Apple

Samsung takes ‘Wall Huggers’ campaign to airports

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 14, 2014

Samsung's much-talked-about anti-iPhone campaign dubbed 'Wall Huggers' is expanding to select airports, which are among the most trafficked public spots and traditionally the domain of iPhone and MacBook-toting users.

After poking fun of the iPhone's appalling battery performance with its controversial 30-second television spot, the South Korean conglomerate is now displaying Galaxy S5 ads at power outlets throughout major airports.

The posters advertises the Galaxy S5's Ultra Power Saving mode and features a tagline saying "So you have the power to be anywhere but here" in a not-so-subtle dig at Apple's iPhone 5s campaign which revolves around the tagline "You're more powerful than you think"...

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Assembled iPhone 6 logic board apparently leaks, but crucial component obfuscated

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 14, 2014

In late-July, a claimed iPhone 6 circuit board leaked on the web. As it lacked the actual chips (it only showed the pin layout), it left watchers guessing as to whether the handset might include much-rumored NFC capability for a rumored Apple-branded mobile payment service.

Today, a photo purportedly showing a fully assembled logic board of the iPhone 6 has surfaced. Published by a Taiwanese blog, it reveals several semiconductor components such as a Toshiba flash chip and a Wi-Fi module...

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Safari 7.0.6/6.1.6 with Mavericks/Mountain Lion security fixes now available

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 14, 2014

Late yesterday, Apple released Safari 7.0.6 for OS X Mavericks and Safari 6.1.6 for OS X Mountain Lion.

The releases contain improvements to security related to Apple's desktop browser and are both recommended for all OS X Mavericks and OS X Mountain Lion users.

These updates follow the release of a new version of OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 (build 13F14) that Apple released to developers yesterday...

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Shazam testing Beats Music integration

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 11, 2016

When Apple unleashes iOS 8 for public consumption come this Fall, music lovers will be invited to take advantage of Siri's new and awesomely seamless Shazam integration which lets you identify songs playing nearby simply by asking "what's playing".

According to eagle-eyed reporters, it appears that Shazam has now added Beats Music integration to their free iPhone and iPad app...

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Thailand certifies two unreleased iPhone models

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

As the iPhone 6 enters the Product Validation Testing stage, typically a final step before full blown mass production ahead of the big reveal on September 9, news comes that regulators in Thailand have now approved two distinctly new iPhone models for use in the country.

One of the approved devices carries a model number of 'A1524'. The other is labeled as 'A1586'.

Apple is of course expected to release two new iPhone 6 models come this Fall, one with a 4.7-inch display and the other featuring a phablet-class screen measuring 5.5 inches diagonally...

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Runtastic Pro is temporarily free in Apple Store app

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 13, 2014

Runtastic Pro, which normally sells for $4.99, has gone free exclusively through Apple's free Apple Store application for the iPhone and iPad (not to be confused with the App Store). The official Apple Store app is a sleek and awesome way to browse thousands of products carried on Apple's online and brick-and-mortar stores. It also offers exclusive deals: not just to Apple Store visitors, but to anyone who has downloaded the software to their device.

Case in point: last week, the gorgeous Rise Alarm Clock went free in the Apple Store software. This week, the app is offering Runtastic Pro free for a limited time. Again, this offer is exclusive to the Apple Store app: Runtastic Pro still costs money if you download it directly from the App Store. With that off my chest, here's how you can redeem your free copy of Runtastic Pro in the Apple Store app...

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Uber mobile apps gain turn-by-turn navigation and destination entry features

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 13, 2014

Uber, the popular venture-backed ride-sharing service, today announced a pair of useful new additions to its strong arsenal of mobile features, aimed at both drivers and users.

Uber customers can now add a desired destination into the free rider app that the driver will see at pick-up time.

And if you're a driver using Uber to find customers, Uber's driver app now supports turn-by-turn navigation for the destination customers have provided in the rider app...

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iOS email client Dispatch gains 10 new actions, adds new features

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 13, 2014

Dispatch, the popular TextExpander-enabled, action-based email client for the iPhone and iPod touch, has received a major update adding nearly a dozen new features and ten new actions for your emails while fixing a ton of bugs.

Dispatch 2.1, available free in the App Store to existing owners, is one of the most efficient iPhone email clients.

For those unfamiliar with Dispatch, the app makes it ridiculously easy to triage your emails and get rid of ones you don't need by swiping, respond faster with snippets and much more...

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Amazon unveils iOS-compatible Local Register card reader

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2018

Taking the likes of PayPal Here and Square head on, the online retail giant Amazon today unveiled an iOS-connected credit card reader. Dubbed the Local Register, the accessory allows iPhone and iPad owners to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit and debit cards on their device.

The tiny dongle connects to an iOS device via the headphone jack and has a magnetic stripe that reads data from your credit card and transfers it securely to the device as an audio waveform.

A free mobile app then verifies payment information and completes the transaction using Amazon's processing backend. Amazon is savagely undercutting both Square and PayPal with lower transaction fees, starting at just 1.75 percent per swipe...

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Rumor: iPhone 6 enters product validation testing ahead of full blown mass production

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

According to a Chinese source, Apple's iPhone 6 has now entered the so-called Product Validation Test phase, indicating that mass production is looming around the corner.

Product Validation Test, or PVT, is typically carried out on first engineering prototypes in order to ensure that the basic unit performs to Apple's exacting design goals and specifications.

Apple along with its favorite contract manufacturer, Taiwan-based Foxconn, is now reportedly producing a very limited run of iPhone 6 units for a final quality control. During this phase, the assembly lines are running at full speed to detect any potential issues that may hinder the assembly process and ensure that quality control standards have been properly implemented ahead of mass production...

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Newly updated Facebook for iOS cuts crash rate in half

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 12, 2014

Facebook late today issued a maintenance update to its primary iPhone and iPad client.

Listing only "bug fixes", Facebook 13.1 would have probably slipped by unnoticed if it weren't for a post over at the official Facebook Engineering blog which has detailed significant under-the-hood changes to fix a longstanding bug that caused unexpected crashes.

Long story short, code changes the team's implemented have helped reduce the software's crash rates on the iPhone and iPad by more than fifty percent...

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