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Google releases official Wallet app for iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

Google has released an official Google Wallet app for the iPhone this morning, bringing its popular mobile payment service to Apple's platform for the first time. The app includes several features, but it doesn't have all of the capabilities of its Android counterpart.

For example, you can't make in-store payments with the app—which isn't surprising, considering the feature is limited to only a handful of NFC-enabled Android devices. But it's worth noting. You can send money to other people, though, and utilize Google Offers...

Apple patent describes location-based speech recognition

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 19, 2013

Now that Apple is pushing a number of differing iPhones to a wider range of countries, it might be wise if Siri understood languages spoken outside of North America and Europe. To help fine-tune the regional differences in language, Apple has filed for a patent on integrating geolocation with speech recognition.

The filing, published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last Thursday, seeks to use location clues to enhance Siri, as well as speech to text services available with the newly-introduced iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c...

Apple now requires medical apps to provide sources of the information included

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 19, 2013

Would you follow a treatment plan outlined in a medical app? The increasing popularity of apps which diagnose and treat medical issues is causing Apple to enact stricter guidelines. Apple wants developers of medical apps which give consumers drug dosages to cite references. The new requirement is designed to reduce medical misdiagnosis, as well as potential plagiarism, according to a news site Wednesday...

App Store ‘Kids’ category launches

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 16, 2022

Following a storm of criticism by disgruntled parents and after being forced to refund tens of thousands of dollars in individual cases of kids inadverntendly ratcheting up their parents’ iTunes bill with in-app purchases (here's how to turn these off), Apple finally caved in.

Thursday morning, the company has unveiled a new 'Kids' category on the App Store. Designed to give parents a piece of mind, the new sections hosts a selection of carefully curated apps for children. Apps are sorted thematically in sub-sections such as 'Create & Play' and 'Shapes & Colors' and shortcuts to apps that are 'Best for Ages 5 & Under', 'Best for Ages 6-8' and 'Best for Ages 9-11'...

Nearly one-third of iOS users upgraded to iOS 7 in the first 16 hours

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 19, 2013

Adoption of Apple's new version of iOS is off to a fast start. Nearly a third of iOS device owners have already upgraded to iOS 7 just 16 hours after the software was released. According to Mixpanel, by Thursday at 10:28am ET some 31.8 percent of iPhones, iPads and iPods had adopted the new operating system, noted for its flat design and a number of new features. Apple officially released the software on Wednesday at 1pm ET...

Cook, Ive, Federighi sit down with Businesweek for a wide-ranging interview

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 13, 2017

Last time an Apple executive gave a detailed interview to Bloomberg Businessweek was in December 2012, when CEO Tim Cook talked Scott Forstall, collaboration and management changes.

Following last week's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c introduction and yesterday's release of iOS 7, the most significant visual change to Apple's mobile operating system since the original iPhone, the publication interviewed Cook and his lieutenants, design guru Jony Ive (who designed iOS 7) and software head honcho Craig Federighi.

In a wide-ranging interview, the three men discussed iOS 7, collaboration, competition, Android, the so-called cheap iPhone and other topics.

I've included the best quotes right below...

iOS 7 now prevents some non-certified Lightning cables from charging your device

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 19, 2013

Back in June, we discovered Apple implemented a warning in iOS 7 Beta builds to caution people against using non-certified Lightning cables, many of which contain cracked authentication chips.

Specifically, connecting an accessory to an iOS 7 Beta device through a non-certified Lightning cable produced a prompt saying “This cable or accessory is not certified and may not work reliably with this iPhone”.

It seems the company has thrown down the gauntlet to unauthorized accessory makers over the use of unapproved Lightning cables because folks have confirmed that the shipping version of iOS 7 now in fact blocks such cables, preventing them from actually charging your iPhone...

Apple now lets devs manage availability of apps’ previous versions

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 19, 2013

Yesterday, we told you about an unexpected improvement of the App Store backend which results in customers being able to grab older versions of apps. This is especially useful to those who may be browsing the App Store using an older device with one of the older iOS versions.

For those people, attempting to download, say, the latest version of an app would produce a prompt offering the last compatible version available for their legacy hardware, provided the app at some point supported their hardware.

Thursday, we received a word that Apple now allows developers to use the iTunes Connect portal to specify which apps and what versions should be made available to owners of legacy software through the App Store...

Pet Peaves Monsters review: Digimon for the 21st century

Lory Gil ∙ Updated March 14, 2018

In the mid 1990s, digital virtual pets like Tamagotchi were hooked to the belt loop of every kid in elementary school. By the late 1990s, toy companies were looking for ways to improve on the pet simulation craze that had swept the nation. That is where Digimon came in. These adorable digital monsters did more than eat, sleep, and poop. They fought other monsters and it was cool.

Pet Peaves Monsters is very similar to the digital pet craze of the 1990s, complete with fighting monsters that battle others head-to-head across devices in a multiplayer arena, and it's cool…

Get rich with Big Fish Casino for iOS

Lory Gil ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

If you find yourself longing for a trip to Las Vegas, where the streets are lined with casinos and there is a slot machine around every corner, there is a way to get the variety and excitement of a city full of gambling without having to leave the comfort of your living room.

Big Fish Casino features free slots, Blackjack, Roulette, Poker, and more. Play on hundreds of different slot machines, compete against friends in various games, and if you play your cards right, you won’t have to spend a dime…

New iPhones could fuel 28 percent jump in Apple’s Christmas quarter sales

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Although Apple's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c don't hit shelves until tomorrow, we already have a glimpse into how the new smartphones will boost sales. Judging by pre-sales that began last week, Apple could see a 28 percent jump in fiscal fourth quarter sales, according to one Wall Street observer.

In a note to clients yesterday, a Morgan Stanley analyst said the two handsets could propel iPhone sales of 34.5 million phones during the fiscal fourth quarter, up from 26.9 million units during the same period last year...

Apple chairman Art Levinson to head up Google’s new health venture

Cody Lee ∙ September 19, 2013

Google announced yesterday that it's backing a new health-focused company called Calico. Like many of the tech giant's initiatives, it's a moonshot project, tasked with extending human life by combating things like aging and disease.

To make things even more interesting, current Apple chairman Arthur D. Levinson has been named CEO of the newly-founded venture. He'll oversee the entire operation, and will apparently be reporting directly to Google's Larry Page...