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SolePower brings USB power to anyone that walks

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Determined to provide renewable power for all USB powered devices, SolePower transfers walking energy to a wearable storage unit for on-demand charging. While away from AC outlets, charging becomes increasingly difficult, even when toting around large solar panels. Similarly, battery backup cases only provide a specific amount of renewed life for a smartphone. The team of young engineers with SolePower insists on carrying a charging station all the time, in a shoe!

Walking motion capacitors are not new to the gadget scene, but an interchangeable sole is the new attraction. Adding SolePower is simple, just pull out the existing shoe insert and replace with a new iPhone charging version. Once the conversion is complete, walk between 2.5 and 5 miles to fully charge an iPhone...

It turns out Apple isn’t throttling data speeds on iPhones and iPads

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Yesterday, a report surfaced claiming that Apple was intentionally throttling data speeds on iOS devices. It was written by the developer behind the recent flurry of hacked carrier updates, with plenty of evidence, so it's not surprising that it gained some traction.

But the folks over at AnandTech have done some further investigating, and according to their findings, neither Apple nor the accused carriers are arbitrarily capping the data speed of iPhones and cellular-capable iPads...

Leaked NSA presentation slides show it’s not just Verizon giving up data [updated]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Last night, news broke of a secret court order from the National Security Agency (or NSA) requiring Verizon Wireless to hand over the call records of millions of US cell phone users. As you can imagine, mayhem ensued.

And then just as things began to calm down, another bombshell dropped this afternoon. The Washington Post claims it has obtained slides from a top secret security presentation that show Verizon's not the only company sharing your data...

Hulu Plus app updated with all new iPad UI, recommendations and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 22, 2017

Hulu Plus users will be happy to know that the streaming video service has released a massive update to its iOS client this afternoon. The update brings the app to version 2.0 and includes a wealth of improvements.

The biggest change in today's release is the 'entirely new experience' for iPad. The entire UI has been redone for the tablet to make browsing for your favorite shows, and discovering new ones, easier than ever before...

Facebook friends disappearing from iOS Contacts? It’s a new feature!

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 6, 2013

If you've ever used Facebook integration in iOS 6, you may have noticed iOS lets you grant the Contact app access your Facebook account in Settings > Facebook. Enabling this feature creates a new 'Facebook' group in Contacts which contains entries for all of the people you're friends with on Facebook. According to a thread over at Apple's support forums, a number of people are experiencing an issue where some of the entries are dissapearing from the Facebook group in iOS Contacts.

If you have noticed similar symptoms, don't panic - it's a feature rather than a bug...

How Google leveraged Apple’s stock YouTube app removal to drive ad sales

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 6, 2013

Since its inception in 2007, YouTube has been integral to the iPhone experience. While Apple itself, not Google, wrote the built-in program, Cupertino a year ago made the decision to pull it from iOS, citing expired license.

And in doing so, Apple has inadvertently helped triple the Internet giant's mobile ad revenue in the last six months alone, Bloomberg reports. As you know, Google shortly after filled the gap with its own downloadable YouTube software which cleverly incorporates advertising, unlike Apple's ad-free experience...

Auxo for iPad review

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

I've been covering jailbreak tweaks for a long time, and I've seen quite a few big releases in my time doing so. Tweaks like Octopus Keyboard, IntelliScreen X, Dashboard X, and most recently, Velox, come to mind.

But perhaps no tweak has been as anticipated this year as Auxo for iPad has. It is, of course, the big brother to the original Auxo tweak for the iPhone, which has proved to be extremely popular, and just as successful.

Needless to say, Auxo for iPad has some fairly big shoes to fill, and even bigger expectations. We all know how Auxo looks and feels on the small screen, but the question is this: can such a tweak be successfully translated to the iPad's significantly larger screen? More importantly, will it provide users with a better overall experience when using their devices? Check out our full review inside, as I break down the ins and outs of this long anticipated jailbreak release.

Google product director explains why it’s shutting down Google Reader

Cody Lee ∙ June 6, 2013

In March of this year, Google announced that it would be shutting down its news aggregation service Google Reader. The news sent the tech world into a frenzy, and spawned a petition with over 100,000 signatures.

So why, if it was so popular, did Google decide to shut Reader down? Initially, it was written off as a 'spring cleaning' measure to kill a dying service. But today, a new report offers more details on the reason for its demise...

Bloomberg: Apple planning iPhone trade-in program to boost sales

Cody Lee ∙ June 6, 2013

According to a new report this morning, Apple is looking to begin its own iPhone trade-in program this summer. Of course, it already accepts trade-ins through its Reuse and Recycle program, but this would be the first time the company has made trade-in offers first hand.

The move is believed to be an attempt to increase handset sales, by encouraging users with older iPhones to trade them in toward the purchase of a newer model...

Kevin Rose: iOS 7 is ‘very different’ and ‘a big change’

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 6, 2013

If you ask Digg co-founder and Google Ventures partner Kevin Rose, changes in iOS 7 are more than skin deep. Additionally, Rose in the latest episode of The Random Show makes claims - without divulging his sources - that WWDC will bring us updated MacBook Airs.

I approve his message - it's fairly safe to assume Monday's keynote will see a specs upgrade for the Air (Retina, much?) and quite possibly for the Pro, stemming from Intel's just announced fourth-generation Haswell chips.

More importantly, Rose mentions iOS 7 will be "very different" from what we've been accustomed to. The way he phrased it, you may not want to put much faith in iOS 7 renderings and mockups that have been floating around the web...

BlackBerry Messenger reportedly landing on iOS June 27 [updated]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Last month, BlackBerry caused a lot of commotion in the tech word when it announced that BBM would be coming to Android and iOS this summer. The popular messaging app has always been exclusive to BlackBerry.

The Canadian-based handset maker didn't offer up any further details at the time on when the app would be available on the two platforms. But according to T-Mobile UK, it's going to be landing on them later this month...

Interactive iPhone 5S concept lets you play with Jony Ive-sanctioned flat iOS 7

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

With WWDC 2013 almost upon us (five days left), the future of iOS and OS X is all but revealed. Of course, we can't tell for sure what's in store until Tim Cook takes the stage next Monday, but that's not stopping creative minds from churning out new concepts on a daily basis.

As we've gotten a bit fed up with static images, we were pleased to stumble upon a cool-looking iPhone 5S concept that incorporates a Jony Ive-fied flattened iOS 7 mockups.

What sets this one apart is interactivity. This concept is basically a web app that lets you interact with the handset and check out the revamped stock iOS apps. Per usual, you should take it with a grain of salt as it's based on what the rumor mill thinks it's learned thus far about Apple's major redesign...