Apple

Pegatron expected to land half of Apple’s iPhone 6 orders

For it only being January, there sure has been a lot of information tossed about regarding the next-gen iPhone. Insiders claim to know what size the display will be, what kind of camera it'll have, and even who is going to make it.

A new report out of Taiwan this afternoon is claiming that Pegatron will likely be tapped to manufacture half of Apple's [so-called] iPhone 6 orders—a huge win for the Taiwanese supplier, who currently assembles the iPhone 5c...

PAC-MAN goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Apple has named Namco Bandai’s classic PAC-MAN game its App of the Week for this week. This means that through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the application for both your iPhone and iPad, for free—a sizable savings of $7.

For those unfamiliar with the game, it's essentially an iOS port of the popular arcade game that first debuted in 1980. In it, you navigate a tiny character around various mazes while trying to eat pellets and fruit and avoid deadly ghosts...

Fitbit Force’s iPhone-exclusive Caller ID integration shown off on video, coming February

FitBit released its Force fitness tracker last October, but not all of the planned software features were ready for the launch, namely notifications for incoming calls. According to a company representative, Called ID functionality is currently being worked on and is scheduled for delivery in February 2014 via a free software update.

They've also shared a video showing Caller ID integration on the Force and I've included it below the fold for your viewing pleasure...

Super Stickman Golf 2 goes free today only

Super Stickman Golf 2 by Noodlecake Games, the sequel to the award-winning Super Stickman Gold, arrived in the App Store back in March of last year and quickly rose up the charts due to its addictiveness, entertainment value and novel concepts.

It sports a ton of different modes and levels, characters that can be customized, varied courses to choose from, two multiplayer modes, all spiced up with compelling puzzles and nicely done crisp Retina graphics.

Super Stickman Golf 2 combines the best of golf games and puzzlers into one sweet package and it's now free, but only for today so grab it now while it's hot for a cool $3 saving...

Apple discounts iPhones, iPads and more in Lunar New Year Sale

As promised, Apple kicked its 'Red Friday' sales event off today in several Asian countries to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Unlike the recent Black Friday event it held here in the US, Apple is offering cash discounts on its products—not gift cards.

Also different is the fact that the Red Friday promotion includes price cuts on all current iPhone models and the new Retina iPad mini. Apple doesn't usually discount its handsets, as they are extremely popular and provide (by far) the largest margins...

Vine updated with focus and exposure lock

Twitter's Vine is on an update spree. Earlier in the week the company rolled out two new features specifically covering Vine's web interface, one allowing users to browse, like share and comment on Vines on the web, bypassing the mobile apps, and the other called TV mode that lets you play all of the videos from your home feed, or from any given profile, in sequence.

Twitter has now turned its attention back to Vine's iPhone app which has been bumped up to version 1.4.7. In addition to bug fixes and performance improvements, this Vine edition allows you to capture sharper videos and achieve better effects by locking your focus and exposure with the focus tool, here's how it works...

‘7 Minute Workout Challenge’ goes free in the Apple Store app

A lot of folks were unhappy with the free download items Apple offered during its 12 Days of Gifts event. Many felt that the company,  which is worth some $140 billion, was a little cheap with the giveaway. But the good news is, it's not done giving.

Last fall, Apple started offering free content in its Apple Store app in an effort to drive more traffic to its online storefront. And today, it's posted a new free item: the popular '7 Minute Workout Challenge' fitness app for iPhone by Fitness Guide Inc...

Galaxy S5 confirmed: due late-April, iris scanner a possibility, beast specs rumored

Yesterday, I told you that Dennis Miloseski, head of studio for Samsung Design America, basically confirmed that the Galaxy maker will be adding new wearable devices to its Galaxy Gear smartwatch lineup in 2014. He also noted that the South Korean company tends to have two major launches.

One is for its Galaxy S flagship handset in the Spring and the other tends to be for the Note phablet in the Fall. Speaking to Bloomberg today, a Samsung executive vice president has now officially confirmed that the Galaxy S5, a successor to the current S4, is coming by the end of April.

It will feature a brand new design and may or may not take on Apple's Touch ID with an iris scanning technology. Hardware-wise, Samsung shouldn't disappoint as the S5 is shaping up to be quite a beast of the phone.

With the upcoming iPhone 6 in the pipeline, I thought we should compile everything we "know" about Samsung's next big thing that'll take on the iPhone in a few months time, all over again...

Snapchat is ‘sorry’ for data breach, strengthens mobile app security

Snapchat has found itself in some pretty hot water after a group of anonymous hackers on New Year's Eve breached its database and leaked 4.6 million usernames and phone numbers on the web. The controversy wasn't necessarily about the security breach itself, but over Snapchat's stubborn refusal to publicly acknowledge the situation, apologize for the inconvenience and update customers on steps taken, if any, to rectify the situation.

It's mind-boggling that Snapchat was aware of a security hole in its API for several weeks yet did absolutely nothing to plug it, an inexplicable move that has in turn allowed the hackers to successfully exploit Snapchat's shortcomings and steal user data.

Today, the company has finally gone on the record to confirm that a new update to its Android and iOS apps improves security by letting folks opt out of the Find Friends feature which has, partially, allowed for the hack.

And although the company has yet to formally apologize for the messy handling of the situation, it now says it's "sorry" for any problems this issue may have caused its users...

Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project hits iOS, total mutant mayhem guaranteed

If you're in your 30s, surely you must remember an action videogame franchise that set the genre on fire. Starring a larger-than-life character called Duke, itt was originally created by Apogee Software and 3D Realms, with the voice actor Jon St. John borrowing Duke his distinct voice.

The long-standing Duke Nukem series has since seen numerous releases and the last installment was published back in 2011 by Gearbox Software, which acquired the rights of the franchise the year prior.

Duke Nukem II was ported to iOS last year and now the original king of action is making a comeback in Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, now available for the iPhone and iPad for $1.99...

Apple, Samsung CEOs agree to mediation ahead of patent trial

According to new paperwork filed earlier this afternoon, Apple and Samsung have agreed to attend a mediation session next month ahead of their second major US patent trial, which is slated to begin on March 31.

The meeting is to take place on or before February 19, and is to be attended by Tim Cook, Samsung's Oh-Hyun Kwon and their respective in-house lawyers. And they will attempt to discuss settlement opportunities...

CES 2014: introducing Voyce, health and activity tracking collar for dogs

We've seen all sorts of crazy stuff coming out of CES 2014 (the hype machine is strong) and I'm guessing half of the announced, shown off and written about whiz-bang gadgets will get forgotten as soon as the last drunken journalist checks out of an overpriced Las Vegas hotel.

The Voyce isn't one of such easily forgettable products. If you love dogs and own one, I'm guessing your four-legged pet friend would love to wear this app-enabled collar that can track his activity, measure heart and respiratory rates and record other data pertaining to his wellbeing..