Apple

Expedia now giving away free travel-related iOS apps, starting with Over

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

If you're the type who enjoys seeing new places and meeting new and interesting people, chances are you're using Expedia to plan your trips.

Originally started by the Windows giant Microsoft, the online travel service was later spun off as a separate entity because it was "no longer about software intensive technology" and they were "concerned that they would not do their best at this."

Since then, Expedia's been doing great: it's grown into a multi-billion dollar business and is now the world's largest full-service online travel company. Expedia.com is ranked the 138th website in the United States by the web traffic reporting service Alexa.

They have a decent iOS application and now Expedia is offering free iPhone and iPad apps related to traveling as part of its new 'Media Lounge' service.

Expedia Hotels & Flights for iOS has been bumped to version 3.6 and can now be downloaded free from the App Store. Hit the break for more info...

Video pits Apple’s Touch ID against Samsung’s Galaxy S5 fingerprint scanner

Cody Lee ∙ April 4, 2014

Following the debut of the iPhone 5s and its Touch ID fingerprint scanner in October last year, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S5 with its own fingerprint recognition tech. The handset was unveiled last month, and is slated to launch for major carriers on April 11.

The two scanners are quite different, with Touch ID requiring a press-and-hold action and Samsung's solution more of a swiping motion, but they essentially serve the same purpose. So we thought this new video comparing the two of them was worth a look...

Greenpeace praises Apple and others for helping build a greener Internet

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 2, 2016

Apple has quite the history with environmental organization Greenpeace. The outfit has panned the iPad maker several times over the years for using toxic chemicals in its products and other non-green practices—it even staged a protest outside of its Cupertino headquarters back in 2012.

A lot has changed over the years, however, and this week, instead of protesting Apple, Greenpeace took to the skies to praise it and other companies for helping build 'a greener Internet.' That image you see above is of a blimp that the environmental advocacy group flew over Silicon Valley...

IFTTT now plays nice with iPad, offers iOS Notification Center integration

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 3, 2014

IFTTT (If This Then That) is a powerful web automation services that lets you create complex rules called recipes to automatically perform actions when certain values change or criteria are met.

For instance, I use an IFTTT recipe which automatically changes my profile pic on Twitter and other social networks whenever my Facebook profile image changes. Used it wisely and IFTTT can save you from repetitive task.

And beacuse I'm not an animal, I've grown to like IFTTT a lot and depend on it. In its latest version 2.0 update that surfaced on the App Store earlier today, IFTTT now plays nice with iPads while introducing new triggers and Recipe collections, including the tremendously useful iOS Notification Center one!

Hit the break for the full reveal...

Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf is Apple’s new Free App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 3, 2014

If last week's Free App of the Week - Lucas Zanotto’s alphabet and math learning app called Drawnimal - wasn't your cup of tea, worry not as Apple refreshes its ongoing App Store promotion every Thursday.

Today's obviously the day a new Apple-curated app goes temporarily free for a week. Released by publisher Bulkypix, Joe Dever's Lone Wolf is a half gamebook and half action role-playing game based on the works of Joe Dever.

The author himself was involved in this game from the get-go, working with the studio to adapt the storyline so it fits with the original continuity. In addition to a brand-new story, Lone Wolf features great graphics, a new combat system, non-linear gameplay, lock-picking mini games, the dynamic turn-based combat system and lots more.

Lone Wolf is available free until next Thursday so best thing you grab it now before it goes back up again to its normal asking price of five bucks a pop...

Apple purchased speech recognition firm Novauris last year to bolster Siri team

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Just a day after Microsoft unveiled its digital assistant 'Cortana' to rave reviews, news has surfaced that Apple has been making moves to bring its own assistant up to speed. TechCrunch is reporting this morning that the Cupertino company has purchased speech recognition firm Novauris, and the group is now working on the Siri team.

Novauris is highly-regarded in the world of speech recognition. Founded in March 2002 by well-known speech researchers and ex Dragon Systems engineers, the firm's technology is used in a variety of products by companies like Verizon Wireless, Panasonic, Alpine and BMW, and can be operated in both the embedded and server space...

Facebook rolling out free VoiP calling in Messenger to everyone

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 3, 2014

Ever since launching its totally redesigned Messenger app last November, the social networking giant Facebook's been dragging its feet in terms of enabling VoIP calling for everyone.

For users in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, this useful feature has been part of the old Messenger app for quite some time now.

