Apple

HipChat iOS app revamped as Mac client exits beta

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 25, 2013

Atlassian's cross-platform group messaging HipChat app launched in January 2010 following a one-month beta period. The Mac app, originally developed using Adobe AIR and in beta since Valentine's Day, is now finally ready for prime time.

If you hate AIR as much as I do, you'll be delighted that the team has now dropped Adobe's sluggish technology (good riddance) in favor of the native OS X experience.

And in addition to the rebuilt HipChat 2.0 for Mac, the company has also given its iOS client some much-needed love, pushing a major 2.0 update that's leaner, faster and includes many new features. Here's what's new in both HipChat for Mac and iOS...

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Google updates Currents with new features ahead of Reader shutdown

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

Google's Flipboard-like Currents app thus far has failed to catch on with the general public, despite bringing magazine-like reading experience to mobile devices.

The problem is, Google's been updating Currents at a snail's pace. So, in an effort to pick up some of the lost steam, the Internet giant today pushed an update to the Currents iOS app which brings it on par with the recently-updated Android counterpart.

In addition to the same audio experience from the Android build that makes listening to audio clips more convenient, the iOS app is now a little bit prettier and comes with a few handy tweaks, like the way overdue pinch-to-zoom for photos and the useful vertical pagination reading mode...

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Is the party over for high-end smartphones?

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 28, 2017

Every company loves maximum profits. For years, Apple and Samsung have sold high-priced smartphones loaded with features that were eagerly snapped up by consumers in mature economies in North America and Europe. Now the two largest smartphone makers face a changing consumer profile where basic is best and inexpensive is in vogue.

Just days ago, research giant Gartner noted low-cost devices comprise the bulk of both firm's device sales, making questions of whether to sell 'cheap' handsets only a distant - and irrelevant - memory. Now comes fear from Wall Street that the salad days of smartphones are over for Apple and Samsung...

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iTunes U finally adopts pull-to-refresh thing

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 25, 2013

Although optimized for the iPhone 5, iTunes U - Apple's free download from the App Store - is still skeuomorphic, just like Find My iPhone, AirPort Utility and other Apple downloads not included as part of the stock iOS 7 experience. Though today's iTunes U 1.3.1 update doesn't get rid of the wooden bookshelf, the new versions does add several noteworthy features. Among them: the popular pull-to-refresh gesture to checks for course updates in the notepad...

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IDC: in Europe, smartphones post lowest gains in nearly a decade

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 28, 2017

Things are not looking good for smartphones over in Europe. Although first-quarter smartphone shipments rose twelve percent in Western Europe, the gains were the lowest since 2004, according to research firm IDC Tuesday. The sluggish increase, coupled with a 31 percent decrease in shipments of feature phones, pulled overall mobile phone ships down 4.2 percent annually across Western Europe.

Samsung held on to its overall lead in mobile phone shipments while increasing its lead over Apple in smartphone shipments. Despite a decline in shipments, Apple rose to second place overall in Western Europe, holding on to its No. 2 spot in smartphone shipments, the researcher announced...

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Apple TV hack enables Russian video service, no jailbreak required

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 25, 2013

Remember a recent hack which cleverly tricks Apple TV's stock Trailers app into streaming video from the popular Plex media player, no jailbreak required? Apparently, the same trickery can be exploited in order to enable access to certain online video services. A Russian blog today spread word of a very similar hack that lets owners of the second and third-generation Apple TV stream content from Russia's UnliMovie digital TV service, directly through the set-top box's Trailers app...

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Rdio upgrades family plans to allow up to 5 people

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2016

The popular Internet-based radio service, Rdio, today announced it has refreshed its subscription plans for families to allow up to five people on a single plan. Previously, only three people on a family plan were allowed to use the service. The online radio service has also amended its pricing to reflect these changes, offering a $17 saving for a family of five compared to individual plans...

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‘Designed by Apple in California’ campaign extends to print

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Along with a host of software-related announcements at this year's five-day developers conference, Apple cleverly used the WWDC venue to kick off a new brand awareness campaign entitled 'Designed by Apple in California' and created by the company's long-time ad shop TBWA\Worldwide.

First, the company rolled out videos that strive to explain the design philosophy driving its product development and subtly highlight its California roots epitomized in the 'Designed by Apple in California' tagline etched on the back of every Apple product.

The company has now taken the campaign to print media, with a two-page ad spotted in The Toronto Star newspaper...

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BlackBerry rolls out Secure Work Space to iOS and Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry today announced Secure Work Space, a new option for increased enterprise security on iOS and Android devices. Part of BlackBerry Enterprise Services 10, Secure Work Space extends BlackBerry security for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets without the need for a VPN infrastructure. Specifically, the option provides secure email, calendar, contacts and browser, as well as secure document management and work app deployment...

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Japanese court confirms dismissal of Apple patent suit against Samsung

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 25, 2013

A Japanese court Tuesday denied an appeal by Apple over the iPhone maker's arguments Samsung infringed a patent. The Tokyo-based Intellectual High Court agreed with an earlier court ruling which found the South Korean firm had not infringed upon Apple's patent on syncing data with smartphones and tablets.

The appeal rejection comes just a week after another Tokyo court handed Apple a patent-infringement victory against Samsung. In that case, Apple used its separate "rubber band" patent to successfully claim earlier models of the Galaxy smartphone were at fault. Japan is one of the few markets where Apple leads its rival in both tablet and smartphone sales...

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Opel brings Siri Eyes Free to entry-level Adam

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 25, 2013

Apple's Siri Eyes Free voice-guided in-car control isn't just for the rich, as the European car maker Opel (owned by General Motors) has decided to offer the feature as a paid upgrade on its entry-level Adam. Costing €300, or approximately $400, buyers can outfit their Adam with Siri Eyes Free so they can send messages, make appointments and much more through Siri's integration with the new IntelliLink system. I've included more information and a nice promo clip after the break...

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