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Apple refreshes the design of its online support portal

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

In recent months, Apple has been making various moves to make its users more aware of its self-help options. Last month, it updated its Genius Bar reservation page with a link to its online support portal to give customers the option to 'save a trip to the store.'

And today, Apple has updated its online support portal to make it more user-friendly with a new, simpler design. The UI now looks more in line with iOS 7, with large, sharp images on a white background, and makes the page much easier for customers to navigate...

Apple comments on death of 15 year-old Pegatron factory worker

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Apple and its Asian supplier Pegatron, which manufactures the iPhone 5c, have come under heavy fire this week following the unexplained deaths of at least five factory workers. Even worse is that one of them, a boy, was just 15 years old.

It's since been determined that the teenager used forged identity documents saying he was 20 years old to get the job. And today, Apple gave an official statement on the incident, saying it has sent independent medical experts to investigate...

Launch Center Pro gains Fleksy keyboard integration, lists, Share Sheets and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2013

Earlier this morning, I told you about Fleksy, a free iPhone application that one-ups Apple's stock iOS keyboard with eyes-free typing experience.

The San Francisco-based startup behind the app has decided to open up its alternate keyboard methods to select-third party developers by way of an official software development kit (SDK). This is great news as Fleksy's keyboard sports a patent pending text prediction engine and a powerful autocorrect engine.

Contrast iPhone and iPad automation app, Launch Center Pro ($4.99 on the App Store), is one of Fleksy launch partners and today's update enables support for Fleksy's innovative input method for keyboard prompts.

Instagram 5.0 launches in App Store with Instagram Direct support

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2013

And just like clockwork, Instagram's newly-updated mobile app is now live in the App Store with support for Instagram Direct, a new feature announced just an hour ago at the company's Share a Moment media event in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. This capability that some mistakenly refer to as a private messaging feature introduces much-needed granularity to sharing by allowing users to send a photo or video not only to a group of their Instagram followers, but also to those not following them on the service...

Instagram Direct announced: limit photos and videos to select groups

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2013

iPhone photography fans, rejoice! Facebook-owned Instagram is holding its Share a Moment media event in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and co-founder and CEO Kevin Systrom has just taken the wraps off Instagram Direct, a new feature designed to make it easy to limit specific photos and videos to select groups of friends.

The capability is available now through Instagram's just-updated free iPhone app. As for Instagram metrics, Systrom said Instagram grew from 80 million users at the beginning of 2013 to 150 million users worldwide, with half of Instagram’s users accessing the service on a daily basis...

Fleksy launches third-party iOS keyboard SDK

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Although the stock iOS keyboard has come a long way since the original iPhone, Apple in past six years has largely made incremental improvements to one of the most important features of touch devices. For example, a new keyboard in iOS 7 features a number of smart functions such as the improved auto-correct function, while introducing new light and dark themes.

Enter Fleksy, a San Francisco-based startup which has offered up its own keyboard app for iOS devices for the past year and a half. They have now created a software development kit (SDK) allowing Apple's registered iOS developers to implement additional keyboard layouts and looks in their apps to augment Apple's rather restricted stock choices...

Seoul court rules that iPhone 4s and iPad 2 don’t infringe on Samsung’s patents

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2013

Back in 2011, the legal spat between Apple and its frenemy and key supplier Samsung started to really escalate as the parties began filing a bunch of lawsuits around the world against each other. The Galaxy maker was hoping to gain the upper hand by filing a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple in its home turf over claimed short message display methods and messaging grouping features.

However, a Korean judge has now tossed Samsung's claim out of the window, with the Seoul Central District Court ruling that Apple's iPhone 4s and iPad 2 do not infringe on Samsung Electronics’ commercial patents...

Review: Armorz tempered glass skin for iPhone

Jim Gresham ∙ December 12, 2013

Screen protectors are either hit or miss. As a naked iPhone user, I use neither a case, nor a skin. There is too much room for disappointment with many iOS device skins. Consequently, I am a true iPhone nudist. I am however not opposed to giving screen protections a try for review.

Inside, I take a quick look at the Armorz Stealth Extreme Lite Tempered Glass for iPhone 5/c/s. After receiving one from Armorz, I installed it on my wife's 5c and was more impressed than originally anticipated. My wife is still currently enjoying it, even though she prefers a nude iPhone as well. There are all types of screen protection on the market, but the Armorz is my first experience with a tempered glass variety...

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga hits the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ December 12, 2013

Warner Bros.' LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga is now available in the App Store. The game is based on the Star Wars-themed toy line by the Lego Group, and was first released on consoles back on November 6, 2007.

For those who haven't played the title, it's a mashup of Lego Star Wars: The Video Game and its sequel Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, and it includes content, characters and storylines from all 6 Star Wars films...

The 10 best health and fitness apps of 2013

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 9, 2018

I’m not one of those calorie counting fitness fanatics. I just really hate buying clothes and don’t want to have to purchase larger sized pants. In order to stay the same size and squeeze into my two-year-old jeans, I try to keep my eating habits and exercise routine as regular as possible.

However, from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, I go off the wagon in a big way. Whether I’m guzzling eggnog by the gallon or munching on Christmas cookies, there is nothing stopping me from over-indulging for the holiday season.

If you are like me, you are probably going to need to invest in some quality fitness apps to shed the extra pounds in the New Year. The writers of iDownloadBlog have created a list of the 10 best health and fitness apps of 2013. Check them out and let us know which is your favorite for our Best Apps of 2013 list…

Walmart to start selling iPhone 5c for $27, 5s for $127 this Friday

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

The Los Angeles Times is reporting this evening that, as part of a holiday sale, Walmart plans to begin offering the iPhone 5c for $27 and iPhone 5s for $127 with a two-year contract from AT&T or Verizon this Friday.

Now, we've seen several deals on these two handsets over the past couple of weeks, but many of those were Black Friday specials that have since expired. So if you're in the market right now, this may be your best bet...

Google Maps now lets you see flight, hotel and restaurant reservations from Gmail

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2013

It's been some time since we've seen a meaningful update to Google Maps for iPhone and iPad, especially given Google Maps is probably the Internet giant's most popular product, after Search.

As if reading our mind, just an hour ago the firm has quietly pushed a minor update into the App Store. The new Google Maps version 2.5 comes with a few bug fixes and brings with it a cool new feature which lets you see your reservations from Gmail on the map.

Say you made a flight, hotel or restaurant reservation. Upon receiving the confirmation email in Gmail, Google can now take this information (they are already doing this for Google Now cards, by the way), extract the address and show you precise locations for these items within the Google Maps iOS app.

It's a minor, albeit welcome, enhancement that will up competition a notch for Apple’s own iOS Maps app. I love how little things like this make Google Maps more integrated with other Google apps. We've seen Google do this frequently and my guess is they'll continue to leverage their premium iOS apps to build a platform on top of iOS, so to speak...