Apple

Google Maps and Earth gain high-resolution imagery from Landsat 8 satellite

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2016

Google is upgrading the quality of aerial imagery for the satellite view that's available in Google Maps and Google Earth services. According to a blog post yesterday, both mapping services now offer crisp high-definition satellite imagery of Earth without clouds captured by Landsat 8, an Earth observation satellite launched on February 11, 2013 in a collaboration between NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

New Chinese regulations would have Apple track App Store users and developers

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 7, 2017

After ordering an iPhone 6 sales ban over alleged copyright infringement and shuttering the iBooks Store and iTunes Movies, Chinese regulators are now applying increased pressure on foreign technology companies doing business in the world's most populous market of 1.35 billion people.

According to Bloomberg, firms like Apple that operate app stores in the country will be forced to track the identities of users and developers with real-name registration in case they violate the country's stringent censorship laws.

Amazon debuts new Page Flip feature for Kindle apps and devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2016

Online retail giant Amazon on Tuesday announced a new Page Flip feature for its Kindle lineup of e-readers and mobile apps. Page Flip lets you flip back and forth between pages to reference different parts of the book while you read, without losing track of your current reading position. With Page Flip, you can turn one page at a time or zoom out to a bird’s eye view of your book to quickly choose the page you want.

iOS 10 tidbit: prioritizing App Store downloads with 3D Touch

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2016

In addition to using 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to cancel or pause in-progress app downloads, iOS 10 lets you prioritize a single App Store download at the expense of the other ones with 3D Touch. Reddit user “nite_” stumbled upon this feature while restoring his iPhone running a beta of iOS 10 from an iCloud backup, allowing him to prioritize the bulk download of apps with 3D Touch.

New invention paves the way for iPhones that’d optimize UI for left-handed users

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2016

The Apple Watch is designed for both left and right-handed use via a switch that prompts it to optimize the watchOS user interface for left-handed users. A similar feature could be headed to future iPhones as the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) a few days ago awarded the firm a patent for “Electronic Devices with Hand Detection Circuitry” that might let a future iPhone detect how it's being held and tweak the Home screen and other aspects of the iOS user interface for left-handed users.

Apple to reveal June quarter numbers on July 26

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2016

Apple will talk sales, revenue, profitability, the cost of doing business and other financial metrics pertaining to its third fiscal quarter, which translates into the second calendar quarter of this year, on July 26, according to an announcement posted on the Apple Investor webpage.

A conference call in which the company will discuss the latest quarterly results with investors and Wall Street analysts is scheduled for Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 2pm Pacific / 5pm Eastern.

iOS 10 preview: keep yourself well-rested with Bedtime and Wake alarm

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 10, 2023

In addition to a gorgeous new dark interface, the Clock app on iOS 10 packs i a little-known but useful new feature— Bedtime and Wake alarm. With it, you can set up a regular sleep schedule to receive reminders when it's time to hit the bed and wake up.

By making it easier than ever to create a regular sleep schedule and receive timely bedtime alerts, this feature could help the insomniac types get a good night's sleep. With that in mind, watch our video hands-on and read a detailed preview of the new Bedtime and Wake alarm feature in iOS 10's Clock app.

Apple’s fitness guru talks Breathe app and bringing meditation to your wrist

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 27, 2016

Jay Blahnik, Apple's Director of Fitness and Health technologies who was a Nike contract athlete and consultant for over eighteen years, sat down with BuzzFeed News reporter Stephanie Lee three days ago to discuss an interesting addition to the Apple Watch's arsenal of health-focused software technologies: the new Breathe app in watchOS 3.

Check out rainbow Apple Watch strap Apple gave to employees

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 27, 2016

Showing support for gay rights, Apple employees who over the weekend participated in San Francisco’s LGBT Pride festival were treated to a custom rainbow strap for the Apple Watch. Reddit user 'Sakusuhon' kindly posted an image of the limited-edition rainbow-colored strap Apple included along with a greeting card to show its appreciation for those who attended the San Francisco event.

Twitter introduces searchable #Stickers for your tweet images

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 27, 2016

Twitter on Monday announced a new feature that will start rolling out soon, searchable #Stickers to adorn your tweet images with. With this feature, users can put multiple stickers on a photo, resize and rotate them and place them anywhere on the image before it's tweeted out.

These rotating sticker sets are categorized and include hundreds of accessories, emoji and props to make your photos more interesting and fun.

“Use them to share what you’re doing or how you’re feeling, to show support for a cause, or to just add some flair,” said Twitter.

Report reiterates that Apple is working on Bragi Dash-like fully wireless EarPods

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 27, 2016

There's been a lot of debate lately among Apple watchers as to whether or not the next iPhone, which the rumor-mill thinks will ditch the 3.5mm audio jack and rely on Bluetooth and Lightning headsets, will ship with a wireless version of the EarPods headphones or one of Beats' wireless headphones.

9to5Mac is now reiterating prior reports, saying Apple is indeed working on its own fully wireless EarPods that should resemble the Bragi Dash.

Rumor: Apple Watch 2 has GPS, is more waterproof and tracks swimming

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 27, 2016

A second generation Apple Watch is rumored to embed not only cellular connection for network connectivity without its paired iPhone, but also a dedicated GPS for accurate workout logging without the need to carry the handset. That's assuming you believe a sketchy report published this morning by 9to5Mac and credited to an anonymous source with unproven track record.

The same source also said that the Workout app on the Apple Watch 2 would gain the ability to track swimming.