Apple

Twitter pulls #music app from the App Store ahead of April 18 shutdown

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Twitter will discontinue its #music app on Friday, April 18. Conveniently, April 18 marks the app's first (and obviously last) anniversary. Yup, Twitter #music is officially dead. As part of the move, the micro-blogging startup has already pulled the free iPhone and iPad application from the App Store.

Whenever a piece of software gets removed from the App Store, it becomes unavailable for download or re-download so folks who plan on continuing to use the music discovery app have better backed it up in their iTunes library on their computer.

If you only keep Twitter #music on your iOS device, transfer it to desktop iTunes by connecting your device to a computer and choose the Transfer Purchases option nested under iTunes' File > Devices menu...

iTunes Radio is getting NPR’s streaming news channel today

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

National Public Radio (NPR) is adding the first streaming news channel to Apple’s free iTunes Radio service, Re/code just reported.

The unexpected development marks the official branching out of iTunes Radio, which debuted last September as a music-only streaming service available on Mac and PC desktops as well as on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

When NPR’s new channel goes live later today in iTunes Radio, Apple users will be able to tune in to a free stream offering 24/7 mixes of live news with segments from pre-recorded shows such as 'All Things Considered' and 'The Diane Rehm Show.'

But the good news doesn't stop here. Read on for the full reveal.

UPDATE: NPR's channel is now live in iTunes Radio...

3D Flyover views for Cordoba, Perth and Saint-Tropez now live in Apple Maps

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 24, 2014

Apple has added to its struggling Maps service cool three-dimensional Flyover views for three major new cities in Australia and Europe.

Starting today, anyone can rotate and zoom in on the architectural details and explore the topography of Australia's Perth, Spain's Cordoba and France's Saint Tropez.

The company's been dutifully expanding 3D Flyover coverage in more place around the world. Back in January, folks living in the cities of Marseille, France; Cape Town, South Africa; and Helsinki, Finland started seeing 3D Flyover maps in Apple Maps on iOS and OS X...

New Google app: Photowall for Chromecast

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

The Internet giant Google on Monday released a brand new iPhone and iPad application, Photowall for Chromecast.

Conceived as a collaborative photo sharing “Chrome experiment,” the software uses your iOS device and Google's inexpensive $35 Chromecast HDMI dongle to allow anyone to beam their photos to a Photowall on your Chromecast-equipped TV, creating an interactive collage of memories.

What's more, YouTube will automatically generate a video of your Photowall to show off to friends who don't own a Chromecast. The app is now live in the App Store...

Apple and Comcast mulling streaming TV service for next-gen Apple TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Apple's $99 media-steaming box last year raked in more than a cool $1 billion in combined hardware and related content sales, prompting CEO Tim Cook to argue during Apple's annual shareholders meeting that "it's a little more difficult to call the Apple TV a hobby these days."

The company is reportedly updating the Apple TV hardware sooner than later with refreshed internals, allegedly adding gaming functionality via an Apple TV App Store for downloadable games and a built-in TV tuner to control your existing cable boxes and TV stations.

On the other hand, Apple thus far has been unable to obtain content rights for an a-la-carte TV service due to licensing negotiations and other issues. A report by The Wall Street Journal last night now claims that Apple is negotiating with Comcast using its infrastructure for optimal delivery of a streaming service for the next-gen Apple TV...

Rumor: Pegatron to start assembly of large-screened iPhones and iPad Airs this Fall

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

The Commercial Times newspaper reported last week that Apple's contract manufacturer Pegatron is gearing up to kick off mass production of the iPhone 6 in the second quarter of this year at its China-based plant in Kunshan.

On Monday, The China Times newspaper claimed new information saying that Pegatron has landed orders for both large-sized iPhones and iPad Airs.

However, contrary to The Commercial Times story, Pegatron is actually said to start the operation of the Kunshan plant, which is located in China's Jiangsu Province, in the third quarter of this year.

