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Apple tweaks Genius Bar reservation policies to deter scalpers

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Remember how devious Chinese scalpers adopted a new tactics and grabbed all of the available Apple Store Genius Bar appointment slots to make a quick buck by selling them for real money online?

Guess what? Apple took notice of the trend, too! In order to thwart scalpers, Apple now requires an Apple ID to book an appointment with a retail store Genius.

Previously, making an appointment was as easy as picking a desired store on the Apple Retail website and choosing a session. The company only required your first/last name and email address, which opened door to misuse...

Grades 3 review: take class organization to the next level

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

There have been a lot of new productivity apps launched recently that are specifically designed for students. If only I were still in school, I might have a much easier time keeping my class schedules, homework, and exams organized.

Grades 3 is a student-based productivity iPhone app that organizes your tasks, homework, and exams. It also reminds you of upcoming projects that are due, keeps contacts for your groups, and tracks your grades. Plus, it was just recently completely redesigned with plenty of new features…

Chrome for iOS updated with improved search, data savings feature, and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Good news Chrome users! Google has posted an update for the iOS version of the popular browser this afternoon, bringing the app to version 29 and in line with its Desktop and Android counterparts.

Among the usual performance improvements are 3 new features: a faster back button for returning to search results, a new Bandwidth Management Settings option, and pronoun support in voice search...

Radio Shack also offering iPhone 5c pre-orders, discounts on various legacy models

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

In addition to Verizon, Sprint, Walmart and other retailers, it appears that Radio Shack will also be offering iPhone 5c pre-orders tomorrow. The company will be offering every available color: red, blue, pink, green and yellow, on the top 3 carriers.

Additionally, the electronics dealer is also offering discounts on a wide variety of iPhone 5, 4s and 4 handsets—you can get an iPhone 5 on Sprint for $149 on contract. You can also trade-in your old iPhone for up $250, depending on various factors...

iPhone 4 becomes China’s budget iPhone

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 12, 2013

Remember the concern over the higher-than-expected price of the newly-introduced iPhone 5c?

It was predicted to be Apple's entry into inexpensive smartphones for China and other emerging nations. Now comes news Apple may indeed have a low-cost iPhone for China: the iPhone 4.

The device - largely unavailable virtually everywhere after Tuesday's double iPhone 5s/5c launch - remains for sale in China at $423. The price tag happens to fall just where analyst originally expected for Apple's inexpensive iPhone...

Readdle launches iOS 7-ified Calendars 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 29, 2016

With so much on my plate, you could imagine that daily productivity of yours truly depends on a powerhouse mobile calendar software. I've been a longtime fan of Fantastical from Flexibits, but that's not saying I'm married to it. In fact, I'm expected to test new applications on a daily basis by virtue of my job.

Developer Readdle makes some of the finest productivity apps on the App Store and they just launched Calendars 5, a major new release optimized for the iOS 7 look and feel. It packs in such features as natural language input (take that, Fantastical!), support for iOS reminders, tasks, Google Calendars and much more...

Poll: will you get a new iPhone?

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 12, 2013

Now that Apple has told us everything there's to know about its new iPhone 5c for the colorful and the flagship fingerprint-scanning iPhone 5s that runs Apple's advanced, in-house designed, two times faster 64-bit A7 chip with M7 motion coprocessor, would-be shoppers will have a chance to pre-order the former starting tomorrow.

Even though the company won't provide pre-orders for the top-line iPhone 5s, both handsets are scheduled to simultaneously land on store shelves next Friday, September 20. Folks who frequent this blog by now have learned additional tidbits about the handsets in order to make an informed purchasing decision.

With that in mind, we've decided to put together a little non-scientific poll asking a simple question: which new iPhone are you planning on buying come September 20, if any...

How secret China flights bring iPhones to Apple Stores

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 12, 2013

Apple's fine-tuned supply chain is legendary, but we are just now getting a glimpse into its inner workings. As supply side wonk turned CEO Tim Cook Tuesday unveiled a new line of iPhones, an intriguing report revealed the coordination required to get the handsets to your local Apple store.

Using mammoth chartered jets and schedules so elaborate they almost make D-Day seem like a Girl Scouts delivery route, iDevices designed in California and built in China arrive in the US without a second to spare. A former FedEx executive likens it all to a Hollywood movie premiere...

Surprise! Samsung’s future smartphones will feature 64-bit processors

Sébastien Page ∙ September 12, 2013

Kim Yoo-chul reporting for the Korea Times:

The co-CEO implied that upcoming Samsung Galaxy-branded smartphones will be more powerful and faster by confirming that they would have 64-bit processing capability. [...]

“Not in the shortest time. But yes, our next smartphones will have 64-bit processing functionality,” Shin said, adding he followed the media coverage of Apple’s new iPhone.

Notice the "not in the shortest time." Of course, it will take them a minute to adapt to the new standard Apple just set.

Apple allegedly working on Maps car-finding feature

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 12, 2013

Apple hasn't talked much about its new M7 motion coprocessor that was specifically designed to work alongside the A7 chip inside the iPhone 5s to improve battery life by offloading some tasks that don't require the full power of the main A7 processor.

Some of these tasks include polling motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass sensors without waking up the A7 chip

According to a new report, Apple has bigger plans for the M7 chip and could use it to enable new geolocation Maps features in a way that won't bring a significant hit on the battery...

How to quickly move between the first and last page of your Home screen

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

SBPageSwipe is an interesting new tweak that was recently released on Cydia. It allows users to quickly scroll between the first and last SpringBoard page by swiping on the page dots that reside above the Home screen dock.

As you would imagine, this is a very simple and straightforward tweak with zero options to configure. Though it's simple in nature, I did find it pretty handy to have. It's almost like using the Home and End buttons on a desktop keyboard. Take a look inside.

Stronger battery inside iPhone 5s/5c detailed

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2016

Apple's marketing honcho Phil Schiller noted during Tuesday's iPhone 5s/5c keynote that both new iPhones feature a slightly bigger battery though he stopped short of giving us specifics. Now, Apple's specs page would have us believe that both new iPhones feature essentially the same battery, though that's not true.

Per Apple's stats, both devices provide ten hours of talk time on 3G, 250 hours standby time, 8 hours of Internet use on 3G (10 hours on LTE or Wi-Fi), 10 hours of video playback and 40 hours of audio playback.

What Apple didn't tell us is how it's managed to boost the iPhone 5s battery capacity by as much as ten percent. The iPhone 5c battery life gains are more modest at a respectable five percent compared to the iPhone 5...