Apple

AllCast Android app streams content to Apple TV, Roku and other set-top streaming boxes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 26, 2017

I'm loving my Apple TV and AirPlay, an Apple media technology which streams content from the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac devices to television sets through the company's $99 set-top box.

Unfortunately, AirPlay is a proprietary technology that only works with Apple hardware. Don't you just wish the industry finally settled on a single cross-platform streaming media standard?

That's the issue a new application for Android devices is attempting to tackle. Created by CyanogenMod developer Koushik Dutta, the AllCast app lets you stream online (Dropbox, Google Drive and so forth) or locally-stored content to your Apple TV, Roku and a number of other set-top boxes and DLNA-compatible devices such as the PlayStation 3 console.

Currently in beta, the software works surprisingly well and I've included a video to show it to you right after the break...

Some European Apple Stores now offering interest-free financing

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 2, 2013

Apple's Online Stores in some of Europe's biggest markets are running an interesting time-limited promotion with interest-free financing on online purchases above £449 in the case of United Kingdom, which works out to about €400/$540.

Depending on the country, Apple has partnered with major banks to permit shoppers to have their repayments spread across ten or twelve monthly repayments with zero percent interest.

In the United Kingdom, the zero percent interest consumer finance promotion is available with ten monthly repayments on qualifying purchases made through either the online Apple Store for Consumers or the Apple Store for Education between December 2, 2013 and midnight of the January 10, 2014...

Apple Stores coloring logos red in recognition of World AIDS Day

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

As it has in the past few years, Apple is recognizing December 1 as World AIDS Day. The company has posted a banner on its website's home page, and several of its retail stores have begun coloring their Apple logos red.

First observed in 1988, World AIDS Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV—something Apple has shown an interest in with its long-term (Product) RED partnership...

Apple files complaint over exorbitant lawyer fees in e-book antitrust suit

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 30, 2016

If you were a lawyer and Apple hired you on legal matters, what would your charge Tim Cook & Co. for services rendered? A hundred bucks per hour? Three hundred bucks?

How about a whopping $1,150 per hour fee plus a fifteen percent "administrative fee" on top? That's what one Michael Bromwich attempted to bill Apple for a fortnight's worth of work on overseeing the electronic books price-fixing antitrust case.

But having a deep-pocketed client such as Apple is by no means a guarantee of the hefty payout, as court-appointed Bromwich discovered after the iPhone maker filed a formal objection over the exorbitant fees...

iPhone tops Yahoo UK’s 2013 tech searches

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 29, 2013

Rivals often point to Apple's sub-20 percent share of the global smartphone market as a proof of sorts that the iPhone has run its course. In reality, the device remains the most sought-after item in technology which people searched for most on the web throughout the year, at least among the British.

According to Yahoo UK's annual roundup of trends and stories gleaned from the billions of online searches throughout the year 2013, the iPhone was the most searched-for technology item this year. After the Apple handset, Yahoo's UK users were most interested in Amazon's second-ranked Kindle e-reader and Samsung's third-placed Galaxy brand.

Apple's iPad and Sony's new PlayStation 4 round up the top five most searched-for tech items on Yahoo UK (the Xbox One ranked sixth)...

Boxie goes free: everyone can now prettify their Dropbox

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

As a Dropbox power user on a daily basis, I am very dissatisfied with their mobile app because it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of advanced capabilities, so much so that I've recently become a Boxie convert and never looked back.

This awesome Dropbox client for the iPhone and iPad used to cost two bucks so I imagine the price tag must have put off a lot of would-be users, especially give Dropbox’s own official iPhone and iPad client is free in the App Store and good enough for most of casual Dropbox users.

Those who depend on Dropbox will be happy learning that developer Tapwings has now completely removed barrier to entry because starting today, you can download Boxie free from the App Store (the price cut is permanent).

Dropbox fans would be wise to immediately treat themselves to this awesome app which will soup up your Dropbox experience with the elegant user interface while allowing for some advanced features not supported by Dropbox’s own app.

