Lyne is casual puzzle game with a minimalist appeal

Lory Gil ∙ January 9, 2014

Casual puzzle games in the App Store have traditionally involved cartoon characters, flowing water, and other cute themes. The puzzles may be challenging, but grown ups don’t necessarily want to get caught playing around with big-eyed aliens or plump farm animals. Thanks to iOS 7, many developers have turned to minimalism for casual puzzle games.

Lyne is one of those apps that looks simple, but is a real brain scrambler. It features basic geometric shapes and a calming soundtrack so you can play in public and not feel like you have to hide your screen from coworkers…

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Apple, Samsung CEOs agree to mediation ahead of patent trial

Cody Lee ∙ January 8, 2014

According to new paperwork filed earlier this afternoon, Apple and Samsung have agreed to attend a mediation session next month ahead of their second major US patent trial, which is slated to begin on March 31.

The meeting is to take place on or before February 19, and is to be attended by Tim Cook, Samsung's Oh-Hyun Kwon and their respective in-house lawyers. And they will attempt to discuss settlement opportunities...

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FCC chairman talks AT&T’s controversial ‘Sponsored Data’ program at CES

Cody Lee ∙ January 8, 2014

AT&T raised more than a few eyebrows on Monday when it announced a new 'Sponsored Data' program. The goal of the program is essentially to offer a way for companies to pick up the tab for 4G data usage whenever specific products or services are being used.

Initial feedback to the announcement has been a mix of "what an interesting idea" and complaints from net neutrality advocates. And today, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler chimed in, using his time at CES to discuss his off-the-cuff thoughts on AT&T's proposition...

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CES 2014: introducing Voyce, health and activity tracking collar for dogs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 4, 2017

We've seen all sorts of crazy stuff coming out of CES 2014 (the hype machine is strong) and I'm guessing half of the announced, shown off and written about whiz-bang gadgets will get forgotten as soon as the last drunken journalist checks out of an overpriced Las Vegas hotel.

The Voyce isn't one of such easily forgettable products. If you love dogs and own one, I'm guessing your four-legged pet friend would love to wear this app-enabled collar that can track his activity, measure heart and respiratory rates and record other data pertaining to his wellbeing..

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How to add Twitter and Facebook share widgets to Control Center

Sébastien Page ∙ January 8, 2014

A few days ago, I wrote a post showing how to bring Twitter and Facebook share widgets back to the Notification Center using an app called Share Widgets for iOS 7. In this post, I noted that Apple probably didn't add these share widgets in the iOS 7 Notification Center because that's not the right place for them. When you think about it, sharing something on Twitter or Facebook has nothing to do with notifications.

A more natural fit for Twitter and Facebook share widgets is Control Center. With an array of tweaks now being developed for Control Center, one in particular grabbed my attention as it allowed me to do what I really wanted from the beginning: add Twitter and Facebook share widgets to Control Center.

This tweak, some of you may have already guessed, it CCToggles...

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T-Mobile drops another bombshell: we’ll pay your ETFs to switch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 5, 2017

Last month, T-Mobile's John Legere hinted that his company was planning another 'uncarrier' event. The outspoken CEO sent out a tweet saying something like "time to eliminate another customer pain point? Time for Uncarrier 4?"

Well three weeks have gone by and we haven't really heard anything else from Legere on the matter, until just a few minutes ago when he took the stage at T-Mobile's CES event. As promised, he dropped another 'uncarrier' bombshell...

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Supposed iPhone 6 frame leaks: it’s ultra-thin and not very Apple-like

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 8, 2014

The notoriously unreliable Digitimes last month called for a larger size iPhone in May and today Chinese website Huanqiu reiterated that an iPhablet would arrive in time for the next Galaxy S smartphone confirmed for May 2014.

The next iPhone - let's call it the iPhone 6 for the convenience sake - is generally thought to come in two sizes, one 4.7-inch and the larger one with a phablet-grade screen measuring a whopping 5.7 inches diagonally.

And now, images of an alleged frame have appeared online to suggest a notably thinner appearance compared to the current-generation iPhone 5s. Could this part be genuine? My two cents are right below...

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CES 2014: Sensus case adds pressure-sensitive touchpads to your iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

There's been no shortage of iPhone cases trying to think outside the box at CES this year. We've seen cases from OtterBox that are both thin and protective, a backup battery and storage case from Mophie, and now we have a new one to share.

This is the Sensus case, from Canopy, and its big standout feature is that it adds pressure-sensing strips to the sides and back of any iPhone 5 or 5s. These strips essentially add an extra method of input for navigating apps or playing games...

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CES 2014: how about MFi air conditioner?

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 8, 2014

This year's Consumer Electronics Show is currently underway in Las Vegas and even though Apple isn't an exhibitor, its influence can be felt in so many ways. If anything, the show appears to have ushered in an era of iPhone-controlled everything, from Parrot's latest drones (and other iOS-enabled toys) and the world’s first app-connected toothbrush to a smart sleep tracking system by Withings, to name a few.

A Chinese manufacturer called Haier has now announced it's become the world's first appliance vendor to have been labeled with Apple's Made for iPhone (MFi) certification logo, which ensures its accessories meet Apple's exacting standards in terms of quality and performance.

Haier's first product to bear the MFi logo is a smart air conditioner dubbed Tianzun controllable from an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad device...

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How to use Activator to replicate Zephyr functionalities

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 13, 2014

Zephyr is, with BiteSMS, one of my must-have jailbreak tweaks for iPhone. While BiteSMS has started making its way to devices on iOS 7 for a few weeks now, Zephyr is still nowhere to be found.

In fact, after chatting with Zephyr developer Grant Paul (aka chpwn), I was told that there were no plans at this time to update the tweak for iOS 7. So I decided to make the best I could with what I have: Activator by Ryan Petrich...

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iRing lets you control music and apps with air gestures

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

IK Multimedia, the maker of iOS apps and accessories for musicians, has announced a Kinect-like controller which promises to bring air gestures to your music creation applications. Dubbed the iRing (not to be confused with a rumored Apple TV motion controller), it rests in your hands and uses an iOS device's front camera to detect mid-air gestures.

Hand movements are then translated into commands which get passed to supported apps. There's something inherently fun and sci-fi about creating music just by moving your hands in front of your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad and we have a video of iRing in action right after the break...

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