Apple

And just like that, Google buys smart thermostat and smoke detector maker Nest Labs

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2014

The Internet giant Google has announced that it has bought Nest Labs, the maker of a family of iPhone-controlled smart thermostat and smoke and carbon monoxide detector devices for connected homes. Nest will continue to operate independently of Google and won't share customer data with them. Nest was founded by the brilliant engineer Tony Fadell who used to work at Apple where he was charged with the iPod music player project.

Yes, the iPod Godfather now works for Google! The transaction is valued at a whopping $3.2 billion in cash. Google paid quite handsomely to buy Nest, didn't they? Considering Nest raised about $80 million in venture funding, the acquisition qualifies as one of the most profitable exit strategies among Silicon Valley startups.

iDownloadBlog's Jeff Benjamin reviewed the Nest learning thermostat and was impressed with its sleekness and functionality, the $249 price point be damned...

New in iOS 7.1: remove over-the-air installer from your device

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2014

I'm still flabbergasted that many non-techies are totally oblivious to over-the-air iOS updates. I mean, I've seen way too many iPhones out there with a badge on the Settings icon denoting a pending iOS update.

When asked why they didn't act on the notification, the normals usually respond that they couldn't figure out what it was so they just left it sitting there, consuming valuable storage space.

Turns out that the upcoming iOS 7.1 includes a new feature which allows you to delete these over-the-air installation files from your device without applying the update, in order to free up storage space for apps and media...

Snapchat apologizes (yes, apologizes!) for spam increase following data breach

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Perhaps realizing that apologizing isn’t a sign of weakness, Snapchat, the popular photo messaging application, took to the official blog to apologize for the spam increase observed during the weekend.

"We’ve heard some complaints over the weekend about an increase in Snap Spam on our service," a Monday post reads. The company has tried to make peace with disgruntled users by offering a formal apology. "We want to apologize for any unwanted Snaps," the team wrote.

The spam increase, the post claims, has nothing to do with a recent breach that saw a group of hackers breach its database and post 4.6 million user names and phone numbers on the web...

Offline mode finally coming to SimCity for Mac, EA confirms

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 2, 2017

Following numerous delays, Electronic Arts in August 2013 finally unleashed SimCity on the Mac.

Unfortunately, the long-expected launch quickly turned into a PR catastrophe as players started to complain about some very steep system requirements, crashes and installation issues.

The bug-ridden rocky launch put super-publisher Electronic Arts on the defensive, especially after the media slammed EA over SimCity's reliance on an Internet connection. Electronic Arts today finally confirmed that a future update will remove that restriction, allowing players to enjoy the city-building simulator when offline...

The Apple-Nokia patent deal is expiring December 31, 2016

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2014

You may remember that back in June 2011 Apple lost a patent infringement case that the Finnish handset maker Nokia had filed against the Cupertino company, resulting in an undisclosed one-time payment and ongoing royalties to Nokia for use of their patents. The Nokia CEO Stephen Elop was “very pleased” to have Apple join Nokia licensees.

However, the essentials of the contract have for the most part remained confidential. Today, we get to learn more about the terms of the deal as Samsung told a U.S. court that the patent pact is expiring on December 31, 2016...

Vosis for iPad creates cool synthesizer effects from photos and live video

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2014

There's certainly no shortage of music-creation apps for aspiring musicians on the App Store, even if most of the available programs strive to perhaps dumb down the process of composing music. But every once in a while someone out there comes up with another great idea for music creation on the go.

Although ImageSonification‘s new iPad app called Vosis is not meant to compete with the likes of Apple's GarageBand and similar apps, I can easily see it used in the production and creation of live effects.

Now available in the App Store free of charge, Vosis creates cool ambient and synthesizer effects by analyzing greyscale image pixel data in your photos and live video feed. I've included a nice video after the break so do give it a look to learn what image and video “audification” is all about...

WinZip overhauled for iOS 7, now with Dropbox integration, AirDrop support and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2014

WinZip Computing has finally updated its WinZip application for iOS which lets you access archived ZIP files on the go, create your own ones and more.

Now available in the App Store in both free and paid flavors, WinZip 3.0 brings out the all-new flattened interface that feels very natural on iOS 7, with AirDrop support making it real easy to share ZIP archives between iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices using Apple's new AirDrop peer-to-peer sharing technology in iOS 7.

WinZip 3.0 also allows you to upload files to your Dropbox and download them on your device, copy or send sharable links of files in Dropbox, take advantage of an improved workflow making it easier to manage your ZIP files on iOS devices and more...

Beats Music coming January 21, here’s nitty-gritty on their ‘trusted curator’ concept

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Beats Music CEO Luke Wood told us last October to soon expect a brand new subscription music service, one not only making a difference to how we consume songs but also changing our perception of what streaming music services should be all about. Yesterday, Beats Music announced it will be definitely opening for business on January 21.

In an effort to drum up excitement ahead of the impending launch, the headphone manufacturer likened existing music service to "servers" that provide little more than access to a catalog.

But how the heck does Beats Music expect to stand out in the crowded space of streaming service? By curating music from trusted human sources like established industry magazines, that's how. They even hired professional DJs! "In our experience it’s always been a living, breathing human who has brought us that song we fell in love with," the company said.

What's in it for you? More than meets the eye. Read on...

Apple airs new ‘Your Verse Anthem’ iPad Air ad

Cody Lee ∙ January 12, 2014

Apple began airing a new commercial for its iPad Air today, during this morning's NFL playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers. The ad, entitled "Your Verse Anthem,' feels familiar in that it shows how people from different walks of life use the iPad.

But that's about where the familiarity stops. The spot itself is set to a voiceover from the film “Dead Poets Society," which carries a very serious tone, arguing that the need for poetry, beauty and love outweigh the need for more noble pursuits such as business, engineering, and the like...

US appeals court: Apple did not violate Google’s Motorola push notifications patent

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said on Friday that Apple does not use patented technology owned by Google unit Motorola Mobility in making its iPhones. This means Apple is off the hook in regard to Motorola's assertion of patent infringement.

The appeal court's ruling upheld a decision by the International Trade Commission in April, which also concluded that the iPhone didn’t violate Google’s patents...

CES 2014: NueVue’s new cases claim to remove 99% of bacteria on iDevice screens

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 10, 2014

Case maker NueVue at CES 2014 unveiled a new line of cases which it claims have been designed to remove up to 99 percent of bacteria residing on the surface of your iPhone and iPad's screen. The cases clean the screen and offer antimicrobial protection every time you remove the device.

Available for the iPhone, iPad and iPad mini, with tablet sporting a handy leather strip to keep the device secure, the new cases make possible antimicrobial protection by using microfibers licensed from medical company BioCote...

Confide brings off-the-record messaging to iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 9, 2014

With the recent Snapchat data breach (and the company's subsequently poor handling of the situation) and given the ongoing NSA snooping scare, little wonder some folks would think twice before downloading a messaging app to their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

Storing your chat transcripts in the cloud introduces an attack vector so that's a big no-no, right?

And you definitely at all cost want to avoid the contents of your communication kept on the device itself, no? So how about a 100 percent off-the-record messaging software, one that would bypass the cloud while allowing for Snapchat-like disappearing text messages?

That's Confide for you...