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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...

Subway UK implements Passbook loyalty card

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 6, 2013

With just five days left until Apple's WWDC keynote, some notable holdouts are at last integrating Passbook into their business.

The latest example: Subway, an American fast food restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. The company on Thursday updated its free Subcard iOS app with Passbook support for users in the United Kingdom.

This allows Subway customers to access their Subcard ID and recent transactions via the stock iOS 6 Passbook application on their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices and sync those across Macs and iOS devices via iCloud...

Apple patents hints at ad-supported budget iPhone

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 6, 2013

An intriguing Apple patent application was discovered Thursday, hinting at a solution to how smartphones could be owned in developing nations, such as India. The patent filing describes a way a handset owner could defray the cost of a smartphone's data plan by viewing advertising.

The patent application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, is entitled 'Method and system for managing credits via a mobile device.'

In the same way Apple's Passbook feature stores coupons and such, this proposed technology would expand the concept of digital wallets...

Kamcord adds voice narration to iOS games

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 23, 2017

If you haven't heard about Kamcord yet, it's a startup which provides technology that enables iOS games developers to offer in-game recording functionality. The Y Combinator service is funded by some of the biggest venture capitalists around, including Google's Ventures funding arm, Andreessen Horowitz, Yahoo's boss Marissa Mayer and others.

And with over a hundred iOS games incorporating Kamcord solutions and over 500 million gameplay videos being recorded in the last six months, Kamcord has clearly hit the ground running. Earlier this week, the firm announced several new features to the service, including the ability to narrate gameplay videos, in real-time...

Gameloft posts first teaser trailer for Modern Combat 5

Cody Lee ∙ June 6, 2013

Fans of the popular first-person shooter franchise Modern Combat will be happy to hear that Gameloft has just posted the first teaser trailer for the next iteration of the game, Modern Combat 5.

As you can imagine, the trailer doesn't offer up too many details about the game itself. But it does feature a handful of entertaining action sequences in near-console quality graphics. Enjoy...