A look at Tim Cook’s first two years as Apple’s CEO

Two years ago today, to the date, Tim Cook officially took over the reigns as Apple's CEO. Cook had long been handling the position's day-to-day duties, and had played interim CEO on a few occasions, but on August 24, 2011, Steve stepped down and Tim stepped up.

One can only imagine what it's like to try and take over a chief executive role for a company as big as Apple, following up someone like Steve Jobs. But Tim Cook has thus far managed to do it. Here are some of the more notable moments from his two-year tenure...

CBS Sports app updated with new Football GameTracker, Power Rankings and more

With this year's NFL season set to kickoff in less than two weeks, football fans will be happy to hear that CBS has just updated its Sports app with some significant improvements to help them keep track of all the action.

The update, which brings the client to version 6.1, includes a new feature called Football GameTracker, which offers live play-by-play data and current drive play chart. It also adds Power Rankings, Stat Leaders, and more...

Pixel Gun 3D review: now with worldwide multiplayer mode

PixelGun 3D has been hovering around the top spot for paid apps for a while now. Maybe it’s because it comes with a custom skin maker for Minecraft. Maybe because it has that retro pixel look that old school gamers go gaga over.

It could also be because the game, now called Pixel Gun 3D, is actually a good first-person shooter game that fans of the genre will enjoy…

Apps of the Week: Asphalt 8, Think Dirty, Tetra, and more

This weekend, my mom is coming to visit. She and I both share a love for the iPad. I love telling her about great new games and apps I’ve discovered and she gives me hand knitted iPad covers that she makes.

This weekend, I’ve got quite a few interesting apps for both the iPad and iPhone to tell her about. Whether you are racing to win, trying to figure out what your shampoo is made of, or getting ready for the longest music festival in history, we’ve got a list of apps that you’ll want to tell your mom about, too…

How to run shell commands using Activator actions

Interested in running shell commands via an Activator gesture? If so, then we have a treat for you. Aptly entitled Activate Command, this new jailbreak tweak allows users to execute commands via an Activator gesture, which would normally be submitted via a script or via a terminal session.

Interested in seeing how Activate Command works? We thought you'd never ask. Head past the break for our video walkthrough.

How to control the official VLC app using gestures

If you're an avid user of the official VLC app available on the App store, then listen up. You can now control the core elements of the VLC app using multitouch gestures. Unsurprisingly, you will need a jailbroken device to pull that off, but chances are that's the case if you're reading iDB.

VLC Gestures is a brand new tweak that just hit Cydia, and it allows you to incorporate gesture based control into your VLC workflow. Take a gander at our video walkthrough highlighting VLC Gestures inside...

GingerLock: yet another Android inspired Lock screen launcher

Yes, indeed. We've been graced with the likes of yet another Lock screen launcher, this one being inspired by Android no less. GingerLock emulates the style of Android's now long outdated Gingerbread release, and brings it to iOS. It's not as heavy on features like other Android inspired Lock screen launchers, but it does feature a few areas of customization that may pique your interest.

Per the norm, we've taken the opportunity to go hands on with GingerLock. Have a look at our full video walkthrough inside.

Reminisce: the best way to switch between recently used apps

It's one of the best jailbreak tweaks that we've seen this month, and it's now available for you to download on Cydia's BigBoss repo. I'm talking about Reminisce, the jailbreak tweak that lets users quickly switch between their most recently used apps, and unless you've been living under a rock, you're fully aware of what tweak I'm referring to.

We previewed Reminisce last week, lending a glimpse of what you can expect once the tweak went live on Cydia. Now that it's officially live and available to purchase, let's step through a few of the other features found in this big time Cydia release.

Instagram buys Luma for its advanced video filters and stabilization tech

In another indication it's taking smartphone photography and videography seriously, Facebook-owned Instagram today bought a small Silicon Valley startup Luma, formerly known as Midnox.

The transaction represents Instagram's first acquisition since joining Facebook's fold in April 2012. The startup is behind Luma Camera, an iOS app designed to make it easy to record and share high-quality video.

This isn't your typical acqui-hire: Instagram is both after Luma's talented engineers and its advanced technology which makes possible real-time cinematic processing such as filters, effects and video stabilization. As you could imagine, the promising app got immediately pulled fom the App Store following the deal...

Join the pork side in Angry Birds Star Wars II clips starring Ian McDiarmid

Angry Birds maker Rovio today posted two amusing videos pertaining to the upcoming Angry Birds Star Wars II, the first installment to its Star Wars-themed Angry Birds game that was released last November.

As a matter of fact, the company actually started teasing Angry Birds Star Wars II a little over two months ago and we know it's due for release on September 19.

Keeping it on the fun side, Rovio invites you to "join the Pork Side" and play as the piggies. That's right, Angry Birds Star Wars II will feature bird and pig versions. Exploring some of the more than thirty characters from the Star Wars universe to be featured in the game, these clips are voiced by actor Ian McDiarmid who played the legendary Emperor character in the Star Wars movies...

Apple and Samsung win bid to keep secret financial details

Apple and Samsung were both ordered to make public their profits and other financial details pertaining to their business, as part of last October's copyright infringement lawsuit that saw a US jury award Apple a billion dollar in damages over Samsung's patent infringement practices. Needless to say, both companies filed motions to keep sensitive data private.

Today, as Reuters reports, both technology titans won their respective bid to keep secret financial details. A federal US Court of Appeals in Washington, DC rebuked the trial judge who had previously ordered the financial information from both Apple and Samsung be made public...

Rdio gains station tuning, improved search and album art view

Yesterday, the music streaming service Pandora announced plans to remove the 40-hour mobile listening cap come September 1 and released a minor update to its iOS and Android client to enable a handy sleep timer feature.

In a surprisingly brisk move, the rival Rdio service has now responded by issuing an update of its own, bringing with it three useful new features to the party.

First up, the application now has the station tuning feature where you adjust any station to "play more familiar or more adventurous" tracks. With iTunes Radio around the corner and the likes of Spotify and Pandora doubling-down on personalization and recommendation, this has got to be a much-needed improvement on Rdio's part.

But wait, there's more...