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Rovio teases Angry Birds Star Wars

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2012

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

Angry Birds Star Wars the game is landing on November 8 for iOS and Android and Rovio just posted a nice-looking new trailer to promote the software. It doesn't reveal much in way of details, but sure as hell appeals to fans of Star Wars.

And as part of its broader partnership with toy and board game company Hasbro, Rovio and Hasbro pledged to release Star Wars and Angry Birds-themed merchandise and various mashups, including board games, costumes, plush toys and much more...

The iPad mini doesn’t have a widescreen display?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

A pair of OEM leaks thought to depict the same display appear to strongly suggests that, despite the skinnier side bezels and a smaller form-factor, the iPad mini might still incorporate the display which has an aspect ratio of 4:3, just like prior iPads and iPhones (except for the iPhone 5, of course).

This means videos played on the smaller iPad will continue to be letterboxed, at least until an iPad mini with a taller display arrives (you heard that here first!). I guess Apple had to save something for future iterations. Also leaked today: another image of a battery said to belong to the iPad mini, with the label rating it at 16.7Whr and 3.72V...

Rumor: the iPad 4 coming in mid-2013 with simpler manufacturing design

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2012

Next Tuesday will hopefully bring us a small form-factor iPad (affectionately called by the press the iPad mini), perhaps some refreshed Macs and possibly a tweaked iPad 3 with support for UK's upcoming 4G LTE network in the 1,800MHz band from carrier Everything Everywhere (currently, the iPad 3 uses the 700 and 2100MHz band). It's all part of Apple's aggressive roll out planned for 2012, but that doesn't mean the rumor-mill is standing still.

Quite the contrary, a new rumor out of Asia is claiming the company's already warned its supply chain to prepare for a fourth-generation iPad in mid-2013. Perhaps learning from the ongoing manufacturing woes plaguing the iPhone 5 and reportedly affecting the iPad mini launch volume, Apple is thought to be switching to "a simpler manufacturing design"...

iPad mini release date allegedly pegged at November 2

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2012

As Apple gets to show us "a little more" next Tuesday, and taking into account that Microsoft's Surface tablet will hit store shelves next Friday, watchers have been wondering whether the iPad mini will be immediately available following the introduction, on the Friday following the event or the following week. The iPhone 5, for example, was unveiled on Wednesday, September 12 and hit store shelves the following week on Friday, September 21. According to a new report citing a source close to a major UK retailer, the iPad mini will hit retail stores on November 2 (that's a Friday)...

There are now more than a billion smartphones in use

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

With smartphone penetration rate in the United States and in various other markets recently passing the 50 percent milestone, the number of active smartphones in use globally has hit a major milestone of more than one billion units. So-called feature and dumb phones just a couple years back used to dominate the landscape and sales. It all changed with the January 2007 introduction of the iPhone, which renewed interest in smartphones and fueled demand that hasn't slowed since. And according to a Strategy Analytics forecast, the number of smartphones in active use could double by 2015...

Apple wins important patent for the original iPad design

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

We know Apple often patents stuff just so rivals couldn't patent the same invention. That's what other companies are doing as well. But Apple, more than any other company, depends on being able to protect its ideas and leverage patents to prevent copycat products from eating into its sales. The iPhone maker has been on somewhat of a patent spree lately and today has been granted a key patent for design of the original iPad tablet computer...

iMpulse: an iOS gamepad that fits on your keychain

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 8, 2016

It seems like iOS game controllers are a dime a dozen these days. There's the iControlPad 2, the iCade 8-Bitty and the Bladepad, to name a few. But we still haven't seen a single controller pull ahead of the pack.

And that's a good thing — at least for accessory-makers anyway. It means that the controller market is still anyone's game. That being said, we've got another one to show you today, and it's called the iMpulse...

Infographic shows a timeline of this year’s iPad mini rumors

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Rumors that Apple had plans for a smaller version of its popular iPad tablet go back at least two years. Our earliest report on the topic dates all the way back to August 2010.

But the gossip has gotten a lot more serious over the past 9 months or so, and the iPad mini is widely expected to debut at Apple's recently announced October 23 event.

It's actually been interesting to watch this story unfold this year. And if you missed any of it, never fear, the folks over at GimmeTech put together this infographic timeline...

Apple reportedly acquires web app firm Particle

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 8, 2016

It's been a busy year for Apple acquisitions. The company has picked up Chomp, an app discovery startup, AuthenTec, who makes NFC chips and smart sensors, and there was even talk of it buying The Fancy.

Well it looks like we might be able to add another one to that list. Reports are coming in tonight that Apple has acquired Particle, a San Francisco-based creative consulting firm that specializes in HTML5 web apps...

Study shows size of iOS apps have increased 16% in last six months

Cody Lee ∙ October 16, 2012

According to a new report from the marketing research firm ABI Research, the average size of an iOS app measured 23 megabytes in September, an increase of more than 16% in the last six months.

The increase, it says, can be contributed to number of factors, including the release of the Retina display iPad back in March, and the recent bump in the over-the-air App Store download limit to 50 megabytes....

The BlackBerry stigma: folks no longer wield BlackBerries with pride

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 16, 2012

It's just sad that such a great company can become so disillusioned and lost in time. Apparently, as reported by The New York Times, BlackBerry devices have become a magnet for mockery and derision from iPhone and Android owners. Worse, people apparently suffer from shame and public humiliation because their BlackBerry cannot do cool things like iPhones and Android devices.

Now, I use both the iPhone and an Android device and it never even crossed my mind to judge someone by their smartphone, even if that's apparently how some bosses behave these days. As a result, people are becoming increasingly wary pulling their BlackBerries in meetings (I'm not making this up).

Remember, stylish (and mostly black) BlackBerry phones with their clickety-clack keyboards used to be a status symbol of the high-powered and the elite. What a difference a few years make...

Ostium adds a screen splitting effect to Notification Center

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Ostium is a new jailbreak tweak that adds a screen splitting animation to Notification Center. The tweak works with a two finger pinch gesture, along with the more traditional slide from status bar gesture.

At first it appeared that the developer was only going to release Ostium for iPad, but iPod touch and iPhone support were added late in the game. I can definitely see the two finger pinch being more suited for the iPad's larger screen, but as you'll see, it works reasonable well on the small screen too.