iDownloadBlog.com

Apple TV goes on sale in South Africa this Friday

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 17, 2013

Apple's $99 set-top box is scheduled to go on sale in South Africa this coming Friday, January 18. The news was confirmed by Core Group, Apple’s official distributor in the 52 million people market. Core Group also announced pricing and availability information for Apple's hockey-puck device, which will retail for R1099, or approximately US$125. Additionally, Apple Premium Resellers and authorized dealers will also carry the set-top box come this Friday, though resellers are reportedly "entirely free to determine the actual prices at which products will be sold", per Core's press statement...

Google CEO: our work on Maps is ‘clearly more appreciated now’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

When Larry Page became the CEO of Google, taking over from Eric Schmidt who is now the company's chairman, he immediately began the Jobs-ification of the Internet giant. He axed a bunch of projects and put more wood behind fewer arrows in order to make the company more agile.

Page then set his sights on so-called moon shots, ambitious projects which could become the pillars of Google’s future growth. The decision gave birth to such projects as self-driving cars and Minority Report style Project Glass, for example. Page sat down with journalist Steven Levy who wrote a book on Google called "In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives" (a $15 download from the iBookstore), here's what came out of him...

iPod Godfather explains Apple’s secret design sauce

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 7, 2016

Tony Fadell needs no introduction. The brains behind the Nest thermostat, this former Apple engineer also helped engineer the iPod music player and led the development of the first eighteen iterations of the iPhone. He recently talked Apple, Steve Jobs and secrecy inside the walls of Apple’s Cupertino HQ.

He also commented on Forstall's departure in an interview with BBC and told Bloomberg that he is "not that dumb" to compete directly with his former employer. And now, Fadell at the Bloomberg Design conference this week once more tried to explain Apple's secret sauce which results in the sexy gadgets people lust after. He also explained the difference between designing products at Apple and Phillips, here are some highlights...

Could booming iPad sales save the iPhone?

Ed Sutherland ∙ January 17, 2013

If Wall Street analysts went in for such things, J.P. Morgan's Mark Moskowitz would have a sign saying "It's the supply, stupid." Moskowitz Thursday morning issued a note to investors, reducing his iPad sales forecast for the fourth quarter of 2012. No, it's not due to flagging demand - the misconception dogging the Apple shares - but a shortage of tablets leading up to December.

According to Moskowitz, Apple next week may announce it sold 18.4 million iPads to close out last year, down from his previously projected 20.1 units. Coming into 2013, the popular device may become the chief revenue producer for Apple, the analyst adds...

WSJ: AT&T considering a merger in Europe

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 17, 2013

Faced with constraints on growth at home, U.S. carrier AT&T is reportedly considering entering new markets in Europe via a merger with one of the key players in a major European market such as the United Kingdom, Germany or the Netherlands, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The carrier is allegedly hoping to bring its technological expertise in building 4G networks to the table.

European telcos have been slow to roll out fourth-generation networks so AT&T through its European partner could help roll out the latest in 4G technology in order to then introduce "more lucrative pricing strategies". European carriers get most of their revenue from voice plans and text messaging, unlike in the United States where telcos have shifted to new plans that charge subscribers based on their data use...

Sprint to start offering TEP insurance on iPhones this month

Cody Lee ∙ January 17, 2013

After initially saying that it would not be offering its Total Equipment Protection (TEP) insurance to iPhone customers, Sprint appears to have had a change of heart. A new leaked internal memo shows that the carrier is gearing up to roll out the service to new Apple handsets later this month...

Nexus 7 believed to have outsold iPad in Japan over the holidays

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple unveiled two new iPads just before the holidays, and is expected, by many analysts, to report strong tablet sales for the quarter next week. But according to a new report out of Japan, that may not be the case.

Market research firm BCN surveyed some 2,400 consumer electronics stores in Japan throughout the month of December. And their results showed that the iPad was outsold during the period, for the first time since 2010...

Sprint rolling out LTE to 28 new markets

Cody Lee ∙ January 17, 2013

Great news today for Sprint subscribers who have been lusting for LTE. The carrier just announced plans for a major expansion of its new 4G network, that will see the service added to 28 new markets over the next few months including Branson, Missouri, and Columbus, Georgia. We've got the full list of cities after the break...

Temple Run 2 now available in the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 16, 2013

The second installment to the popular run'n'jump game should be hitting Apple's iTunes servers in New Zealand and Australia just about any minute now. Like it's predecessor, Temple Run 2 is a free download for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices and Android smartphones and tablets. Those with a US account on the App Store should check the store at around 11pm Eastern, 8pm Pacific Time, when Temple Run 2 is due to hit US shores. The original Temple Run hit over a hundred million downloads across iOS and Android, with more than 75 million downloads in 2012 alone. Admittedly, the sequel should prove just as popular...

UPDATE: Temple Run 2 now available in the US

The Daily Recap – Jan 16, 2013 edition

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 16, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnygQnwVoS4

Welcome to The Daily Recap for January 16th, 2013. Watch our video for a quick look at some of the top stories from the day in less than two minutes. If you missed out on any of today's big news, this is a great way for you to get caught up fast.

For your convenience, you'll also find links to all of the stories listed in today's recap inside...

Easily post reminders to the lock screen with Reminders+

Mike Schnier ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

Reminders+ is a new jailbreak tweak recently added to Cydia that allows users to pin bulletins from Reminders+ to the lock screen. With the tweak installed, your reminders will stay on the lock screen; these notes won't be dismissed if you unlock your iPhone or go into the Reminders app.

To pin notes on the lock screen, all you need to do is go into the Reminders app, find a reminder you want to pin down, and then press down on the text. An Action Menu prompt for adding a bulletin will appear on top of the selected reminder. Once you tap the prompt, the reminder will appear on your lock screen...

When AirPlay is too laggy for games, use DisplayOut with a wired AV adapter

Mike Schnier ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

There is recent post on Reddit where a user was attempting to play classic NES games from an iPhone 4S, using a Wii remote for controls, with the whole thing mirrored to a TV through AirPlay. The redditor asked if there was any way to compensate for the 1 second lag he was experiencing through AirPlay, and I thought some of our readers might have come to the same question. Unfortunately, without resorting to time travel, it's not possible to technologically compensate for latency in current version of AirPlay.

While wireless displays are now feasible for gaming, just ask anyone with a WiiU, AirPlay mirroring is not your best option for streaming fast-paced games. A better solution is to plug your phone directly into a TV...