Last month, Facebook rolled out an update for its iOS app that allowed users to edit posts and comments and preview all of their changes. But up until now, these features have been exclusive to the iPhone.
That changed, however, late last night, when a new version of the Facebook client popped up in the App Store. The update, which brings the app to version 6.7, brings the ability to edit posts to iPad users...
Good news this afternoon for folks who have been dealing with teething issues in the just-released OS X Mavericks. Apple has posted updates today for the Mail and iBooks apps, which should resolve two of the more popular complaints.
The iBooks update brings the app to version 1.0.1 and includes bug fixes and stability improvements. And the Mail update promises to improve general stability and compatibility with Gmail, solving issues that made the client unreliable...
Although Halloween passed us by a week ago, ghoulish apps are still making their way into the App Store. It is possible that the developers didn’t quite get their apps into Apple for approval early enough. No matter, monsters are fun to play with any time of the year.
Monsters Rising is an action strategy combat game that involves gesture-based controls. Draw shapes on the screen to trigger attacks that will send Minotaur, mummies, and other monsters back to their mythological homes…
Despite all of the 'doomed' talk, and its share price being down nearly $200 from a year ago, Apple is still the world's most valuable brand. In fact, according to Forbes Magazine, its brand is worth nearly twice that of its closest competitor.
In its annual ranking of 'The World's Most Valuable Brands,' Forbes lists Apple's value at $104.3 billion. That's an increase of 20% from last year, and well above Microsoft and Coca-Cola, which came in second and third respectively...
Current CEO Tim Cook under Steve Jobs used to run Apple's vast network of suppliers and contract manufacturers and has largely been credited with turning the company into a well-oiled money-printing machine. But making sure trains run on time involves the incredible complexities associated with hiring tens of thousands of workers - and fast, too - who tediously assemble iPhones and iPads in factories located in China and Taiwan.
Apple and its manufacturing partners have been taking a lot of heat over worker treatment in these sweatshops so the iPhone maker eventually started tracking the work hours of 1+ million supply chain workers and took other proactive measures to ensure fair hiring.
But now, another issue is making headlines: the inhumane treatment of would-be employees by employment brokers who take high advance fees from workers and their families, contrary to Apple's rules. Read on...
In terms of feature additions, it's been a quiet period for the Google Drive iOS app after a major visual makeover two months ago brought the software in line with its Android counterpart. But the team hasn't been standing still. In a small but sweet update Thursday, the app has finally gained a much requested new feature - support for multiple Google Accounts - as well as the ability to print your documents wirelessly via either Apple's AirPrint or Google's Cloud Print protocol.
Jump past the fold for additional tidbits...
The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) on Thursday published an interesting Apple patent that has iWatch written all over it. The filing titled 'Network access using short-range connectability' describes a low-power wireless hotspot functionality via Bluetooth 4.0 that basically provides network connectivity akin to the iOS Wi-Fi hotspot feature, but without draining the battery as much.
By relying on the Bluetooth 4.0 low-energy protocol, also known as Bluetooth LE or Bluetooth Smart, such a wireless hotspot is a fit for a device like the rumored Apple smartwatch, which must be super power-efficient. Another benefit of using the Bluetooth LE-enabled hotspot is that your iPhone can instantly wake up the host device...
As officially confirmed earlier this week, Apple has teamed up with smartphone cover glass maker GT Advanced in a $578 million multi-year deal which gives the iPhone maker steady supply of sapphire glass, a crystalline form of aluminum oxide hailed for its unmatched scratch resistance and hardness second only to diamond.
GT will be investing big money in large capacity furnaces to forge the precious gemstone on an industrial scale at Apple's upcoming eco-friendly, 700-employee facility in Mesa, Arizona. Although the deal is subject to “certain exclusivity terms” and GT expects "substantially lower" gross margins, it's of strategic nature and will be cash positive to GT.
By some estimates, GT's revenue next year could experience an unheard-of 15x increase based on the Apple contract alone...
RunKeeper, a personal trainer in your pocket, has been updated today and among a pair of AirDrop-related enhancements is a little gem which particularly stands out: support for Apple's M7 motion coprocessor.
As a long time user of fitness-related apps such as Pedometer++, Argus and Strava Run, I can't tell you how many times I wished these GPS-enabled apps were not power hogs.
The M7 is easily one of the most overlooked iPhone 5s features. The aforementioned fitness apps as of recently have M7 motion tracking and you can just immediately tell how the chip improves the experience by not forcing you to keep an app open at all.
The M7 works independently of the main A7 processor, dutifully recording and storing up to a week's worth of motion data. This allows an app to load up your motion history as if it were active all along. Without a doubt, M7 support is a major power-friendly enhancement. So, how does the newly-implemented M7 integration make RunKeeper better?
If you spend many of your waking hours building block houses, fighting off creepers and spending your sleeping hours dreaming of exploring the great-wide landscape of the pixelated paradise in an off road vehicle, then you are in luck.
Blocky Roads is a mix between the environment-building fun of Minecraft and the side-scrolling racing of one of the company’s other titles, Offroad Legends…
Neurio is an electrical monitoring device developed by Energy Aware Technology. The small device sits in the home's breaker box and "monitors how much power homes are using, and figures out the cost of running individual appliances using smart algorithms that look for patterns and potential problems." Using a self-learning algorithm, the unit collects data about the electrical items in the home. Reports and information are provided to the user, who then determines which ways to better eliminate energy consumption.
Most importantly, the monitoring and cloud reporting does not require home owners to install sensors on any device. As the unit sits in the breaker box, connected to the central home electrical hub, it monitors information directly from the source. Using a companion app, cleverly titled "Wattson," a homeowners' smartphone becomes the simple monitoring tool needed to determine real time power consumption and usage...
Yesterday, AT&T announced that it has flipped the switch on its LTE network in 14 new markets this week. Places like Peoria, Illinois; Des Moines, Iowa; and St. Cloud, Minnesota now have access to the carrier's 4G network.
Obviously, if you're an AT&T customer with an LTE-capable device in one of these areas, this was huge. But the even bigger news is that this latest rollout brings the total number of AT&T LTE markets to 461—39 shy of Verizon...