our full hands-on review and video.

Samsung’s iBeacon is called Flybell

2014 could be the year we see indoor positioning and micro-location services become pervasive in our lives. Thank that to iBeacon, an Apple-designed new class of low-powered, low-cost transmitters that can notify nearby iOS 7 devices of their presence.

iBeacon technology can also be used by the Android operating system and chip makers like Qualcomm have taken notice and started churning out low-cost transmitters.

At its core, iBeacon lets iOS devices (or other hardware) send push notifications to other iOS devices in close proximity. Needless to say, fast-follower Samsung does not seem keen on supporting iBeacon in its products and instead is pursuing an in-house built solution.

According to a new patent application published by The United States Trademark and Patent Office (USPTO), the Galaxy maker's iBeacon is called Flybell and is being described as a “wireless beacon and corresponding software”...

Verizon completes purchase of Vodafone’s 45% stake in Verizon Wireless

Verizon last September announced that it has reached an agreement with Vodafone to buyout its 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless in one of the largest corporate acquisitions in history.

In December, the Big Red carrier won necessary approvals from the Federal Communications Commission and today the company announced that the acquisition has been completed - Verizon now owns 100 percent of the "industry-leading U.S. wireless carrier"...

Amazon’s TV box apparently arriving next month

We're expecting a major Apple TV update in March said to bring refreshed hardware that should support iOS 7 controllers and downloadable games. And now, word on the street is that the online retail giant Amazon is about to counter Apple's announcement with a set-top box of its own.

Amazon has been selling music, movies and television shows for years now, it rules the e-book space and has entered the tablet market so adding another piece of hardware that ties into the Amazon cloud should be a no-brainer...

musx app makes for a truly social music experience

When Beats launched its Music service, the company executives called their streaming music different because it added a human touch to the playlist element. Nothing is more human than having your friends tell you about new music. Even if your friends aren’t around, music recommendations shouldn’t be based on algorithms. They should be from real people.

musx is a streaming music app that is completely social. Find curated playlists from people just like you. Connect with your social networks to find out what your friends are listening to. Be the deejay and recommend music to others…

Superburst Camera is the fastest burst camera in the App Store

Before the iPhone 5s came out, there weren’t many ways to take bursts of pictures. Third-party camera apps like SnappyCam began popping up so you could take up to 14 frames per second with 8MPs. Since Apple included a burst feature in its native Camera app, the bar has been raised and app makers have to work harder to impress.

Superburst Camera is being touted as the fastest burst camera in the App Store, with more than twice the speed of the iPhone 5s’ Camera app. Take an average of 25 shots per second at 8MP, or go even further with 120 photos per second in Slow-Mo Shutter mode…