Apple

Apple has acquired Burstly, the company behind iOS testing platform TestFlight

Cody Lee ∙ February 21, 2014

TechCrunch is reporting that Apple has acquired Burstly, the company behind the popular iOS testing platform TestFlight. There's no word on the details, or pricing, but the company has confirmed the acquisition and its employees are already working in Cupertino.

For those unfamiliar with the service, TestFlight allows developers to distribute its apps to beta testers before pushing them to the App Store for release. It's similar to HockeyApp, and several developers create their own testing platforms via Apple's enterprise program...

Apple brings another ad shop under its wing

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Apple for some time now has been moving to bulk up its in-house marketing team and bring a few of its favorite external ad shops under the same corporate umbrella. In the latest move, Rosetta, one of Apple's longtime advertising partners, has launched a new agency brand, Level, which appears to be exclusively dedicated to Apple. This is another example of Apple's ongoing efforts to consolidate all of its agency partners under the same roof...

Apple releases iOS 7.0.6, iOS 6.1.6 with various bug fixes

Cody Lee ∙ February 21, 2014

As we continue to wait for iOS 7.1 to be released to the public, Apple has seeded iOS 7.0.6 to the public this morning. The release comes a month after iOS 7.0.5 landed at the end of January, which also featured bug fixes for certain newer models of iPhones.

It also looks like Apple has released a similar bug fix for iOS 6 users in iOS 6.1.6 Both updates are available either over the air, by visiting Settings > General > Software Update, or by plugging your device in iTunes. Or you can find them on our Download page...

Samsung’s iBeacon is called Flybell

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 21, 2014

2014 could be the year we see indoor positioning and micro-location services become pervasive in our lives. Thank that to iBeacon, an Apple-designed new class of low-powered, low-cost transmitters that can notify nearby iOS 7 devices of their presence.

iBeacon technology can also be used by the Android operating system and chip makers like Qualcomm have taken notice and started churning out low-cost transmitters.

At its core, iBeacon lets iOS devices (or other hardware) send push notifications to other iOS devices in close proximity. Needless to say, fast-follower Samsung does not seem keen on supporting iBeacon in its products and instead is pursuing an in-house built solution.

According to a new patent application published by The United States Trademark and Patent Office (USPTO), the Galaxy maker's iBeacon is called Flybell and is being described as a “wireless beacon and corresponding software”...

Verizon completes purchase of Vodafone’s 45% stake in Verizon Wireless

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 21, 2014

Verizon last September announced that it has reached an agreement with Vodafone to buyout its 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless in one of the largest corporate acquisitions in history.

In December, the Big Red carrier won necessary approvals from the Federal Communications Commission and today the company announced that the acquisition has been completed - Verizon now owns 100 percent of the "industry-leading U.S. wireless carrier"...

Amazon’s TV box apparently arriving next month

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 21, 2014

We're expecting a major Apple TV update in March said to bring refreshed hardware that should support iOS 7 controllers and downloadable games. And now, word on the street is that the online retail giant Amazon is about to counter Apple's announcement with a set-top box of its own.

Amazon has been selling music, movies and television shows for years now, it rules the e-book space and has entered the tablet market so adding another piece of hardware that ties into the Amazon cloud should be a no-brainer...

Steve Jobs to appear on commemorative postage stamp next year

Cody Lee ∙ February 20, 2014

The United States Postal Service approved a number of stamps today that will be printed as part of a collectible series next year. The subjects of these stamps include Nintendo's Mario character, The Beatles' John Lennon and yes, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

While any member of the public can nominate someone to appear on a postage stamp, an advisory committee must review and then select those that go into production based on subjects that are "contemporary, timely, relevant, interesting and educational."

Apple once again expanding its North Carolina data center

Cody Lee ∙ February 20, 2014

According to permits filed with Catawba County, Apple is once again expanding its data center facilities in Maiden North Carolina. The plans say the new data center building will cover 14,246 square feet with walls 25 feet tall, made of concrete panels and steel columns.

The building will look very similar to the 'tactical' data center that Apple added to the site in 2012, and have a similar layout with banks of computers in the main portion of it and 11 air units to cool it. It will also feature various security measures, including a 'man-trap' door...

Walmart rollback: 16GB iPad 2 is now $299

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 25, 2016

Walmart's been frequently offering up various discounts concerning iPad 2 models. For example, its most recent iPad 2 sales promotion shaved $100 off in the form of a $100 electronic gift card.

Starting today, the entry-level Wi-Fi-only iPad 2 model with sixteen gigabytes of storage can be purchased over at the online and retail Walmart stores for as low as $299, a cool $100 saving over its retail price of $399.

The price change is the result of Walmart's rollback promotion, which occurs when a supplier gives Walmart a discount in the purchase price of a product. A rollback can be also the result of high demand.

This particular discount affects only the entry-level iPad 2 model. The Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad 2 still sells for $479, or $50 less versus Apple's asking price...

How Jony Ive almost gave up his industrial design course in college

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 20, 2014

Jony Ive, Apple's Senior Vice President of all Design across the company, is the world's top industrial designer and likely the most powerful figure inside Apple: Tim Cook may be steering the ship and making sure the trains run on time, but it's Jony Ive calling the shots in terms of product development and hardware/software design.

But more than twenty years ago, Ive almost gave up on his industrial design course in college, prompting renowned designer Tom Karen to meet with Ive's father and talk some senses into his teenaged son...

Google’s Project Tango: phone that maps 3D environments, senses depth and geometry

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 24, 2017

Imagine directions to a new location not stopping at the street address, or never getting lost in a new building again. Or, how about playing hide-and-seek in your house with your favorite game character or competing against a friend "for control over physical space with your own miniature army"?

That's the promise behind Project Tango, a new Google initiative which seeks to give mobile devices "a human-scale understanding of space and motion".

The brainchild of Google's Advanced Technology and Projects group, Project Tango is, on the surface, an unimpressive Android phone with a five-inch display and a four-megapixel camera.

But scratch deeper and you'll find custom hardware like two Computer Vision Processors, sensors for measuring geometry and seeing in three dimensions, a camera which tracks motion and other goodies that basically turn this handset into a device that can map your environments, track its motion in full 3D space and much more...

Waze gains Calendar support and event navigation

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 20, 2014

An update to Waze's free mapping, traffic and navigation app for the iPhone and iPad is about to land on the App Store later today, bringing integration with your iOS Calendar, the company wrote Thursday in a blog post.

More importantly, this Waze refresh allows you to navigate to Calendar events with just one tap, making it easy to access location-based events stored in the iOS Calendar, right within the app.

Waze for iPhone is available free of charge in the App Store. This particular update is expected to launch in the App Store later today...