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Google looking to develop wireless networks in emerging markets

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 21, 2017

Say what you want about Google, but the portfolio of its 'X' lab is quite impressive. The secret department is responsible for churning out Jetson-like projects including self-driving cars and computerized glasses. It even dabbles in TV services, and gigabit internet.

And it looks like they're about to take on another ambitious venture: building out wireless networks. According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, the tech giant is in talks with regulators, in a few different countries, about their plans to go wireless...

Little Viking Dungeon of Doom will make you flip

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Dungeon crawl games are a gem for old-school gamers and a joke for newer generations. The old folks love the repetitive, monotony of going room-to-room, unlocking chests and killing baddies with no other distinctive plot. While young whippersnappers think dungeon crawls are boring and a waste of time.

Little Viking Dungeon of Doom mixes a bit of the dungeon crawl genre with a more modernized gameplay. Instead of just roaming around killing orcs and collecting treasure, you are solving action puzzles while roaming around killing orcs and collecting treasure…

Skycore launches cross-carrier delivery of Apple’s Passbook items by MMS

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple's Passbook reads data from .pkpass files, which can be attached to email messages and embedded on web sites. The system lets Safari and Mail clients running on Mac, iPhone, iPod and iPad devices to automatically import tickets, digital coupons and other items into the Passbook application and sync them across devices via iCloud. That's all fine and dandy, but what if there was an easier way to share Passbook passes? Thanks to a company called Skycore, Passbook items can be now delivered to users via MMS...

Good deal: 25% off Smarter Stand for iPad

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Folks in search of a fun new iPad accessory, or an early Father's Day/graduation present, should check out this sweet little deal going on over Stack Social. The deal site has the Smarter Stand clips for iPad on sale right now for under $15.

As you may recall, we mentioned the Smarter Stand in passing last fall when the Kickstarter project went viral and exceeded its funding goal by nearly $150,000. Backers were enamored with the product, and now you can be too, at a nice discount...

Concept imagines iWatch maps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Renowned 3D artist Martin Hajek today shared a new batch of interesting conceptual renderings that strive to envision how Apple's rumored iWatch might seemingly lend itself to maps, which have long been the killer app category on mobile devices.

Indeed, with power-savvy Bluetooth Smart technology and iOS allegedly powering the device, a smartwatch from the people that brought you the iPhone could theoretically retrieve a user's geographical location by tapping the iPhone's GPS sensor, simply acting as a second screen for turn-by-turn directions...

Mobile game downloads mostly made from word-of-mouth

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 24, 2013

Did you hear about this new iOS game? You've got to try it. Ca-ching. That, in a nutshell, is how most mobile games are downloaded. The majority of mobile users download games based on word-of-mouth from friends or family, a new survey indicates. What's more, most folks download at most five titles per month, spending about three hours playing over the course of a week, according to Applifier...

Refurbished Apple Store again cuts iPad prices across the board

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 24, 2013

Following Fall introduction, Apple's iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad lineup hit the refurbished store in mid-March 2013, knocking $50 off of some models. In a sign that the company could be clearing stock of refurbished iPads in anticipation of next-generation models, Apple today has again slashed prices of its iPad 4 and iPad mini refurbished devices by as much as fifteen percent, enough to net you a cool $40 saving on top-of-the-line models with 64 gigabytes of storage...

Apple patents push-to-talk, double-sided touch panels

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 24, 2013

Among the more than two-dozen patents granted to Apple by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office earlier this week is one hinting the iPhone maker could finally enter the Push-to-Talk (PTT) arena and another one indicating the firm may breathe new life into its rumored plans for wearable devices.

The PTT patent likely is the result of a $4.5 million purchase by Apple and others of a portfolio of intellectual property sold by Nortel Networks in 2011. Meanwhile, the USPTO granted Apple a patent on flexible touch panels which could potentially be used for even smaller devices, such as the much-rumored iWatch...

Apple to nearly double lobbying efforts on tax fight

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 24, 2013

Apple finds itself in unfamiliar territory. Accustom to acting behind the scenes and producing gadgets with overwhelming appeal, the iPhone maker and its CEO Tim Cook are front-and-center in a debate over corporate taxes and how some companies navigate loopholes in the laws to keep billions from the IRS.

In a sign of how concerned Apple is about changing the U.S. tax landscape, it in 2013 may spend nearly $4 million on lobbying Congress - double the amount of just a year ago. Meanwhile, European leaders are asking tech giants to play by the rules...

Jony Ive’s iOS 7 remake: black, white, flat all over

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

When Apple's former iOS honcho Scott Forstall was dumped, stories were told of he and design guru Jonathan Ive nearly coming to blows over the prevailing use of realistic shapes and textures within the mobile software. Now comes a claim the design change of the upcoming iOS 7 will be "black, white, and flat all over."

Ive, Apple's Senior Vice President of Industrial Design and newly-minted head of Human Interface across the company, has essentially proposed a radical break with the iOS former Apple co-founder Steve Jobs unveiled in 2007, introducing a look and feel he believes will stand the test of time...

Apple could actually start repairing faulty iDevices in June

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 24, 2013

A letter Apple allegedly sent to Brazilian Authorized Service Providers signals significant changes to how the company handles iPhone and iPad repairs. Specifically, rather than replace faulty devices with their good-as-new refurbished counterparts, Apple should finally start performing device repairs in-house as early as next month, reports AppleInsider which got hold of Apple's letter to distributors.

We heard earlier in the month that major changes are coming to Apple's AppleCare warranty this fall so the development could signal Apple's intent to test the new policy in Brazil ahead of a broad roll-out later this year...

Best Buy taking $50 off every iPhone in 4-week promo beginning this Sunday

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

U.S. retailer Best Buy is set to shave $50 off every iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 sold with a two-year contract with Verizon, AT&T or Sprint in a four-week promotion that kicks off on Sunday, reports AllThingsD. The retailer has previously discounted Apple's iPhone 5 a few times in time-limited promotions, along with other retailers such as Walmart which last December discounted the device to as low as $127...