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Apple patent depicts NFC iPhone-controlled connected home

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

A super detailed patent application by Apple was discovered this week, depicting a connected home controllable by an assortment of Apple devices, ranging from the Apple TVs and iMacs to iPods and third-party devices like a cable box and other devices equipped with a near-field communications (NFC) chip.

An NFC enabled iPhone, Apple explains, could be used to control other devices throughout your home, including Apple's own devices but also the stuff like PlayStation controllers, set-top boxes and even television sets...

This jailbreak tweak allows you to add alternative search engines to Safari

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

Not satisfied with the available search engines present in mobile Safari? Then try SearchEnable on for size.

SearchEnable is a jailbreak tweak that allows you to add additional search engines to Safari. You'll find Wolfram Alpha, Ask, and Baidu, among many other options.

Take a look at our video walkthrough inside for the full details...

Google Earth, now with 3D cities on iPhone 4S and iPad 2 or later

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 26, 2012

Google on June 6 held a hastily organized presser to announce "the next dimension in Maps", in an effort to beat Apple's in-house mapping solution unveiling which came five days later at the company's annual developers conference in Sam Francisco.

While Apple Maps won't launch before fall, when the company is set to release iOS 6 alongside the next iPhone and possibly a smaller iPad, the Internet giant is set to beat Apple by updating its Google Earth app for the iPhone with a new 3D view later today.

UPDATE: the new version just went live on the App Store...

Sprint activates 1.5M iPhones in the second quarter

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 26, 2012

U.S. carrier Sprint, the nation's third-largest, announced its June quarter earnings today. The company reported no change in iPhone activations which remain steady at 1.5 million units, the same as in the March quarter. In this quarter, 40 percent of iPhones went to new customers versus 44 percent for the quarter-ago period. However, the company's loss dropped from $863 million in Q1 2012 down to an operating loss of $629 million this quarter ($1.38 billion net loss), which was again partially blamed on high iPhone subsidy...

Path 2.5 brings enhanced sharing, improved camera and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 12, 2018

The official Path iOS client received a major update last night, bringing the app to version 2.5. The update includes a number of changes, such as enhanced media sharing, an improved camera, and new photo editing tools.

Path 2.5 also includes another cool addition that might just persuade folks to join the social network. New users now have the option to import data from their Facebook, Instagram, and Foursquare accounts into Path...

Poll: is Mountain Lion worth its asking price?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

As you know, Apple today released OS X Mountain Lion. It will run you only twenty bucks a copy, which includes rights to install the operating system on up to five different Macs. Mountain Lion builds upon its predecessor Lion in that it streamlines your experience with additional iOS tricks, deep integration with iCloud, Facebook and Twitter and interesting new capabilities such as PowerNap and Gatekeeper, to name a few.

It also includes a handful of apps ported from iOS, such as iMessage, Reminders, Notes, Game Center and Notification Center, in the hope that it'll help new Mac owners get up to speed quickly. At that breakthrough price, Mountain Lion should be a no-brainer. But as is often the case, the price is a reflection of the product's perceived value.

For some, Mountain Lion is worth every cent. There are also those who feel that even twenty bucks is too high a price for an OS that underwhelms with just a handful of truly new features while spoiling the fun by insisting on a bunch of glorified iOS apps with that forced skeuomorphic design.

Which camp do you belong to?

Google explicitily warned Samsung against deliberately copying the iPhone and iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 25, 2012

This is interesting. Google apparently specifically advised Samsung against ripping off the iPhone. Worse, Samsung reportedly was well aware that its Galaxy smartphones and tablets bore a striking resemblance to the iPhone and iPad. On top of that, the South Korean conglomerate apparently discussed this issue and dimissed concerns from both Google and famous designers who felt strongly that Samsung's Galaxy S smartphone “looked like it copied the iPhone too much".

This is per Samsung's own internal documents that Apple intends use against Samsung in the high-profile Apple vs. Samsung lawsuit scheduled to begin July 30 in the United States. More juice details, including quotes, right after the break...

Ex-Apple talent helping rebuild Facebook’s iPhone app, broader overhaul in 2013

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 25, 2012

A little less than a month ago, The New York Times reported that Facebook was working on a brand new version of its sluggish iOS client, re-writing it completely with speed in mind from the ground up in Objective-C, the preferred programming language for modern iOS applications.

The current version owes much of its sluggishness to the fact that it provides a web view through an embedded web browser. A new report out today asserted that the social networking giant tapped some former Apple engineering talent not only to help build a smartphone of its own, but also to re-write the official iOS app...

Facebook phone reportedly set for 2013 release

Cody Lee ∙ July 25, 2012

You know that crazy rumor that keeps bouncing around that Facebook is building its own smartphone? Well, a little more fuel was just added to the fire today.

A new report is out this afternoon claiming, once again, that the social network is pairing up with Taiwanese handset-maker HTC to develop its own mobile phone...

Apple finally fixes buggy Podcasts app

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 25, 2012

A month ago Apple removed Podcasts section from iOS 6 storefronts and posted a dedicated new app to let folks download, consume and manage audio and video podcasts on the go.

Apart from its skeuomorphic design mimicking a vintage tape recorder, the program was plagued with unreliable performance, unexpected quits and generally a bunch of bugs. These issues are clearly reflected in abysmal iTunes ratings that at the time of this writing barely hovered over two and a half stars out of five.

Our own Jeff Benjamin noticed as much, observing in his video hands-on that the radio-dial interface is interesting at first sight, but not very efficient and syncing often doesn't work as intended. Today, Apple pushed out a minor update that promises to squash these pesky bugs while bringing out a couple of new nice-to-haves...

RedSn0w is compatible with Mountain Lion

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

Good news for all of you Mac-using jailbreakers out there that updated to Mountain Lion today. The Dev Team has just confirmed that the new OS is compatible with RedSn0w.

The Team does have a few instructions, though, for the folks that updated. So if you have installed Mountain Lion, and you plan on using the utility, you should read this...