Apple

Fleksy Keyboard for iOS refreshed with revamped UI, six new themes and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 29, 2014

As you know, Apple has not yet opened up the iPhone's virtual keyboard to developers so you can't just go into the App Store and replace the stock iOS keyboard with a custom one, like on Android.

But where some see failures, others like Fleksy see opportunities. For those unfamiliar with Fleksy, it's the first alternate keyboard with gestures available to third-party developers across the entire iOS ecosystem.

Also available on Android, Fleksy Keyboard has seen over a million cumulative downloads across platforms, with about half of the downloads coming from iOS.

Following a 2.0 release on Android earlier this year, today Fleksy Keyboard has been bumped to version 3.1, featuring a completely revamped user interface, six new UI themes and more...

Clear to-do app gains Reminders and sound packs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Keeping true to its promise, the popular Clear to-do app for iOS and OS X by Realmac Software has received a nice little update today, bringing out a pair of new features you're going to love.

The first is the anticipated Reminders capability which lets you set up alerts that go off across all your Mac and iOS devices, similar to Apple's stock Reminders app in iOS and OS X.

And to go with Reminders, the team has added another much-requested feature: custom sound packs. Both the iOS and OS X edition have been updated with these features and are now live in the App Store, available free to existing users...

Analyst on iPhone 6 camera: no protruding lens, software-based image stabilization

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 29, 2016

As we told you before, supposed case leaks indicate that Apple's upcoming iPhone 6 could be as thin as the current-generation iPod touch, its slim body purportedly measuring between 6.5mm and 7.0mm (the iPhone 5s is 7.6mm thick).

But Apple's desire to create an ultra-thin phone might also result in an unsightly camera lens protrusion on the back, according to purported production images.

The exposed camera design is said to be the result of the larger components needed for a new optical image stabilization feature. Apple's engineers are faced with a dilemma: create an ultra-thin device that features optical image stabilization and has the annoying protrusion or expand the device slightly to 7.5mm to get rid of the protruded module on the back.

But there's allegedly a third option: tap the speedy A8 processor and the power of software to implement an electronic rather than optical image stabilization. This would allow Apple to realize the thin appearance of the device while doing away with the rumored bulge on the back...

Apple launches updated MacBook Airs with faster processors for $100 less

Cody Lee ∙ April 29, 2014

As expected, Apple launched refreshed MacBook Air models this morning. There aren't any major changes, but the new laptops feature faster versions of Intel's Haswell processors and are priced at $100 less than their predecessors.

The updated models are currently available worldwide. Unsurprisingly, there's no sign of the rumored 12-inch MacBook Air with Retina display...

Purported iPhone 6 case theorizes how thin next-gen iPhone could be

Jake Smith ∙ April 28, 2014

On par with the launch of any device from Apple, third-party case makers have taken rumors, maybe a little insider knowledge, and some guessing to theorize what the design of the next-generation iPhone could be, long before the launch.

YouTube channel Unbox Therapy got its hands on one of these cases floating around, and compared it alongside the iPhone 5s and iPod touch. The striking factor for the purported iPhone 6 case wasn't the height difference, but that its thinness matched up with the iPod touch, perfectly.

Opinion: the clock is ticking on Apple’s rumored on-demand streaming music service

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

If you need another proof that download sales are declining steadily as music lovers increasingly rent their music rather than buy it, here's one.

Spotify's head of label relations in Europe, Kevin Brown, revealed last week to an industry outlet that his company is earning more cash across Continental Europe from sales of music subscriptions than iTunes does by selling individual song and album downloads.

As a reference, iTunes back in the summer of 2004 enjoyed a commanding 62 percent share of European music sales.

But having added more than a million active users in the United Kingdom alone in the last four months, Spotify seems poised to beat iTunes. Small wonder Brown is adamant that it's only "a matter of time" before the Swedish startup overtakes Apple's digital music store in Europe in terms of revenue.

Why isn't Apple doing something about it? Doesn't the firm see the signs on the wall already? Didn't Tim Cook and Co. get the memo that music downloads are dying a slow death? Read on...

Facebook open sources animation engine behind Paper for iOS

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Facebook has open sourced the Pop animation engine that drives its Paper app, now available in a listing on GitHub.

The Pop engine supports basic static animations, and also has spring and decay dynamic animations for building realistic, physics-based interactions. The Paper app has been praised for its design, and now developers will be able to access the same engine that drives it for their own iOS and OS X apps.

Top Apple execs Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi speaking at Code Conference

Jake Smith ∙ April 28, 2014

Top Apple executives Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi will headline the second night of Recode's Code Conference in May, joining an already high profile lineup including General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Hollywood mogul Ryan Seacrest.

Apple executives rarely make an appearance at events outside of those officially held by Apple, however, Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, formerly of the D Conference, obviously have a secret to doing it. The two have interviewed Apple co-founder Steve Jobs several times, including once alongside Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and most recently interviewed CEO Tim Cook.

Camera Fx8 and FiLMiC Pro go free for a limited time

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 5, 2018

If you're like me, you've downloaded dozens of camera and image-editing apps to your iPhone to satisfy your inner iPhone photography nerd - and you're still yearning for more. Unfortunatelly, your newly found obsession with photography software may end up costing your hard earned dollars for most of these apps definitely don't come cheap.

If you're on the lookout for a not-to-be-missed software deals, this should be a no-brainer.

Camera Fx8 by Apalon Limited has gone temporarily free. This piece of software lets you apply fun effects, shapes and borders to your images in post-processing or in real-time. It's gone free today for the next 24 hours so give it a download before it goes back up to its regular price of $2.99.

Also notably, FiLMiC Pro, one of the best video camera apps and a $4.99 value, has gone free for a limited time in the App Store...

Microsoft’s first Nokia ad positions Windows Phone as something different

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 11, 2016

Following Microsoft's finalized acquisition of Nokia's Devices and Services unit last week, 25,000 Nokia employees get to join the Windows giant today. To celebrate the merger, the Windows giant has just published its very first Nokia television commercial with Microsoft branding.

Windows Phone often gets relegated to the Others category in global smartphone surveys: currently, it's a distant third, after Android and iOS. The new ad, entitled 'Not Like Everybody Else,' plays on Microsoft's underdog status by promising a bunch of colorful smartphones and tablets that should draw attention and make heads turn...

Apple has 2x or more credit cards on file than Amazon

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 28, 2014

Following Apple's most recent earnings report, Tim Cook revealed in a conference call with analyst that there are now more than 800 million iTunes accounts in use and said that “the majority of those have credit cards behind them.”

How does this compare to Amazon, the king of online commerce? Turns out that Apple actually has twice as many credit cards on file than Amazon, at least. This poses a tremendous opportunity should Apple decide to introduce a mobile payment service of its own, as expected...

Apple gives you extra $80 trade-in credit for iPhone 5 with faulty sleep/wake button

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 28, 2014

Apple last week put forth a new replacement program dealing with the malfunctioning sleep/wake button on some iPhone 5 devices.

Apple has confirmed that "a small percentage" of iPhone 5 models manufactured through March 2013 exhibit an issue where the button may stop working or work intermittently and the firm has moved quickly to allow for free sleep/wake button replacements on the affected handsets.

It's now come to light that Apple's brick-and-mortar stores will also treat owners of the affected iPhone 5 handsets to an extra $80 when they trade in their device, although employees were instructed not to advertise this benefit actively...