Apple

AT&T introduces Mobile Share Value plans with No Annual Contract options

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 5, 2013

The nation's second-largest wireless carrier, AT&T, today introduced new Mobile Share Value plans that, similar to T-Mobile's Un-carrier approach, disentangle the device hardware cost from the monthly service charges, allowing people who prefer not to buy their smartphones subsidized to save at least $15 or more per month on Mobile Share Value plans.

These savings kick in when you buy a new smartphone or bring your own device bought at its full retail price, get a new smartphone for no down payment with AT&T Next or switch to the new plans when your smartphone is no longer under contract. All Mobile Share Value plan customers will benefit from shared data plus unlimited talk and text on their phones, the carrier said...

WSJ: Apple and China Mobile finally ink iPhone deal

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 23, 2017

Following a number of rumors and reports over the past few weeks, The Wall Street Journal is reporting this evening that Apple and China Mobile have finally inked an iPhone deal. The outlet says it's scheduled to launch later this month.

The deal, which has also been confirmed by state-run news outlet Xinhua and a China Mobile subsidiary, comes after nearly 6 years of on-and-off negotiations, and will give Apple access to China Mobile's 700 million+ subscriber base...

Carl Icahn files proposal to put $150B Apple stock buyback program up for vote

Sébastien Page ∙ December 4, 2013

Carl Icahn knows what he wants, and he usually gets it. These days, what Carl Icahn wants is Apple to initiate a $150 billion buyback program of its stock. Although Tim Cook hasn't clearly expressed it, he's been reluctant to follow Icahn's request, which led him to file a precatory proposal.

A precatory proposal is a fancy term which, in clear English means a shareholder proposal for a stock buyback program to be voted on at Apple's next annual shareholder meeting...

Your free Holiday Playlist awaits you in Apple Store app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

As is its wont, Apple is once more giving away a bunch of Christmas-themed songs to make your holidays merrier.

Akin to its 2009 promotion of the then-new iTunes LP format which gave U.S.-based users a free downloadable selection of 20 holiday songs from a variety of popular artists, this time around Apple is giving away individual holiday favorites through a special link in its Apple Store application for the iPhone and iPad.

A total of eight songs are available for download, including performances by such acts as Mary J Blige, The Robertsons and Kool and the Gang. Jump past the fold for the instructions on claiming your free music...

Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance and Space Wolf coming to iOS in 2014

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Games Workshop is adamant to take over Apple's iOS platform by storm. Its Warhammer Quest for the iPhone and iPad was released earlier this year to generally positive reviews (read Lory's take).

But more Warhammer-branded games are scheduled for release on iOS devices in the upcoming months.

Back in August, they announced Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf, a new title coming to the App Store in 2014. And now, another upcoming Warhammer iOS game has been announced, called Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance.

Both Storm of Vengeance and Space Wolf are due in 2014 and feature a selection of characters from the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Space Wolf, developed by Hero Craft, is a free-to-play, turn-based tactical combat game.

As for Storm of Vengeance, it's being developed by Eutechnyx of the Ninja Cats vs Samurai Dogs fame and tells the story of “a pivotal moment in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, during the legendary planetary conflict on Piscina IV,” according to a recent press release.

Apple’s iBeacon used to push content to iOS Newsstand publications

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

As Apple continues work on implementing the iOS 7 iBeacon technology inside its own retail outlets, third-parties are taking notice.

Case in point: the shopping app Shopkick, which has recently teamed up with Macy’s to deliver the first major retail system based on Apple's new iBeacon trigger technology.

If you're not familiar with it, iBeacon is an indoor positioning system based on Low Energy Bluetooth (BLE), also known as Bluetooth 4.0 or Bluetooth Smart. It taps tiny, pervasive transmitters which can send push notifications to iOS or Android devices within close proximity.

These notifications can deliver marketing messages like discounts and some have speculated that iBeacon could even power a new kind of point of sale wireless payment solutions that won't require NFC.

And now, one company has taken iBeacon presence notification one step further by imaginatively using Apple's technology to give bar patrons free access to Newsstand magazines and help sell subscriptions...

Three switches on its UK 4G LTE network, expands roaming to US

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Three, one of UK's top wireless companies, yesterday began turning on its new fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network in select locations. The carrier claims to run the UK’s fastest-growing 3G network which covers more than 97 percent of the country's population.

