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Nuance unveils Nina, the virtual assistant for iOS and Android apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 12, 2017

Nuance, the voice recognition engine that powers Siri, today announced a new kind of digital personal assistant aimed at mobile customer service apps. Called Nina, she "transforms iPhone and Android mobile apps into powerful engagement tools that allow customers to serve themselves". Nina promises to cover everything from paying your bills to getting answers to your questions to changing or adding service on the fly.

Built on the same voice recognition engine from Nuance that Apple licensed for Siri, Nina can be added to iOS and Android apps via a software development kit (SDK) issued today as part of the announcement. What's best, Nina doesn't require that you tediously type in your password for various services and instead recognizes your voice to provide secure authentication...

Introducing Bladepad, the detachable iPhone gamepad

Cody Lee ∙ August 6, 2012

A few days ago we asked the question, "Should Apple build a game controller?" It was a pretty fair question, considering that the graphics in iOS titles are getting closer and closer to console-quality, but the gameplay isn't.

We've seen several accessory-makers try to remedy this problem by building physical gamepads, but none of them have managed to gain consumer traction. The new Gamepad, however, is hoping to change that...

BrowseInApp: open links in-app without switching to Safari

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

When the developer for BrowseInApp contacted us, asking us to do a review of the tweak, I was a bit skeptical. I hadn't tried it before, and I feel like I've tried most of the jailbreak packages out there that are worth trying.

But boy was I wrong. After playing with BrowseInApp for a couple of days, the tweak has quickly become one of my favorites. It's well-built, convenient, and integrates seamlessly into iOS. Keep reading for my full review...

Apple gave hackers access to user’s iCloud account

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

As we continue to upload more and more of our lives to the web, the dangers of being hacked multiply. Our credit card numbers, our home addresses — they're all there for the taking. That's why so many security experts preach using a complicated password.

But sometimes, using a strong password isn't enough. Just ask former Gizmodo writer Mat Honan. Mat's world was turned upside down this weekend when a hacker gained access to his iCloud account, wiping his Mac, iPhone and iPad, thanks to Apple...

The top 10 iOS news of the week on iDownloadBlog

Sébastien Page ∙ August 5, 2012

A new week is coming, but that doesn't mean you have to miss out on what happened last week. If you think you may have missed a few of the top stories from last week, don't sweat it, we've got you covered.

We've gathered the top 10+ most popular stories from iDB last week for you to check out. As always, make sure that you're friends with us on Facebook, Google+, and that you are following us on Twitter...

Sprint heavily discounts the iPhone 4S ahead of iPhone 5 launch

Sébastien Page ∙ August 4, 2012

We just got words that Sprint was currently selling the iPhone 4S 16GB at a $50 discount, for a total price of $149.99. According to a Sprint retailer who reached out to us, the company has been notifying stores that this new pricing would be in place until September 14th.

The timing seems very appropriate as the iPhone 5 next iPhone has been rumored to be announced at an event on September 12th, and will supposedly be available for sale on September 21st...

Question of the week: Should Apple develop a dedicated gaming controller?

Jeff Benjamin ∙ August 4, 2012

As we all know, Apple has found itself in the desirable position as one of the leaders in gaming industry. This wasn't something Apple planned to do; as iOS popularity increased, it just sort of fell into its lap.

With that in mind, do you think that it's time for Apple to take gaming more seriously? Further, should Apple develop a dedicated gaming controller and increase its presence in the industry?

Emails show Apple was interested in a clickwheel iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ August 4, 2012

Earlier this year, ex-Apple engineer Tony Fadell mentioned something interesting during an on-stage interview. He said that among the handful of prototype iPhone designs that Apple originally considered, one of them was actually built around the infamous iPod clickwheel.

That prototype came up again yesterday during the Samsung-Apple trial. Samsung brought up an email exchange between Steve Jobs and Jony Ive discussing a Samsung phone with a wheel-like interface, hoping to prove that Apple too found inspiration in its competitors...

How to Use Snapseed to Create Extraordinary iPhone Photography

Justin Balog ∙ Updated March 18, 2019

Welcome back to iDownloadBlog.com's series in iPhoneography. So far we have covered everything from exposure to composition. One thing we haven't addressed are the apps. This has been by design. I wanted to make sure we had a solid foundation in photography before we started exploring the the digital darkroom.

Later in the series we will continue to expand our foundations in photography, but today we jump into the darkroom, and there's no better darkroom than Snapseed. I'm guessing many of you have already begun to explore Snapseed. If not, watch this video for a quick tour...

Rovio teases next major Angry Birds release: Red Planet

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 4, 2018

It looks like the Mars Curiosity rover isn't the only thing landing on Mars this year. Rovio just took the lid off of its next major Angry Birds update, Angry Birds Space: Red Planet.

Earlier this year, Rovio took its popular franchise into outer-space, and within 12 hours it was the number one paid application in the App Store. But can lightning strike again?

Purported iPad mini shells show no camera hole

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 28, 2016

With Apple expected to unveil the long-rumored iPad mini in a few short weeks, we anticipate component leaks for the smaller slate to start picking up.

In fact, some photos started floating around this afternoon of what appear to be rear shells belonging to the highly anticipated tablet. But are they real?