Apple

Despite T-Mobile’s Un-carrier, AT&T adds 809,000 new subscribers in Christmas quarter

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

The nation's second-largest wireless carrier, AT&T, yesterday reported its Christmas quarter earnings revealing steady growth, despite T-Mobile's taunts and its Un-carrier initiative. Although AT&T (and Verizon) stopped divulging iPhone activations, the carrier confirmed selling 7.9 million smartphones in the quarter, a decline from the 10.2 million smartphones it activated a year ago.

They added a cool 1.2 million new subscribers and upgrades by old subscribers. Of that number, 809,000 connections were new subscribers and 566,000 were postpaid wireless customers with a contract. Go past the fold for the full breakdown...

Pundit makes the case for a solar-powered iPhone 6

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2018

It would seem that much of the tech world is expecting Apple to give its iPhone line a significant refresh this year. The company is believed to be working on not one, but two new models with larger displays, and of course there will be the usual performance bumps.

But if you ask Matt Margolis of Seeking Alpha, the iPhone 6 may feature much more than just a larger display. The analyst thinks the handset could utilize a sapphire display with an embedded solar power panel, and he makes a pretty interesting case for the theory...

Apple’s iOS in the Car project reportedly plagued by ‘organizational issues’

Cody Lee ∙ January 28, 2014

Apple announced iOS in the Car at WWDC in June of last year. The company said that the new feature will allow iOS 7 device users to connect to the in-car displays of compatible vehicles, and that it would be launching it in the near future.

But here we are, roughly 6 months later, and while we've seen photos and videos of it in action, we have yet to see any sign of a public iOS in the Car release. So what's the holdup? A new report attributes the delay to 'organizational issues.'

Rovio denies wrongdoing in NSA’s snooping of Angry Birds players, but…

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

A report yesterday by The New York Times and other news organizations has provided yet another unsettling glimpse into the NSA's wide-ranging surveillance practices.

The speculation, based on information from documents provided by the NSA leaker Edward Snowden, suggests that the NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ have been collecting private user data from mobile apps, in real time, as it travels across the Internet.

Profile data being collected from popular games such as Rovio’s Angry Birds typically includes age, location and gender, the allegations go. And with games that show ads, the agencies are also able to intercept users' surprisingly detailed advertising profiles, mining it for new information...

Rumor: next-gen Apple TV has gaming functionality, TV tuner, built-in AirPort router

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 28, 2014

Piggy-backing on a report last week by iLounge which heard from sources that the next Apple TV set-top box will support wireless game controllers and possibly an app store for games, another reliable blogger has chimed in with additional tidbits.

Long story short, a much improved Apple TV hardware refresh is thought to include an 802.11ac wireless router functionality by way of AirPort Express integration. It should also come with a built-in TV tuner to control your existing cable boxes and TV stations and include gaming functionality.

Some hobby, eh?

iPad photography is now officially a thing…

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

You're already familiar with iPhone photography, aren't you? And I take it those among you who attend trade shows have by now caught wind of the rise of iPad photography, no? As if using an iPad to snap photos in public wasn't embarrassing enough, Sony has now produced a dedicated camera attachment aimed at tablet owners which allows its portable QX-10 or QX-100 lens to be snapped on.

The SPA-TA1 attachment is designed for tablets between 85mm and 190mm in width so it'll work with your iPad Air (169.5mm) just fine. Available in various sizes from April 4 in Japan and coming elsewhere soon after, it's bound to give iPad photography a whole new meaning, for better or worse...

Google launches Chrome apps for iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Just when you thought web apps were officially dead on mobile, the Internet giant Google has expanded the reach of its ecosystem by announcing Tuesday that it's bringing Chrome web applications to iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Previously, Chrome apps were accessible via desktop computers only.

Conventional wisdom has it that the main advantage of web apps is that they're written using standard web technologies - HTML5, CSS and Javascript.

In turn, web apps run without major issues on any computing platform with a standards-compliant web browser. I know what you must be thinking, 'Apple offered web app development for the iPhone and it didn't work out for them', right?

Google thought of that, too: an early developer preview of its tool allows developers to actually compile their Chrome web apps as native applications which can be easily distributed through Apple's App Store and Google's own Play store...

Ember update brings new Annotation tools, Screenshot Auto-Import

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 28, 2018

Realmac Software's image organization and syncing software, Ember, has received a nice little update on the iOS side, bringing several new annotation tools and the ability to automatically import screenshots. Both these features are available now in the free iPhone and iPad app as in-app purchases.

On the Mac side, Ember has been updated with 50+ tweaks, enhancements and bug fixes. The update is available now and is free in the Mac App Store for existing users. Jump past the fold for the full reveal...

Moshi launches flip cover iPhone case with embedded sensors

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Accessory maker Moshi on Tuesday announced a new flip cover case for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. The TouchSense, as the name implies, allows you to answer incoming phone calls and silence alarms without having to open the cover.

This nice feat has been accomplished by putting Moshi's proprietary touch-sensitive SensArray plates on the front cover, right where iOS 7's slide-to-unlock (or answer) thingie appears.

And what happens should Apple change the Lock screen UI in the future? I guess Moshi's engineers haven't bothered themselves with such mundane concerns...

Red Bull TV sports channel added to Apple TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 28, 2014

Apple has added a new channel to its $99 media-streaming box, the Apple TV. The Red Bull TV action sports channel should be now available on everyone's Home screen (if not, manually check for updates by going to Settings > General > Software Updates and choosing Update Software).

Red Bull TV is an action-packed sports channel by the famous Austrian energy drinks company, Red Bull GmbH. The new Apple TV channel offers free action sports content, coverage of live events and more...

Donald Trump dumps shares over Apple’s ‘dumb refusal’ to give us bigger iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 28, 2014

Following Apple's record-setting holiday quarter, its stock still dropped eight percent in after-hours trading because the 51 million iPhones sold missed Wall Street consensus by a few million units. American businessman Donald Trump took to Twitter to express his dissatisfaction with Apple losing its vision and momentum, going on a rant over Apple's "dumb refusal" to give iPhones bigger screens.

Samsung's sizes are "much better", Trump said and stressed he sold his Apple stock because iPhones are still four inches. I'm sure Tim Cook immediately called for an emergency meeting with his lieutenants, fearing the wrath of Mr. Trump...

Apple promotes Top Valentine’s Gifts, says iPad is the way to your valentine’s heart

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

It's end of January which can only mean one thing: retailers are gearing up for the upcoming Valentine's Day and Apple is no exception. Now available on the Online Apple Store and through the Apple Store shopping app for the iPhone and iPad (free in the App Store), the new 'Top Valentine's Gifts' section has just launched sporting an Apple-currated selection of both its own products and third-party accessories for your significant other...