Apple

IMDb pulls ‘On DVD/Blu-ray’ pages and external links, adds showtimes refinements

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 28, 2014

IMDb, an Amazon-owned online database of information related to films, television programs and video games, has a nice iPhone and iPad app. As of today, it's become a tad more useful while also retiring a pair of handy features.

Now bumped to version 4.4, the refreshed software makes a few unexpected changes to the experience. First up, the 'On DVD/Blu-ray' pages have been removed completely because the data source the app was using "wasn’t up to snuff".

Moreover, outgoing IMDb.com links from the app's title and name pages have fallen victim of Apple's app submission guidelines and will be no longer available within the app going forward.

Other changes in this version are outlined after the break.

Wired: iPhone will have NFC chip and feature its own payment platform

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 28, 2014

According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Wired, the rumors were in fact true as the next iPhone is reportedly going to have a Near-Field Communication (NFC) circuitry and feature an Apple-branded payment platform.

Apple's contactless mobile payment solution is being described in the report as "one of the hallmark features" of the iPhone 6 when the device is unveiled on September 9 (alongside a rumored Apple wearable device).

"We’re told the solution will involve NFC," reads the report.

For what it's worth, the reliable John Paczkowski of Re/code has “been hearing the same” about the NFC-enabled iPhone 6.

Recent leaks of purported iPhone 6 components have indicated that the forthcoming smartphone could indeed be outfitted with an NFC chip by a semiconductor company called NXP, which currently supplies the M7 motion coprocessor for the latest iOS devices.

Quora releases iPad app, introduces rich-text editor and revamped look

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 28, 2014

Quora this morning refreshed its useful iPhone app with some new features while revamping its look and adding the native iPad interface to the experience.

Previously an iPhone and iPod touch only affair, the new Quora 4.0, available free in the App Store, is at last a universal binary so it supports natively any iPhone, iPod touch and iPad compatible with iOS 7.0 or later.

Quora, for those unfamiliar with it, is a popular question-and-answer website where folks submit questions on a wide range of topics and get answers from like-minded users.

No going back: Walking Dead: The Game — Season 2 finale now available

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 28, 2014

Nearly nine months following its December 2013 debut, The Walking Dead: The Game — Season 2 by Telltale Games has reached its gripping conclusion with the release of the final chapter in the five-episode series.

It's titled “No Going Back” and available right now as a $4.99 In-App Purchase within the Walking Dead game, itself priced at $4.99.

For those unfamiliar with Walking Dead: The Game, it's based on the namesake comic book series by the Eisner Award-winning writer Robert Kirkman. The iOS title follows the story of Clementine, a young girl orphaned by the undead apocalypse.

The penultimate episode titled “Amid the Ruins” became available a month ago, introducing new twists to the story of Clementine (with a cliffhanger ending).

Latest Wunderlist update enhances mobile editing of your to-dos and tasks

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 12, 2018

Wunderlist, the beautiful cross-platform to-do and task list application by German developer 6Wunderkinder, has received its second update following the release of the major version 3.0 edition which brought out an overhauled appearance and more than sixty new features.

Today's update focuses on mobile editing of your items. Wunderlist 3.0.2, which is free in the App Store and Mac App Store, now finally allows iPhone, iPod touch and iPhone owners to move, complete and delete multiple items on the go.

Jump past the fold for the full reveal.

Xbox One SmartGlass app now lets you record game clips and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Less than two weeks following an update which has enabled Xbox One owners to install games on their console remotely, using their iOS device, the Windows giant Microsoft today pushed another update adding nearly a dozen cool new features.

For starters, the free iPhone and iPad application now allows you to record game clips remotely, too.

And in a series of social improvements, the app now lets players share and post activity feed items and post status updates to their activity feed, as well as browse through their activity feed directly on their profile page.

New iPhone 6 parts reveal larger speaker, embedded Apple logo and redesigned vibrator

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 28, 2014

A flurry of photographs of the allegedly leaked iPhone 6 parts published Thursday morning by French blog NowhereElse.fr hint at several design choices Apple engineers took in order to make the device more sleeker and thinner than its predecessor.

Internal and external components like SIM trays, the Apple logo, Home buttons, the internal speaker and vibrator motor all appear to be differently designed and engineered than the comparable parts found in the iPhone 5s.

The leaked parts suggest that the next iPhone will be offered in the same silver, gray and gold colorways as the iPhone 5s while featuring an improved vibrator, the embedded logo on the back and possibly an enhanced sound system.

Competitor watch: LG, Samsung debut new smartwaches during peak of iWatch rumors

Jake Smith ∙ August 27, 2014

Two of the top-electronics manufacturers LG and Samsung took the wraps off two new smartwatches on Wednesday evening, hours after a major report pegged Apple's iWatch debut for September 9 instead of later this year.

Amazon overhauls Audible app, improves search, adds Discover tab and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 27, 2014

The online retail giant Amazon, which just purchased the gameplay streaming platform Twitch for nearly $1 billion, has given its Audible for iOS app a little love earlier this morning.

Now sitting at version 2.1 and featuring a revamped user interface — along with the minimalistic new app icon — the app does away with the outdated design in favor of a more modern iOS 7-friendly appearance.

Audible is an audiobook service owned by Amazon. In addition to the brighter UI, the refreshed software offers a few new features such as an improved search, an all-new Discover tab, a 30-second forward button in the built-in player and more.

Audible for the iPhone and iPad is available free of charge.

TextExpander shows off its iOS 8 keyboard with snippet expansion coming this fall

Jake Smith ∙ August 27, 2014

TextExpander has posted details about its upcoming "touch 3" update, that will add a TextExpander keyboard within iOS 8 that will allow users to expand snippets of text in any app on the iPhone or iPad. This marks yet another app developer taking advantage of Apple's new third-party keyboard API made available in iOS 8. Prior to the big update, only apps which implemented the TextExpander touch SDK could expand snippets directly.

The Walking Dead Pinball hits Mac and iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 27, 2014

Telltale Games, the creator of the episodic Walking Dead game (itself based on the “The Walking Dead” comic book series by the Eisner Award-winning creator Robert Kirkman), has partnered with Skybound Entertainment and Zen Studios on a Walking Dead-themed pinball game for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac.

The game is available now as a standalone download in the App Store for $1.99.

The Walking Dead Pinball offers a table based on the most iconic locations from the Game of the Year-winning series, including the St. John’s Dairy Farm, Travelier Motel, Bell Tower and Train & Level Crossing.

3D versions of the zombies and famous characters such as Lee and Clementine, along with the original lines and voice acting, round up this nicely done pinball game.

Apple once again denied US sales ban on select Samsung devices

Cody Lee ∙ August 27, 2014

Apple has once again been shot down by US District Judge Lucy Koh in its ongoing effort to win a sales ban on Samsung devices. In San Jose, California today, Koh denied the Cupertino company's latest bid to ban select Samsung smartphones.

Despite two US juries finding multiple Samsung products to be infringing on its patents, Apple has seen little success in its injunction attempts. This time, the company had hoped to make its request more viable, asking for a "narrowly tailored" ban.