In addition to Three's first LTE sightings in the UK, the company is also extending its Feel At Home roaming service to the United States, starting today. The U.S. joins other countries where Feel At Home has been available, including Austria, Australia, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, the Republic of Ireland and Sweden.

The service allows Three's UK-based Feel At Home customers to use their voice minutes, text messages and cellular data for no charge while traveling outside the UK and roaming the aforementioned countries...

iPhone 5s prices around the world

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 4, 2013

As shocking as it is to folks who live in the United States, in most places around the world smartphones are actually sold contract-free. This is especially true for Europe and certain parts of Asia, where people typically buy even the highest-end devices full price and separate of wireless contracts. It is also true, however, that off-contract unlocked iPhones usually command the lowest prices in the U.S.

Elsewhere, an unsubsidized iPhone can set you back a fortune due to local regulations dealing with import taxes, fees and other factors affecting cost of doing business locally. Here's an interesting chart depicting iPhone prices around the world, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP)...

Photos claim to show Apple prototype of crocs-style iPhone 5s case

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Apple caused quite a bit of commotion this September when it unveiled two new custom cases for its two new iPhone models. The 5s case is boring for the most part, made of leather, but the 5c case and its crocs-like design drew a number of oohs and aahs.

In our review, we praised the case for its construction, but questioned the placement of the rear holes as they let part of the 'iPhone' label show through. Well interestingly enough, a new report claims Apple was working on a crocs-like case for the 5s as well...

Infuse iOS media player gets thorough iOS 7 makeover, now free

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

I'm a big fan of Infuse, a versatile iOS media player by jailbreak developers FireCore, the same team that brought you aTV Flash Black for the Apple TV. Why? Because consuming video in file formats that are foreign to iOS is high maintenance. I'm just reluctant to waste my precious time figuring it all out. Infuse elegantly takes the pain out of messing with the dull file conversion, syncing and hunting for subtitles and replaces that whole mind job with an enjoyable movie-watching experience.

Infuse supports 14 non-iOS video formats, features high-performance playback for 1080p content and has auto-download of cover art and other metadata from TheMovieDB and TheTVDB, with one-tap subtitle downloads from OpenSubtitles.org. It also implements the best AirPlay subtitle streaming I have ever seen on an iOS device, hands down. That Infuse supports multiple audio tracks/subtitles and integrates with trakt.tv to scrobble plays back to your account, submit ratings and post shouts doesn't hurt either.

As not everyone was down with Infuse costing five bucks, not many people got a chance to enjoy Infuse goodies. Not anymore. Starting today, Infuse 2 for iPhone and iPad is free in the App Store, with advanced features available as an in-app purchase upgrade. Infuse used to rely heavily on skeuomorphism so I was curious to see how developers would transition its graphics-heavy interface to clean iOS 7 aesthetics...

Crazy rumor (or is it?) claims 12.9-inch ‘iPad maxi’ will rock 4K Retina display

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 1, 2017

As the Wall Street Journal in July gave credence to 12.9-inch iPad speculation, which dates back to a sketchy report published in May 2013, we're now officially in the clear as far as crazy rumors go. The mythical iPad designed for real men - let's call it the 'iPad maxi' for the time being, shall we? - could give Retina a new meaning by incorporating an ultra high-resolution 4K screen.

If true, the device's advanced display will manage to squeeze 8+ million pixels typically found on desktop monitors - such as Dell's latest 27-incher or Sharp's 32-inch IGZO monitor - onto a canvas which measures less than thirteen inches diagonally.

Given that Amazon and Google now have tablets that outperform the iPad's 2,047-by-1,536 pixel resolution screen, I imagine Apple must be very interested to reclaim the Highest-Resolution Tablet crown it once held...

Readdle rolls out PDF Expert 5 with iCloud, shared folders, new Review mode and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 3, 2013

The Ukraine-based app maker Readdle today released a big update to its PDF management app, PDF Expert for iPad. The software makes reading, annotating or editing PDF documents on your iPad a snap, with advanced capabilities like highlighting and handwriting support, the ability to sign your PDFs digitally (useful for contracts and other legal documents), insert text and stamps and more.

PDF Expert can even merge multiple PDF documents into one so it's much like the OS X Preview app feature-wise.

The fifth major iteration offers such enhancements as the new shared-folder capability, AirDrop sharing, a revamped file manager, iCloud storage and sync for your PDFs and lots more. The full breakdown is after the break...