I'm talking stuff like moving an item in a folder via drag-and-drop, per-folder sorting, ZIP archive extraction, direct Dropbox-to-Dropbox transfer and lots more...

Spotify update brings Browse mode to iPad, lets you follow friends/artists and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

The Swedish streaming music startup Spotify has pushed a new update to its free iPhone and iPad client today. The new Spotify 0.9.1 enables the Browse mode on iPads, while bringing the ability to follow friends and artists, enabling the search/public toggle for playlists on the iPhone and introducing more responsive searching and revamped playlists, along with the usual bug fixes and performance improvements.

Spotify, which received its major iOS 7 update on October 22, two months ago brought out the completely revamped Browse tab. Basically a new way to search for music, Browse taps a simplified interface for finding your favorite artists and albums or discovering new ones with just a few taps.

Browse used to be iPhone-only, but today's update brings the feature to iPad devices as well while replacing the old What’s New view...

Apple’s gift card-only Black Friday deals now live in North America, cash discounts in Europe

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2016

Following Apple's Black Friday deals that went live yesterday on the Australian web store, the company this morning refreshed its United States and Canadian outlets with 2013 Black Friday promotion.

Just as we suspected, this year the iPhone maker has rather disappointedly opted not to offer actual discounts on products and instead is luring shoppers with Apple Store Gift Cards, redeemable against purchases solely at a later date.

Apple has never offered deep Black Friday discounts and this year's gift card-only promotion will no doubt disappoint bargain hunters who'll be better served shopping elsewhere (iDownloadBlog has you covered with a comprehensive roundup of Black Friday deals)...

iTranslate goes universal, adds native iOS 7 iPad UI

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

I generally dig software by German developer Sonico Mobile. As I'm not a native English speaker, you could imagine Sonico's free translator and dictionary program called iTranslate is one of the apps I always keep on my Home screen no matter what. I'm happy to report that the team has now produced a universal binary which perfectly adopts to iOS 7 by functionality and design.

The new iTranslate for iPhone and iPad is now available free in the App Store, bringing with it the native iPad interface featuring revamped appearance for iOS 7 aesthetics. Check out the screenshots and additional tidbits right after the break...

The Bureau – XCOM Declassified arrives in the Mac App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Publisher 2K Games released XCOM: Enemy Unknown on the App Store back in June, following the Mac edition which went live earlier in the year. Basically an iOS port of the popular turn-based tactical role-playing strategy, XCOM: Enemy Unknown has since seen a few updates bringing a new multiplayer mode and other goodies. Meanwhile, 2K Games has teamed up with developer TransGaming to bring you an all-new XCOM game for the Mac, The Bureau - XCOM Declassified.

Available now on the Mac App Store, this premium third-person tactical shooter borrows certain strategy elements from the classic XCOM titles, but is nonetheless a standalone game in its own right...

Apple’s gift card only Black Friday deals launch in Australia

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 28, 2013

Just as we suspected yesterday, Apple's Black Friday promotion may disappoint even the most ardent of fans as this year Tim Cook & Co. have opted to treat shoppers to Apple Store gift cards instead of actual discounts on products. Apple's deals are now live on its Australian web store and we're expecting the U.S. Apple Store to come online with the promotion later in the day. The problem with Apple's gift card-only approach is that these things are redeemable against future purchases only.

As a result, eager shoppers who are on the lookout for real discounts on products, right there and then, will instead need to visit their retail or online Apple Store again in order to actually spend their credit...

Judge dismisses privacy lawsuit against Apple over location tracking

Cody Lee ∙ November 28, 2013

Reuters is reporting that US District Judge Lucy Koh has dismissed a privacy lawsuit against Apple this week. The suit alleged that the company was collecting location data through iOS devices, even when the geo-location feature was turned off.

Four plaintiffs joint-filed the suit—which is just one of several that followed Apple's 'Locationgate' scandal—in 2011, complaining that not only was Apple tracking users' location without consent, but they charged them too much for their iPhones...