Apple

Rumor: low-powered M7 successor code-named ‘Phosphorous’ to collect health and fitness data (Updated)

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 30, 2016

An Apple chip internally code-named 'Phosphorous' has been identified on leaked schematics and thought to replace the M7, a motion coprocessor which debuted inside the iPhone 5s last Fall. (Update: It's looking like a barometer pressure sensor instead.)

It's said to include the M7's motion tracking functions and thought to be able to collect a number of health and fitness data from various health and fitness accessories and specialized medical devices.

This apparently includes heart rates, calories burned, cholesterol levels, blood sugar and more. It's believed the chip works in tandem with iOS 8 and the new Health app, which allows users to enter a number of health and fitness-related data manually, or automatically collect these from various HealthKit-friendly accessories and wearables.

New leak compares iPhone 6 to iPhone 5s ahead of expected-September announcement

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

New images claiming to show the iPhone 6 in space grey appeared on Sunday, adding fuel to the fire ahead of Apple's expected announcement in the coming weeks. The authenticity of the images hasn't been verified, so take them with a grain of salt, but the claimed iPhone 6 shown gels nicely with leaks over the past year and are fun to look at nonetheless.

Galaxy S5 takes Ice Bucket Challenge, nominates iPhone 5s, HTC One M8 and Nokia Lumia 930

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Samsung's marketing department has cleverly piggy-backed on the popularity of Ice Bucket Challenge, a phenomenon which has taken the world by storm.

For those who've been sleeping under the rock lately, the initiative saw such celebrities and Silicon Valley execs as Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and marketing honcho Phil Schiller, along with former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and many others, getting ice baths in the name of helping fund ALS research and benefitting the Motor Disease Association.

The official YouTube channel for Samsung Mobile UK this morning posted a video depicting its Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone taking the challenge.

Needless to say, the waterproof handset (IP67-certified) passes the test.

The best part is when Samsung nominates three handsets from its rivals: Apple's iPhone 5s, HTC's One M8 and Nokia's Lumia 930.

Reuters: iPhone 6 backlight woes affect production plans, could limit launch availability

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 22, 2014

We heard before that Apple faced several issues related to manufacture of the upcoming iPhone 6.

This is expected for any major Apple product with a brand new design demanding new production equipment and requiring contract manufacturers to develop custom ways to build and assemble products.

According to Reuters Friday, Apple's plan to make every iPhone 6 component as thin as possible could backfire because a last-minute design change has sent suppliers "scrambling" to get enough screens ready ahead of the expected September 9 launch.

Samsung said to supply RAM chips for iPhone 6

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 22, 2014

If a new supply chain report out of Asia Friday is to be trusted, Apple's arch-rival Samsung is supplying it with RAM chips for the upcoming iPhone 6 refresh. This comes as somewhat of a surprise given Apple's been fighting tooth and nail to supplant the South Korean conglomerate with alternative component suppliers amid intensifying competition, aggressive advertising and never-ending legal issues plaguing its relationship with Samsung.

China Telecom says single iPhone 6 will support China’s major wireless standards

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 22, 2014

China Telecom has made the claim in a Weibo post which was accompanied by a pair of images based on the familiar iPhone 6 renderings created by Tomas Moyano and Nicolàs Aichino and posted on Bēhance.

The post apparently advertises that an iPhone 6 flavor it plans on selling in the 1.33 billion people market will support all of China's cellular network standards.

Have a look at the images included after the break and meet us in comments.

Apple in talks with major insurance companies regarding HealthKit partnerships

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Bloomberg is out with a new report this afternoon on rising medical costs and the growing number of partnerships between insurance providers, corporations, and fitness device makers. And in the report, the outlet notes that Apple has been speaking with insurance companies regarding potential HealthKit partnerships.

Not many specifics on the meetings were provided, but Apple has been very active in promoting its new HealthKit initiative. Earlier this month, it was reported that the company was in talks with healthcare providers at Mount Sinai, Cleveland Clinic, John Hopkins and others about its plans for the healthcare market...

Apple updates Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and iMovie to improve iCloud compatibility

Sébastien Page ∙ August 21, 2014

Apple just updated several of its applications for both iOS and OS X with the usual "stability improvements and bug fixes", but after looking into it more closely, it seems there is more to the updates than the changelog shows, with apparent iCloud compatibility improvements.

Pages, Numbers, and Keynote have all been updated for both iOS and OS X, while iMovie has only been updated for OS X so far. All updates show as "stability improvements and bug fixes," except iMovie for Mac, which "includes iCloud compatiblity improvements for iMovie Theater."

If these update look benign on the surface, it seems they do improve iCloud compatibility...

Sprint debuts $60 per month unlimited plan ahead of iPhone 6 announcement

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 19, 2017

With precisely nineteen days until the alleged September 9 iPhone 6 unveiling (notably, Apple hasn't denied the rumor) and three days after refreshing its Family plans, the nation's third-largest wireless carrier, Sprint, has introduced a potentially disruptive and new unlimited plan.

Specifically, the new plan is offering unlimited talk, text and data in exchange for sixty bucks per month. How cool is that?

Quickly, do the math in your head — that's $20 less compared to Sprint's closest competitor T-Mobile. By the way, T-Mobile promptly responded to Sprint's announcement by promising to treat switchers to a year of free unlimited LTE data.

Jump past the fold for the full reveal...

Sci-fi robot platformer Atom Run goes free as Apple’s new Free App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 21, 2014

It's Thursday and you know what that means, don't you? That's right, today is the day Apple editors get to pick another paid app to go free for seven days, as part of the App Store's ongoing Free App of the Week promotion.

Reminder: last week's freebie was Uppercut Games' excellent post-apocalyptic shooter, Epoch 2.

This week's free app is Atom Run by Fingerlab.

Normally costing three bucks a pop, this retro-futuristic platformer set in a mechanical-dynamic environment will be free until next Thursday so best thing you save yourself $2.99 and download Atom Run for free right now...

OS X Yosemite Public Beta 2 and new iTunes 12 build now available

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 21, 2014

Apple has just released the second version of the OS X Yosemite Public Beta and a new beta build of the thoroughly overhauled iTunes 12 for Yosemite.

The second public Yosemite beta arrives after the first public beta was made available at the end of last month and is basically the same as OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 6 seeded to Apple's registered developers last week.

Both updates are available to download through the Mac App Store for those who've applied for the OS X Beta Program...

Tempo becomes the first iPhone calendar app with Uber integration

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

After adding in Reminders and Waze integration, Mailbox support and other new features to Tempo earlier in the summer, now developers behind the smart iOS calendar application have issued another update making it the first iPhone calendar app that integrates with Uber, the tremendously popular ride-sharing service.

Uber integration is another way Tempo ensures that you’re never late to that crucial meeting.

Unlike the vast majority of alternatives to the stock iOS Calendar app offered in the App Store, Tempo sets itself apart with a built-in smart assistant which anticipates what you need and surfaces that information right in the calendar, when you need it most...