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Google testimony helps Apple with e-book trial

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 14, 2013

So rarely do we see the complete dismantling of a witness in an otherwise dull tech trial. However, Apple's defense lawyer last week dissected a Google executive's claim of a conversation with publishers indicating Apple required they all sign on to an agency contract.

On the stand, Google's Thomas Turvey admitted a direct conversation with the publishers he earlier told the court likely never happened.

Not only does the testimony from Google's director of strategic partnerships make it appear the Apple rival is just out to get its competitor, but it throws a wet blanket on an antitrust case which up to yesterday was going the way of the Department of Justice.

However, the weighty issue of whether Apple's e-book agency pricing model restricted competition was overshadowed by the legal showdown and witness meltdown...

Microsoft releases Office 365 for iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

After months of speculation and years of waiting, Windows maker Microsoft has finally relented and released the official Office suite on iOS. But don't get your hopes up too high, it isn't what you've been looking for.

As the lengthy name suggests, 'Office Mobile for Office 365 subscribers' (seriously, Microsoft?) requires an Office 365 subscription, is iPhone-only and is more of an Office companion than a full-blown productivity application.

You can edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on the go, though we're talking limited editing capability here. Go past the fold for the full info...

Apple now reportedly adding 500,000 new iTunes accounts per day

Cody Lee ∙ June 14, 2013

Aside from its iPhone sales, and total iOS device sales, another stat Apple likes to tout is its number of iTunes accounts. At the beginning of the company's WWDC keynote earlier this week, Tim Cook announced that there are now more than 575 million registered iTunes users.

Cook claims that iTunes is the largest online service with credit cards connected, which is pretty impressive. But perhaps even more impressive is its staggering growth rate. A new report from expert number-cruncher Horace Dediu claims Apple is adding 500k accounts per day...

A closer look at the new Notification Center in iOS 7

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 24, 2013

From the moment you lay eyes on iOS 7, you can tell that it's completely different than any of the previous versions of Apple's mobile OS. The entire system has been redesigned, from the Lock screen to the app icons, and everything in between.

We've taken brief peeks at a lot of the changes that we've spotted thus far in iOS 7 over the past few days, but we felt some of them deserved a more in-depth look, like the all new Notification Center. It's better looking now, and quite a bit smarter...

Microsoft releases another ad dissing iPad

Jeff Benjamin ∙ June 13, 2013

Microsoft — the company behind the Surface RT (lol) — has posted another attack advertisement going at Apple's iPad. The ad makes fun of the iPad's lack of SD Card compatibility, its inability to run apps side by side, and its price. It's a decent ad, but their comparison points just don't stack up if you ask me.

Apple said to be working with Logitech and others on MFi gamepads

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Yesterday we talked a little bit about a new feature (or rather, developer API) in iOS 7 that offers support for MFi (Made for iPhone) certified hardware game controllers. This will be the first time that Apple has officially supported third party gamepads.

Today a few more details have surfaced about Apple's plans regarding these controllers. A new report is out this afternoon claiming that the Cupertino company is working with the likes of Logitech and MOGA to produce a new line of iOS gaming peripherals...

Google+ notifications will soon sync across devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

One of the annoyances about notifications in today's multi-platform world is the alert conundrum. We've all been there: an alert comes in, you act on it on one device and yet it doesn't clear on the other. And with apps constantly producing all sorts of notifications, managing these things across our gadgets is tricky, to put it mildly.

Matter of fact, you'd be right to argue that notifications tend to get a little out of hand, up to the point where they turn your daily computing into a nightmare.

Apple feels your pain: that's why it gave iOS 7 a new Notification Sync feature where reading a notification on your iPad automatically marks it as read on your iPhone, and vice versa, courtesy of iCloud. Google isn't standing still either: today, the search monster started rolling Google+ notification sync across the web, Android and iOS...

iOS 7: Charging

Jeff Benjamin ∙ June 13, 2013

As you know, many an item has changed with iOS 7 from a visual perspective. We've already covered some of the details of the Lock screen, booting, etc. What about something as subtle as the visual cues when the device begins to charge? Indeed, those have been totally revamped as well, and the changes, I believe, are for the better. Take a look...

Apple’s key ‘rubber banding’ patent validated by US Patent Office

Cody Lee ∙ June 13, 2013

Apple's 'rubber banding' patent has been under heavy scrutiny in recent months, invalidated twice by the US Patent Office. It used the patent, which pertains to a software feature that allows content to 'bounce back' during scrolling, in its big $1 billion victory over Samsung.

But good news today for the Cupertino company. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (or USPTO) has said it will issue a re-examination certificate that confirms the formerly invalidated invention, clearing up any doubts of the patent's weight or validity...

Wallpaper Cyclr: randomly cycle wallpapers using Tumblr tags

Jeff Benjamin ∙ June 13, 2013

One of the best ways to spice up the look of your iPhone is to don some new wallpaper. Wallpaper Cyclr is a jailbreak tweak that takes this basic premise and runs with it.

If pulling in random wallpaper from Tumblr based on tags you assign sounds like a good idea you, then you'll certainly want to take a look at Wallpaper Cyclr. This is a tweak that allows you to change up your wallpaper based on pre-set intervals, and it's always a surprise as to what Wallpaper you acquire on your device.

‘AirPlayServer’ turns any jailbroken device into an AirPlay receiver

Jeff Benjamin ∙ June 13, 2013

Looking for a quick and dirty way to turn any jailbroken iOS device into an Airplay receiver for audio? Have an old iPod touch laying around that's collecting dust? If so, then you may want to have a look at a recently released tweak called AirPlayServer.

AirPlayServer is a tweak that allows you to use a jailbroken iOS device as an AirPlay speaker. In fact, if you hook a pair of speakers up to the device's headphone jack, you'll really have something special. Have a look inside for a brief video demo that shows how it works...