Apple

Sega announces new Super Monkey Ball game coming this summer

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2018

Japanese games maker Sega has confirmed that a brand new Super Monkey Ball is set to bounce onto iOS this summer.

Unlike Sega's existing Super Monkey Ball arcade platformer for the iPhone and iPad ($0.99 Universal), the upcoming Super Monkey Ball Bounce represents an all-new way to play and includes the familiar characters such as AiAi and his crew.

You must basically rescue his playable monkey friends as you bounce, slide and rebound your way through jungles, volcanoes and glaciers, with game mechanics borrowing heavily from the classic mechanical game, Pachinko.

Super Monkey Ball Bounce soft-launched in the Canadian App Store yesterday. The game will be hitting international App Stores this summer, Sega said...

Angela Ahrendts makes good first impression in first weeks at Apple

Cody Lee ∙ May 19, 2014

Apple's former SVP of retail John Browett left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. After just six months in the position, it was pretty clear he wasn't right for the job, and Tim Cook fired him. And not only that, but he spent over a year finding a proper replacement.

The good news is, that replacement was Angela Ahrendts, and by all accounts she's nothing like Browett. In fact, according to a new report from 9to5Mac, she has already visited a number Apple Stores in the the San Francisco area, and the employees love her...

Twitter to try the music thing again, this time by buying SoundCloud?

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 19, 2014

Twitter last month discontinued its poorly received Twitter #music app, but that doesn't mean the micro-blogging giant has given up on music.

According to a report Monday by Re/code, Twitter is considering a deal to buy Berlin-based SoundCloud, the increasingly popular service enthusiasts use to upload, record, promote and share their originally-created sounds.

With a rather cool iOS app available in the App Store and installed user base of over 250 million people (as of October 2013) who turn to SoundCloud to listen to music and audio for free, the service/app has a lot to offer but can it possibly make Twitter relevant in the music space?

Read on for the full reveal...

Poll: which iPhone 6 size would be right for you?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

The rumor mill has settled on two display sizes for Apple's upcoming iPhone models, a 4.7-inch one and a massive phablet-class screen measuring 5.5 inches diagonally (for reference, the iPad mini is 7.9 inches).

I'm dying to find out which model would be more popular with you guys so I put together this nice little non-scientific poll to gauge your form factor preference. This, of course, is assuming that screen size is the only hardware difference between the handsets, just like the iPad Air and the Retina iPad mini.

Don't be shy, jump past the fold and cast your vote now...

Sprint device protection, now with data security, automatic backups and personalized tech support

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 5, 2018

The United States wireless carrier Sprint, the nation's third-largest, on Monday introduced a new equipment protection plan that offers additional protection for your tablet and smartphone devices for an additional two bucks per month. The Sprint Total Equipment Protection Plus (TEP Plus) plan costs thirteen bucks per month, per device.

It offers everything included in Sprint's existing $11 per month Total Equipment Protection - theft insurance, accidental damage and next-day loss, to name a few - and then some more: data security, personalized tech support and automatic media backups.

Jump past the fold for the full reveal...

Apple expands its iPad trade-in program overseas

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Last month, Apple expanded its in-store trade-in program to include iPads. Under its Reuse and Recycling initiative, the program allows users to bring in their old iPads and trade them in for store credit, based on model, condition and other factors.

Initially, the option was only available at Apple stores in the US and Canada, but the company has expanded it overseas this week. Reports are coming in this morning that the iPad trade-in program is now available in France, Spain and Germany...

Verizon launches XLTE service for double the bandwidth in high-traffic locations

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 19, 2014

The nation's top carrier Verizon Wireless on Monday announced it has started utilizing AWS spectrum to bring double-fast fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network in select U.S. markets.

Marketed under the XLTE moniker and launching today, the faster network can be used on XLTE-ready smartphone such as the iPhone 5s, Samsung's Galaxy S5, the HTC One M8, BlackBerry Q10 and many others...

Apple adds Innolux as third iPhone 6 screen supplier, Samsung and Sharp lose orders

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 28, 2016

Although Samsung of South Korea should build Apple's in-house designed A8 processor for the next iPhone and has remained the top iPad display supplier, it looks like the conglomerate won't make it on the list of suppliers providing 4.7-inch display panels for the iPhone 6.

A new report by Taiwanese media alleges that Apple dropped both Samsung as Sharp as iPhone 6 display suppliers, instead adding Innolux as a third supplier of iPhone 6 screens..

Apple and Samsung could settle patent disputes out of court by the summer

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 19, 2014

Apple and its frenemy Samsung have been embroiled in a complex web of lawsuits spanning continents but now a resolution to the long standing patent dispute that has fascinated watchers around the globe could be within reach as the two technology giants are reportedly engaged in settlement talks, according to a Korean newspaper.

The unexpected development arrives hot on the heels of a surprising Reuters report last week confirming that Apple and Google put an end to a dispute with Motorola Mobility which Google inherited after snapping up Motorola 2011.

That agreement even has the two sides banding together on a patent reform, though it excludes cross-licensing of their respective mobile patent portfolio and Apple’s lawsuits with other Android makers like Samsung...

Italian regulators investigating Apple over ‘freemium’ app pricing model

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Apple is one of a handful of tech companies being investigated by Italian regulators over the popular 'freemium' app pricing model. On Friday, Italy's Antitrust and Competition Authority said it's investigating Apple, Google, Amazon and Gameloft over apps that offer in-app purchases.

The agency wants to determine whether or not the companies offer sufficient information in their respective apps and app stores regarding pay-for in-app content. It feels consumers may be confused by the idea of downloading a game for free, and then receiving charges after the fact...

Beautiful new concept envisions iWatch as a high-end wristwatch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

One of the crazier rumors we've heard thus far involving the iWatch comes from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said the accessory may cost as much as 'several thousand dollars.' Kuo is well respected in the Apple community, but this particular prediction seemed a bit off.

That is, unless the iWatch ends up looking like this new concept from Curved/labs that surfaced earlier this week. The site envisions the rumored smartwatch looking like a high-end Rolex, with a digital chronograph face, wireless charging, and several other features...

Apple releases iTunes 11.2.1 to fix hidden /Users folder in OS X 10.9.3

Cody Lee ∙ May 16, 2014

Apple tonight released a minor update for its iTunes desktop client, bringing the app to version 11.2.1. The update doesn't appear to offer up any new features, but it does seem to fix the hidden /Users folder bug.

Following yesterday's release of OS X 10.9.3, some users complained that their /Users folder had disappeared. We passed along a simple workaround for the bug earlier today, but now an official fix is available...