Apple

New software promises to bring 3D Touch to any smartphone, no special hardware needed

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2016

Apple brought 3D Touch into this world with the introduction of the iPhone 6s in September 2015. Fast forward nine months and Android competitors are still struggling to outfit their devices with an array of force-sensing display sensors.

We know that Google's upcoming Android N will bring system-level support for pressure-sensing screens, but now folks at the University of Michigan have developed a technology that would bring 3D touch-like features to most smartphones, without making any hardware modification.

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How Apple’s advanced self-learning technologies could make Siri a lot smarter

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2016

The assistant wars are in full swing, with Google Assistant and Viv entering the fray and existing players such as Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, Hound and Google's Now all stepping up fight for consumers' hearts and minds.

Apple's rumored Amazon Echo competitor, which VentureBeat believes is a next-gen Apple TV, could blow all the assistants out of the water when it comes to deciphering complex natural language queries.

And powering it—VocalIQ, a sophisticate technology Apple acquired back in October 2015. Tech Insider provided an in-depth overview of how VocalIQ could make Siri a lot smarter than it is today. 

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Apple supplier to build nanowire-based flexible toucscreens, likely for future iOS devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 10, 2017

Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes is reporting that TPK Holding is gearing up to product nanowire-based flexible touchscreens. TPK is on Apple's supplier list so there's a high likelihood that future iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices could switch to these flexible screens based on nano silver ink. Originally developed by 3M, silver nanowire films are flexible and transparent to the eye, making them feasible for wearable devices particular.

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Apple paid $33,333 per stair for glass staircase in San Francisco’s Union Square

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2016

Apple's signature glass staircase in its newly launched store on San Francisco’s Union Square set the company back a cool $1 million, or approximately $33,333 per stair, while the shell of the building cost about $19 million, according to official building permits obtained by Patently Apple.

The building's sprinkler system cost an estimated $2.28 million to upgrade, the solar power installation on the roof cost $800,000 while installing canopy panels came with a $150,000 price tag attached to it.

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Indian government formally rejects Apple’s plan to sell used iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2016

The government of India has said 'no' to Apple's request to import used iPhones into the country, LiveMint reported today. The move comes hot on the heels of the finance ministry's decision to rejecte a recommendation from the commerce ministry to waive the 30 percent local sourcing norm for Apple to sell refurbished iPhones in its own branded stores in India.

“We are not in favour of any company selling used phones in the company, however certified they may be,” said commerce and industry minister, Nirmala Sitharaman.

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Changing the default payment method in Apple Pay

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated January 23, 2019

Despite some Apple device users being skeptical of using Apple Pay for security reasons, many are embracing the power of NFC payment technology everywhere it is supported.

If you're like many Apple Pay users, then you might have more than one credit or debit card linked to your Apple Pay Wallet. If this is the case, then it would be good to know how to choose which card is set as the default card when you choose to carry out payments at the register.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how that's done.

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Twitter’s iOS app gains Peek and Pop previews

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 28, 2016

Although you couldn't tell it by looking at official release notes for Twitter's version 6.54 update, which make a passing mention of “a few minor updates that you didn’t even know you needed”, the app has finally gained additional 3D Touch goodies in the form of Peek and Pop previews within the app. Before today, Twitter for the iPhone and iPad only supported Quick Actions on the Home screen. Grab Twitter for iOS for free on the App Store.

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Jawbone stops making UP fitness trackers, planning a clinical-grade health device

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 28, 2016

Jawbone, which made a name for itself a decade ago with a lineup of high-quality Bluetooth headsets, has stopped making and selling the UP fitness trackers, according to a report yesterday from Tech Insider.

Sources familiar with the matter have reportedly told the publication that the company has sold its remaining inventory to a third-party reseller, while The Verge adds that Jawbone is now exploring a “clinical-grade health device”.

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Bummed by iOS’s erratic text selection in Safari? Try this simple trick

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 27, 2016

Sometimes it feels like I'm wrestling with iOS's text-selection feature in Safari instead of it making my life easier. Increasingly, certain webpages either wouldn't let me copy body text at all or would leave me struggling trying to make a precise selection.

More often than not, zooming doesn't prove much of a help. This issue is particularly infuriating when trying to highlight a URL. But don't worry, this is where iDownloadBlog's how-to series comes to the rescue!

Here's a simple trick which helps override this behavior, letting you highlight and copy text on webpages that don't necessarily play nicely with iOS's text-selection feature.

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Bookmark apps and iTunes content and install them later with Lookmark for iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 9, 2017

Lookmark for iPhone by developer Claes Jacobsson received a major update yesterday, prompting me to take another look at this interesting piece of software.

With Lookmark, you can bookmark apps and other iTunes content very easily from Safari, other apps and your desktop, and install/download them later when the time is right. Yesterday's update added a Share sheet extension which can save apps mentioned on any webpage.

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