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UK retailers expect to start selling new iPhones on September 20

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 3, 2013

With U.S. wireless carriers AT&T and T-Mobile - as well as Apple itself - canceling their retail employee vacations ahead of Apple's media event next Tuesday, retailers and distributors in the United Kingdom are now bracing themselves for the impending mid-September iPhone 5S/5C launch.

A report by the British newspaper The Guardian asserts that Apple will be delivering the upcoming new handsets to UK retailers and mobile phone network shops on September 20 and 27, in time for them to go on sale approximately a week after the official announcement on September 10.

The report matches up conveniently with market rumors of Apple allegedly launching the new devices on Japan's SoftBank and KKDI networks come September 20...

New iPhone models begin arriving in the US ahead of September 10 media event

Cody Lee ∙ September 3, 2013

Apple made its long-rumored September 10 media event official this morning, as it sent out a number of invites to the presser. It's widely believed that the company will use the event to unveil not one, but two new smartphones.

And according to a new report, those smartphones have already begun shipping to the US. Citing a reliable source, MacRumors claims that Apple has begun stockpiling both the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C in various channels...

EA teases Real Racing 3 Porsche 911 update

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Electronic Arts is set to give its free-to-play iOS/Android racer, Real Racing 3, another notable content update. The forthcoming Porsche 911 update is now on the horizon and challenges you to expand your lineup of cars with seven generations of the Porsche 911.

By the way, the car maker is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the legendary 911. The Porsche update is being teased less than three weeks after the most recent content pack enabled a bunch of classic American muscle cars (the Mercedes-Benz and Bentley vehicles came via July's update)...

Google announces Android 4.4 KitKat

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Whoa, it's indeed been a crazy news day. First we learned that Microsoft is buying Nokia's devices division for north of $7 billion, then Apple came official with its iPhone event and now - just minutes after Apple's September 10 keynote confirmation - came word straight from the Internet giant Google that the next version of Android is going to be called KitKat.

Way to go to steal Apple's thunder, Google! I'm not kidding: the KitKat Google+ page just went live making the code-name official.

On top of this, the brown chocolate-like statue has joined the crew outside Google's Mountain View, California headquarters. Plus, the Android 4.4 web page is now live, too. Is the use of the KitKat name meant to suggest Google will now "take a break" from innovation? Go past the fold for the full reveal...

Spotify app updated with new way to browse music

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

Following a big announcement of its new AirPlay-like Connect feature, Spotify has rolled out an update for its iOS client. The update brings the app to version 0.7.4, and includes a handful of new features and improvements.

Easily the biggest change Spotify users will notice in the new app is the completely revamped Browse tab. Thanks to the simplified UI, you can now find your favorite artists and albums, or discover new ones with a few taps...

New photo of alleged iPhone 5S Home button part could point to fingerprint sensor

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

As the September 10 iPhone event draws nearer, pundits have begun to cast their final predictions for what features Apple's next smartphone will possess. A faster processor seems like a given, as do a better camera and new gold colorway, but what else?

A lot of folks also think that the iPhone 5S will have a fingerprint scanner built into its Home button. It's been reported by analysts on several occasions, and evidence of it surfaced in iOS 7, but we have yet to see any real concrete proof. Until now?

Apple patent taps gesture input for multi-user iOS Lock screen access

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 3, 2013

Many iOS devices, particularly the iPad, are often shared among family and friends. For example, wouldn't it be great if you could unlock just your Games folders for the kids, but give yourself and your spouse access to more applications?

Apple may have heard your thoughts, because a new patent outlines ways to offer limited access to select sets of iOS apps, straight from the Lock screen. The technology could supplant the one-size-fits-all nature of a passcode, with proposed 'access inputs' featuring gestures ranging from letters, shapes and more...

Spotify Connect unveiled: AirPlay-like streaming, but without overhead

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

The popular Swedish streaming music service Spotify on Tuesday announced a compelling new feature for audiophiles which takes the best ideas from Apple's media streaming technology called AirPlay, and then some more. Called Spotify Connect, the service is being billed as "the new way to play at home".

It's a lot like AirPlay, but with the key difference: there's no overhead as the feature streams songs straight from Spotify's server to supported wireless speakers. I've included more information and a nice promo clip after the break...

August was a bad month for Apple’s mobile web usage share

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

New data from web analytics firm NetApplicatons shows a significant decline in Apple's share of the mobile web, with iOS devices falling to 54.9 percent in August, a 16.7 percent drop from the 65.9 percent reported during the same month in 2012. While still less than a third of the web usage, Android experienced an increase, rising eleven percent to 28.1 percent from 21 percent in 2012...

New iPhone 5C leaks: manual, aftermarket cases

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 3, 2013

It's exactly a week until Apple's September 10 iPhone 5S/5C event - yes, we think the invites will go out later today - so small wonder we're now seeing leaks on a daily basis. For starters, an instruction manual thought to ship with the Dutch version of the iPhone 5C has surfaced online, reiterating what some analysts have been saying all along, that Apple's mid-range iPhone should phase out the current-generation iPhone 5 because it's basically an iPhone 5 inside a plastic casing.

We also have shots of an iPhone 5C aftermarket case by accessory maker Case-Mate...

Microsoft to acquire Nokia’s devices and services business for $7.2 billion

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 14, 2018

Early Tuesday morning, Microsoft announced that it would be purchasing Nokia’s devices and services business. The transaction has been approved by the Boards of Directors for both companies, and is expected to close in Q1 of next year, pending regulatory approval.

As for the terms of the deal, Microsoft is paying EUR 3.79 billion to purchase substantially all of Nokia’s cell phone business, and EUR 1.65 billion to license the company's patents, for a total price of EUR 5.44 billion (or roughly $7.2 billion in US dollars) in cash...

‘Cate’ combines Gmail, Twitter and other services into one unified messaging app

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

I hate email. Even with innovative apps like Mailbox, I'd rather iMessage or talk with someone on Twitter than email back and forth with them. There's subject lines, headers, signatures, and loads of other useless text—it's just all way too complicated.

I would be willing to reconsider my predisposition, though, if an application like this one ever makes it to market. It's called 'Cate,' and in addition to being gorgeous, it promises to make communication easier with direct Gmail messaging and more...