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iPhone 5 gains network certification in China

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 29, 2012

Apple's handset has finally been granted a key network certification in China, opening door to a launch ahead of the important holiday shopping frenzy and Chinese New Year, the country's most important holiday. China’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, as discovered by The Wall Street Journal, wrote in its license that the iPhone 5 is compatible with China Telecom's network, the country's third-largest mobile carrier. Vendors in China often start selling new handsets within weeks of approval, the paper writes, meaning the official iPhone 5 launch in the massive 1.33 billion people market is likely imminent...

From Russia without love: iPad patent appeal rejected

Ed Sutherland ∙ November 29, 2012

Apple's two-year attempt to get the iPad design patented in the Russian Federation hit a dead-end, when regulators ruled there was nothing "distinctive" about the tablet's makeup. The company had appealed an April rejection by the Russian Patent Office. This most recent rejection by the Russian Chamber for Patent Disputes seems to close the door on gaining a patent for the best-selling tablet.

In its response to Apple, written in Russian, the chamber ruled the iPad patent application - which describes rounded corners, a flat surface and round button beneath the screen - involves a design that is "traditional for modern communication devices, manufactured by different vendors"...

iPhone 5 supply now stabilized in US Apple Stores

Cody Lee ∙ November 29, 2012

Since its initial launch in late September, iPhone 5 supply has been extremely limited. But Apple must have gotten past whatever production issue it was having, because shipping times for the handset recently started showing just one week out.

And apparently, availability is looking even better at Apple's brick and mortar locations. According to a new poll conducted by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, a number of Apple Stores now have nearly every model of the iPhone 5 on hand...

Tony Fadell: Scott Forstall ‘got what he deserved’

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Ever since Apple announced Scott Forstall is going to be leaving the company next year, people have been trying to piece together what happened. How could this guy, who has been a major factor in Apple's success, be pushed out like that?

We've heard a number of reasons for Forstall's ousting over the past few weeks, ranging from the iOS 6 Maps debacle, to personality conflicts. And today, former Apple executive Tony Fadell offers up a little more insight on the situation...

MyLED brings external notifications to your iOS device

Cody Lee ∙ November 29, 2012

Despite the many improvements Apple has made to the iPhone over the past five years, there are still some things missing from the handset. One of the biggest omissions, for a lot of folks anyway, is the lack of external notifications.

And Apple must agree, to some extent, because it added the LED Flash for Alerts feature in iOS 5. But the makeshift solution doesn't quite cut it for everyone, and that's where the myLED external notification light comes in...

Libon relaunches globally with free HD calls and smart voicemail

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 29, 2012

We told you all about Libon a while ago. For those with short memories, Libon offered iOS users a way to take voicemail to the next level. Visual voicemail and customised messages depending on the caller were features that stood out, and we liked it a lot.

Now though, the Libon team has relaunched its app, this time adding in one or two features that not only improve the app as a whole, but also pitt it squarely as competition for some other well known, and highly established iOS apps.

Here's a little spoiler – it's pretty awesome...

Apple begins work on new Santa Clara campus

Cody Lee ∙ November 28, 2012

Apple has began work on a custom two-building campus on the north side of Stevens Creek Boulevard in Santa Clara, a few miles outside of Cupertino city limits. This is the company's first foray into the Silicon Valley city.

The two buildings will both be 6-stories high, and will eventually be home to more than 1,200 (or more) Apple employees. The first one will be about 188,000 square feet, and the second will be a bit smaller at 108,000...

Sharp launches a 32-inch Retina monitor that cries for an Apple HD TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Sharp, the struggling Japanese consumer electronics maker, is finally taking its low-power IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) panels off the ground, announcing Wednesday a 32-inch monitor built around this proprietary display tech. And with 4K resolution of 3,840-by-2,160 pixels, it's a marvel of cutting-edge display engineering.

That's four times the pixels of the current full HD standard which maxes out at 1,920-by-1,080 pixels. In addition to low power consumption, the new monitor achieves the industry's thinnest profile by adopting a specially designed edge LED backlight that's only 35mm deep...

This 3-inch Lightning cable fits on your key ring

Cody Lee ∙ November 28, 2012

Have you ever found yourself out and about with a dying iPhone and no charger? With the introduction of Apple's new Lightning port, that scenario isn't nearly as unlikely as it used to be.

That's why Kickstarters Kegan & Roberto developed the Nomad, a 3-inch USB-to-Lightning cable that fits on your key ring. That way, you'll never find yourself without an iPhone charger again...

WSJ: iTunes 11 arriving tomorrow

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 28, 2012

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is ready to finally push iTunes 11 right out of the gate Thursday, November 29. Apple delayed the software for a month because the redesigned media player was "taking longer than expected" and the company wanted to "take a little extra time to get it right". The Journal reports that the new iTunes has been delayed due to unspecified "engineering issues" that apparently required parts to be rebuilt...

Time Warner CEO speaks out about Apple TV

Cody Lee ∙ November 28, 2012

Apple's upcoming plans for the living room, and more specifically the TV space, has been a hot topic at Business Insider's IGNITION conference this week. It was the major focus of analyst Gene Munster's talk, and it was brought up again today with Jeff Bewkes, the CEO of media conglomerate Time Warner...

Google’s Chrome iOS browser gains Passbook support, better PDF handling

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 12, 2017

Hot on the heels of rolling out the improved Drive app with spreadsheet editing capabilities, Google today also refreshed its excellent Chrome browser for the iPhone and iPad. Google Chrome version 23.0.1271.91 (seriously? what's up with the versioning scheme?) is now available for download, bringing with it support for Apple's Passbook app on iOS 6 devices, better handling of PDF documents in external applications, new text encoding setting and more. Jump past the fold for your changelog and more tidbits...