Apple to obsolete original iPhone on June 11

Apple's iPhone, which celebrated its fifth birthday last June, will soon reach 'obsolete' status at Apple's retail stores. This comes via an internal Apple communication which reveals that Apple Stores will downgrade the original 2007 iPhone model to 'obsolete' status come June 11, 2013.

Between its January 2007 introduction and the June 29, 2007 debut, the iPhone had enjoyed an unprecedented amount of media attention that fueled the media frenzy to unheard-of levels. But even the phone that changed the cell phones forever deserves retirement. By obsoleting the device, Apple will no longer be providing service parts...

iOS 7 said to feature optimized in-car Maps and Siri integration

Hot on the heels of a pair of yesterday's reports which asserted that Apple's upcoming iOS 7 will have a "very flat" user interface akin to Windows Phone's 'Metro' visual style - along with Mac OS X 10.9 borrowing core multitasking features from iOS 7 - 9to5Mac writer Mark Gurman is back at it again with another exclusive. Today's story details an alleged integration of Apple's Siri digital personal assistant and in-house built Maps service in iOS 7 with your car's dashboard...

AT&T flips the switch on LTE in 15 new markets

After adding five more cities to the list of LTE-covered places and announcing a major expansion of its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, the nation's second-largest wireless carrier AT&T Mobility on Tuesday announced fifteen new LTE markets across ten U.S. states.

If you live in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania or Texas, you could be seeing increased download speeds provided AT&T's LTE expanded to your area. Go past the fold for the full breakdown...

Keep track of movies you want to watch with TodoMovies

The summer blockbuster movie season is upon us. Well, maybe in a couple more weeks, but I'm going to give Oblivion credit for starting things off this summer. Here is the problem, I didn't even know when Oblivion released. Sure, I could use the iTunes Movie Trailers app to watch the trailer, and even see the release date. But, what I cannot do, is set a reminder.

Thanks to the guys at TapHive, the newly updated and beautifully designed TodoMovies app solves problems caused by my memory deficient brain. TodoMovies helps discover new, upcoming, and past movies, while providing an elegant way to create a watch list and set release reminders.

After using TodoMovies for a while, I am thoroughly impressed. Not many dev teams are able to adequately combine beauty and useful function. Thankfully, TapHive knows how to produce useful content in a nice package...

Apple acquires several new imaging patents from Kodak deal

Earlier this year, Kodak completed the sale of more than 1,000 digital imaging patents in an effort to help restructure the company after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It wanted $2 billion for the portfolio, but only garnered $500 million from a group of companies.

That consortium consisted of several tech giants, including Google and Apple. And according to a new report, their names are starting to turn up on transfer filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, meaning Kodak's patents are changing hands...

Infuse, a versatile iOS media player by FireCore [review]

Over the past few days I've been testing Infuse, an iOS media player by FireCore, the team that brought you the aTV Flash Black for your jailbroken Apple TV.

Given their expertise in bringing support for streaming dozens of file formats to Apple's set-top box, it goes without saying I was very much looking forward to testing Infuse for iPhone and iPad.

The App Store is home to some nice media players, Plex being my personal favorite, but none fully taking the pain out of properly rendering iOS-unfriendly video file types on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

In my personal opinion, Infuse addresses the media conundrum in one fell swoop while incorporating possibly the best subtitles support on iDevices to date and taking full advantage of Retina screens and Apple's newest and most powerful mobile chips...

Jawbone opens API for its UP fitness bracelet to third party devs

Jawbone, a company well-known for its bluetooth headsets and speakers, ventured into the world of fitness accessories last year with its UP bracelet. Well I should say re-entered. That was its second attempt with the UP, after hitting early manufacturing issues.

Today, reviews of the UP still seem to be a mixed bag, but Jawbone is looking to sweeten the deal with third party app support. Earlier today, the company unveiled its new 'UP Platform,' which it says will allow developers to integrate UP data into their apps...

Twitter’s Vine gains front-facing camera support and @user mentions

Twitter's Vine, an iOS app that lets you impulse-share short five-second clips, may be struggling to take off, but that's not stopping the popular micro-blogging service from issuing regular updates that add more functionality. One of my main gripes with Vine is its inability to use a front-facing camera.

That omission right there kills some potentially interesting self-portrait videos. No more, as Twitter today issued Vine version 1.1 which adds support for your iPhone's front-facing camera...

Path spamming some with robocalls and texts

Path, the private social network, has had somewhat of a rocky start, to put it mildly.

Just as it seemingly recovered from a privacy scandal which also affected Apple and resulted in tighter iOS privacy controls, reports are surfacing alleging the startup is spamming users' address book contacts with unwanted phone calls and text messages, even after they uninstalled the software from their devices.

Path immediately crafted a non-response confirming an unknown portion of its installed base did fall victim to a glitch in the system...

Apple patent suggests whether best to call or text

While in the middle of being told Apple is washed-up, a has-been being overtaken by Android, comes a patent which reminds us the company actually has some good ideas left.

Take, for instance, those annoying calls which seem to arrive in the middle of dinner. The gear heads at Apple also find them annoying and created a way to put you in control of who calls you when and whether a text might suffice. Particularly when you have a mouth of spaghetti.

The granted patent describes a "system for facilitating contacting people using electronic devices."

Instead of taking the usual path most technology firms selling smartphones would follow - creating multiple ways to blast messages to you - Apple goes for a more zen-like approach, realizing that understanding when not to make a call could make for the ultimate smartphone...

MirrorCase shoots video while iPad rests laid flat

RHP Multimedia launched its MirrorCase for iPhone in May 2012. The iPhone 4/4S (a $49.95 value) and iPhone 5 case ($59.95 value) works with a free companion iOS app to let you take pictures and record video while continuing to use your device. It also doubles as an ergonomic shoulder rest for extended phone conversations. Today, the company on Kickstarter announced an iPad version of MirrorCase. What's in it for you? Read on...