Apple

Reversible USB Type-C coming in July

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 2, 2017

Apple in late-2012 debuted the then new Lightning I/O as a replacement for the aging, decade-old 30-pin Dock connector. One of its most compelling features: the symmetrical design allowing the cable to be inserted with either side facing up.

I reckoned at the time that the industry would scramble to replicate Apple's innovation. Sure enough, the USB 3.0 Promoter Group last December unveiled a new USB Type-C specification with much smaller, twice as fast connectors and cables.

You guessed right, USB Type-C is reversible so the new cables and connectors can be plugged in without worrying about the orientation. Leaked straight out of the world's top contract manufacturer, Foxconn, the first renders give us a glimpse into the USB's new Type-C, coming this July...

TextExpander updated for iOS 7, adds a bunch of snippet management features

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

If you're going to do serious typing on your iPhone and iPad, why not save yourself precious time by having short abbreviations automatically expanded into long snippets (i.e. have 'idb' auto-expand to 'iDownloadBlog')?

Although iOS 7 lets you create shortcuts in Settings > General > Keyboard that'll automatically expand into words and phrases as you type, the basic implementation of the feature leaves a lot to be desired.

Enter Smile Software's TextExpander, a tool that gets this job done better than any other software. Available for iOS since last summer, the app contains advanced features like clipboard integration, macros and fill-in snippets. And thanks to the official SDK, third-party apps can implement TextExpander functionality to use your commonly-used strings of text.

On Wednesday, Smile updated the iOS snippet expansion utility with iOS 7-friendly design and a host of group and snippet management improvements. The app is now available in the App Store free of charge for existing customers and I've included additional tidbits right after the break...

ProCamera 7 gains TIFF and high-res Instagram support, printing, Vimeo sharing and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 2, 2014

ProCamera by German developer Cocologics GmbH has been featured on our 10 Best Photography Apps of 2013 list, you rated it one of the Best Apps of 2013 and it's been consistently featured throughout our ongoing iPhone photography series.

Small wonder, given ProCamera combines photo and video recording, advanced editing and sharing into a single app laden with rich controls, more than 76 pro-grade filters and effects, a dedicated Lightbox (like in Camera+), full-res photo preview and lots more.

Cocologics has pushed a major new ProCamera 7 update this morning, adding numerous nice-to-haves while implementing some nice new features like high-resolution Instagram uploads, support for the lossless TIFF file format, in-app printing, an improved Lightbox and Night mode, Vimeo sharing, Open-in functionality and lots more.

The new ProCamera 7 version 5.3 is now live in the App Store and available free to existing users. We have a few promo codes to spare so read on for the full reveal...

Apple seeking $2 billion in damages in new Samsung trial

Cody Lee ∙ April 1, 2014

As most of you know probably know by now, round 2 of Apple's US patent battle with Samsung kicked off this week in a San Jose, California court room. The last time these 2 companies met on American soil, in the fall of 2012, Apple was awarded $1 billion in damages.

This time around, the iPad-maker is asking for twice that much. And although it's using different patents, and going after different Samsung devices, it's ultimately trying to prove the same thing as it did before: that Samsung intentionally copied its patented inventions...

Apple releases Safari 7.0.3 update for Mavericks

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 1, 2014

Apple has released a plethora updates on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the company has revamped its web-based iWork for iCloud suite and then followed up by half a dozen matching updates to Pages, Keynote and Numbers for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices and Mac computers.

Available now through your Mac's Software Update mechanism, the new Safari 7.0.3 update brings a bunch of bug fixes and a few noteworthy security-related enhancements like the strengthened Safari sandboxing, improved credit card autofill compatibility with websites and more...

Apple updates iWork for iOS and Mac with read-only sharing mode and other new features

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 1, 2014

Hot on the heels of refreshing iWork for iCloud earlier today with updated design, Retina graphics support, the ability to share view-only documents, the option to open documents directly from iCloud Mail and other enhancements, related updates to the iWork suite of applications for iOS and OS X have now surfaced on the App Store and Mac App Store.

Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iOS and OS X have picked up a dozen new features each, including sharing view-only documents for cross-platform compatibility across the web, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac. Your download links and accompanying release notes are right after the break...

Anyone can now create iAd campaigns

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Apple released iAd Workbench last summer, giving its registered iOS developer a much-needed tool to create, manage, optimize and track in-app iAd campaigns, build customized banners and more. The mobile advertising tool used to require a paid iOS developer account, $99 per year.

Starting today, non-developers are free to use iAd Workbench as well: all that's needed is a regular Apple ID account. Or to put it other way, Apple's just given anyone the ability to make their own iAds. Additionally, the iPhone maker has expanded its advertising platform by adding a new video iAd unit to Workbench...

Rumor: Apple buying Renesas SP Drivers to improve iPhone battery life and image sharpness

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

The Japanese business site Nikkei is reporting that Apple is in discussions with chipmaker Renesas Electronics concerning taking over their division that builds mobile display chips, Renesas SP Drivers.

The deal should enable Tim Cook & Co. to bring another technological piece under their roof and help Apple's engineers "improve image sharpness and battery life" on iPhones.

Renesas Electronics is included on the official list of Apple's suppliers. Apple is known for investing in its partners and suppliers when it makes sense. For instance, the company holds a ten percent stake in UK's fabless semiconductor maker Imagination Technologies which provides blueprints for GPUs used in iOS devices...

Razer’s Kazuyo iOS controller redesigned for slimness, has fully remappable buttons

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 9, 2017

I'm sorry if this thought sounds a little depressing, but there's no two ways about the fact that the first batch of iOS controllers leaves a lot to be desired. The iPhone controllers from Logitech, Stratus Moga and others have all received poor reviews, with critics slamming their high price tag, less than stellar build quality and lacking features.

Razer, a privately-held American accessory maker that specializes in high-performance hardware specifically marketed to gamers, is thinking differently when it comes to its own iOS 7 controller, the Kazuyo.

We previously highlighted this 'Made for iPhone' (MFi) controller and now new details surfaced Tuesday helping paint a better picture of the upcoming accessory...

New Comedy Central app puts all shows in one place

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Comedy Central has several free apps in the App Store, each dedicated to its own show, like The Daily Show Headlines, The Colbert Report and Tosh 2.0, to name a few.

In the commendable effort to reduce user confusion and increase engagement, the comedy channel owned by MTV Networks Entertainment Group has released a new iOS app simply named Comedy Central that consolidates all their shows into one place.

The dedicated streaming app is now available to download free of charge in the App Store. Wait, you haven't heard the coolest thing: you can stream episodes of select shows free of charge, no cable subscription required whatsoever, with some caveats...

BBM updated with stickers, large file transfers and image sharing in multi-person chats

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 1, 2014

The Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry is launching a new version of its BBM instant messaging software for iOS, Android and BlackBerry.

As previously reported, this BBM edition enables popular stickers and includes a couple feature additions, such as the ability to share images with multiple parties in multi-person chats and send larger files to others.

Various sticker packs can be purchased from the new BBM Shop, with some stickers like the legacy BBM emoticons offered free of charge. It's interesting that BlackBerry partnered with brands on themed sticker packs like CosCat, Gilbert’s Tales, Bubble Bot and many more.

The new BBM 2.1 will be launching in the App Store later today...

LaCie Fuel now offers 2TB of wireless storage for your Mac and iOS devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

LaCie, a Seagate Technology brand that makes premium storage solutions and accessories, has refreshed its Fuel external wireless hard drive with an expanded capacity of two terabytes.

That's double the storage of the previous Fuel and LaCie claims the updated product now offers "more storage than any 2.5-inch wireless hard drive on the market."

It uses Seagate's free Media app to make available your files to Apple devices over a Wi-Fi network.

The Fuel also includes a built-in ten-hour battery and plays nice with AirPlay so you can mirror content on your big screen TV through the Apple TV.

The full reveal is after the jump...