Apple

BBC iPlayer now available on Apple TV 4

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 6, 2017

BBC iPlayer, the on-demand application for watching live television channels and exclusive content from BBC, is now available on the 4th generation Apple TV.

“Christmas is a popular time for viewers to come to BBC iPlayer, as they unwrap new devices and browse and discover the BBC’s fantastic Christmas programs,” said iPlayer chief Dan Taylor-Watt.

“With the launch of iPlayer on new Apple TV, I’m delighted we've been able to give people another way of accessing the full breadth and range of BBC programs.”

WSJ: Galaxy S7 with pressure-sensing display, USB-C, iris scanner and more due in March 2016

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 14, 2015

Giving credence to prior rumors surrounding Samsung's next-generation Galaxy flagship smartphone, The Wall Street Journal on Monday said that the Galaxy S7 will launch in March of next year outfitted with a pressure-sensing screen akin to Apple's 3D Touch technology on the iPhone 6s.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the publication claims the Galaxy maker is also considering adding a retina scanner “to some versions of the flagship device,” though that feature could change.

Infuse for Apple TV gets its first update

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 4, 2018

Infuse 4 for tvOS, the Apple TV edition of the powerful media player for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, was updated last evening in the App Store following its debut on the fourth-generation Apple TV earlier this month.

For starters, the app now claims up to ten times faster metadata fetching (depending on the video type), which should drastically reduce the waiting time when Infuse initially scans a newly added network disk.

Google Maps for iOS updated with business hours and gas prices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Google today updated its native Maps application for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, adding two nice-to-have features: gas prices in the United States and Canada and business hours for millions of points of interest around the world. Now when searching for gas stations in the US and Canada, the application will display up-to-date gas prices so you can better decide between the nearest gas stations and those that potentially offer the lowest prices of gas.

Google’s search app gains 3D Touch support, Split View multitasking on iPad & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2015

The search monster Google on Friday issued an update to its mobile search application in the App Store, adding support for 3D Touch gestures on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus and iOS 9's new multitasking modes on select iPads, while improving search results for places and local businesses.

With 3D Touch, hard-pressing on the Google app's icon on the Home screen brings up quick shortcuts for Search, Voice Search and Image Search features.

Six 3D Touch shortcuts in iBooks for iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 2, 2017

Owners of the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus can now use Peek and Pop gestures in iBooks to speed up common tasks such as checking out their notes and bookmarks, previewing pages in search results and more.

This tutorial takes you on a quick tour of 3D Touch gestures in iBooks, including six ways applying pressure helps you interact with your fav reads.

iTunes 12.3.2 with Apple Music browsing improvements now available

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2015

A few days following the release of the iOS 9.2 software update for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad with Apple Music improvements and other changes, Apple today posted a matching iTunes update for Macs running OS X El Capitan.

iTunes 12.3.2 makes it easier to browse classical songs on Apple Music with support for works, composers and performers.

Poison Maps makes great use of 3D Touch gestures

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2015

Poison Maps, a cool map app in the App Store based on the OpenStreetMap database, takes a novel approach to 3D Touch gestures versus most other 3D Touch-enabled apps, which makes it uniquely useful for navigating.

On non-iPhone 6s devices, the app takes advantage of the patent-pending Context Pan gesture letting you pan large distances by using a single touch of a finger instead of the usual two-fingered pinch-zoom gesture.

On devices without 3D Touch, however, context zooming and context panning is implemented using a long touch to control how far the map zooms out, rather then using the force of the press, as shown in a video demonstration further below.

Apple pushes intrusive iPhone 6s ad to some users inside the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2015

Twitter is on fire with reports from disgruntled users who were taken aback after witnessing a full-screen iPhone 6s ad taking over the App Store on their devices. The ad is, of course, from Apple itself and was conceived to persuade owners of pre-iPhone 6s models to upgrade to the ”ridiculously powerful” iPhone 6s.

The pop-up ad is full-screen and asks users to “Learn More,” which takes them to the iPhone 6s webpage on Apple's website, or “Upgrade Now.”

The latter option redirects users to the the Buy iPhone 6s page inside the official Apple Store app, if installed. Want to get back to what your were doing? That'll require tapping a dedicated button to dismiss the ad.

So, what's going on here?

Google Play Movies & TV gains HD and cellular streaming, AirPlay support, revamped UI & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2015

Just in time for the holiday season, Google has issued a major update to its official video streaming application in the App Store, Google Play Movies & TV, with several much-needed features and a fresh new design. For starters, you can now stream movies and TV shows rented or purchased on the Play store over your carrier's cellular data network. Moreover, the app has gained the ability to stream video in high-definition.

And if you own a third-generation Apple TV or higher, you can stream your Google Play entertainment right to the big screen with official support for Apple's AirPlay wireless media streaming technology.

Apple gives its Apple ID website a fresh new redesign

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Apple's drab-looking Apple ID website, the place where users go to manage everything about their Apple IDs, has been updated with a fresh new coat of paint. Instead of the boring color-less look of old, Apple has adopted an up-to-date bold new look for its hub focused on managing passwords, devices, and other vital account information.

Tumblr app updated with support for Live Photos

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Yahoo-owned Tumblr today rolled out a major update to its iPhone, iPod touch and iPad application in the App Store, bringing out official support for Live Photos, introducing 3D Touch Home screen shortcuts and a few other enhancements. Tumblr 5.0 for iOS also makes its messaging feature available to everyone today, lets you send a post to any Tumblr and toss it with the tap of a button.