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Scuffgate? Here’s your iPhone 5 backplate replacement

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 19, 2012

When it comes to the iPhone 5, yours truly is one to suffer from a severe case of panic disorder stemming from Scuffgate. I, for one, happen to believe that it's real. And even though Scuffgate has definitely been blown way out of proportion, I can't shrug off fear that my iPhone 5 will arrive with nicks and scuffs out-of-the-box or scratch itself if I look at it the wrong way.

As a rule of thumb, I more often than not attempt to mitigate the scuffing issue by opting for white gadgets because scratches from "normal" wear and tear are less visible (by the way, what's your color of choice for Apple gear?). Still, the fact remains that the iPhone 5's anodized aluminum casing is arguably the worst choice from the wear and tear standpoint.

Chances are you too at some point will no longer be able to stand dings and scratches on your brand spanking new iPhone 5. Luckily, there's a solution. Remember those backplate parts that had been leaking in the weeks and months preceding the iPhone 5 announcement? That's right...

Apple could phase out the iPad 2 for the iPad mini

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 19, 2012

Apple will discontinue the iPad 2 in order to simplify product choices ahead of next Tuesday's introduction of a smaller tablet, one analyst predicts. Friday, Rob Cihra, analyst with Evercore Partners, told investors the move would be part of Apple's goal of providing "clearer product tiers."

The Cupertino, California-based company uses its engineering prowess in both hardware and software to overcome an otherwise soft technology market. The iPhone maker has increased its revenue by thirty percent this year at a time when demand for PCs has dropped by four percent...

New Angry Birds Star Wars trailer features Princess Leia

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 19, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOBFUksIU1k

Rovio's so far teased Angry Birds Star Wars twice (here and here). This brand new mashup resulting from a partnership with toy maker Hasbro could be a smash hit, if previous Angry Birds games are anything to go by. Today, the Finnish developer behind the franchise released a new trailer that features Princess Leia and the pig-ified Storm Trooper helmet, have a look.

I'm a big fan of both the Angry Birds series and Star Wars. It goes without saying that I cannot wait to see what Rovio's been up to with this one. The game arrives November 8 to iOS and Android, in addition to versions for Windows Phone, Kindle Fire, Mac and PCs running Windows 8. Say what you will, but Rovio sure knows how to milk the franchise, but not at the expense of gameplay creativity...

Poll: is your Apple gadget black or white?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

I stumbled upon an interesting study the other day which got me thinking. Long story short, it claims nearly three out of four buyers prefer black Apple gadgets over white ones. It must be because Apple has branded the iPhone as a black device from the onset, I reckoned. The real-world supports survey findings: I bet you tend to meet far more people with black iPhones, iPads and iPods than white.

While the Italians and French seem to prefer their mobile devices in the more elegant white, the rest of the world predominantly opts for the more sinister (and just as stylish) black look. I myself am a white iPhone man. We're eager to learn what color our readers prefer for their iOS devices, so here's a quick poll as we head into the weekend...

HTC has the world’s first five-inch 1080p phone

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 19, 2012

According to Apple, a display deserves the Retina moniker if its pixel density is so high that your eye is unable to discern the individual pixels. In the case of a smartphone, Retina means at least 300 pixels per inch. The Retina display on the iPhone 4/4S/5 has 326 pixels per inch.

Now, imagine a five-inch phone that packs 440 pixels per square inch, featuring the native full HD resolution of 1,920-by-1,080 pixels. That's exactly what the ailing handset maker HTC set out to create with a new upcoming phone dubbed the J Butterfly...

Apple starts construction on enormous Oregon data center

Cody Lee ∙ October 19, 2012

Apple purchased a 160 acre plot of land in Prineville, Oregon from Oregon's Crook County back in February of this year for $5.6 million. And it immediately built a 10,000 square foot modular data center on the property.

Well this morning, reports are coming in that Apple has started work on its main data center at the Oregon location. It's begun clearing and flattening land to make room for one of two, 338,000 square-foot buildings...

CameraTweak adds tons of useful options to the stock camera app

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

From a quality standpoint, the iPhone's built in camera has always been near the top of its respective class. But, admittedly, there are a few chinks in the armor when it comes to advanced camera features.

For instance, there's no countdown timer to be found inside the camera app. Also, more advanced features like independent reticles for exposure and focus are no where to be found. And what about a built in time lapse feature? That seems like only a mere dream at this point.

That is, of course, unless you are jailbroken.

Jailbreakers have the luxury of adding additional features to stock apps, and the Camera app is no exception. CameraTweak is a new jailbreak tweak that affords the ability to add all of the previously mentioned features into the stock Camera app, and then some. Take a look at our video walkthrough inside for the full details.

Comex no longer working at Apple [Updated]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 18, 2012

Nicholas Allegra, a.k.a.Comex — the iOS hacker responsible for the popular jailbreak tool JailbreakMe — has parted ways with Apple after interning there for a little over a year.

Last August, Comex broke the news that sent shockwaves through the jailbreak community, announcing that he would be joining the very company whose security he'd successfully undermined more than once.

Is it possible that Comex might pick up where he left off in the jailbreak community?

AT&T voices concern over Sprint’s Clearwire deal

Cody Lee ∙ October 18, 2012

About this time last year, AT&T's plans to buyout T-Mobile were crumbling. Thanks to strong opposition from its competitors — namely Sprint, and the US government, the carrier was forced to withdraw its merger application from the FCC.

With that in mind, it's no surprise that AT&T is being vocal about the recently announced Softbank-Sprint-Clearwire deal. The carrier says it's worrisome that a foreign carrier will have control over such a large chunk of US airwaves...

Expert laughs off Microsoft’s pre-emptive claim of Surface beating iPad 3 on screen sharpness

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 18, 2012

A Microsoft engineer in a Reddit thread made a bold claim that a 1,366-by-768 pixel resolution display on the Surface tablet is way sharper than the 2,048-by-1,536 pixel resolution Retina display on the iPad 3. The comment left some scratching their head, wondering if Microsoft found a way to bypass the laws of physics.

President of DisplayMate Technologies Raymond Soneira is an expert at these things: he previously dispelled Heatgate, recently rated the iPhone 5 as having the best display in a smartphone and now is back with a brief shootout concerning the Surface's ClearType sub-pixel rendering allegedly improving display clarity beyond what Apple's device offers...

Color is a talent acquisition

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 18, 2012

You may have heard that Color Labs, a Palo Alto-based startup that raised $41 million on the concept of a media sharing app called Color, has collapsed as its shareholders and board last week voted to shut the company down. There's a chance you also felt excited about the prospect of Apple acquiring Color Labs for “high double-digits” millions and breathing new life into the company, per Ken Yeung and Matthew Panzarino of The Next Web.

Looks like the authors got it wrong because what Apple has really paid a couple million bucks for is its handful of engineers because the company itself is worthless. A new report by a blog owned by well-informed The Wall Street Journal has it that Apple is reportedly paying something to the tune of $2 to $5 million for Color Labs’s engineering team comprised of about 20 people...

Apple patents Airplay mirroring for touchscreens, putting Siri in context

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Apple's patent attorneys are busy again. The Cupertino, California company has filed two patent applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, related to extending AirPlay mirroring to iPads and iPhones, as well as describing how Siri scans through databases to match searches.

In the first application, entitled "Gesture Visualization and Sharing Between Electronic Devices and Remote Displays," Apple talks of protecting technology allowing a touch screen device to share its screen with a second, larger display. Because the patent application mentions a touch interface, reports suggest the patent is limited to the iPhone and iPad...