Joy of Tech on Apple’s Lightning to 30-pin adapters

Apple upset thousands of users last month when it introduced a new charging port for its mobile devices. It replaced the decade-old 30-pin dock connector with a new Lightning plug, rendering millions of cables and old accessories virtually useless.

Of course, Apple offers adapters that will allow users to connect their new iPhones and iPod touches to older accessories. But, at a minimum of $30 bucks a pop, this hasn't exactly won over the angry. In fact, for some this may have been the last straw...

This web app tells you if your device can be jailbroken

If you're a frequent reader of iDB, then chances are you know which iOS devices and firmware can be jailbroken. We are always quick to announce when a new jailbreak is released, and every now and then we even do a "state of the jailbreak" post to bring everyone up to date.

But for casual readers, or novice jailbreakers, device eligibility is not necessarily common knowledge. That's why mathyr, Peter Em and mofodox decided to create JailbreakStats...

We unbox the new 5th generation iPod touch

Just about an hour ago I was able to get my hands on a brand new 32GB Slate Black 5th generation iPod touch. Here is our official unboxing video of Apple's revamped mobile gaming everything device.

The first thing you'll notice about the new iPod touch is how thin it is when compared with the iPhone 5. If you thought Apple's new iPhone was thin, wait until you get a load of the 5th generation iPod touch!

The second thing you'll notice is how drastically better the 5th generation is when compared to the previous generations. The new iPod touch is leaps and bounds above any previous touch when it comes to build quality. Even the screen looks amazing. What do you think? Oh, and uh, the Lightning cable is $19, not $29 like I mistakenly stated in the video.

Apple doubles down on the iPod touch, finally posts ‘new’ ad

Apple just uploaded to its YouTube channel an old ad for the new iPod touch that started shipping along the seventh-gen iPod nano yesterday, landing on store shelves today to some raving review. Here's that ad, again. The clip is titled "Bounce" and depicts a bunch of colorful iPods jumping to a catchy tune. The homepage was also updated with a prominent link leading to this ad, streaming direct from Apple...

Google redesigns mobile site with slide-out navigation bar, it’s pretty dope

Google is rolling out a revamped mobile experience on smartphones as we speak. It's pretty slick as Google has finally adopted the design language used across its other web properties. The company really hit the ball out of the park in terms of design: the refreshed site features a black navigation bar which slides in and out of view smoothly, akin to the Facebook app.

Matter of fact, it almost feels like a native app. Knowing it's been ages since Google updated its Search app on the iPhone, the prettified mobile site will certainly better serve your needs. My favorite capability has to be the ability to navigate Google's most popular services with ease, all without losing track of content at hand...

Two months later, Apple still hasn’t approved Google Search update

Back in August, Google showed off an update for its iOS Search app that included its new Google Now digital assistant technology. It's the same tech it uses in Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).

During the showing, the company said that it had submitted the update to Apple and was awaiting approval. But more than two months have passed now, and we haven't heard a peep...

Have you seen this Steve Jobs tribute in Gmail app screenshots?

I was a little surprised realizing the blogosphere today reported on a nice little nugget I discovered nearly a month ago, but here it goes. If you visit the iTunes Preview page on the web for Google's Gmail iOS app and check out the screenshots, you will notice a nice tribute to Apple's late CEO Steve Jobs in two screenies. The images depict an email message with the subject line “Your favorite Steve Jobs quotes” and contain the following text in the message body...

iCade 8-Bitty iOS game controller now available

Back in February, the folks over at ThinkGeek unveiled a new wireless game controller for iOS devices called the 8-Bitty. It resembled an NES controller, and was based on the popular iCade platform.

Today, ThinkGeek has announced that the 8-Bitty controller is now available for purchase. It's compatible with all iCade games, as well as MAME titles, and it costs a lot less than you might think...

This is the best screen protector for your iPhone 5

A few months ago, I reviewed the GLAS.t for iPhone 4S. At the time, I believed it to be the best screen protector for iPhone. Fast forward to this date, and I still have yet to see a better alternative to protect the screen of your iPhone.

If the iPhone has changed since my original GLAS.t review, something that hasn't changed is the quality and reliability of the screen protector. The folks at Spigen SGP are pretty smart. They know I love their products so they sent me a GLAS.t for iPhone 5 for review. Spoiler alert: it's 99% positive...

Need for Speed Most Wanted: so good you’ll want to break the law

EA Mobile just tweeted their first trailer for the upcoming racing game for the iOS and Android platform, aptly named Need For Speed Most Wanted. Prior Need for Speed games all looked great, always raising the bar when it comes to graphics and gameplay. If this trailer is anything to go by, Need for Speed Most Wanted won't disappoint.

The game features dynamic physics-based collisions for realistic visual damage, cop takedowns, high speed chases and what not. You'll have a chance to drive such cars as the Dodge Challenger SRT8 392, the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale, the Porsche 911 Carrera S and many more. It's coming on October 30 so stay tuned...

The Woz calls for Gorilla-sized iPhones

For five years Apple's iPhones have had the same 3.5-inch screen when competition moved up to bigger canvases, measuring all the way up to five inches and beyond. With this year's iPhone, Apple increased the screen to four inches. The company even defends the move with ergonomics being the primary concern for making the screen taller but not wider. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak reflects on Apple's stubborn insistence on one-size-fits-all approach and wishes the iPhone came in at least two sizes...