Today, Facebook issued a minor update to Messenger for iOS that seemingly enables free voice calling over Wi-Fi and low-cost calls over cellular for everyone.

The update is available in the App Store so grab it now and check out free calling in Facebook Messenger...

Happy birthday, iPad! Here’s how you changed my Mom’s life.

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 3, 2014

The iPad launched to the public on April 3, 2010 so we though it'd be cool to celebrate the occasion by recapping the incredible four years of the post-PC revolution Apple's device ushered in 4 years ago today.

The iPad is many things to many people. It transforms itself to whatever one wants it to be, thanks to the power of software and the more than 500,000 beautifully designed apps, created specifically for it.

Do you remember seeing Steve Jobs demo web browsing on the iPad for the first time? I know I was completely sold on this idea of holding the Internet in my hand. Since getting my first iPad, I've spent countless hours before bedtime with it just catching up on news, hanging on Twitter and what not.

You should know I'd never done that on any of my notebooks, they were just too clunky to hold comfortably in one hand. And, I've long given up squinting at small type on tiny smartphone screens.

If you'd told me back then that soon most of my research, entertainment and online activities would happen on a tablet, I'd have called you nuts for sure. And here we are four years later with the iPad as my primary computer.

Want to take a trip down memory lane? Read on...

Unique physics-based platformer Monument Valley just hit iOS and it’s insanely great

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Right upon seeing a trailer for Monument Valley, I was drawn to this surreal physics-based iOS game of platforms and perspectives with a twist, to such a great degree that I immediately bought it without thinking.

Created by Ustwo, the same minds who brought us Blip Blup and Whale Trail, the game is an insta-purchase and easily one of the most visual striking titles to grace Apple's mobile platform since its inception.

Now available for the iPhone and iPad in exchange for four bucks, Monument Valley challenges you to manipulate impossible architecture and guide the silent princess Ida through a stunningly beautiful world.

I've included gorgeous screenshots, videos and additional tidbits below the fold...

Pebble iOS app is back on the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 3, 2017

Smartwatch maker Pebble recently issued an update to its companion iOS app, but was quickly forced to pull the software over a fatal flaw that broke the Bluetooth connection between the smartwatch and the iPhone, rendering your Pebble non-functional.

As developers fixed the issue, the Pebble app has just been re-released on the App Store.

Available now free of charge, Pebble version 2.1.1 fixes issue with the previous version while introducing new watchfaces and a couple new features.

Jump past the fold to learn more...

Apple confirms WWDC 2014 kicking off June 2

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple on Thursday confirmed via a press release that its annual summer pilgrimage for developers, Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), will be kicking off on Monday, June 2, at San Francisco’s Moscone West.

The five-day conference will focus on "the future of iOS and OS X,", indicating that Apple will give us a preview of iOS 8 and the next iteration of its desktop operating system for Macs, OS X.

There will be more than a hundred technical sessions and over a thousand Apple engineers will be available to registered developers to help them integrate new technologies and fine tune their apps.

Apple will also hold its traditional Apple Design Awards to showcase the best apps from the past year and of course hold the keynote on the first day to update us on latest business metrics and hopefully announce "exciting new products" CEO Tim Cook has been teasing for months now...

Amazon unveils its Apple TV competitor: meet the $99 Fire TV set-top box

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Amazon has just taken the wraps off its new media-streaming device designed to compete with the likes of Apple's $99 Apple TV hockey puck, Roku devices and other media-streaming boxes available to cable-cutters today.

It's rather predictably called the Fire TV in a nod to the successful Kindle Fire tablet brand, costs $99 and runs a forked Android version code-named 'Mojito'.

Powered by a quad-core processor with 2GB RAM and a dedicated graphics processor, the set-top box is capable of streaming full HD 1080p resolution video (1,920-by-1,080 pixels) and Amazon claims it's three times more powerful than the Apple TV.

It supports 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus surround sound via HDMI and optical audio-out, has dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi, comes with a Bluetooth remote and ties into Amazon's vast ecosystem of digital content licensed from Hollywood majors and broadcasters.

I don't think Apple should be concerned because the Fire TV's user interface appears clunky (I even like Chromecast's better) and it's hard to see much that isn't already out there, though I have no doubt in my mind that the Fire TV is here to stay and tie existing Amazon customers even deeper into its ecosystem.

Read on for the full reveal...