Google sent shockwaves throughout the tech world yesterday when it announced that it would be killing off Google Reader this summer. Despite a recent decline in usage, a number of people, and apps, still depend on the service.
But never fear, as usual, iDB has you covered. We've done all of the leg work, and put together a list of 10 Google Reader alternatives. And by the time you get done reading through them, you'll be saying "Google what?"
Just a few moments ago, Apple released an update to Mountain Lion — OS X 10.8.3. The update, which has been in beta since December of 2012, brings quite a few new changes into the fold.
The main people that will be happy with this update are Boot Camp users. First of all, Windows 8 is now supported with Boot Camp, which is obviously a big deal for those of you who dual boot your Macs. Secondly, Boot Camp now supports Macs with a 3TB drive. Check inside for more details on the release...
Say what you will about Samsung, but the company has managed to distance itself from the other Android device makers to become Apple's greatest competitor in the smartphone space. The two of them, in fact, account for a majority of all handset profits.
So you can understand why we've been so interested in seeing Samsung's new flagship handset, the Galaxy S4, which it just unveiled onstage at its New York-based Unpacked event. And as usual, we've put together a handy roundup of all of the highlights...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIsTO4bIZa4&hd=1
A few days ago, we told you about PPSSPP — the first PSP emulator for iOS. While the initial screens and video looked promising, at the time, the frame-rate was really low due to some technical issues. Now, it appears that those technical issues — the lack of JIT compiling — have been ironed out, as new video has surfaced showing PPSSPP playing Wipeout pure at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second.
Check out the video above, which showcases Wipeout Pure running at a silky smooth rate. Again, thanks to our friends for the heads up. Again, be sure to visit the official PPSSPP website for more information.
The Article 29, a watchdog comprised of the European Union's top privacy protection groups, today issued a set of new recommendations aimed at app developers and tech giants that run the mobile application stores in the latest attempt to bring order to how your apps handle your private information.
The new set of more detailed recommendations arrives following the recent EU probe into the privacy practices of Google and other tech firms.
The United States Federal Trade Commission set out a similar set of guidelines last month so EU's new recommendations could have serious ramifications on how Apple's App Store, Google's Play Store and other application stores operate...
Cameras with optical lenses frequently produce images superior to all-digital alternatives most often required in mobile phones. Now Apple appears to have found a hybrid approach permitting future iPhones and iPads to offer a high-resolution camera with an optical zoom lens, but not disrupt the devices' slim lines.
While many patented Apple inventions never see the light of day, iPhone photography buffs in particular will welcome Apple's camera advancements, especially should the company decide to implement them on future iPhones and iPads.
Additionally, the patented technology could even save money for the consumer electronics giant. In 2011, the company filed for a patent entitled "Digital camera with light splitter." The iPhone or iPad camera includes a zoom lens with a moveable lens made possible by a cube which splits light into its component red, green and blue colors...
Some of us are adamant that a bright future lies ahead of RSS. Though the majority of my news discovery happens on Twitter and Facebook these days, I still rely on RSS feeds every now and then. In fact, you could say I am a regular Google Reader user.
But with the impending shutdown of the service, loyal fans like myself have no other choice but find a new home for their feeds.
Cody has put together a useful list of the ten most popular Reader alternatives and there's also that upcoming Digg Reader app. People who happen to manage their news sources in the excellent Flipboard app can bring their Google Reader feeds quite easily, here's how...
Apple seems to be working on a way to simplify the chore or recharging all of your iDevices. A new patent granted to the iPad and iPhone maker describes a Smart Cover that also recharges the device using induction. The patent, entitled "Integrated inductive charging in protective cover", brings the convenience of a charging mat to the Smart Cover now used to protect your iPad screen.
Meanwhile, the inductive technology could eliminate the tangle of wires now required to keep your iPhone, iPad, iPod and whatever other devices Apple has in the pipeline charged...
Don't you just hate it when you're watching a video, and it stays stuck it portrait mode due to the iPhone's rotation lock being enabled? That's incredibly annoying.
LandscapeVideos is a tweak that's been needed for a long time — it forces your phone into landscape mode when a video begins playing, regardless of your rotation lock status.
Digg, a social news service struggling for relevance in the age of Reddit and mobile apps that gather news, says it's going to build its own RSS client. The company actually aimed to release such a software in the second half of 2013, but has now accelerated those plans after news of Google Reader's demise.
Digg's Reader will make the Internet "a more approachable and digestible place." It's being built around modern web technologies, making it "fit the Internet of 2013." Digg has pledged to rebuild the most popular Google Reader APIs so its Reader could sync with existing third-party clients and replicate the most popular Google Reader capabilities.
Some form of integration with other social media sources like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit and Hacker News is also being mulled. This should be an exciting development for all you loyal Reader fans out there...
Many analysts have voiced their support for a rumored less-pricey iPhone which they hope will help Apple recover from market share losses in emerging markets, namely China, India, Brazil and Russia - all huge markets for handsets. BTIG's Walter Piecyk goes further, calling Apple "stupid" if it doesn't release said device before year's end.
By his own estimates, Apple could sell about 36.5 million less-pricey iPhones in fiscal 2014 for an additional $11 billion in revenue - and that's after accounting for some inevitable cannibalization of the higher-priced iPhone models...
Instahancer is a new jailbreak tweak that enhances the usability of the iPhone’s Instagram app. It does so in a vein similar to another recently released jailbreak tweak called InstaSave, a tweak primarily focused on saving photos from the service.
While this tweak, too, focuses on saving Instagram photos, it attempts to justify the price premium with the addition of extra features like zooming, caption drafts, and the ability to copy direct URLs. Does Instahancer succeed in its endeavors? Take a look inside for the full scoop…