Apps Aren’t the New Channels

Sébastien Page ∙ October 28, 2011

Since we first heard that Steve Jobs had 'cracked' the code for an integrated Apple TV set, rumors have been going crazy about what Apple has planned.

News came out this week that Jeff Robin, the guy who helped develop the iPod and iTunes, is currently leading Apple's secret TV project – let's just call this Apple TV set the "iTV." Our imaginations then started running wild at the prospect of a TV that could be controlled using Siri, or maybe even 3D gestures.

While there is no doubt Siri would be part of an iTV, one big question remains: how will the content get there?

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The Difference Between “Shipped” and “Sold”

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

There's a headline bouncing around the tech blogs this morning that goes something like this: "Samsung Overtakes Apple to Become Top Smartphone Manufacturer." The news comes in wake of Samsung's earnings report it issued to investors this morning.

The Korean handset maker didn't offer any specific numbers, but it did tell shareholders its smartphone shipments were up 40% this quarter. Some analysts are estimating that the increase equals 28 million smartphones, which clearly beats Apple's 17 million, right?

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Sprint: Android Phones Hog More Data Than the iPhone

Alex Heath ∙ October 28, 2011

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse recently made a few interesting comments about the iPhone on his network. Namely, Hesse noted that Android users put more of a strain on Sprint's network than new iPhone owners.

Android apps are "more chatty" with the network, and iPhone apps do a better job of handling data via W-Fi networks and offloading information.  Due to the iPhone's light footprint on Sprint's network, the carrier plans to continue offering an unlimited data plan for the indefinite future.

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Friday App Giveaway

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

To celebrate the beginning of the weekend, we thought that it would be nice to do an app giveaway.

Once again, there is nothing special for you to do. All that matters is that you be fast at redeeming one of these codes, because they will go away very quickly. But before we start, make sure you know how to redeem a promo code in the App Store...

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Nintendo’s Refusal to Make App Store Games Costs Nearly $1 Billion

Alex Heath ∙ Updated July 10, 2017

Nintendo reported a net loss of $923 million for the first six months of the fiscal year, revealing the drastic effect that the company's stance on mobile games has produced. Despite the fact that there has been huge consumer demand for Nintendo titles on mobile platforms like iOS, the company has been adamant that it doesn't plan on porting its games to mobile devices like the iPhone.

This last report was the first loss that Nintendo has seen in 30 years. This is believed to be caused by a number of factors, including the economy and rapidly slowing sales of Nintendo's Wii console.

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SuperMusic: Advanced Lock Screen Music Controls

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 28, 2011

SuperMusic is a jailbreak tweak that aims to add more options to the music controls that appear on your Lock screen.

In addition to the basic back, pause/play, and forward buttons, SuperMusic adds fast-forward, rewind, stop, shuffle, and a full track listing of your music library right on your Lock screen.

Check out the video inside to see how it works in action...

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Dev Team Posts Video of iPad 2 Jailbroken on iOS 5

Alex Heath ∙ October 28, 2011

Hot on the heels of MuscleNerd's status update on the iPhone 4S jailbreak, a short video of the iPad 2 has surfaced showing the tablet jailbroken and running Cydia on iOS 5.

No ETA has been given for the iOS 5 untethered jailbreak, but we can only assume that a jailbreak will be released for all devices at once, meaning that you'll be able to jailbreak A5 devices like the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 as well as older generation iDevices...

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Patent Shows Apple’s Interest in 3D Gesture Controls

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Apple has spent the last several years revolutionizing the way we interact with our mobile gadgets. Sure, there were touchscreen devices before the iPhone. But none of them worked as well Apple's handset. And the same can be said about Siri and voice control.

It appears that Apple isn't going to settle for just touch and voice controls. A new patent application has surfaced that reveals that the Cupertino company is experimenting with non-touch gesture controls for its iOS devices. And here's how it would work...

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MuscleNerd Gives Update on iPhone 4S Jailbreak Status

Cody Lee ∙ October 28, 2011

Ever since Apple unveiled its latest version of the iPhone earlier this month, we've all been wondering one thing: when will it be jailbroken? And now that some of us have had the device for two weeks, we're definitely ready to start hacking.

Tweaks are being updated with iOS 5 compatibility, and new utilities are being introduced that are specific to the new software. So how long must us iPhone 4S users wait until we can access this stuff? Luckily, MuscleNerd has some info for us...

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On Android’s Software Fragmentation

Cody Lee ∙ October 27, 2011

We've expressed our opinions on Android software multiple times here on iDB. You can imagine that, as an iPhone blog, we are a little biased towards the iOS platform, but our issues with Android don't come unwarranted.

One of our beefs with Android is that its apps seem to lack the polish that iOS apps have — even in software that is available on both platforms. Why is that? Well, not only do developers have to worry about multiple screen sizes, they also have to worry about multiple versions of Android...

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Apple Giving Away Free Copies of JetPack Joyride

Cody Lee ∙ October 27, 2011

Apart from the weekly app sales we see from developers, there are other ways to get good deals on games. One way, for instance, is to go to Starbucks. If you don't mind their coffee, the retailer gives away free apps to their customers.

But what if you don't like coffee? Well then you could check Apple's App Store Facebook site. According to TouchArcade, the company has started giving away free app promo codes to Facebook users that "Like" the App Store's page...

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