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iPhoto beware: native Google+ Photos app heading to Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 26, 2017

Despite its pedestrian and overly geeky interface, I still find myself using Google's Picasa Mac app to geotag my photos, find duplicates and organize image files in folders prior to importing the images into iPhoto. Picasa may not win any beauty contest, but it sure is lightning fast and gets the job done.

Now, once Google retired Picasa Web Albums and doubled-down on Google+ Photos, I could tell the desktop Picasa software was heading to the technology graveyard. But some good will come out of this: according to a Google-focused blog, the Internet giant may be replacing Picasa soon with an upcoming desktop Google+ Photos app for Mac, Windows and Linux...

Now iTunes activation servers are experiencing outage

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 25, 2013

Just when I thought Apple has started to recover from the Dev Center breach and that the brouhaha couldn't get any worse, now comes word that iTunes activation servers have been experiencing an extended outage for the past few hours. No matter how you look at this, it's another blunder for Apple.

Without iTunes servers working, customers are unable to activate their handsets. Apple's servers used to melt under heavy load before, but it always happened shortly after a new iPhone had gone on sale (2007/2008/2009 iPhone launches), never mid-cycle like today.

It was unclear at post time whether this development had anything to do with a breach last Thursday which prompted Apple to take the entire Dev Center down...

How to download Vine videos directly to your Camera Roll

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 12, 2018

VineDownloader is a very simple jailbreak tweak that does exactly what its name promises that it will. If you've always wanted the ability to be able to save your favorite Vines, then you'll be happy to know that this tweak does it, and it does it quite well. VineDownloader is available right now on Cydia's BigBoss repo for $0.99. Take a look inside, as we go hands-on with the tweak on video...

New in iOS 7: smart ‘send from’ in Mail

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 25, 2013

Just a quick note regarding a nice little feature discovery in Apple's stock Mail app in iOS 7 that I haven't seen reported on thus far.

Prior to iOS 7, creating a new message in the stock Mail app would normally default to your 'send from' email address specified in the Settings app. iOS 7 has changed this behavior, for the better.

You see, Mail in iOS 7 is smart enough to over time learn who you're emailing and changes the 'send from' value accordingly to match the recipient's domain. I've included screenshots and the full description right after the break...

Preview: InstaLauncher

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

InstaLauncher is an upcoming jailbreak tweak that allows you to add a custom launcher to the iPhone. It a tweak that lets you launch any app on your device in a quick and efficient fashion. I think it's safe to say that many will be intrigued by InstaLauncher. Take a look inside at our preview before the tweak officially releases.

As Apple misses a beat, Amazon is Retina-fying Kindle lineup

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 25, 2013

Hot on the heels of yesterday's Google event which saw, among other goodies, introduction of the second-generation Nexus 7 tablet with an improved 1,920-by-1,200 screen, the Kindle maker Amazon is now said to be refreshing its Fire tablet family around higher-resolution displays, too.

And as Apple and its Asian suppliers scramble to solve manufacturing challenges that continue to plague a second-generation iPad mini, Amazon's top-of-the-line Kindle reportedly features a significantly overhauled display that packs 30 percent more pixels than the Retina iPad, into a smaller 8.9-inch screen compared to Apple's 9.7-inch device. Ouch!

Apple issues charger advisory in China

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 25, 2013

Following a widely reported fatality involving a Chinese stewardess who got electrocuted by her iPhone charger (just weeks from her wedding), Apple has posted a statement to its China web site recommending customers use only authorized chargers.

Ten days ago, a Chinese newspaper reported that 23-year-old China Airlines flight attendant Ma Ailun suffered a fatal electric shock when she answered a call using her iPhone that was recharging. Major media outlets picked up the report, creating another PR nightmare in Apple's "most important market" (Cook's words from earlier this year)...

Apple’s latest major acquisition: Apple

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Philip Elmer-DeWitt, writing for Fortune:

Last quarter, Apple finally made a major acquisition. And what did it buy?

It bought Apple.

By my calculation, the company spent $16 billion last quarter ($4 billion in cash, $12 billion through the so-called accelerated share repurchase program) to purchase 36 million of its own shares at an average price of just over $444.

For that amount, Apple could have bought three Nokias or three BlackBerrys...

Sky Gamblers: Cold War review: become the dogfighter you want to be

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Sky Gamblers is a popular flight simulation series of arcade games that puts you in the cockpit of a fighter plane as you take down enemies in a variety of missions. It is best known for being a Mac based game, but the game’s creators have decided to launch an iOS version in tandem with the desktop app.

Sky Gamblers: Cold War is a universal app that follows up on Atypical Games’ award-winning Storm Raiders title. This time, you’ll be flying during an era that spans 50 years and multiple battles…

Some great design apps for graphics artists

Lory Gil ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

If you are trying to come up with a great logo, but need some inspirado, or are looking for an app that will let you take your design creations mobile, there are quite a few apps out there that will help you in that department.

Thanks to a suggestion from one of our readers, we have a list of apps that are great for graphics artists, designers, and people who just appreciate the art of design…

In emotional interview, Ashton Kutcher reflects on Steve Jobs’ legacy

Cody Lee ∙ July 25, 2013

It seems like the tech world collectively chuckled and rolled its eyes when it found out that Ashton Kutcher—the stoner star from That 70's Show and Hollywood's go-to guy for b-rated romantic comedies—was going to be playing Steve Jobs in a feature film.

But Kutcher has turned more than a few heads with his portrayal of Apple's co-founder in Open Road Films' 'Jobs.' And looking at this clip of his appearance on Jay Leno's Tonight Show from last night, he obviously had tremendous respect for the man...

New Apple invention detects usage patterns to save iPhone battery life

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 3, 2017

Longer battery life is one of those things that's usually at the top of people's smartphone feature wish list. I know it is mine. But unfortunately, there hasn't been any major new developments in mobile battery tech over the last few years.

Companies like Motorola are figuring it out though. The Google-owned maker just introduced a new handset with a staggering 48-hour battery life. And according to this patent application just published by the USPTO, Apple is too...