How to embed Vine clips in web pages

Twitter's Vine is fine for random sharing of six-second videos and today they issued an interesting new update promising to make embedding own or someone else's clips easy as a pie. Unfortunately, that's not the case.

The new version won't let you just grab an embed code in-app. For reasons beyond our comprehension, the software sends you to a special web page where the embed code can be created.

It's not the end of the world, but the solution is cumbersome and inelegant, though it works. To start injecting those beautiful Vines into your blog posts, web pages, email newsletters or pretty much into any other other type of HTML content, just follow our quick guide and you should be fine...

Change up the look of your icon badges with Badge Customizer

Today we're going to be taking a look at Badge Customizer, a new jailbreak tweak that allows you to customize the look of your app icon badges in iOS 6. You can alter their color, size and where they are positioned on your Home screen icons.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Cody, there's already tweaks out there that do this." And you're right. There's AppTag, and I'm sure a few others. But I don't know how many of them work with iOS 6. Besides, it never hurts to have options...

Vine update lets you embed videos on web pages

Twitter's Vine app has seen just one noteworthy refresh following its January 24 arrival, one giving it a 17+ age rating shortly after the Internet's morality police cautioned about porn content surfacing in Vine’s Editor’s Pick, a flaw the app makers attributed to a "human error."

Now, I love Vine and even though I'm not a regular user, I find myself occasionally recording and sharing a quick clip.

It always bugged me that tweeting out those links used to be my only choice to share Vines with the web at large - of course, in addition to Facebook and shares through the Vine service itself. But what about embedding a Vine on your blog? Well, I'm pleased to report that today's update has made Vine a whole lot more useful for a bunch of people: the new version includes web embeds, letting you easily inject your own or other people's videos into blog posts...

Ceramic device body patent hints at budget iPhone

We are getting more hints at how Apple could create a cheaper iPhone, a device also dubbed by the press the iPhone mini and apparently meant to improve Apple's standing in emerging markets such as India. In a new patent filing, the iPhone maker describes a production method similar to laminated fiberglass, but using ceramics. Zirconia and alumina could be combined to create a new kind of Unibody shell.

The use of zirconia would mesh both with a report earlier this month that a low-cost iPhone could include a fiberglass housing, while also potentially drawing on a 2006 Apple patent regarding zirconia as being radio transparent...

Ahead of Opening Day, MLB refreshes iOS apps with new features, revamped UI

Major League Baseball (MLB) has some of the most highly-regarded sports apps on the App Store.

Specifically, MLB.com's At Bat and At The Ballpark software includes rich content such as in-game audio, live video streams, highlights, news and more for the entire MLB season, from Spring Training to the World Series.

With just a few days until Opening Day, MLB has updated both apps with some welcomed and timely new features, including a revamped interface, even deeper Passbook support and more multimedia content, to name just a few of them. Jump past the fold for additional details...

Chatter hints June 20 iPhone 5S, budget iPhone launch

With Apple's annual developers conference approaching fast, we're starting to see some credible leaks pertaining to the iPhone 5S, Apple's seventh-generation iPhone. We've already seen the leaked Home button and vibrator parts earlier this week and claimed speaker parts from before. And with analysts predicting a June launch for the device and Macotakara claiming earlier this month that Foxconn has already started the iPhone 5S production, now the same Japanese blog issues a new report that gives as the reportedly official announcement date for both the iPhone 5S and a more affordable model for emerging markets: Thursday, June 20...

China’s oldest animation studio sues Apple over improper downloads

Apple's legal woes in the 1.33 billion people market of China have worsened as Shanghai Animation Film Studio filed a lawsuit over the allegedly improper iTunes downloads. The studio asserts that Apple's been illegally selling its content and is seeking north of half a million dollars in damages. Shanghai Animation is China's first and oldest animation studios and their complaint alleges in no ambiguous terms that Apple blatantly stole their content without paying any royalty at all.

Note that Apple doesn't offer movies on the Chinese iTunes Store so the issue is thought to involve App Store apps which bundle the studio's movies. Apparently, Apple made available as much as 110 unlicensed Shanghai Animation titles for download via the App Store back in July 2012. The suit was reportedly filed with the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court, which has allegedly accepted the case.

So what's going on here? Did Apple intentionally steal and pirate someone else's content through its content store?

P0sixninja says he’s discovered exploits for next jailbreak

This is kind of interesting. Well-known iOS hacker and (former?) Chronic Dev Team member p0sixninja says that he has discovered enough exploits in iOS 6 to build a new jailbreak. The previous one, as most of you know, was recently shut down by Apple.

But it appears that p0sixninja has discovered some vulnerabilities that were not patched by the company's security team in the latest iOS update, as he tweeted out earlier tonight: "Well, so far it looks like the next jailbreak might be created entirely by me..."

Facebook reportedly preparing to launch a smartphone

Just a little bit ago, Facebook sent out press invitations for a media event next week. The keynote will take place at 10:00am PST on Thursday, April 4, at the company's headquarters on 1 Hacker Way in Menlo Park. What is it going to be talking about? Maybe its new smartphone.

Yes, I know. We've heard this rumor enough now that it's almost meaningless. But it sounds like it's for real this time. A new report says the handset, which is being built by HTC, has a 4.3-inch display, an iPhone-like Home button and is running a forked version of Android...

Spice up your device’s unlock animation with LiveWire

Tired of the standard zoom out animation that you see when you 'Slide to Unlock' your iOS device? You're not alone. Developers have created a number of jailbreak tweaks to spice up the unlock animation. And today, we're adding another one.

Introducing LiveWire, a new jailbreak tweak that modifies your device's behavior as it moves from the Lock screen to the Home screen. Where the default method kind of uses a zoom out effect, LiveWire looks more like stage curtains opening...

Apple rolls out new ‘Why iPad’ web campaign

Hot on the heels of its recently launched 'Why iPhone' web campaign, Apple has rolled out a similar advertising theme for its iPad. And as before, it showcases a number of reasons why the tablet has been so popular.

The new ‘Why iPad’ page highlights everything from awards, to features, and of course the iTunes ecosystem. Unlike tablets on other platforms, there are 300,000+ iPad-specific apps available in the App Store...

Limit your usage of up to 5 apps with AppCapPro

When we reviewed AppCap, a jailbreak tweak that offers digital willpower by allowing you to place limitations on the amount of time you spend using apps, back in February, we said we'd like to see multiple app support.

And it looks like the developer Binh Tran heard our plea, because he's just released a new 'Pro' version of the tweak that allows you to set up usage limitations—date, time, frequency—on up to 5 different applications...