Rumors

WSJ: Google working on Android game console, smartwatch and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

This is kind of interesting. Hot on the heels of reports that iOS 7 contains proper third-party support for physical game controllers comes word that Google is hard at work building a full-fledged gaming console and smartwatch based on its Android operating system.

The story comes from The Wall Street Journal, who reported last night that the Mountain View-based company is looking to expand its mobile platform beyond smartphones and tablets, and is hoping to combat similar devices that Apple may release in the future...

Apple sending out iTunes Radio terms to indie record labels

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

In dramatic fashion, Apple's iTunes Radio negotiations with the top 3 record labels came down to the wire. After a number of setbacks, the company was determined to unveil its new streaming music service at WWDC. And it reportedly spent the days leading up to its keynote closing deals.

But now that the [beta] launch has come and gone, Apple is looking to expand its streaming library. According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, the company has been talking to various indie music labels, letting them know how the royalty pay scale work on the new service...

iOS 7 allows developers to detect blinking and smiling in photos

Cody Lee ∙ June 25, 2013

As the tech community continues to dig through the iOS 7 betas, a new feature has been discovered. Apple's next-generation mobile operating system contains new APIs that allow developers to detect blinking and smiling in photos.

Now, iOS has had basic facial recognition for a couple of years now (since version 5). But according to a new report, Apple has added new image detectors in iOS 7 that are capable of identifying certain facial expressions in photographs...

P0sixninja hints at upcoming release: ‘think bigger than jailbreak’

Cody Lee ∙ June 25, 2013

This is kind of interesting. Joshua Hill, better known as the iOS hacker p0sixninja, sent out a bit of a cryptic message from his Twitter account last night saying that he has a lot of amazing things coming to 'us all' soon.

Hill, who has helped build a number of jailbreaks including Greenpois0n and Absinthe, has been fairly quiet lately. But he did say back in March that he had independently discovered enough exploits to build a new hack...

Microsoft to port ‘Age of Empires’ and other games to the iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ June 24, 2013

It appears that Microsoft is really warming up to the idea of launching apps on Apple's mobile platform. Last week, it released Office Mobile for the iPhone, and today comes word that the Redmond company is looking to bring a number of games to the handset as well.

Reuters is reporting this afternoon that Microsoft is planning to port several of its Xbox and Windows games to the iPhone this year. It's apparently contracted Japanese gaming firm KLab Inc. to handle the heavy lifting, and its first title will be Age of Empires...

Facebook reportedly working on Flipboard-style reader for iOS

Cody Lee ∙ June 24, 2013

According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Facebook has been quietly working on a new service for the past year that displays content from users and publishers in a format, tailored for mobile devices, similar to Flipboard.

We've seen a number of new products this year from Zuckerberg's team, as the company continues to try and evolve from being 'just a social networking service.' There was the search graph, then Facebook Home, and now there's Reader...

New photos of alleged iPhone 5S with dual LED flash surface

Cody Lee ∙ June 21, 2013

As the iPhone 5 nears the end of its 12-month life cycle, rumors regarding Apple's next-generation handset are beginning to pick up. It's believed that the phone, which is expected to be called the iPhone 5S, is already in production.

And when devices go into production, it becomes harder to control component leaks. That might explain how the folks who took these two photos got their hands on what appears to be a nearly complete (minus the display) iPhone 5S...

Pegatron CEO says Apple’s budget iPhone won’t be ‘cheap’

Cody Lee ∙ June 20, 2013

Speaking at his company's shareholders meeting on Thursday, Pegatron CEO T.H. Tung made some interesting comments on Apple's often rumored 'budget iPhone.' He said don't expect the handset to be inexpensive, as the "price [on it] is still high."

For those unfamiliar with Pegatron, it's a manufacturing company and one of Foxconn's biggest rivals. The CEO's comments seem to confirm earlier reports that Apple has chosen the company, over Foxconn, as its primary budget iPhone maker...

AllThingsD confirms Facebook will unveil Instagram video sharing on Thursday

Cody Lee ∙ June 18, 2013

Last week, Facebook started sending out mysterious invitations to press members via snail mail for a June 20th event. At the time, no one knew what it was planning to unveil at the presser, since it's already taken the wraps off its Home project.

Today, though, it looks like we finally have our answer. According to a new report from AllThingsD, the rumors are true—Instagram has been working on a new video sharing service. And Facebook is going to show it off during Thursday's event...

Jony Ive reportedly had Apple’s marketing team design iOS 7 icons

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Since the moment Apple unveiled its completely redesigned mobile OS on Monday, the comments regarding its UI, and particularly the new icons, have been flowing nonstop. Some folks like the changes, and others refuse to believe it's the product of Apple designers.

And as it turns out, the latter group may be right. Sort of. A new report is out this afternoon claiming that there are explainable reasons behind the strange-looking app icons and inconsistant UX in iOS 7. And according to insiders, it's still a major work in progress...

Google reportedly set to buy Waze for $1.3 billion

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

An Israeli newspaper is reporting today that Google has won the bidding war for the popular crowd-sourced navigation app Waze. The two companies are in the process of finalizing an acquisition deal said to be worth $1.3 billion.

The report comes after several months of speculation that Waze was in buyout talks with a number of tech giants including Apple, and more recently Facebook—all with price tags in the neighborhood of a billion dollars...

Gruber: all the iOS 7 leaks are wrong

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

During this week's episode of The Talk Show podcast, well known Apple dot connector and author of the popular blog Daring Fireball John Gruber offered up a few tidbits he's heard about what Apple may unveil at its WWDC keynote tomorrow.

While he notes that he has heard very little about what Apple has in store for this year, Gruber says that he has heard from somebody who is familiar with the company's plans that "all of the leaks are wrong" in regards to iOS 7...