Apple

Flipboard updates iOS app, revamps Cover Stories to surface cool content

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Flipboard, the wildly successful magazine-format news aggregator, has updated its iPhone and iPad application with a pair of tweaks while announcing a redesign of Cover Stories aimed at making your story highlights resemble newspaper front pages. In addition to some bug fixes and performance improvements, Flipboard 2.2.3 now makes it possible to add bookmarks to your Safari Reading List.

Another minor change: you can now copy an article's URL in your device's browser, then open Flipboard for the option to add it to your magazines. You'll be more interested in the redesign of Cover Stories which Flipboard hopes will surface more relevant content from your subscriptions...

Bug in iCloud web portal hints at future Bookmarks support

Cody Lee ∙ January 29, 2014

It's been discovered today that an error on Apple's iCloud web portal displays a "Coming Soon" message for iCloud Bookmarks, suggesting that the feature may soon be available on the website. This would allow users to remotely access their bookmarks using virtually any browser.

The page, which you can see in the screenshot above, appears briefly when visiting this URL from your computer. It was originally accessed by installing the Chrome extension for the iCloud Control Panel for Windows on a PC, and so far, no one is quite sure what to make of it...

Microsoft’s Bing Rewards program now available on iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Microsoft launched Bing Rewards in September 2010 in a desperate attempt to get people search the web with Bing. Bing Rewards provides credits to users of major desktop browsers through regular Bing searches and special promotions.

Today, Bing Rewards is going mobile as the program has just been extended to owners of iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

Rather surprisingly, the Windows maker said that Bing Rewards was “coming soon” to Windows Phone devices. Bing Rewards replaced Microsoft's similarly conceived initiatives, SearchPerks! and Bing Cashback...

Apple releases iOS 7.0.5 with minor bug fixes for select iPhones

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 5, 2014

Apple has released a public update for iOS this morning, bringing the firmware to version 7.0.5. The release comes more than two months after iOS 7.0.4, and appears to only bring about a handful of bug fixes.

In fact, what the change log says is that the update is only available for certain models of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c sold in China—meaning many won't see it. It corrects network provisioning for the handset...

Automatic’s software update just turned your car into an iBeacon

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Automatic's app-enabled smart driving assistant is genius. The $99.95 accessory connects to the mobile app to not only give you driving feedback and crash alerts, but also help diagnose check engine codes and lots more - because "small changes in your driving behavior can lead to huge savings over time".

And with the latest software update, every Automatic on the road has just became an iBeacon.

iBeacon, as you know, is Apple’s Bluetooth 4.0-based micro-positioning wireless standard. The new software opens the door to some pretty exciting possibilities, stuff like auto-payments for parking or gas fill-ups, for example...

AT&T offering $100 per-line bill credit to new and existing customers

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 29, 2014

Apparently in response to T-Mobile's ongoing Un-carrier initiative, the second-largest U.S. carrier, AT&T, on Wednesday announced a new time-limited promotion that incenitivizes both existing and new subscribers with a $100 credit.

Customers are invited to activate a qualifying wireless line for any smartphone, feature phone, tablet, wireless home phone, MiFi puck or other connected device to claim their $100 bill credit per each line...

Apple to participate in ConnectED program to help bring high-speed Internet to U.S. schools

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 6, 2017

Apple, along with other Silicon Valley titans such as Microsoft and carriers like Verizon and Sprint, is going to work with the United States government to help connect schools on America with high-speed broadband Internet. The Obama administration wants to connect as much as 99 percent of schools to high-speed Internet over the next four years and companies like Apple should help advance that effort...

This commercial replaces the drones in Apple’s ‘1984’ Macintosh ad with Wall Street men in suits

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Apple ran its famous ‘1984’ Macintosh ad during the Super Bowl XVIII 30 years ago this month and advertising legend Lee Clow earlier this week hinted the company may be looking to advertise the Mac’s 30th anniversary during the Super Bowl XLVIII.

The $900,000 ad was also aired only one other time on television, on December 31, 1983 right before the 12:00 midnight sign-off on KMVT in Twin Falls, Idaho.

There have been countless attempts to copy the concept of Apple's award-winning commercial. Back in 2011, Motorola’s Xoom tablet ad played on the Big Brother theme, for example.

And now, financial services company Aspiration Partners LLC has created a take on '1984' which replaces the drones in Apple’s ad with Wall Street men in suits, watch it embedded right after the break...

Gmail bug may have had you accidentally delete emails, report others as spam

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 29, 2014

A nasty bug has been discovered in Gmail that may have had you accidentally delete your email messages while reporting others as spam, Google warned Wednesday. The issue occurred on the web, the Gmail web app and its iOS application between January 15 and January 22 and is now fixed, the Internet giant said. You may want to take a look inside your spam and trash folders for any messages sent between January 12-21 that don't belong there...

Despite T-Mobile’s Un-carrier, AT&T adds 809,000 new subscribers in Christmas quarter

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

The nation's second-largest wireless carrier, AT&T, yesterday reported its Christmas quarter earnings revealing steady growth, despite T-Mobile's taunts and its Un-carrier initiative. Although AT&T (and Verizon) stopped divulging iPhone activations, the carrier confirmed selling 7.9 million smartphones in the quarter, a decline from the 10.2 million smartphones it activated a year ago.

They added a cool 1.2 million new subscribers and upgrades by old subscribers. Of that number, 809,000 connections were new subscribers and 566,000 were postpaid wireless customers with a contract. Go past the fold for the full breakdown...

Pundit makes the case for a solar-powered iPhone 6

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2018

It would seem that much of the tech world is expecting Apple to give its iPhone line a significant refresh this year. The company is believed to be working on not one, but two new models with larger displays, and of course there will be the usual performance bumps.

But if you ask Matt Margolis of Seeking Alpha, the iPhone 6 may feature much more than just a larger display. The analyst thinks the handset could utilize a sapphire display with an embedded solar power panel, and he makes a pretty interesting case for the theory...

Apple’s iOS in the Car project reportedly plagued by ‘organizational issues’

Cody Lee ∙ January 28, 2014

Apple announced iOS in the Car at WWDC in June of last year. The company said that the new feature will allow iOS 7 device users to connect to the in-car displays of compatible vehicles, and that it would be launching it in the near future.

But here we are, roughly 6 months later, and while we've seen photos and videos of it in action, we have yet to see any sign of a public iOS in the Car release. So what's the holdup? A new report attributes the delay to 'organizational issues.'