Apple

Skype 5.0 for iPhone is back in the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2014

The wait is over as Skype 5.0 for iPhone has finally started to roll out to international App Stores this morning. Microsoft previewed the remastered Skype for iPhone with a brand new design earlier this week and unleashed the updated software upon the App Store the following day.

But something was amiss as Skype 5.0 went live in the Canadian App Store only, with some international users briefly spotting the update before it disappeared quickly.

As of this morning, the VoIP application appeared to propagate through the App Stores around the world so go ahead, update your copy of Skype and let us know how you like its new Windows Phone-style swipable interface...

Scanbot 2.0 brings iPad support and smart QR code scanner

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2014

Scanbot is an awesome PDF scanning utility that allows you to create high-quality PDF or JPEG scans with 200 dpi and higher. You can then upload the images to a number of cloud storage services, share them online and what not.

It's an indispensable productivity tool for paperless office aficionados and good for just about anyone who needs to scan those receipts, contracts, print outs and other document types. Plus, it's now available on the iPad.

The new Scanbot 2.0, available as a free update for those who've purchased it, is now a universal binary whose UI has been specifically tailored for both the tiny iPhone screen and the iPad's larger canvas.

Filed as Germany-based Doo GmbH's biggest release yet, the refreshed software also brings out a smart QR code scanner (more on that later), an improved grayscale filter and a host of other improvements and bug fixes...

Broken Age, Tim Schafer’s first graphic adventure in 16 years, lands on iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2014

Graphic adventures used to be all the rage until talented programmer and game designer John Carmack and his id Software came along and spoiled us with the Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake series of first-person 3D shooters.

Compelling adventures that challenge your gray matter are few and far between in the App Store so fans of the genre will have a lot to love about Broken Age.

Created by Tim Schafer's Double Fine Productions and available for $9.99, it's a full-blown graphic adventure in which you can freely switch between a pair of teenagers who find themselves in familiar situations, although set in different worlds...

Worms creator Team17 releases cute iOS game, (R)evolve

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2014

A British games development studio, Team17, has made a name for itself in the golden age of home computing back in the 1990s with its Worms series of amusing artillery strategy games.

Today, they have released a brand new iOS game that I think deserves your attention. Called (R)evolve, it was prototyped in just 48 hours at 2014’s Great British Game Jam and came in first place.

The free-to-play title challenges you to save cutesy alien creatures from meteor showers by spinning their planet. I know, it sounds simplistic, but aren't all addictive games supposed to be simplified to the bone?

Apple posts video showing off new Japan retail store

Cody Lee ∙ June 12, 2014

Last night, Apple posted a video to its official YouTube channel showing off its newest retail store in Japan. The store is located in Omotesando, Tokyo, and it includes a brushed aluminum staircase and other unique architectural features.

Photos of the outside of the store surfaced in May, showing what appeared to be a power-saving green curtain of foliage draped down one wall. But this new video from Apple takes you on a brief virtual tour of the entire multi-floor building...

Apple seeds OS X 10.9.4 build 13E16 to developers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Apple has seeded the second beta of OS X 10.9.4 to registered Mac developers this afternoon. The update comes almost a month after Apple released OS X 10.9.3 to the public, which included improved 4K display support and more.

Today's new 10.9.4 build is available to developers via an update in the Mac App Store or as a download on Apple’s online developer center. It does not, however, appear to be out in Apple’s new public Mavericks Beta Seed program yet…

Synaptics acquiring iPhone display chipmaker Renesas SP Drivers for $475 million

Cody Lee ∙ June 11, 2014

As expected, touchscreen chipmaker has announced that it will be buying Renesas SP Drivers, the sole supplier of display chips for the iPhone. The deal is said to be worth $475 million—around the same price Apple was rumored to bid for the company earlier this year.

For those unfamiliar with Renesas, it's a joint venture between Powerchip and Sharp that specializes in building LCD drivers for small and mid-sized LCD panels. These chips determine a display's quality, and typically account for around 10% of a device's battery usage...

TouchPal video shows off upcoming iOS 8 keyboard with sliding text entry

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

You already know Apple at last week's WWDC gave its developer army the tools to build custom keyboards for iOS 8. It's all part of making the mobile operating system extensible, customizable and more open to developers than ever before.

We also know that Swype, Fleksy and SwiftKey, as well as KeyPoint and Whirlscape, are all building their iOS 8 keyboards and now TouchPal has demoed its upcoming TouchPal X keyboard running on iOS 8.

Billed as "the first iOS 8 keyboard with gesture/sliding input," next word prediction and other features, TouchPal X allows you to slide over letters for a word, up for a number and down for a symbol.

Check it out in action in a video included right after the break...

Square Enix debuts Final Fantasy Agito announce trailer ahead of North American launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 11, 2014

Final Fantasy Agito, a new role-playing game (RPG) featuring lush 3D graphics and created specifically for smartphones and tablets, launched in Japan last month.

Ever since its Japanese debut, we've been hearing whispers about a possible USA debut. As it turns out, localizing all that content took longer than expected.

The good news is, work on the Western edition is now nearing completion. Today, Square Enix has indicated that the USA edition has inched closer to release by posting the official announcement trailer.

I've included the video along with latest tidbits right after the jump...

Google Search iOS app receives 2014 FIFA World Cup Google Now cards

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

With about 24 hours left until the 2014 World Cup Brazil opening game between Brazil and Croatia, developers are feverishly updating their apps with soccer-related content.

The Internet giant Google has just issued a World Cup-themed update to its standalone Search iOS app, adding useful Google Now cards for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The cards show up-to-date information like match statistics, group standings and scorers and are available by swiping up to choose your favorite team to follow...

Rumor: improved iPad Air model with A8 chip and 8MP iSight camera enters production

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 11, 2014

According to a questionable report published Wednesday by ETNews, Apple in a repeat of 2013 is set to release an improved iPad Air model. It will have the same design as the current iPad Air, the story has it.

Most of the changes deal with the innards, such as a more power efficient and slightly faster A8 chip and an eight-megapixel camera on the back, a bump up from the five-megapixel iSight module on existing iPads.

The front-facing FaceTime camera should also see a resolution increase, going from a rather paltry 1.2-megapixel module on current models to a slightly better 1.5-megapixel one...

Google brings ‘Instant Buy’ feature to iOS devs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Google is bringing the Instant Buy feature to iOS in the form of a public API, allowing app makers to write iPhone and iPad software that incorporates this handy Google Wallet checkout feature.

The Instant Buy API is available across iOS, Android and web platforms and can be integrated into mobile and web apps easily, the Internet giant said.

It works with existing payment processors, enables secure payments with 24/7 fraud monitoring and requires no fees so it's a win-win for developers who want to sell goods through iOS apps and need a stable and secure platform to handle purchases...