Apple

FreedomPop adds LTE iPads to its no-contract free data, text and voice plans

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 30, 2014

FreedomPop, a startup backed by Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom which provides free or inexpensive Internet service on the Sprint network, today added the original iPad mini and other cellular-capable iPads to its stable of supported devices.

Apple's LTE iPads, along with Samsung's seven-inch Galaxy Tab 3, are now eligible for FreedomPop's no-contract, free of charge voice, data and text plan.

It's basically the same plan that the company originally offered to smartphone owners. Additional voice and data is available for a fee.

Regardless of whether you're buying a little used iPad mini from FreedomPop or bringing your device over from another carrier, FreedomPop will treat you to gratis 500MB of LTE data, 200 voice minutes and 500 text messages.

But how does one take advantage of voice minutes and text messages on LTE iPads which only support data connections over cellular? Read on for the full reveal...

How to get a tax break on Apple products

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

Apple is reminding customers of the upcoming sales tax free days in the United States. Specifically, as part of the back-to-school sales tax holidays, the company is reminding would-be shoppers of a not-to-be-missed opportunity to buy select Macs, iOS devices, accessories, educational software and services at a significant discount.

The Online Apple Store is now advertising a tax break on Macs and iOS devices purchased both at its brick-and-mortar outlets and online.

Even better, tax-free purchases can be combined with Apple's own 2014 Back To School promotion to net yourself up to $100 in Apple Store gift cards for Macs, iPhones and iPads...

Amazon updates Kindle app with placeholders, note exporting, Wikipedia integration and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 29, 2014

Hot on the heels of announcing a standalone all-you-can-eat subscription for books and audiobooks costing ten bucks per month, the online retail behemoth Amazon has issued an interesting update to its free Kindle for iOS app.

In addressing customer complaints, the company has brought out several new features that make sync and navigation easier. For starters, Kindle 4.4 lets you create placeholders to explore other areas of the book without losing your current place.

I'm exited about Wikipedia integration: you can now easily learn more about a word by selecting it to read an entry from Wikipedia in the Info Card at the bottom of the page...

OneNote for iPhone, iPad and Mac now lets you insert files, password-protect sections and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Software giant Microsoft today is pushing a major update to its note-taking application for the iPhone, iPad and Mac, OneNote. Available free of charge, the new OneNote sports half a dozen new features and enhancements.

Among them: the ability to lock or unlock password-protected sections created in OneNote for Windows and another one making it possible to insert files into your notes from other applications using the 'Open In' function.

You can then open the inserted file within the app, by double-tapping, or send it to nearby devices through Apple's wireless sharing technology, AirDrop. Read on to learn about other new features in OneNote for iOS and OS X....

New evidence hints that iWatch production is behind schedule, delayed for Q4 2014

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 2, 2017

The iWatch, Apple's alleged fitness/health wearable device, may not launch in November alongside a 5.5-inch iPhone 6, as previously rumored.

If a revised guidance for the third calendar quarter of 2014 by Apple supplier TPK Holdings is an indication, ongoing production issues are to be blamed that the gizmo is running behind schedule and is now said to launch by the end of the fourth quarter.

Although TPK during its quarterly conference call with analysts did not mention Apple by name - nor has the Taiwanese supplier blamed Apple for its poor third-quarter performance - the iPhone maker is its biggest client and the rumor-mill did identify TPK as a supplier of flexible iWatch displays...

Apple TV gains CNBC And FOX NOW channels

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 29, 2014

The Apple TV project may file under Tim Cook's 'Hobby' drawer, but that's not stopping Apple's iTunes media team from relentlessly adding new content sources to the $99 media-streaming box.

Just this morning, the device has picked up two new channel sources, one from financial news powerhouse CNBC and the other is broadcast network FOX NOW...

Spotify gains equalizers, revamped Artist page for iPad and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Not to be outdone by soon-to-be-Apple's Beats Music, which yesterday pushed an update adding new features like Tune Your Taste, Sentence History and Verified Badges, rival Spotify has moved to refresh its iOS client this morning.

Now sitting at version 1.5, the free Spotify for iOS has picked up several nice-to-haves such as brand-new audio equalizers accessible within the app's settings interface, a much-revamped Artist page for iPad, now with latest release and merchandise, and more...

Apple updates Retina MacBook Pros with faster processors, more memory

Cody Lee ∙ July 29, 2014

As expected, Apple has refreshed its family of MacBook Pro with Retina display laptops this morning. The updates add faster processors and more memory, and come just after the launch of the company's annual back-to-school promotion.

There are three new 13-inch models and two new 15-inch notebooks, all of which have received the latest versions of Intel's i5 and i7 Haswell processors. In terms of additional memory, Apple has doubled the entry-level RAM for both lines...

Apple drops permanent injunction quest in Samsung lawsuit

Cody Lee ∙ July 29, 2014

Apple filed a motion with the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in California yesterday, dropping its cross-appeal of Judge Lucy Koh's final judgement in its lawsuit against Samsung. The motion officially ends the company's pursuit of a product ban.

Now, this is just for the 2012 trial, not the one that ended in May. Apple had been looking to win a permanent injunction against all of Samsung's infringing devices in that case, and filed multiple appeals, but it appears to have given up on this particular battle...

Beats Music gains Tune Your Taste, Sentence History, Verified Badges and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Beats Music, a music-streaming service that uses a combination of algorithms and good ol' human curation to make it easy to enjoy music based on your location, activities and other criteria, has just been updated with several new features.

The free iPhone and iPad app, now sitting at version 2.2, has brought out the ability to further tailor music to your tastes by changing your favorite genres and artists.

And, folks can now view their most recently played songs from The Sentence. Also, avoiding fake profiles is easier than ever because the app now has verified profiles - just look for a new red checkmark indicating a profile has been "certified as legit by Beats"...

Hilton rolling out iPhone door locks in all hotels globally beginning next year

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2018

Picture this: after a long and exhaustive flight, you finally arrive at a hotel. But instead of waiting on the lines clogging the front desk to pick up a key, simply bypass the receptionist and head straight to your room safely knowing that an iPhone in your pocket doubles as the room key.

It's precisely the kind of fantasy that Hilton has dreamed up and now working to make a reality across the vast majority of their hotels by 2016.

This is according to a Wall Street Journal report Monday. That's right, beginning 2015 some Hilton hotels will allow for door unlocking with a smartphone, with the global roll-out expected to complete by the end of 2016...

iPhone could automatically silence alerts when you exercise, Apple patent hints

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 28, 2014

Notifications on mobile devices are both a curse and a blessing. I don't think anyone in their right mind would diminish the value in receiving a timely notification about an important event while on the go.

On the other hand, virtually every app wants to send notifications these days. Even though iOS does offer some granularity as to the times of day when these alerts are allowed to buzz your device, by no measure is this sufficient.

An Apple patent publicized by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) last Thursday gives an insight into Apple's research efforts that would automatically enable a Do Not Disturb mode (added in iOS 6) when the device has determined that a user is working out, saving you a few taps...