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Physical Google Wallet Card for in-store payments is coming

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Google Wallet, a mobile payment system from the search giant, has gained little traction over the past 18 months since its inception, mostly due to limited merchant and carrier support in the U.S. To solve this, Google is rumored to be on the verge of launching a physical card that will work in conjunction with the Wallet service to replace all plastic in your pocket.

The move should help the Wallet service pick up steam and might even establish the search monster as one of the biggest players in the mobile payment industry. Indeed, one card to rule them all with the elite Google Wallet physical card...

PanoPerfect is a new app that brings a social touch to your panoramas

Jim Gresham ∙ November 6, 2012

If you love snapping, I guess I should say "panning," panoramic pictures with your new iOS 6 -enabled device, there is now a dedicated social environment solely for sharing your favorite wide shot pics. PanoPerfect, launching today, is a free and simple way to post and share your photos via iPhone, without them getting lost in another long list of other comments. Overall, the app is simple and easy to use, possibly making it one of the more popular ways users will choose to curate their favorite panos...

Apple sells out of iPhone 5 stock during first 24 hours of India launch

Cody Lee ∙ November 6, 2012

As we previously reported, the iPhone 5 went on sale in India over the weekend. And apparently it was quite the success. According to a new report, the handset sold out in the country in just 24 hours.

This is a pretty big deal for Apple, as India buys over 200 million handsets per year, but they're typically of the low-end, low-cost Android variety due to the country's larger prepaid wireless market...

Urbanears bring the party straight to your ears [review and giveaway]

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Having admired Urbanears from afar, on the shelves of local retailers, I was blown away when I finally got my hands on a pair of the new Zinken over-the-ear headphones. Urbanears is clearly a company priding itself by paying attention to the little things and even places a 63 page booklet in their headphones' box to prove it.

As a reviewer, I come across a lot of products for iOS devices on a regular basis and I can count, on one hand, how many times I have been impressed with product packaging (excluding actual Apple products). I must say, when it comes to accessories, often, a book should be judged by its cover and Urbanears spares no expense. Let's open the box on this pair of Zinkens my friends at Urbanears sent over and you too have a chance to grab a pair of your own...

Apple has caught up with fourth-gen iPad demand

Ed Sutherland ∙ November 6, 2012

It appears Apple's supply of fourth-generation iPads has caught up with demand. After listing the new full-size tablet with a one-week waiting period, then 3-5 days, the iPad now is listed "in stock" at Apple's online stores. Perhaps this is because 90 percent of the iPads the Cupertino, California company sold over the past weekend were iPad mini units. Monday, analysts released reports on initial sales of the smaller iPad. A common thread: worries that Apple cannot meet consumer demand, a particularly unwanted situation given the fast-approaching all-important holiday buying period...

Microsoft working on a 7-inch Xbox Surface tablet focused on gaming

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 6, 2012

This is really interesting. Hot on the heels of launching its full-sized Surface tablet to a mixed market response, Microsoft is thought to now have their sights set on the smaller form-factor tablet space, currently dominated by seven-inchers from Google and Amazon, in addition to Apple's iPad mini that launched last month. Microsoft's secret project for a mini Xbox, it's been said, involves a custom-built ARM processor and high-bandwidth RAM designed specifically for gaming tasks...

EU to accept Apple’s offer resulting in cheaper e-books for Amazon

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 6, 2012

In an exclusive report out this morning, Reuters reports that EU regulators are going to accept an offer proposed by Apple and four e-book publishers that will allow retailers like Amazon to sell digital books at lower prices compared to iBookstore. Publishers Simon & Schuster, News Corp unit HarperCollins, Lagardere SCA's Hachette Livre, and Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck, the owner of German company Macmillan, all offered concessions back in August and Apple in September abandoned its e-book agency model in EU in order to avoid a potentially harming anti-trust investigation...

Samsung to re-brand itself at CES 2013

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2016

It is no secret that the Samsung logo along with its brand appearance isn't the best fit to convey the South Korean conglomerate's many business. Samsung makes refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, smartphones, tablets, networked TV sets, computers and many more items. It's also a big player in construction, weapons tech, life insurance, advertising and theme park industries, to name a few.

The word on the street is that the company will launch a new brand image at CES 2013 and has enlisted the talent of Scott Bedbury, a freelance brand consultant who has also worked with Starbucks and is now reportedly tasked with creating a “more vibrant International brand image alongside the likes of arch rival Apple”...

Apple rejects Sparrow’s iPhone 5 update

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Bad news for folks who were looking forward to Sparrow's iPhone 5 update. It appears that it's going to take longer than anticipated, as Apple has rejected the update submission due to it violating its App Store guidelines.

Sparrow developer Dinh Viet Hoa announced the news yesterday afternoon via Twitter, saying that Apple had not approved the team's latest update for its iOS app, which included support for iOS 6 and the new iPhone...

The HiLO Lens: an angled camera lens for your iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ November 6, 2012

A friend of mine asked me the other day what I thought about add-on camera lenses for the iPhone. I told him the Olloclip was pretty popular, but I hadn't ever owned any myself so I probably wasn't the best person to ask.

You see, I've never really seen the point to these clip-on lenses. They just never seem to improve picture quality enough to justify the cost and hassle. But this new HiLO Lens might actually be worth taking a look at...

Happy fifth birthday, Android!

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWtFeIw8MVM

Apple's iPhone turned five back in June and today marks the fifth anniversary of the world's most widely spread mobile platform, Google's Android software. When Apple was developing its handset, then Google CEO Eric Schmidt enjoyed his seat on Apple's board knowing his firm had already acquired Android Inc. As the two platforms evolved, on August 3, 2009 it was announced that Schmidt would resign from the board of directors at Apple due to conflict of interests.

We now know the main point of contention was Google's work on Android, which went on to become the leading mobile platform in terms of unit sales, capturing 75 percent of total smartphone shipments and together with iOS forming a strong market duopoly. In some ways, Android out-innovated the iPhone, prompting changes in Apple's corporate structure as the company preps for the biggest overhaul of iOS since its inception.

iDB is an Apple-focused blog but we also strive to bring you most important news from the Android camp because it pays to keep tabs on what competition is doing and mostly because healthy competition drives Apple to keep innovating for the benefit of us all. So happy fifth birthday, Android and here's to many more years of competition...

Angry Birds Star Wars gameplay video debuts ahead of Thursday release

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_hCOb5uiQY

I'm sure you know Angry Birds Star Wars is due on iOS, Android and a bunch of other platforms this coming Thursday. Rovio's been promoting the hell out of this game and today the Finnish developer posted the official video that reveals much more in terms of gameplay than half a dozen previously released clips. Angry Birds Star Wars better be darn good. Otherwise, I'm gonna be hating everything Star Wars till the grave. I've also included a nice Darth Vader & Han Solo video after the break...