Mailbox updated with cloud search, account-specific signatures, Chrome support

As far as I'm concerned, Orchestra's excellent email application Mailbox - now owned and maintained by Dropbox- needs only a few little touches to become the ultimate mobile email client. With today's not-to-be-missed refresh, Mailbox has become the closest thing to email nirvana, at least for me.

Didn't use Mailbox because it wouldn't let you customize signatures on a per-account basis? Solved!

The annoying inability to search every message in your Gmail account? That too! And as a bonus, Mailbox can now open links in Google's Chrome iOS browser...

Twitter updates iOS app with controversial conversation redesign

Apart from bolstering up users' security with two-factor authentication, it's been a while since Twitter added any life-changing capability to its iOS and Mac software. That being said, today's update should mark good news for mainstream users who for a long time have been asking for a sensible way to follow long conversations on the micro-blogging service.

As part of the redesigned timeline, there's now a blue line indicating a conversation between people you follow. The conversation flow is even kept intact if you reply to a tweet, but delete the user name of the person you're replying to. Also, the first tweet in the conversation now appears above the most recent reply...

ESPN’s News and Deportes channels added to Apple TV and iOS

Less than 48 hours after Apple added new video content from Vevo, Weather Channel, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Smithsonian Channel to its $99 Apple TV set-top box, ESPN announced Wednesday it's enabled access to two new channels - News and Deportes - on the Apple TV and iOS devices, through the WatchESPN software for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

This is important because ESPN is a global powerhouse.

Owned as a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Corporation, the U.S.-based cable and satellite television channel is a lot of people's go-to source for all things sports...

T-Mobile blacking out employee vacations for September 20 iPhone launch?

In another sign indicating Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S/5C could land on store shelves shortly following a rumored September 10 introduction, T-Mobile USA has reportedly blacked out vacations for its U.S. retail employees from Friday, September 20 and through Sunday, September 22.

While a new report cautions there's no telling whether the blocked period is related to new iPhones, Apple's handsets have historically made their way to retail stores a week or two after the official announcement so the nation's fourth-largest telco would be wise to ensure its retail army is ready for the big day...

Apple could face legal hurdles with a “Champagne” iPhone

"Champagne is neither a colour, nor anything else than the name of wines from Champagne." This is the tweet sent a few days ago by the Comité Champagne, a trade association that represents the interests of independent Champagne producers and Champagne Houses in France.

The tweet, which came with a link to a page showcasing significant victories of the Comité Champagne in defending the Champagne name across the globe, was a not-so-subtle way for the organization to send Apple a message that it'd better think twice if it decided to indeed call its rumored gold iPhone model Champagne...

It’s an iDB t-shirt giveaway

If you listen to our weekly podcast Let's Talk Jailbreak, you might have heard that I've had a bunch of iDB t-shirts made a while back, yet I never tried to sell them or even give them away. To be honest, although the box has been sitting in my office for a couple months, it kinda became part of the office to the point that I forgot about it.

But it's this time of the year where I must make some room for more and I need to unload these t-shirts. While selling them did cross my mind, I decided to actually give them away to a few loyal readers...

Apple seeks to trademark ‘startup’ globally for computer retail service

Apple is seeking to trademark the term 'startup' as it relates to computer retailing, support and education. Although filed in Australia, the application reportedly could have global impact. The move comes as Apple preps its September launch of a new iPhone 5S and 5C, accompanied by the addition of a new iPhone trade-in program at its retail locations. But is there any concern that Apple's application is too broad?

AT&T brings its 4G LTE to 13 new markets

If you're living in any of these areas, then you're in luck because AT&T just brought its 4G LTE to you:

Springfield, OH Corning, NY Mayfield, KY Paducah, KY Champaign-Urbana, IL Tifton, GA Moultrie, GA Whitewater-Lake Geneva, WI Stevens Point, WI Marshall, TX Longview, TX Tyler, TX Tupelo, MS

While AT&T is still trailing behind Verizon in terms of LTE coverage, recent studies have showed that its network is actually faster.

With 171 lawsuits in past 5 years, Apple is patent trolls’ favorite target

Apple is to patent trolls what Justin Bieber is to prepubescent girls. The iPhone maker has become the favorite target for companies whose sole product is lawsuits, according to a new study finding Apple has been sued 171 times by patent trolls over the past five years.

Since 2009, the number of yearly lawsuits by trolls (or Non-Practicing Entities, as they're called in more politically-correct circles) against Apple has steadily risen with 24 filed through June 30 this year...

Rumor: Disney working on Star Wars streaming channel for Apple TV

Yesterday, Apple gave would-be shoppers another reason to consider its $99 Apple TV set-top box by adding five new channels from the likes of Vevo, Weather Channel, Disney and Smithsonian. Piggy-backing on the development, a sketchy report by a Star Wars fan website is out saying Disney has been working with Apple on a dedicated Star Wars-themed Apple TV channel.

It should be unleashed time for the holiday season and permit users to stream the final episodes of the animated Clone Wars television series. More on that after the break...

Rovio teams up with Red Bull for Angry Birds Go kart racing game

It's easy to downplay the wild success Rovio's enjoyed with the Angry Birds games like no one is interested when in reality people continue to play and buy everything related to the franchise like there's no tomorrow. It's also OK not to admit you're a fan of the series and still be interested in an Angry Birds-themed kart racing game the Finnish developer's been working on.

Created in partnership with Austrian energy drink powerhouse Red Bull, Angry Birds Go is much like a few other racing games Red Bull has previously endorsed, though we're of course expecting something of a twist here...

Top Apple blogger debunks September iPads, iPhone 5S scratch test and other crazy rumors

Apple's CEO Tim Cook and the company's leadership team must be hating Mark Gurman, the most connected Apple blogger and Time's pick for its 2013 Best 25 Bloggers list. He's leaked much of the iOS 7 redesign ahead of June's revelation and nailed the iPhone 5 features well before its release.

Two weeks ago, Mark was first to acknowledge an iPhone 5S with gold colorway. He's also confirmed fingerprint scanning - the iPhone 5S's killer feature - and said the iPad build of iOS 7 was running behind schedule.

Taking a number of burning issues occupying the collective minds of the Apple rumor-mill community, Gurman has now brought into question a few popular misconception concerning Apple's upcoming product launches that are making rounds today...