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Russian startup adds five life sensors to your iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

When the original iPhone came along more than five years ago, it contained a set of sensors that opened up new possibilities: the proximity, ambient light and accelerometer sensors were all part of the package. The iPhone 3G added GPS, the iPhone 3GS threw in a magnetic compass, and a gyroscopic sensor debuted with the iPhone 4, enhancing the handset's perception of how it is moved, a boon for augmented-reality games and applications.

Some Android handsets include additional sensors, namely the barometer circuitry. But what if the iPhone packed in a bunch of other sensors to monitor the world around you in even greater detail?

Foxbots are way too costly and cannot polish the iPhone’s metal casing

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2012

Back in August of last year, Foxconn, Apple’s and the world's largest product assembler, said it intended to replace an unspecified amount of its assembly line workers with one million robots over the next three years. Chinese-language web site TechWeb followed up last month with a claim that at least 10,000 Foxbots had arrived at an unspecified Foxconn plant.

Another batch of 20,000 robots is reportedly scheduled for deployment by year's end. Today, The Wall Street Journal reports that the assembly company is facing challenges because these things cost a lot of money and are quickly obsoleted due to "rapid changes in technology"...

Yahoo releases brand new Mail app for the iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2012

Surely you must remember Yahoo! Mail? The more than 310 million people who still use it swear it's the best webmail service out there, bar none. If you're a fan of Yahoo's email offering, you'll be delighted to learn that the search firm today released a brand new iOS email client. It's got the basic you'd want from an email app nailed: the clean inbox view with infinite scrolling, auto-complete for email addresses you type, notifications for incoming email messages, multiple message selection, swiping left and right for quick access to options, in-line images, search across folders and more...

iPhone 5 helps Apple grab a quarter of the world’s LTE device market

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 11, 2012

In less than three months the iPhone 5 has been available, Apple has laid claim to more than 26 percent of the LTE device market. While rival Samsung still is the LTE leader, its position fell by nearly 11 percent following the iPhone 5's September 21 launch, researchers say.

Smartphones from by Apple and Samsung are leading an explosion in LTE use. While 2011 ended with nine million 4G subscriptions, 2012 will exit with fifty million LTE users, according to Strategy Analytics. Asia appears to be a hotspot for LTE use, the research firm noted...

CEO Larry Page wishes Google and Apple would get along better

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Larry Page, who co-founded Google along with Sergey Brin in 1998, made it to #13 on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans at the age of 39, with personal wealth estimated at $20.3 billion. One of the brightest computer scientists of our time, Page invented the PageRank algorithm, a secret sauce that powers Google's search rankings.

An American Jew, Page took over reigns of Google from then CEO Eric Schmidt in April of 2011, mercilessly axing many projects in order to focus the company on a few that mattered the most. He oversaw Google's acquisition of the handset maker Motorola Mobility and is now leading the search Goliath as it wages an all-out war against Apple on multiple fronts, vying for supremacy in the all-important mobile market.

The Google CEO today sat for a quick one-on-one interview with Forbes, here's what came out of him concerning Apple, competition and other interesting topics...

How Bluetooth can make Apple TV more than a ‘hobby’ device

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 11, 2012

News that the Apple TV software will support Bluetooth could make the streaming device largely viewed as a "hobby" into something more. Much more. More than simply replacing the Apple remote with a keyboard, the new software potentially does for video what the iPhone did for grainy phone snaps.

While speculation is rampant (and likely quiet wrong) about when Cupertino will enter the television business, the Apple TV box is a gold mine just gathering dust, here's why...

China Unicom surpasses 300,000 iPhone 5 pre-orders

Cody Lee ∙ December 11, 2012

The iPhone 5 doesn't officially launch in China until the 14th, but sales of the handset are believed to already be well past half a million. Two of the countries largest carriers have been taking pre-orders for weeks now, and there appears to be a lot of interest.

China Unicom, for example, just announced that it has fielded more than 300,000 iPhone 5 reservations during its first week of pre-sales. And China Telecom is said to have similar figures. So needless to say, experts are planning for a big launch this Friday...

Nintendo’s Pokemon Company releases Pokedex app for iOS

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Late last year, Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata went on record as saying the Japan-based video game company would not be porting any of its titles to the iOS platform, despite the fact that both users and investors were calling for it. He said doing so would mean "Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo."

Knowing this, it was interesting to see The Pokemon Company, a subsidiary of Nintendo setup to market and license the popular franchise, has just released an official app in Apple's App Store. It's called Pokedex for iOS, and it includes everything you'd want to know about your favorite Pokeman characters...

The Daily Recap – Dec 10, 2012 edition

Jeff Benjamin ∙ December 10, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTCqoY6N-RI

I've been working on these recap videos for the past week, but today is the first day that I've posted one on iDB. It's basically a culmination of all of the top stories from the day, with some Emmy nominated commentary by yours truly.

I'll be working on making subtle improvements to the style as time goes on, but the basic concept remains the same. If you missed some of our content throughout the day, then The Daily Recap is a great way to get caught up with all of the important Apple related tidbits.

Apple quietly fixes dangerous Maps glitch in Australia

Cody Lee ∙ December 10, 2012

Apple's Maps app took another hit earlier today, when word got out that police in Victoria, Australia had issued a public warning regarding the software. Apparently, they had been receiving a number of calls from travelers who were getting lost in a nearby National Park due to the app's inaccurate data.

The problem was that the town of Mildura was showing up in the middle of Murray Sunset National Park, about 43 miles south of its actual location. And since the Park has maze-like roadways, poor cell reception and no water supply, this was a potentially dangerous situation. But don't worry Apple is on it...

T-Mobile’s iPhone-friendly HSPA+ goes live in Atlanta, Seattle and Minneapolis

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Not to be outdone by AT&T which today rolled out LTE in three new markets, Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile USA just flipped the switch on its iPhone-friendly HSPA+ network in Atlanta, Seattle and Minneapolis. With today's roll-out, T-Mobile's 3G HSPA+ service (incorrectly advertised as "4G") is available in a total of 18 metropolitan areas.

The German carrier is hoping that landing the iPhone next year would curb subscriber losses. As part of the incoming iPhone launch, T-Mobile is eliminating subsidies on high-end devices. Under the new rules, customers would pay for the full device price upfront in exchange for lower service fees. A good example are the carrier's unsubsidized Value Plans that offer significantly cheaper monthly rates for voice and, particularly, data services...