Apple

The EFF ranks iMessage and FaceTime as most secure mass-market messaging options

Cody Lee ∙ November 5, 2014

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (or EFF) has posted a new Secure Messaging Scorecard, which ranks popular messaging offerings based on their security measures. The Scorecard uses a variety of metrics, such as methods of encryption and user privacy, and Apple's messaging options faired rather well.

While dedicated secure messaging apps like ChatSecure and CryptoCat scored the highest, the EFF found Apple's iMessage and FaceTime systems to be "the best of the mass-market options." The two services were found more secure than several high profile apps, including BlackBerry Messenger and Skype.

Google Maps for iOS revamped with Android’s Material Design UI

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2014

Keen on deploying Android Lollipop’s Material Design across its mobile apps on all platforms, Google on Wednesday announced a new version of Google Maps for the iPhone and iPad featuring engaging animations, shadows and depth.

The fresh new design is all about creating surfaces and shadows that echo the real world, the search firm said.

With Google Maps’ new material feel, layers and buttons “come to life so you know just where to touch to get directions, recommendations and imagery”. The update will be rolling out over the next few days.

Google Maps is available free in the App Store.

This Chrome extensions lets you open Google Drive files in compatible Mac apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Google on Wednesday announced a new extension for the Chrome browser which makes it easy to open files stored in your Google Drive in compatible applications on your Mac or Windows PC.

“This includes apps like advanced image and video editing software, accounting and tax programs, or 3D animation and design tools,” wrote the search firm in a blog post.

Simply right-click on the file from Google Drive and select “Open with” to see a list of applications on your computer that can open it. The extension is called “Application Launcher for Drive” and you can download it for free in the Chrome Web Store.

Poll: are you using your iPad less often because of iPhone 6?

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2014

I myself am a heavy tablet user who's picking up his iPad at least a dozen times a day. I especially find the tablet indispensable for catching up on morning news and before nap time, when I would typically consume interesting stories I was saving for later throughout the day.

A month into my new iPhone 6 Plus and already I've found myself using my iPad Air less often.

And if a sketchy report from Taiwan’s Economic Daily News is to be trusted, Apple itself is mulling winding down iPad mini development and devote resources to developing a 12.2 or 12.9-inch iPad model.

While mini tablets may not be dead yet, there's no question that today's smartphone consumer is gravitating toward smartphone-tablet hybrids (phablets) like the iPhone 6 Plus. Which brings me to our question of the day: have you noticed using your iPad less often due to the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus?

How to enable full 60 FPS video recording on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2014

With the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple's brought out support for shooting full HD video in a smooth sixty frames per second (FPS), as opposed to prior models which limit 1080p video capture to a suitable thirty frames per second.

High frame rates make motion-intense videos even more awesome. For example, video shooting at 60 FPS gets rid of the stutter when panning the camera or capturing fast-moving objects.

And with YouTube now accepting 60 FPS uploads, you can share your silky smooth footage with the web at large. While both new iPhones default to capturing video in the traditional 30 FPS, all it takes to enable the new frame rate is flipping a switch in the Settings app, here's how.

Apple overtakes Samsung as China’s top mobile brand in awareness and loyalty

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2014

Zooming past its biggest rival Samsung, Apple has officially emerged as China's #1 mobile brand in both awareness and loyalty, according to the latest consumer survey conducted by the China Brand Research Center’s.

The research firm's 2014 China Brand Power Index polled a whopping 13,500 Chinese across 30 cities, aged 15 to 60, from August 2013 to January 2014.

According to CNET, Samsung's focus on market share rather than customer satisfaction and loyalty has contributed to its fall from the top spot it had previously held in China since 2012.

Artists now receiving more revenue from Spotify than iTunes in Europe

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2014

Spotify seems to have surpassed iTunes in Europe where royalty payments from the popular streaming-music service is now earning artists more revenue than Apple's stagnant music store, which to this date continues to sell music downloads and does not offer all-you-can-eat subscriptions.

At least that's the key takeaway from a survey conducted by Kobalt Music Publishing, which collects royalties on behalf of 6,000 songwriters and music makers in Europe.

According to the data cited Wednesday by The Wall Street Journal, Spotify in Europe brought artists an average of thirteen percent more revenue versus iTunes during the first quarter of 2014.

The data seems to corroborate recent findings by the Recording Industry Association of America which found that digital music sales on iTunes dropped between thirteen and fourteen percent globally since the start of this year, with Apple officially confirming the drop in its SEC filing.

YouTube now accepts silky smooth 60FPS footage captured on your iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Announced four months ago at the VidCon conference, the Internet giant Google a few days ago began rolling out support for playback of YouTube videos recorded in 48 and 60 frames per second (FPS).

This is great news for both video creators and Apple fans, who can now upload their silky smooth 60FPS footage captured on their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus to YouTube.

For those who have been sleeping under the rock, the new iPhones are capable of capturing full HD (1,920-by-1,080 pixels) footage at either 30 or 60 frames per second, depending on your preference set in Settings > Photos & Camera.

And with YouTube officially accepting 60FPS uploads, your high frame rate footage gets a treatment it deserves.

If you haven't shot any 60FPS video on your iPhone 6 yet, do it now — I guarantee you'll be amazed how smooth it plays back without any stutter, no matter how fast you pan the camera.

Google News & Weather gets iOS 8 Today widget

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Nearly a month following its App Store debut, the search giant's News & Weather application for the iPhone and iPad has received a Today widget for iOS 8's Notification Center, along with a handful of bug fixes.

Bumped from version 1.0.232 to 1.1.276, the software now provides an at-a-glance overview of the top three headlines within the Notification Center, but no interactivity.

Google News & Weather is free in the App Store.

How much will stainless steel and gold Apple Watches cost? New rumor has the answer

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 4, 2014

The Apple Watch will start at $349 for the basic Sport edition with its anodized aluminum case and come in Spring 2015.

But what about the more expensive stainless steel version — and especially the luxurious gold edition which features a case crafted from 18-karat gold that “our metallurgists have developed to be up to twice as hard as standard gold“?

While the Cupertino firm has yet to reveal pricing for these Apple Watches, a new rumor shared by French blog iGen.fr [Google Translate] pegs the asking prices of the stainless steel model with a polished or black side at $500.

And if you have a hole burning in your pocket that demands to be filled with cash, you'll definitely want to avoid the pricey gold edition.

Office mobile apps will soon sync to Dropbox

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Software giant Microsoft has partnered with Dropbox, the hot cloud-storage startup that Steve Jobs once wanted to buy for $800+ million, to give Office users across desktop, mobile and the web built-in access to Word, Excel and PowerPoint files in their Dropbox, the firms said Tuesday.

Soon, Dropbox users will be able to link their account directly to the Word, Excel and PowerPoint iPad apps.

As a result, customers will be able to edit Office documents right from their Dropbox mobile app, and access their Dropbox from within their mobile Office apps.