Apple

iPhone 4S/5 users to get Wireless Emergency Alerts via AT&T

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 29, 2016

U.S. carrier AT&T announced Friday that its subscribers will soon start receiving Wireless Emergency Alerts to their iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 devices. Text notifications will include AMBER, Imminent Threat and Presidential Alerts and will be enabled following an upcoming carrier update pushed out to iPhone devices running iOS 6.1 or later.

Of the three types of alerts, users will be able to disable AMBER and Imminent Threat alerts. Presidential alerts, which are sent straight from the President, can't be turned off...

AT&T’s GoPhone prepaid sevice now available on 4G LTE and HSPA+

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 14, 2013

GoPhone, a prepaid wireless service from U.S. carrier AT&T, used to be a 3G-only affair. But not anymore.

Just like clockwork, the carrier Friday announced that GoPhone customers can now enjoy fast data speeds not only on its third-generation HSPA+ network (unfairly billed as 4G), but also on the fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network.

Compared to 3G, 4G LTE offers ten times higher data throughput. The telco also added Samsung's Galaxy Express to its GoPhone device portfolio and said folks can also bring their own HSPA+ or LTE smartphone...

Apple website graphics shows iOS 7 on iPads

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 20, 2013

Despite CEO Tim Cook's management shakeup last year, Apple's marketing and website departments don't seem to collaborate closely enough. In what could only be attributed to a human error, image files discovered on Apple's website earlier today offered a glimpse into iOS 7 icons different from the current iOS 7 Beta 1.

Another find involves graphics outlining device compatibility, with an image depicting iOS 7 running on the iPad and iPad mini...

Mistake on Apple’s website shows different iOS 7 app icons

Cody Lee ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

This is kind of interesting. New versions of some of the stock app icons in iOS 7 have been spotted on Apple's website. The reason for the changes is not yet known, but the app icons have received the blunt of the criticism thus far regarding Apple's new mobile OS.

Some of the new icons are starkly different than the ones seen in the first developer beta of iOS 7, while others appear to only feature subtle differences. And it's not clear if this was a mistake on Apple's part, or these will be the new app icons in iOS going forward...

A closer look at Messages in iOS 7

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 27, 2013

Messaging is arguably one of the most oft-used features of mobile devices. And with folks overwhelmingly embracing services like WhatsApp, little wonder instant messaging has overtaken traditional SMS by volume. The October 2011 iMessage unveiling signaled an era of frictionless communication between Apple device owners, made convenient by blurring the line between SMS and IM.

iOS 7 elevates that experience by making it prettier while implementing a few evolutionary improvements. That said, the iOS 7 Messages app is nonetheless a pretty big departure from iOS 6. But don't worry - iDB has you covered...

Apple still leading apps and profits in iOS-Android horserace

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

From a distance, the horse race between Apple's iOS and Google's Android appears as if the open-source mobile operating system is a clear winner. However, a closer look reveals other levels of competition not so clearly defined.

Android unmistakably is the leader when it comes to the share of mobile devices being shipped. The inexpensive operating system is also ahead in attracting developing nations, such as India and China. But don't cry for Apple, according to mobile advertising network Flurry. The iPhone maker tops Android for app usage, as well as profits...

Google testimony helps Apple with e-book trial

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 14, 2013

So rarely do we see the complete dismantling of a witness in an otherwise dull tech trial. However, Apple's defense lawyer last week dissected a Google executive's claim of a conversation with publishers indicating Apple required they all sign on to an agency contract.

On the stand, Google's Thomas Turvey admitted a direct conversation with the publishers he earlier told the court likely never happened.

Not only does the testimony from Google's director of strategic partnerships make it appear the Apple rival is just out to get its competitor, but it throws a wet blanket on an antitrust case which up to yesterday was going the way of the Department of Justice.

However, the weighty issue of whether Apple's e-book agency pricing model restricted competition was overshadowed by the legal showdown and witness meltdown...

Apple now reportedly adding 500,000 new iTunes accounts per day

Cody Lee ∙ June 14, 2013

Aside from its iPhone sales, and total iOS device sales, another stat Apple likes to tout is its number of iTunes accounts. At the beginning of the company's WWDC keynote earlier this week, Tim Cook announced that there are now more than 575 million registered iTunes users.

Cook claims that iTunes is the largest online service with credit cards connected, which is pretty impressive. But perhaps even more impressive is its staggering growth rate. A new report from expert number-cruncher Horace Dediu claims Apple is adding 500k accounts per day...

Apple said to be working with Logitech and others on MFi gamepads

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Yesterday we talked a little bit about a new feature (or rather, developer API) in iOS 7 that offers support for MFi (Made for iPhone) certified hardware game controllers. This will be the first time that Apple has officially supported third party gamepads.

Today a few more details have surfaced about Apple's plans regarding these controllers. A new report is out this afternoon claiming that the Cupertino company is working with the likes of Logitech and MOGA to produce a new line of iOS gaming peripherals...

Google+ notifications will soon sync across devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

One of the annoyances about notifications in today's multi-platform world is the alert conundrum. We've all been there: an alert comes in, you act on it on one device and yet it doesn't clear on the other. And with apps constantly producing all sorts of notifications, managing these things across our gadgets is tricky, to put it mildly.

Matter of fact, you'd be right to argue that notifications tend to get a little out of hand, up to the point where they turn your daily computing into a nightmare.

Apple feels your pain: that's why it gave iOS 7 a new Notification Sync feature where reading a notification on your iPad automatically marks it as read on your iPhone, and vice versa, courtesy of iCloud. Google isn't standing still either: today, the search monster started rolling Google+ notification sync across the web, Android and iOS...

Apple’s key ‘rubber banding’ patent validated by US Patent Office

Cody Lee ∙ June 13, 2013

Apple's 'rubber banding' patent has been under heavy scrutiny in recent months, invalidated twice by the US Patent Office. It used the patent, which pertains to a software feature that allows content to 'bounce back' during scrolling, in its big $1 billion victory over Samsung.

But good news today for the Cupertino company. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (or USPTO) has said it will issue a re-examination certificate that confirms the formerly invalidated invention, clearing up any doubts of the patent's weight or validity...