Apple

Google takes on spammers by caching all Gmail images on its servers

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2013

Doesn't it bother you that Gmail on the web and mobile puts up the Show Images link at the top of your email messages that contain images, like HTML newsletters? That message will be no more real soon as Google changes how Gmail handles images in emails.

According to the official Gmail blog, both Gmail on the web and Gmail for the iPhone and iPad (and Android) will now let you see all Gmail images automatically.

Moreover, the linked images will no longer load from their original external host servers and will instead be served through Google’s own secure proxy servers. And because the images will be checked for known viruses or malware, the change will make Gmail safer and more secure, the search monster argued...

FCC and carriers finally agree on cell phone unlocking

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Threatening regulatory action, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was able to drive U.S. wireless carriers into a corner concerning their stance on cell phone unlocking. As much as carriers would want to lock phones to their network to make switching service that much harder, the FCC and major U.S. wireless companies have reached an agreement which will make it easier for people to unlock their devices and switch from one carrier to another.

The wireless association called CTIA, which represents U.S. carriers like AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular, released a statement on Thursday confirming that all named carriers have agreed to the new cell phone unlocking principles put forth by the government...

IFTTT can now trigger actions based on your location

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2013

The increasingly popular iPhone automation app, IFTT, (stands for IF This Then That) has received a notable little update today which enables iOS Location Recipes, allowing you to build recipes that trigger various actions based on your device's GPS location.

The new iOS Location channel was created to allow apps and websites to use information from cellular, Wi-Fi and GPS networks, in addition to iBeacons, to determine your approximate location. This opens up some interesting and really useful possibilities.

For instance, you could program IFTTT to turn off lights when you get home, via the built-in support for the Philips Hue smart light bulb. Or, why not automate social announcements when you're at a not-to-be-missed party? And how about simply notifying your family about your whereabouts as you move about the day?

Apple refreshes the design of its online support portal

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

In recent months, Apple has been making various moves to make its users more aware of its self-help options. Last month, it updated its Genius Bar reservation page with a link to its online support portal to give customers the option to 'save a trip to the store.'

And today, Apple has updated its online support portal to make it more user-friendly with a new, simpler design. The UI now looks more in line with iOS 7, with large, sharp images on a white background, and makes the page much easier for customers to navigate...

Apple comments on death of 15 year-old Pegatron factory worker

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Apple and its Asian supplier Pegatron, which manufactures the iPhone 5c, have come under heavy fire this week following the unexplained deaths of at least five factory workers. Even worse is that one of them, a boy, was just 15 years old.

It's since been determined that the teenager used forged identity documents saying he was 20 years old to get the job. And today, Apple gave an official statement on the incident, saying it has sent independent medical experts to investigate...

Launch Center Pro gains Fleksy keyboard integration, lists, Share Sheets and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2013

Earlier this morning, I told you about Fleksy, a free iPhone application that one-ups Apple's stock iOS keyboard with eyes-free typing experience.

The San Francisco-based startup behind the app has decided to open up its alternate keyboard methods to select-third party developers by way of an official software development kit (SDK). This is great news as Fleksy's keyboard sports a patent pending text prediction engine and a powerful autocorrect engine.

Contrast iPhone and iPad automation app, Launch Center Pro ($4.99 on the App Store), is one of Fleksy launch partners and today's update enables support for Fleksy's innovative input method for keyboard prompts.

Instagram 5.0 launches in App Store with Instagram Direct support

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2013

And just like clockwork, Instagram's newly-updated mobile app is now live in the App Store with support for Instagram Direct, a new feature announced just an hour ago at the company's Share a Moment media event in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. This capability that some mistakenly refer to as a private messaging feature introduces much-needed granularity to sharing by allowing users to send a photo or video not only to a group of their Instagram followers, but also to those not following them on the service...

Instagram Direct announced: limit photos and videos to select groups

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2013

iPhone photography fans, rejoice! Facebook-owned Instagram is holding its Share a Moment media event in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and co-founder and CEO Kevin Systrom has just taken the wraps off Instagram Direct, a new feature designed to make it easy to limit specific photos and videos to select groups of friends.

The capability is available now through Instagram's just-updated free iPhone app. As for Instagram metrics, Systrom said Instagram grew from 80 million users at the beginning of 2013 to 150 million users worldwide, with half of Instagram’s users accessing the service on a daily basis...

Fleksy launches third-party iOS keyboard SDK

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Although the stock iOS keyboard has come a long way since the original iPhone, Apple in past six years has largely made incremental improvements to one of the most important features of touch devices. For example, a new keyboard in iOS 7 features a number of smart functions such as the improved auto-correct function, while introducing new light and dark themes.

Enter Fleksy, a San Francisco-based startup which has offered up its own keyboard app for iOS devices for the past year and a half. They have now created a software development kit (SDK) allowing Apple's registered iOS developers to implement additional keyboard layouts and looks in their apps to augment Apple's rather restricted stock choices...

Seoul court rules that iPhone 4s and iPad 2 don’t infringe on Samsung’s patents

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2013

Back in 2011, the legal spat between Apple and its frenemy and key supplier Samsung started to really escalate as the parties began filing a bunch of lawsuits around the world against each other. The Galaxy maker was hoping to gain the upper hand by filing a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple in its home turf over claimed short message display methods and messaging grouping features.

However, a Korean judge has now tossed Samsung's claim out of the window, with the Seoul Central District Court ruling that Apple's iPhone 4s and iPad 2 do not infringe on Samsung Electronics’ commercial patents...

Google Maps now lets you see flight, hotel and restaurant reservations from Gmail

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2013

It's been some time since we've seen a meaningful update to Google Maps for iPhone and iPad, especially given Google Maps is probably the Internet giant's most popular product, after Search.

As if reading our mind, just an hour ago the firm has quietly pushed a minor update into the App Store. The new Google Maps version 2.5 comes with a few bug fixes and brings with it a cool new feature which lets you see your reservations from Gmail on the map.

Say you made a flight, hotel or restaurant reservation. Upon receiving the confirmation email in Gmail, Google can now take this information (they are already doing this for Google Now cards, by the way), extract the address and show you precise locations for these items within the Google Maps iOS app.

It's a minor, albeit welcome, enhancement that will up competition a notch for Apple’s own iOS Maps app. I love how little things like this make Google Maps more integrated with other Google apps. We've seen Google do this frequently and my guess is they'll continue to leverage their premium iOS apps to build a platform on top of iOS, so to speak...

Google puts Chrome App Launcher in Mac’s Dock

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 22, 2017

Chrome Apps may have debuted as simple website shortcuts, but Google has quickly expanded on the initial capabilities so these things now feel and behave much like rich, native apps, as opposed to your typical clunky and somewhat slow web app. Today's Chrome Apps are packaged as native code, can work offline, access your computer's local storage and more.

There are some really fine Chrome Apps out there that will make you question your preconceived notions of what a web app can do and now Google has created a home for them, right in your Mac's Dock.

Introducing Chrome App Launcher which puts Chrome Apps for your desktop right in your Dock. Just click its icon and up pops a grid of all Chrome Apps that you've installed on your system. Read on for full details...