As part of its ongoing efforts to expand its North American operations, Foxconn is looking to invest over $40 million over the next two years building a high-tech manufacturing facility in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Bloomberg is reporting this week that the company, which counts Apple as its largest client, will spend $30 million on the new plant and $10 million in research and development at Carnegie Mellon University...
An interesting piece of news coming from Om Malik:
Well-placed sources tell us that the company is gearing up to launch new private messaging features inside its still red-hot photo and video sharing service. It is also experimenting with the idea of group messaging, our source tells us. The new features are likely to find home in the next version of Instagram, which is expected before end of the year. An Instagram spokesperson (not surprisingly) declined to comment.
So far, the only way you can communicate with an Instagram user is by leaving a comment on one of his photos, which is everything but practical. Private messaging sounds like a natural and useful evolution of the service.
As an Instagram user, would you welcome this new feature?
Every so often, we'd like to showcase the work space of an iDB writer. We want to give you a behind the scenes look at our work spaces so that you can get to know us better.
A lot of people have asked me about my setup over the years, so I thought it would only be right if I'm the guinea pig in this test. In this edition of Show Us Your Setup, I showcase my writing, blogging, and video editing work space. In a later edition, perhaps I'll show you my entire video setup.
By and large, this is where I do 90% of my writing for iDB. It's also where I sit when recording and editing Let's Talk iOS. I also sit in this exact spot when editing videos, or doing any of the other day to day activities to help Sebastien keep iDB running smoothly. Inside, I'll explain some of features of my setup, the products I use, and my mindset when choosing this setup.
Virgin America, one of my personal favorite airlines, is now allowing its passengers to use their electronic devices during takeoff and landing.
As of today, Virgin America is allowing travelers unrestricted use of most portable electronic devices (PEDs) from “gate-to-gate” on all phases of flights on all of its aircraft within U.S. airspace. Although some carriers have already lifted the restriction of PED use on many aircraft and during certain categories of flight, Virgin America’s fleet of 53 new Airbus A320-family aircraft is the first cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for PED usage during all categories of flight – even during CAT II and CAT III precision approaches and landings.
Unlike most other airlines, Virgina America has also been cleared by the FAA to let its passengers use electronic devices during all categories of flight (yes, that means even in low visibility).
Frontier is now the last major airline not allowing PED usage on its flights. It should only be a matter of time.
It looks like Honda is going to be one of the first auto-makers to ship a vehicle compatible with Apple's new iOS in the Car feature. A representative for the company confirmed with a customer via Twitter that the tech will be available in its 2014 Civic.
For those unfamiliar with iOS in the Car, it's essentially Apple's next level of in-car device integration. Where 'Eyes Free' only let users access Siri, this will allow users to access apps like Phone, Maps, Music and more via their car's built-in touchscreen...
Black Friday is next week, and for those unfamiliar with the term, it's the Friday after Thanksgiving that kicks off the busiest shopping weekend of the year. Retailers open their stores early and offer significant discounts on their products in hope of luring in holiday shoppers.
And it looks like Apple will be participating in the festivities this year. While we haven't yet received word on the company's Black Friday deals, it does appear that many of its retail stores in both the United States and Canada will be opening early to accomodate the crowds...
The United States wireless carrier Bluegrass Cellular started selling the iPad Air on November 1, along with many other regional U.S. wireless companies.
And as cellular models of the iPad mini with Retina display have recently begun trickling into Apple’s U.S. retail stores, the Kentucky-based carrier has started selling nearly every Retina mini model.
Moreover, Bluegrass is offering the device via both its web store and directly to customers who shop in one of its retail stores. Customers can buy the device either on or off-contract, with monthly installments making it easier on the wallet. The full breakdown is right below...
I no longer buy my smartphones subsidized because I just can't stand paying north of $2,000 in service fees over the course of my contract. Beginning with the iPhone 4s and onward, I've been purchasing my iPhones contract-free and unlocked. Of course, this means paying the full price upfront.
On the flip side, contract-free iPhones are unlocked out of the box, which gives me the freedom to switch carriers as easily as popping in another SIM card. Although a bunch of oversea markets have had the fully unlocked iPhone 5s for several weeks, Apple has now finally started selling the device in the United States through its online store...
You can now finally just waltz inside your nearest brick-and-mortar Apple Store and pick up an iPad mini with Retina display, an indication of Apple slowly buy surely catching up to demand, despite the shortages which are expected to ease in Q1 2014.
When Apple quietly and rather unceremoniously put the device on sale on November 12, it limited availability to online orders-only, which customers could either have shipped or picked up personally at a desired Apple Store.
Walk-in purchases were not possible due to high demand up until now, with LTE-enabled models only recently having started arriving to Apple's retail outlets...
Electronic Arts' Ferrari-focused Real Racing 3 update is out for a little more than a month and earlier this week the super publisher pushed another update which will make Ferrari fans happy and glued to their iPhones and iPads.
Building on the new racing tracks, events and Ferrari's racing cars from the previous update, the Enzo Ferrari lineup has now joined Real Racing 3's selection of extreme performance cars.
The latest update also adds other perks and goodies, including cinematic race replays (finally!), four new event series with a total of 100+ new events, weekly time trial tournaments and more. Your promo clip and other highlights are after the break...
Apple's SVP of Design Jony Ive along with his good friend, industrial designer Marc Newson, has lent his magic touch to a few one-off items for Sotheby’s (RED) charity auction to help fight AIDS in Africa. Some of the unique objects the two men designed include a one-off red-colored Mac Pro, a unique aluminum-clad desk and a gorgeous Leica M camera.
Ahead of tomorrow's charity, Ive and Newson sat last night with American television talk show host and journalist Charlie Rose to discuss how they interacted to create these unique objects of affection that'll end up being used by their highest-paying owners...
What is it about third-party email clients that send us into a frenzy? We either love them or hate them. Each person has a very specific set of requirements to establish what they think is a worthy app to house our digital correspondences.
Boxer is an email client that lets you access multiple accounts, includes Dropbox integration, Sanebox cloud storage, to-do list organization, and all manner of additional inbox-zero features. The popular email app just received an update that adds Evernote integration and finally optimizes it for the iPad…