Apple

Facebook announces new iPhone app, Paper, coming to App Store next Monday

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

The rumors were true: the social networking giant Facebook on Thursday officially announced its brand new social newsreader application for the iPhone. Called Paper (not to be confused with this), the app is scheduled to hit the App Store next Monday, February 3, 2014. The company has released a nice video walkthrough, embedded below the fold, which shows off really nicely done - gorgeously, dare I say - layout, fluidly animated interface and some familiar Flipboard-like gestures...

Apple pushing to open Arizona sapphire plant to start producing ‘critical’ component

Cody Lee ∙ January 29, 2014

By now, most of you have probably heard that Apple has teamed up with manufacturing partner GT Advanced Technologies to open up a plant in Mesa, Arizona for producing sapphire. The plant is nearly ready to open, and Apple has already begun hiring engineers.

Up until now, though, little has been known about what kind of parts this sapphire factory would be producing. But some new documents just surfaced that may help fill in the blanks. Apparently, Apple is going to use the plant to produce a new 'critical' component...

Dutch theme park tapping iBeacons to boost visitor engagement times

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple's indoor positioning technology, iBeacons, is cropping up in some unlikely places. No, I don't mean grocery stores, trade shows, Apple Stores, stadiums and bars. According to a Dutch blog, one of the country's theme park will be deploying iBeacons in March to provide visitors with useful information right on their iOS devices.

It's also interesting that Apple's finance boss felt the urge to mention during yesterday's earnings call that the company is now using iBeacons in a number of its retail outlets to beam relevant product information and promotions as customers get near an iBeacon...

Flipboard updates iOS app, revamps Cover Stories to surface cool content

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Flipboard, the wildly successful magazine-format news aggregator, has updated its iPhone and iPad application with a pair of tweaks while announcing a redesign of Cover Stories aimed at making your story highlights resemble newspaper front pages. In addition to some bug fixes and performance improvements, Flipboard 2.2.3 now makes it possible to add bookmarks to your Safari Reading List.

Another minor change: you can now copy an article's URL in your device's browser, then open Flipboard for the option to add it to your magazines. You'll be more interested in the redesign of Cover Stories which Flipboard hopes will surface more relevant content from your subscriptions...

Bug in iCloud web portal hints at future Bookmarks support

Cody Lee ∙ January 29, 2014

It's been discovered today that an error on Apple's iCloud web portal displays a "Coming Soon" message for iCloud Bookmarks, suggesting that the feature may soon be available on the website. This would allow users to remotely access their bookmarks using virtually any browser.

The page, which you can see in the screenshot above, appears briefly when visiting this URL from your computer. It was originally accessed by installing the Chrome extension for the iCloud Control Panel for Windows on a PC, and so far, no one is quite sure what to make of it...

Microsoft’s Bing Rewards program now available on iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Microsoft launched Bing Rewards in September 2010 in a desperate attempt to get people search the web with Bing. Bing Rewards provides credits to users of major desktop browsers through regular Bing searches and special promotions.

Today, Bing Rewards is going mobile as the program has just been extended to owners of iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

Rather surprisingly, the Windows maker said that Bing Rewards was “coming soon” to Windows Phone devices. Bing Rewards replaced Microsoft's similarly conceived initiatives, SearchPerks! and Bing Cashback...

Apple releases iOS 7.0.5 with minor bug fixes for select iPhones

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 5, 2014

Apple has released a public update for iOS this morning, bringing the firmware to version 7.0.5. The release comes more than two months after iOS 7.0.4, and appears to only bring about a handful of bug fixes.

In fact, what the change log says is that the update is only available for certain models of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c sold in China—meaning many won't see it. It corrects network provisioning for the handset...

Automatic’s software update just turned your car into an iBeacon

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Automatic's app-enabled smart driving assistant is genius. The $99.95 accessory connects to the mobile app to not only give you driving feedback and crash alerts, but also help diagnose check engine codes and lots more - because "small changes in your driving behavior can lead to huge savings over time".

And with the latest software update, every Automatic on the road has just became an iBeacon.

iBeacon, as you know, is Apple’s Bluetooth 4.0-based micro-positioning wireless standard. The new software opens the door to some pretty exciting possibilities, stuff like auto-payments for parking or gas fill-ups, for example...

AT&T offering $100 per-line bill credit to new and existing customers

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 29, 2014

Apparently in response to T-Mobile's ongoing Un-carrier initiative, the second-largest U.S. carrier, AT&T, on Wednesday announced a new time-limited promotion that incenitivizes both existing and new subscribers with a $100 credit.

Customers are invited to activate a qualifying wireless line for any smartphone, feature phone, tablet, wireless home phone, MiFi puck or other connected device to claim their $100 bill credit per each line...

Apple to participate in ConnectED program to help bring high-speed Internet to U.S. schools

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 6, 2017

Apple, along with other Silicon Valley titans such as Microsoft and carriers like Verizon and Sprint, is going to work with the United States government to help connect schools on America with high-speed broadband Internet. The Obama administration wants to connect as much as 99 percent of schools to high-speed Internet over the next four years and companies like Apple should help advance that effort...

This commercial replaces the drones in Apple’s ‘1984’ Macintosh ad with Wall Street men in suits

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Apple ran its famous ‘1984’ Macintosh ad during the Super Bowl XVIII 30 years ago this month and advertising legend Lee Clow earlier this week hinted the company may be looking to advertise the Mac’s 30th anniversary during the Super Bowl XLVIII.

The $900,000 ad was also aired only one other time on television, on December 31, 1983 right before the 12:00 midnight sign-off on KMVT in Twin Falls, Idaho.

There have been countless attempts to copy the concept of Apple's award-winning commercial. Back in 2011, Motorola’s Xoom tablet ad played on the Big Brother theme, for example.

And now, financial services company Aspiration Partners LLC has created a take on '1984' which replaces the drones in Apple’s ad with Wall Street men in suits, watch it embedded right after the break...

Gmail bug may have had you accidentally delete emails, report others as spam

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 29, 2014

A nasty bug has been discovered in Gmail that may have had you accidentally delete your email messages while reporting others as spam, Google warned Wednesday. The issue occurred on the web, the Gmail web app and its iOS application between January 15 and January 22 and is now fixed, the Internet giant said. You may want to take a look inside your spam and trash folders for any messages sent between January 12-21 that don't belong there...