Apple

Ubisoft sets Prince of Persia release date: July 25

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 4, 2013

Montreuil, France-headquartered games publisher Ubisoft in mid-April confirmed plans to bring its award-winning Prince of Persia game to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. A pick up and play adaptation of the 1993 Prince of Persia classic, Prince of Persia: The Shadow and The Flame puts you in the shoes of the Prince character who must save his Princess and kingdom “on a journey that will pave the path to his origins.”

Ubisoft yesterday confirmed in the first development diary video on YouTube that Prince of Persia: The Shadow and The Flame is headed to iOS and Android on July 25. I've included that clip and additional tidbits after the break...

iFixit’s video walkthrough details DIY iPhone 5 battery replacement process

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 4, 2013

Teardown experts over at iFixit know a thing or two about repairing consumer electronics and just yesterday they posted a nice video walkthrough explaining the process of replacing your iPhone 5's battery. So, if your battery died on you and you're eager to bring life back yourself to the device with a new one, block out your next hour, grab your screwdrivers and prying tools and arm yourself with patience and a steady hand...

Apple could face hurdles applying for iWatch trademark in US and UK

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Apple's iWatch trademark filing world tour could hit major roadblocks in the United Kingdom and over in Apple's home turf of the United States, it has been discovered.

According to two separate reports, a small California firm has taken steps to trademark 'iWatch' in the United States.

And over in the United Kingdom, a network services firm owns a Community trademark on 'iWatch', basically a trademark that applies across the European Community, which includes Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, France,, Netherlands, West Germany, Denmark, Ireland, United Kingdom, Greece, Portugal and Spain.

As a result, Apple is likely going to have to either pay these companies to buy the trademark or face a legal battle should it in fact decide to launch a rumored wristwatch product...

Apple announces Nevada solar array in its 2012 Environmental Footprint Report

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 4, 2013

A filing Monday by NV Energy with the Public Utilities Commission revealed that Apple will pay for construction of an 18-megawatt photovoltaic solar plant to power its northern Nevada data centre. The company has now officially announced the facility in its 2012 Environmental Footprint Report, writing it will be "every bit" as environmentally responsible as its data center in Maiden, North Carolina. The Fort Churchill Solar Array, as it is called, could create hundreds of jobs during the construction period...

iPad tops customer satisfaction in South Korea

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 4, 2013

In what could only be described as a one-two punch to Samsung of South Korea, Apple's iPad has now been named the top tablet in the country's National Customer Satisfaction Index. Just yesterday, you'll remember, the iPhone beat Samsung in Quality Insights customer satisfaction rankings in the Galaxy maker's home territory.

The National Customer Satisfaction Index by the South Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy gave the Apple tablet the #1 ranking for the third consecutive year since the program's inception in 2010, praising the ecosystem of apps tailored specifically for the iPad, along with an "excellent touch user experience"...

Apple readying sweeping changes to iPhone sales tactics to deflect Android competition

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 3, 2013

Normally, Apple would just continue pushing its iPhone using same old marketing tricks, which entail heavy advertising, the power of the Apple brand and lots of free press. But heightened competition, slowing smartphone sales and ongoing uncertainty about the economy presumably prompted Tim Cook and his leadership team to implement changes to how the firm goes about selling smartphones.

Sales tactics changes on the agenda reportedly include a trade-in program, improvements to price-matching policies internationally and promotions akin to Apple's Back to School program. Jump past the fold for the full breakdown...

Disney’s The Lone Ranger movie tie-in lets you play as Texas Ranger in the Wild West

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 3, 2013

You, too, can become a legend of justice in Disney's new role-playing game inspired by its new The Lone Ranger feature movie starring Johnny Depp which hits the theatres today. As the title implies, The Lone Ranger puts you in the shoes of a Texas Ranger in the Wild West.

You'll be riding horses, protecting the citizens of Colby, bringing infamous outlaws to justice, facing-off the baddies in showdowns and more.

Graphics certainly look the part and Disney is billing the game as a 3D role-playing adventure so there's more to it than meets the eye. Your trailer and further details are right after the break...

Vine adds protected posts, revamped camera, channels, revining and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 9, 2018

If you care about sending quick clips up to six seconds long via Twitter-owned Vine for iPhone, you should pause for a second and take a look at today's Vine update which brings a few major enhancements. Most notably, Vine 1.3 enhances your privacy by introducing protected posts.

Protecting a post will make it unavailable to the web at large so only the people you approve to follow you can see them (you can also protect your entire account.

This release also brings out a redesigned camera, new channels and trending posts, the ability to re-share someone's vine (finally!) and other perks. Go past the fold for the full breakdown...

Skyhook says Google bad-mouthed its Wi-Fi location tech to Apple

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 3, 2013

It's nearly unthinkable: a technology firm bad-talking a rival to a prospective customer. That's the heart of the latest claim by a location services company suing Internet giant Google for alleged patent infringement.

Skyhook Wireless is asking a court to compel Google to turn over documents showing co-founder Sergey Brin spoke badly of SkyHook's GPS location technology. As part of a recent court filing, Skyhook charges Brin told Apple co-founder Steve Jobs that the iPhone maker could do better if it went with Google...

Apple posts App Store timeline ahead of 5th anniversary

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

With the July 10, 2008 release of iPhone OS 2.0, Apple launched the App Store to the public. And with but a week until its fifth year anniversary, the company has posted a nice timeline illustrating the most important moments in the application store's history. Tim Bradshaw of The Financial Times posted the scanned poster online. Apple apparently sent the poster to a few other major media outlets...

Here’s official promotional poster for Ashton Kutcher’s Jobs movie

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

With a little over a month until Ashton Kutcher's movie based on Steve Jobs's life, Open Road Films has released a promotional poster for the upcoming flick. The official tagline: "Some see what’s possible, others change what’s possible”.

It shows a close up of Kutcher's character wearing his trademark spectacles, turtleneck and beard. Jobs is pictured against the colorful background in an obvious hint to Apple's early days when the company's logo had psychedelic colors...

Boston University could reap $75M in Apple patent infringement suit

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 3, 2013

Boston University (BU) could reap $75 million in a patent-infringement lawsuit filed against Apple Tuesday. The lawsuit centers on a patent filed in 1995 by a university professor which the school charges is used by the iPhone 5, iPad and MacBook Air.

The university has filed eight "identical" lawsuits against other device makers, including Samsung and Amazon. To bolster its argument that Apple should pay, the school is set to claim it is already receiving licensing fees for using the patent, according to a local report...