Patent applications aren't always a sign that something is definitely going to make its way to market, but they can often be a good indication of the kinds of things companies are looking at adding to products.
That said, we have another patent application from the boffins at Apple, and this time it appears to be a new way of sending and receiving data between two devices. The system will use the devices' cameras as a way of establishing a secure connection...
Following the carrier IQ debacle, Apple was relatively quick to comment on the matter, when it issued a statement a few minutes ago:
We stopped supporting Carrier IQ with iOS 5 in most of our products and will remove it completely in a future software update. With any diagnostic data sent to Apple, customers must actively opt-in to share this information, and if they do, the data is sent in an anonymous and encrypted form and does not include any personal information. We never recorded keystrokes, messages or any other personal information for diagnostic data and have no plans to ever do so.
Move along. Nothing more to see here.
Business Insider's Dan Frommer published an interesting article this morning titled "Why the iPhone's market share war with Android actually matters." In his piece, Frommer is spot on when he explains that gaining market share is important because this is what will build the dominant mobile platform for the next decade.
Historically, Apple never cared much about market share. Sure, it's happy when it's gaining slices of a market, but Apple is all about profitability and brand value. When Google makes $10/year from each Android user, Apple makes about $300 per iPhone sold. At this rate, it's not surprising that even though Apple may have a small share of the smartphone market, it's still owning about 50% of the entire industry's profits...
Today Rovio updated Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Seasons HD with 25 new holiday-themed levels. If you didn't know, Angry Birds Seasons is an Angry Birds game which has levels specifically themed for various holidays.
The last time the app was updated was for Halloween, and that included 30 new levels. This time around, Angry Birds "Wreck the Halls" is sure to keep you entertained over the Christmas season.
Why do you have to turn your iPhone off during take-off? That's an age old question that travelers have likely wondered once or twice. On a commercial airline, passengers are required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to completely power off electronic devices while the plane ascends into the sky.
Surely smartphones and tablets emit radio waves of some kind that could potentially interfere with the pilot's instruments? As it turns out, there's no proven reason that you have to turn your iPhone and iPad off during take-off. In fact, the FAA doesn't even really know why it has the rule in place.
We brought you the teaser trailer, and now we're bringing you the full story.
To celebrate the release of Springtomize 2, we've taken an in-depth look at the sequel to what is already a legendary app for jailbroken iPhones.
Where Springtomize changed the game with an insane amount of options and tweaks to customize the look of your iPhone's SpringBoard, Springtomize 2 is a much more polished rendition built from the ground up for iOS 5.
If you're at all interested in customizing your iPhone, you do not want to miss this video walkthrough...
We love Robin Williams here at iDB. He's just one of those comedians who clicks with us, and with a quick wit like his it's hard not to laugh, especially when he's working completely off the cuff.
We also like Siri, so when you have one of your favorite comedians using Apple's digital assistant in a gag, it's always going to be something to spark our interest.
Normally, something going by the name of "iStation" would make us cringe, but this time around we're going to make an exception. This particular iStation takes us back to our youth, and we love it!
This iStation is an iPad stand that also doubles as a home for speakers and a Bluetooth keyboard, both of which are included in the $140 asking price. Once everything is hooked up and switched on, the whole thing gives the effect of an old-school computer, just like we used to have when we were kids. (Stop laughing in the back there, we're not that old!)
Call us crazy, but there is just something appealing about taking a state-of-the-art tablet and making it look like an old PC. No, really...
Apple's iPhone 4S just keeps on rocking. After garnering stellar sales worldwide and being met with great reviews, a new survey suggests that the people who spend their own money on an iPhone 4S are also pretty happy.
The survey, conducted by ChangeWave, took in the views of 215 iPhone 4S owners between November 2nd and 9th, with 96% of those questioned saying that they were satisfied with their new smartphone.
The news gets better, with 77% of those surveyed saying that they are "very satisfied" with the iPhone 4S. When combined with the 19% who were simply "somewhat satisfied," they make the iPhone 4S the most loved iPhone ever...
Since the iPhone 4S debuted in October, Sprint subscribers have been complaining about slow data speeds on the new handset. Several owners have been reporting dismal 3G download speeds of less than 1mbps on America's third largest wireless network.
Sprint commented on the situation earlier this month, stating that it was taking the issue seriously. And it seems to have made good on its word, as CNET is reporting that the carrier has started rolling out network enhancements to fix the problem...
Over the last couple of days, there has been a lot of talk around the web regarding Carrier IQ. The company makes user-tracking software for Android, BlackBerry, and Symbian handsets that secretly logs keystrokes, text messages, and other data.
Initially, the program was thought to be exclusive to the above-mentioned operating systems, so we didn't feel the need to report on it. But chpwn, a well-known developer of jailbreak apps, has recently found Carrier IQ's software hidden within iOS...
I've been playing with Path 2.0 since it went live in the App Store late last night. The release has been making waves in the blogosphere over the last 24 hours, and for good reason. Path is a fresh, innovative, beautiful take on social networking, and many apps have much to learn from its philosophy and interface.
You may be wondering why you need Path, and honestly, you probably don't. But there's the chance that you'll fall in love with Path, and the first thing to win you over will undoubtedly be its pixel-perfect design.