Apple

How to access Apple’s secret internal SpringBoard settings menu on iOS 7

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

As predicted, the flood of new tweaks has started to pour in. The latest tweak, one called HiddenSettings7, allows users to access Apple's hidden internal SpringBoard settings menu. This menu, which contains a plethora of settings to garner fine grained control over the look and feel of your device's SpringBoard, is accessible via a shortcut found in Control Center.

We've taken the liberty to film a high level overview of HiddenSettings7 for you to enjoy. Have a look inside to see where to get the tweak and how to access a wealth of new settings.

Reviews agree: the new Mac Pro is a dream desktop with some serious oomph for pros

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 17, 2017

Apple's radical new Mac Pro went on sale last week and despite critics slamming it for Apple's high asking price (although it isn’t more than you’d pay for a similarly configured Windows PC), shipping estimates for the re-engineered pro desktop slipped to February 2014 just hours after release, indicating pent-up demand among creative professionals.

Though baseline configurations of the Texas-built machine started shipping to first customers yesterday, those who purchased built-to-order machines will have to wait a month or so. Meanwhile, first Mac Pro reviews have hit the web and the verdict is unanimous: this is every video editor/creative pro's dream machine...

Tim Cook said to be working on $4 billion iPad deal with Turkish president

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Tim Cook is reportedly scheduled to travel to Turkey next year for the opening of Apple's first retail store in the country. The store is located in the city of Istanbul, in the Zorlu Center, and is expected to open on February 4, 2014.

But according to a new report, that won't be Cook's only order of business for the visit. The CEO is also believed to be meeting with President Abdullah Gül to discuss a potential education iPad deal worth between $3 and $4 billion...

Apple researching hover touch sensing and embedded heart rate monitoring

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

A pair of patent applications filed with the United States Patent & Trademark Office earlier in the week have hinted that Apple's iPhone could gain a new sensor letting the smartphone detect your cardiac signal when it's picked up. The invention would permit your iPhone to identify you by your heartbeat.

Furthermore, the company appears to be researching hover sensing technology like that found on Samsung's Galaxy S4, which is capable of detecting touch events even when a user's finger is not really in contact with the touchscreen...

Free OpenEmu 1.0 console emulator is now available to download for Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 24, 2013

Those of you old enough to remember the golden age of 8 and 16-bit console gaming are in for a real Christmas treat as the OpenEmu console emulator is now available to download for the Mac. After an extensive period of beta testing, OpenEmu 1.0 finally launched yesterday.

This open source project makes possible game emulation on OS X for a variety of high-profile legendary consoles, including Sega's Genesis, Nintendo's Game Boy, GameBoy Color, Game Boy Advance and Entertainment System (the popular NES), as well as other third-party consoles such as the Game Gear, NeoGeo Pocket and more...

Apple’s ‘Rockstar Consortium’ considering Nortel patent sale

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

In 2011, Apple teamed up with a number of tech companies including Microsoft and BlackBerry to form what many called the 'Rockstar consortium' to purchase a collection of over 4,000 patents from Nortel, a communications company that went bankrupt in 2009.

Bloomberg is now reporting that the consortium is currently holding discussion regarding a potential sale of a portion of the patents—which it paid in upwards of $4.5 billion for—after several attempts to land large licensing deals from other companies have failed...

Apple posts slides, videos from iOS 7 Tech Talk tour

Cody Lee ∙ December 23, 2013

Every year, Apple hosts a series of Tech Talk developer sessions around the globe. They're very similar to the sessions held at Apple's annual World Wide Developer Conference in June, but obviously on a much broader scale.

This year's iOS 7 Tech Talks ran from October through December, in various cities like London, New York and Shanghai. And for those that couldn't make it in person, Apple's just posted slides and videos from the sessions online...

New report suggests iOS 7.1 may not be released until March

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Following the release of iOS 7.1 beta 2 to developers last week, BGR is reporting that Apple has seeded a new build of the software update to carrier partners. It's unclear when Apple will push the new beta to devs, but the site says a public release is still months away.

Citing a 'trusted source,' BGR's Jonathan Geller reports that Apple plans to rollout iOS 7.1 in March of next year. That means we're still a roughly 3 months out, and that the update would've been in testing for more than 4 months—a fairly long time for a '.1' release...

Apple believed to have acquired mapping firm BroadMap, note-taking app Catch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

During Apple's latest earnings call, Tim Cook noted that the company made 15 'strategic acquisitions' during its fiscal 2013. But out of those 15 purchases, we've only heard about 9 or 10 of them, begging the question: who else did Apple buy this year?

Mark Gurman over at 9to5Mac has a pretty good theory about at least two of them. Citing sources inside Apple, as well as evidence from LinkedIn and other sites, Gurman is reporting that Apple also acquired mapping firm BroadMap and Catch this year...

Poll: who has the best holiday ad – Apple, Samsung or Nokia?

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 23, 2013

Apple a week ago begun airing its nicely done iPhone 5s holiday ad. Titled 'Misunderstood', the tear-inducing video tells a tale of an introverted teenage boy who surprises his family with a thoughtful holiday gift, an iMovie clip he created on his iPhone 5s to cherish the time his family spent together.

The 90-second spot bursts with emotion and is now all over the place: it's been prominently featured during yesterday's NFL game, for example. More importantly, it seems to have been well-received due to its powerful emotional aspect.

Samsung and Microsoft-owned Nokia meanwhile have fired their own ad salvo in their national battle for the hearts and minds of consumers this holiday season...

Revamped Things 3 coming in 2014 with ‘great new features’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 18, 2018

German developer Cultured Code is celebrating the millionth sale of Things, it's high-end to-do and productivity application for the iPhone, iPad and Mac, so the team fittingly announced the upcoming arrival of Things 3. A major revision, Things 3 will bring substantial user interface redesign but it won't be just about the looks as Cultured Code promised some "great new features" to go with the redesign.

And in celebrating the app's milestone, the team is giving away some Mac hardware on Christmas Day. Full details follow below...

New rumor calls for 12.9-inch iPad in October 2014, iPhablet in May 2014

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 23, 2013

A new rumor out from Taiwan alleges that Apple will release a large form-factor iPad with a screen measuring 12.9 inches diagonally in October of next year, primarily aimed at the education market. The next iPhone, the one with a larger screen compared to today's four-inch iPhone 5s/5c, is apparently scheduled to go on sale in May 2014.

I'm not buying the May release date because Apple has never released an iPhone in May. Besides, this would break Apple's tradition of releasing new iPhones in Fall, the practice Tim Cook established with the iPhone 4s introduction on October 4, 2011...