iDownloadBlog.com

Bluelounge unlocks portable charging with Kii

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated September 30, 2013

In a recent turn of events, two companies released a keychain Lightning charger. You may remember, last week we ran a giveaway for an extremely similar product. However, if you read through the previous post, there were a few things the competition could do better.

Enter, Kii by Bluelounge. A clever pun, Kii is a keychain charger, which is produced both for Lightning and 30 pin options. This little guy is currently attached to my daily key ring and traveled with me for the past couple weeks. Offering a charge on a moment's notice, the Kii is the perfect companion not only for travel, but also daily use...

Popular RPG ‘Shadowrun Returns’ coming to iOS next week

Cody Lee ∙ July 20, 2013

A little over a year ago, game developer Jordan Weisman took to Kickstarter to help fund the development of Shadowrun Returns—an RPG game for Mac, PC and mobile devices. Shadowrun has made an appearance on a number of consoles since it first debuted on the SNES back in 1993.

Needless to say, Weisman's Kickstarter project was successful. In fact, it surpassed its goal of $400,000 within the first 48 hours, and went on to garner nearly $2 million from over 36,000 backers. And after several months of rigorous development, the team is finally ready to launch...

Best Buy offering $50 gift card with iPad purchase

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 22, 2017

Folks in the market for a new tablet will want to check out their local Best Buy this weekend. The retail giant has a limited-time promotion going on right now that gives customers a free gift card with the purchase of an iPad.

Those purchasing a late-model iPad with Retina display, or an iPad 2, will get a $50 gift card, while those purchasing an iPad mini will get a $25 card. Offer is valid on all iPad models, 16GB through 128GB, Wi-Fi and Cellular...

Apple comments on two day-long developer center outage

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

If you've tried logging in to Apple's dev center over the past few days, but were unsuccessful, you weren't alone. The portal, which is where the company stores downloads, documentation and other resources for developers, has been down for 48 hours.

This isn't your typical 'maintenance' downtime, as those only usually last a couple of minutes—or at worst, a few hours. And as you can imagine, developers are starting to get frustrated with the service, which Apple charges a $99 subscription fee for...

US government gets approval to continue tracking phone records

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 3, 2017

In June, an order granted by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to the FBI leaked, revealing that Verizon was handing over millions of private telephone records to the US government. Of course, we later found out that it wasn't just Verizon giving up user data.

As you may have known, that court order was set to expire today, meaning that the government would no longer be authorized to collect such records. But according to the office of the Director of National Intelligence, FISA has just renewed its authorization...

Hires closeups indicate plastic iPhone may borrow logic board design from iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 19, 2013

The sheer amount of would-be budget iPhone shells and supposed parts coming out from Asia has gotten out of hand.

Case in point: a small electronics company Techdy just recently posted several photographs that purportedly picture the chassis of Apple’s long rumored less-pricey iPhone.

These shots made rounds on the web until someone exposed them for what they are: a publicity stunt. Indeed, all of a sudden Techdy started selling an Android handset that looks like Apple's rumored budget iPhone. This is precisely why iDB passes on dozens of tips we receive on a daily basis and instead selectively tells you about the most interesting "leaks".

Today's nugget fits that description perfectly. Not only does a new set of photos reveal what appears to be some sort of an iPhone shell next to the iPhone 5, they do so in intricate detail unlike most prior leaks. We have high-resolution closeups just after the break...

Apple buys HopStop transit app to beef up Maps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

As pointed out by multiple outlets and tweeted by several reporters, Apple has acquired an online navigation startup HopStop.com to improve its troubled Maps offering, Bloomberg just reported. HopStop makes a free iPhone and Android transit app that features detailed subway, bus, train, taxi, walking and even biking directions.

This is exactly the kind of data Apple's Maps need in order to become a viable alternative to Google Maps. The HopStop software also features real-time transit information via the HopStop Live service, the official transit maps, nearby station search and station-to-station schedules in over 600 cities throughout the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, including 140 major metropolitan areas...

Samsung and Apple renew settlement talks, but no deal yet

Cody Lee ∙ July 19, 2013

Apple and Samsung have reportedly renewed settlement talks, in an effort to put an end to their ongoing, global litigation. Since 2011, the two tech giants have been involved in countless patent lawsuits, in over 10 countries.

Word of their resumed resolution efforts comes by way of The Wall Street Journal. Citing people familiar with the matter, the outlet says the two even came close to an agreement in February, but things have since cooled off...

Google to take Apple’s iPhone head on: August 1 Moto X media event is a go

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 19, 2013

Several big media reporters and technology blog editors confirmed receiving invitations from Google concerning the long awaited Moto X announcement.

The invitation-only event will be held in New York City on August 1, cunningly a few weeks ahead of Apple's rumored iPhone and iPad refresh.

The "Moto X" tagline on the invite leaves no room for ambiguity. The teaser graphics even shows Motorola's actual Android flagship in black and white, down to its distinctive curved top ridge. At any rate, this will be a watershed moment for the struggling handset maker.

The upcoming super phone, as Google CEO Larry Page likes to call it, is thought to feature an always-on assistant, a staggering 4,000mAh battery, a ten-megapixel camera and either a 4.3-inch of five-inch screen...

iTunes Radio, right on cue as streaming dollars replace download dollars

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

You don't get anywhere in consumer tech by being tone-deaf to trends. Apple's decision to get into digital music downloads just as sales of CDs slowed is just an example. Now comes evidence the iTunes Music Store owner is on the leading edge of the latest trend to hit: streaming replacing music downloads.

Apple's upcoming ad-supported iTunes Radio will appear as the number of digital songs sold have been slowing for some time while the number of tunes being streamed across the Internet is skyrocketing lately. Through the first half of 2013, 682 million digital songs were sold, a 2.3 percent drop from the 698 million in 2012.

By comparison, the number of songs streamed has risen 24 percent, according to industry watchers...

Google shamelessly lifts Apple’s patent illustration

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

I was shocked learning about the extent of Google's copying this morning. Apparently one of Google's patent filings with The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) uses a familiar-looking illustration to depict a generic computer.

Let me jut say it: Google's drawing is an exact replica of an illustration accompanying an older Apple patent filing. You'd have thought with all the commotion surrounding Google's plagiarism and Samsung ripping off Apple wholesale that the search giant should know better...

Preview: Auxo’s new Slim Mode

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

If you know me, then you know that I love Auxo; it's one of my favorite jailbreak tweaks and I use it on my daily driver. Auxo is great, because it offers a redesigned app switcher, toggles, and the ability to easily kill apps using gestures. Perhaps the biggest feature of Auxo is its ability to present full previews of apps in the app switcher.

While most users enjoy the privilege of having full app previews, due to the ability to gain context as to what's running on the device, some have balked at the feature. Their beef stems from the fact that the app switcher takes up too much space with Auxo installed, or that it's difficult to quickly identify what's running. Well, folks; the creators behind Auxo have a solution to what ails you. Introducing Auxo's brand new Slim Mode.