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Spotify could rival Netflix with own video service and original content

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 25, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwd3aCXYncM

Spotify, which recently updated its iOS client with a brand new biography feature in the artists view, is reportedly considering getting into video with a rumored streaming product meant to take on the likes of Netflix and HBO. Conveniently enough, the Swedish startup has kicked off its first-ever advertising blitz around music as it steps up efforts to sign up more people to its service.

Spotify battles Pandora and Rdio (and quite possibly Apple and Google soon) and has emerged as the most popular streaming music service out there. It offers two basic tiers that bring the best of both worlds, an ad-supported free desktop streaming and a $9.99 a month premium tier for unlimited ad-free music.

Though the firm does have lots of experience negotiating media deals and moving chunks of data through Intertubes, a full-blown video streaming service would be an entirely different pair of shoes, one marking a radical shift in strategy for the young company...

Google+ updated with photo filters, new profile design and more

Cody Lee ∙ March 25, 2013

Google has rolled out a significant update for its iOS Google+ client today. The app, which is now in version 4.3, received a number of improvements, including new photo editing features and redesigned profiles.

The new photo editing features are probably the most welcomed addition, and come courtesy of Google's recently acquired Snapseed application. You can now add filters to, crop and rotate, your photos on the fly...

FAA: iPad can fly, but iPhone remains grounded

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 25, 2013

It took some arm-twisting and a bit of public mockery, but it appears the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is preparing to allow flying consumers to use some electronics on planes.

However, it may take longer for your iPhone to gain acceptance. The rule-change allowing use of electronic devices such as the iPad or Kindle during takeoffs and landings is expected to be announced by the end of this year.

In July, an industry group which hard worked with the FAA on guidelines for electronic devices, is expected to unveil its findings, according to a weekend report...

XCOM: Enemy Unknown iOS port due this summer, Mac build launches April 24

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 25, 2013

If you're fond of complex strategy games that go past the Command & Conquer series (which, in my personal opinion, doesn't look and play well on iPhones and iPads), you should jump with joy on news that developer Firaxis and publisher 2K Games are porting XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the popular turn-based tactical role-playing strategy, to Apple's platform.

The game has some pretty ardent following and a port for iOS was officially announced at a PAX East panel on this past Saturday. What's in it for you and why should you care? Go past the fold more some more tidbits...

Sanity returns: lower Apple earnings, but higher revenue projected

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Like the first hints of green during a long-awaited spring, some sanity regarding Apple's fiscal future is poking its head above ground. Wild speculation that the iPhone maker was washed up has been replaced with realism. The latest example: calm predictions that Apple's second quarter income will be down - but with record projected revenue.

Fortune reports a Wall Street consensus of $10.18 per share, down from $12.30 for the second quarter of 2012. At the same time, Apple is projecting record quarterly revenues of $41 billion to $43 billion. If there is a "problem," it may be lower margins from all the new products Apple introduced...

Facebook voice calling now available in UK, seen elsewhere

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 25, 2013

The social networking giant Facebook back in early-January updated its free Messenger app with the ability to share audio snippets, having added that feature to its official iOS client, also a free download, later that month. Initially only available to Canadian and North American users, today the company has expanded in-app voice calling to people in the United Kingdom in the form of a quiet backend update.

The handy feature should presumably become available to UK users through the company's main iOS client at a later stage as well...

T-Mobile unveils new contract-free plans ahead of iPhone launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 25, 2013

T-Mobile is holding a press conference tomorrow to discuss a new way of doing business, which means getting rid of long-term contracts in favor of unsubsidized model that promises more affordable monthly installments in exchange for paying for the full price of your device upfront. As expected, the company has launched new off-contract plans as part of the "Uncarrier" initiative.

These new tiers start at $50 a month for half a gigabyte data and top out at $120 a month 12.5GB of cellular data. Go past the fold for the full breakdown...

Teach your Lock screen a few new tricks with Grabber Enhancer

Cody Lee ∙ March 25, 2013

In iOS 5.1, Apple revamped the Lock screen Camera shortcut so that users could access the app with a single swipe. The icon, commonly referred to as the camera grabber, has been very popular with jailbreak developers.

We've seen a lot of tweaks involving the icon over the months, and today, we're adding another one to the list. Introducing Grabber Enhancer, a recently-released Cydia package that adds functionality to the camera grabber...

The iDownloadBlog top news stories of the week – March 24 edition

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 24, 2017

Like every Sunday, we bring you the stories that were the most popular on iDB during this past week. Whether it is a news piece, an editorial, a tutorial, a new jailbreak tweak, or an accessory review, we sum it all up in one convenient place.

If you like what you're reading, please make sure to spread the love by sharing our posts on your favorite social network.

We're usually hanging out a lot on Twitter and Facebook, more rarely on Google+...

Let’s Talk Jailbreak – 02: Pacifiers are evil iOS 6.1.3 is out with fixes for Lock screen vulnerability, Japan Maps improvements iOS 6.1.3 kills evasi0n jailbreak iOS 6.1.3 reportedly introduces another Lock screen vulnerability Does Apple really hate jailbreakers? Saurik: 18M devices running iOS 6 visited Cydia during evasi0n’s 6 week run SkipLock: a jailbreak tweak that allows you to bypass the Lock screen BatteryDoctorPro: power management, NC settings toggles, app switcher and more LS Lyra 5, a clean and minimal theme for your Lock screen Alleged iPhone 5S Home button and vibrator parts surface iOS 7 concept visualizes all-new UI for Lock screen, notifications and more Polycarbonate budget iPhone renderings to die for Morgan Stanley: the iPhone 5S will have a ‘killer feature’

We’re social! Find iDB on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, App.net, YouTube, and in your RSS reader. Also make sure to subscribe to our new podcast!

Apple acquires indoor GPS company WiFiSLAM for $20 million

Cody Lee ∙ March 23, 2013

Big news out of Cupertino this evening. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has acquired indoor mobile location positioning firm WiFiSLAM, in a deal worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million.

Apple has confirmed the acquisition of the company, which possesses proprietary technology that allows mobile apps to detect a smartphone user's location inside of buildings using preexisting ambient Wi-Fi signals...

Make notification banners stick around with Sticky Icky

Cody Lee ∙ March 23, 2013

Folks who dislike the fact that iOS automatically dismisses notification banners after just a few seconds will be happy to hear that there is a jailbreak tweak out that makes them much more permanent.

Sticky Icky, written by developer Aleksander Azizi, lives up to its name by pinning new notification banners to the top of your iOS device's screen, and keeping them there until you manually close them...

The Mist: a minimal and lightweight iPhone case for people who don’t like cases

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

If you follow me on Twitter or listen to our podcast, you know I'm not a big fan of cases. There are two main reasons why I'd rather go for a naked iPhone. One, I consider myself a minimalist when it comes to design and aesthetics, and using a case goes against that. Two, and maybe the most important reason, is that I think the white iPhone 5 is such a beautiful device that it should be considered a criminal offense to slap a case around it.

This being said, I quickly changed my mind when I dropped my iPhone a few weeks ago as I was walking through the door. It appeared it had fallen face flat on the tiles. As I picked it up, I was preparing myself for the worst as I was pretty sure the screen was cracked. It was not. As a matter of fact, it just had what most people would consider a tiny dent right on the chamfer, but that was enough to make me reconsider my "no case" policy...