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Blizzard confirms Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft coming to iPhone in second half of 2014

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Back in March, we told you about Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Blizzard's upcoming iPad battle card game set in the Warcraft universe. Back then, we were told the iPad edition would arrive after the initial release for the Mac and PC desktops. Blizzard has now confirmed at its annual Blizzcon conference, which kicked off today, that Hearthstone will be also coming to the iPhone and Android.

The iPhone edition should be due during the second half of next year. The free to play strategy card game will include nine Warcraft classes with fully customizable characters, as well as minions, spells and weapons based on available cards. Players will be able to slug it out versus each other and participate in friendly duels via Battle.net or practice matches against AI...

Microsoft boosts Office Web Apps, could accelerate Office for iOS if Elop named CEO

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Seemingly responding to Apple's recent iWork suite upgrade (or should I say downgrade?), Windows giant Microsoft has rolled out a series of improvements to Office Web Apps. Akin to iWork which now allows for collaborative editing and has full file compatibility across the web, OS X and iOS, the significant Office Web Apps refresh has enabled real-time co-authoring and brought out new formatting controls, the find and replace feature in web-based Word app and lots more.

Additionally, Bloomberg reported today that former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, who is viewed as one of the candidates for the outgoing Steve Ballmer's CEO seat, is open to the idea of accelerating development of the full-on Office suite for competing platforms, including Apple's iOS...

Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies now available in the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Pacific Skies, a great follow up to the original Ace Patrol game released in May 2013 (read Lory's review here), is now available in the Apple App Store as a universal $4.99 download. I enjoyed Ace Patrol a lot as it's an electronic implementation of one of my favorite board games. Besides, an avid iOS gamer really can't go wrong with a title signed by Firaxis and famous videogame designer Sid Meier.

Pacific Skies offers more of the amazing turn-based tactical maneuvering and strategy which has made Ace Patrol such a huge hit. Unlike the World War I-themed original, the successor is set it the World War II Pacific arenas and includes iconic missions such as Pearl Harbor, Midway and Guadalcanal...

Vodafone store evacuated after demo iPad bursts into flames

Cody Lee ∙ November 8, 2013

A Vodafone retail store in Canberra, Australia was forced to evacuate earlier this week after an iPad demo unit burst into flames, according to News.com.au. While no one was injured, the news outlet says that the "explosion" was large enough that the city's firebrigade was called to the scene....

Boost Mobile lands iPhone 5s/5c, $200 off for new customers through November 24

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

I reported on October 21 that Sprint's prepaid brand, Boost Mobile, was gearing up to launch the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c real soon. The significant development would mark the first time in Boost's history it offered the iconic smartphone. Cody followed up with another write-up stating that Boost could sell the handsets at $100 in retail.

Today, the carrier has begun carrying the new iPhones contract-free. The unsubsidized devices start out online at just $449 for the 16GB iPhone 5c model and $549 for the entry-level iPhone 5s, each a cool $100 saving over Apple's regular price points. But if you're switching from another carrier, you can claim an additional $100 discount...

Gogo’s inflight Wi-Fi now lets you send and receive texts and phone calls in the air

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

In-flight Wi-Fi provider Gogo is rolling out a new feature that will appeal to busy travelers who've always hated not being able to send or receive text messages and phone calls while spending a couple hours in the air. This is now possible, and using your own phone number, too.

Gogo's new Talk & Text solution does not require that airlines retrofit their aircraft with additional equipment, but you clearly can't just use stock Messages or Phone app as the cellular signal is non-existent 30,000 feet in the air.

Gogo instead requires you to use their new Gogo Text & Talk iPhone app (coming soon to Android) to send and receive text messages and phone calls via Gogo's in-flight Wi-Fi networks. The software also lets you use your the iOS address book and check your voicemail...

Samsung barred from proactive use of Apple-HTC deal in litigation

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

In spite of the massive coverage concerning the high-profile Apple vs. Samsung trial, it's easily overlooked that Apple first went thermonuclear on Android by suing HTC. Following the rise of Samsung and subsequent decline of the Taiwanese handset maker, Apple and HTC in November 2012 announced a global settlement on patent litigation.

Terms of the deal have never been made public, but we do know the two sides agreed to a ten-year cross-licensing for all current and future patents and I guesstimated the deal's value to at least $3 billion.

Yesterday, Judge Lucy Koh issued an order granting Apple's motion to exclude last year's Apple-HTC settlement and license agreement at the pending Apple vs. Samsung retrial. The ruling conditionally bars Samsung from pointing the jury to the Apple-HTC settlement deal...

Screen burn-ins apparently causing delayed Retina iPad mini launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 8, 2013

Apple's web page advertises the new iPad mini with Retina display as coming in late November. In Apple's parlance, that's probably November 29, a Friday. Apple's penchant for making new products available shortly following the announcement was not on display at the October 22 media event as the company said the new iPad mini would not launch alongside the iPad Air.

We already heard that Apple was looking to both LG Display and Samsung as the primary iPad mini screen supplier Sharp has been experiencing issues producing high-resolution 7.9-inch IGZO panels, causing limited supplies at launch. A new report alleges Sharp's LCD panels are actually suffering from burn-in problems, prompting Apple once again to seek help from arch-rival Samsung...

Zombie! Zombie! Zombie! HD review: match-three zombie killing gets real

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

What could be better than combining the casual simplicity of match-three puzzle gaming with action-packed shoot-em-up fun? I love matching games and I love zombies. How can those two worlds possibly collide?

Big Fish Games has figured out a way with Zombie! Zombie! Zombie! HD for the iPad. Now, you can shoot your way through a horde of undead by matching the brain eaters to their counterparts…

Some entry level Bluetooth speakers to consider

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

We love music. For years, well before iPods, we took music everywhere. From records to CD's, music is a part of every day life, especially with the invention of MP3 players and the subsequent iPod. However, these are personal devices with single use headphone jacks. Music is most fun when enjoyed with those around us, or at least without being tied down by a corded headset.

Setting music free, is the Bluetooth speaker. As a reviewer, it seems Bluetooth speakers continue to advance in popularity. Not only do I get asked to review them more frequently, but I seem to have more personal conversations about them too. Which one is best, more portable, louder, more clear, better battery and so forth. To throw a few out there for consideration, I rounded up four different models for your consideration...

Google Hangouts for iOS updated with status updates

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

Google posted a significant update for its Hangouts app yesterday, bringing the Android client to version 2.0. The update included several new features like SMS and MMS support, animated GIFs, and one-tap location sharing.

The good news is that the tech giant didn't forget about iPhone and iPad users, and posted a new version of its iOS client as well. The bad news is that it's not half the update that Android users got, with just a handful of changes...

Griffin introduces new iOS-controlled ‘Moto TC Rally’ car

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

Folks in the market for a new remote control car that you can control with an iOS device should check out Griffin's new 'Moto TC Rally' offering. It's half the price of the recently released Anki Drive kit and uses Bluetooth 4.0.

The fact that it uses Bluetooth 4.0 is huge for a few reasons. In addition to requiring almost no power, this means that you won't be restricted to line-of-sight, nor will you have to attach a bulky controller pack to your device...