That facility will be solely dedicated to churning out Apple products. For reference, Pegatron is the primary manufacturer of the iPhone 5c and iPad mini...

Apple apparently moving to fully automated iPhone battery production

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 24, 2014

DigiTimes, the hit and miss Taiwanese trade publication, is reporting this morning that Apple is moving from labor-intensive iPhone battery production to fully automated production lines in 2014. The move is said to stem from Apple's desire to reduce its manpower demand and is expected to prompt other consumer electronics vendors to follow suit, as per supply chain chatter...

Apple highlights indie games via new App Store section Indie Game Showcase

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Apple has created a new section in the App Store to feature iPhone and iPad games by independent devs.

Titled 'Indie Game Showcase' and available on iTunes here, the section highlights such highly acclaimed titles as Year Walk ($3.99) by Simogo, an eerie adventure game based on the ancient Swedish phenomena of year walking, Space Invaders Infinity Gene ($4.99) by Taito, Bumpy Road ($2.99) by developer Simogo Handelsbolag and more...

Watch Jimmy Fallon introducing Billy Joel to iPad beatboxing app Loopy HD

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Jimmy Fallon, the host of NBC's Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, gave Apple's iPad and a beatboxing thirdy-party app called Loopy HD a cool exposure during last night's show. Loopy HD costs eight bucks in the App Store and with it anyone can create music by layering looped recordings of singing, beatboxing or playing an instrument.

Loopy HD is rather sophisticated: it can receive live audio directly from other Audiobus-compatible apps like Apple's free GarageBand and more.

Jimmy and Billy Joel have used the app on air to loop their voices and form a two-man doo-wop group singing 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' by The Tokens in four-part harmony.

The video is a nice reminder that one can create quite remarkable music on the iPad. Even Apple's boss Tim Cook enthused over their "magical" performance...

Virgin Mobile brings contract-free iPhone 5s/5c down to just $385/$315

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 15, 2017

Virgin Mobile, a subsidiary of Sprint, has discounted contract-free iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c to just $385 and $315, respectively, representing significant savings over Apple's respective asking prices of $649 and $549 for the entry-level models with sixteen gigabytes of storage.

If you do the math quickly in your head, that's $264 off the iPhone 5s and $234 off the iPhone 5c. You'll need to sign up for one of Virgin's unlimited data plans starting at $35 per month ($30 if you choose to auto-pay by PayPal or your credit/debit car).

These deals are web exclusives and valid for a limited time only...

Tweetbot for Mac gains thumbnail size option and three-finger swiping

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Tapbot's popular Twitter client for iOS and OS X, Tweetbot, has been refreshed on the Mac with a few fixes and two new features.

Version 1.5, now available in the Mac App Store as a free upgrade to existing users, lets you choose the size of inline image thumbnails in your timelines, a feature developers added to the iPhone and iPod touch client earlier this month.

And for those who take advantage of multitouch gestures in OS X, Tweetbot now supports swiping left and right with three fingers to navigate through your timelines without having to manually click on the back button...

Ridge Racer Slipstream goes free until next Thursday as Apple’s Free App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Today, like any given Thursday, Apple is refreshing its Free App of the Week promotion by making a new iOS tittle free for the next seven days.

Last week's promotion brought us the free download of Mildmania's Darklings [review], a gesture-driven endless atmospheric adventure game that incorporates visually enticing Noire-style graphics akin to Limbo and Badland.

Today, Namco Bandai's Ridge Racer Slipstream has gone free as the App Store's new Free App of the Week.

Normally a $2.99 download, but now available free in the App Store until next Thursday, Ridge Racer Slipstream recreates this ultimate arcade racing franchise on your iPhone and iPad with pretty graphics, Career and Arcade game modes, twelve beefy cars with plenty of horse power, over a hundred racing competitions across six Grand Prix series, real-time multiplayer and lots more...