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Let Songza find the music to fit your mood

Lory Gil ∙ Updated February 5, 2018

Whenever I’m having a get together at my house, be it barbeques or board games, I’m always thinking up playlists for my guests. Sometimes, there is such an eclectic mix of friends around that I have a hard time deciding which genre to pull from, or which mood-setting music to use.

Songza is a universal app that takes the work out of playlists by offering streaming music for your device based on types, moods, genres, activities, or whatever sparks your listening desire at that moment. The app’s developer recently updated it with a cleaner user interface, manual Concierge service, and better audio performance…

Tadaa may be the upmarket Instagram we’ve been looking for

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Instagram may be the top dog when it comes to fancy photo sharing, and it may have Facebook behind it to make sure it stays there, but it's not all been plain sailing. Instagram's had more than its fair share of privacy issues, and its own terms of service have been less than clear on who owns the photos posted to it.

Such goings on have led many to at least consider dumping Instagram, but where do you go instead? We've wondered that too, and Tadaa may be a good alternative especially when its latest update is taken into account.

If you've ever wanted an up market Instagram, then we might just have something right up your street...

Popular Apple blog ‘The Loop’ launches bi-monthly iOS magazine on Newsstand

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

I'm a big fan of veteran Apple blogger Jim Dalrymple and his insightful, unapologetic writing over at The Loop, where he's Editor-In-Chief. You could say Jim is something of a personal hero to me, at least when it comes to blogging about Apple.

While people who follow @jdalrymple on Twitter know him as 'The Beard', Jim's an Apple journalist's favorite go-to source whenever a major rumor needs confirming.

With his deep connections at Apple, he occasionally lends his aura of credibility to unconfirmed stories with a single 'yep.' And his proverbial 'nope' is well-regarded for shooting wacko reports by major outlets.

And now, putting all that expertise, experience and passion to work, Jim has launched a digital magazine for the iPhone, iPod and iPad devices on Apple's Newsstand...

Apple still negotiating with Sony over iRadio terms

Cody Lee ∙ May 9, 2013

For months we've been hearing rumors regarding iRadio, Apple's upcoming streaming music service. It was initially supposed to launch in Q1 of this year, but the company has reportedly been having trouble reaching royalty terms with the record labels.

Then in April came word that it had locked up a deal with Universal, putting the project on track for a summer release. But it seems to have hit another snag this week, as a new report claims that the other record labels are still looking for better terms...

Apple expands Maps Flyover coverage in France

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

3D Flyover, a headline feature of Apple's in-house mapping service available on compatible iOS 6 devices, initially included only a handful of U.S. cities. The last major expansion was in March, when Apple added 3D Flyovers in twelve new cities - including such venues as Tokyo Station, Japan Imperial Palace and Tokyo Tower - and expanded Flyover coverage in more than a dozen U.S. cities.

Today, the company added 3D buildings for Paris, France and surrounding areas. I have a feeling iDB's own Sebastien Page will have lots of fun playing with Maps on his iPad...

Amazon said to be developing glasses-free 3D smartphone

Cody Lee ∙ May 9, 2013

Now that Facebook has finally fulfilled the prophecies, and entered the smartphone market, all eyes are on Amazon. The online retail giant has also long been rumored to be looking to get into the space with its own handset.

And today comes a new report that adds weight to the story. Citing sources familiar with the company's plans, The WSJ says Amazon is working on a number of new hardware products, including a glasses-free 3D smartphone...

AT&T announces Aio Wireless prepaid brand with $35-$70 tiers

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 9, 2013

While its fierce rival Verizon has chosen to sit on the sidelines and watch T-Mobile regain consumer trust with its newly found 'Uncarrier' business model and no-contract plans, AT&T has jumped on the prepaid bus with a new Aio Wireless brand rounding on T-Mobile’s offering. Just like Sprint’s Boost and Virgin, Aio Wireless is a MVNO wholly owned by AT&T and marketed as a standalone brand.

As we explained last week, Aio (as in 'All In One') is aimed at those eager to avoid committing their soul to AT&T at all cost by opting for a month-to-month service instead. The offering includes $40/$55/$70 tiers (pricing varies by market) with unlimited talk/text and 250MB/2GB/7GB of data.

Aio Wireless also offers Apple's iPhone 5 and a few popular Android and Windows Phone handsets. Go past the fold for more information...

Canalys: one in five smart devices are Apple

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 9, 2013

Research firm Canalys Thursday offered data on first-quarter smart mobile device shipments, with an estimated 300+ million new units for a 37.4 percent year-over-year growth. Google's Android powered 59 percent and Apple's iOS powered a little over nineteen percent of these devices, according to researchers. Key takeaways: Android leads the smartphone race, Apple is holding onto the tablet market and laptop demand continues falling.

Pay attention to Canalys's parlance because 'smart mobile devices' include smartphones, tablets and laptops. Another important caveat: Canalys stats don’t divulge shipped vs sold units. This is an important distinction as a device shipped into a channel does not automatically result in a device sold to a consumer...

Netflix update brings better second-screen experience, new post-play features

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

After announcing a new $12 per month family plan and having rolled out a major version 4.0 update with a new episode selector on iPads, on-demand Internet streaming media provider Netflix today updated its iPhone and iPad mobile client with an enhanced second-screen experience, recommendations for movies and auto-play episodes for television shows. More information on the changes right below the fold...

Apple wins iBooks trademark case

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 9, 2013

A New York judge has thrown out a trademark lawsuit against Apple's iBooks service. A sci-fi and fantasy publisher had claimed Apple's use of the 'iBooks' mark would confuse consumers. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Denise Cote wrote that Black Tower Press "offered no evidence" that consumers would misinterpret Apple's e-book service as a book publisher. In addition Cote said the publisher's image of a lightbulb emblazoned with the word 'iBooks' was distinctive enough to merit continuing the 2011 case...

Pegatron CEO: Bloomberg is lying about ‘falling iPad mini demand’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

The credulous Bloomberg yesterday covered Pegatron's investor conference where the contract manufacturer announced a whopping 80 percent year-over-year growth in first-quarter profits.

Pegatron also cautioned investors that second-quarter revenue may drop between 20 and 30 percent amid the broader decline in consumer electronics demand.

However, writer Tim Culpan decided the story wasn't newsworthy enough in and of itself. And in his quest for pageviews, the reporter reckoned he better run the piece under the more Apple's doomsday headline, "Falling iPad mini demand to push Pegatron electronics sales down."

Well, guess what? 24 hours later, Pegatron CEO steps forward and tells the media that Culpan put those words in his mouth and completely fabricated the 'falling iPad mini demand' part. And there goes Bloomberg's credibility right down the drain...

USPTO publishes Apple’s extensive Lightning connector patent

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 9, 2013

Much has been written about Apple's new Lightning connector, introduced with the iPhone 5 to supercede the aging 30-pin Dock connection. Thursday, the United States Patent and Trademark Office published three Apple patent filings from 2012 detailing how the Lightning connector is built. Among the questions addressed: how did Apple create an "orientation agnostic" connector design while also ensuring stability and proper alignment?