Apps

Comcast demos next-gen X2 TV platform

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2013

While Apple CEO Tim Cook continues teasing the public with respect to a rumored standalone television set with the shiny Apple logo on it, market incumbents are beginning to take notice of the buzz.

Not content with sitting on the sidelines and watch Apple potentially make deeper inroads into the living room, the cable giant Comcast, the nation's top pay TV provider, today took the wraps off its next generation, cloud-enabled X1 Platform from Xfinity.

They are calling it the X2, it's coming this Fall, has a sleek new user interface, is social, can talk to you and run apps and integrates with Facebook, Instagram, Pandora, Rotten Tomatoes and more. I've included more details and a promo video after the jump...

Apple posts new video: ‘Making a difference. One app at a time.’

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

Apple has posted a new, lengthy video to the iOS section of its website today. The 10-minute clip is called 'Making a difference. One app at a time.' and it highlights how folks around the globe are using apps on Apple's mobile products.

As usual, the videography in the short film is beautiful and the message is concise. Apple is showing how iOS apps help make the world a little bit better, and things a little bit easier, for people from all different walks of life. Watch it...

App Store for iPad finally lets you sort Purchased apps alphabetically

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2013

Apple appears to have quietly made a subtle yet significant change to iTunes backend in an effort to make it easier to comb through your Purchased App Store items.

As observed by an iDB reader, the iPad storefront now includes a brand new lefthand bar which makes it easy to sort your Purchased apps alphabetically.

The tweak certainly helps find a needle in the haystack, especially when compared to having to scroll through a long list of Purchased items that used to be sorted chronologically. Coupled with the handy search field, this enhancement lets you zero in on a previously purchased item in no time...

Apple posts iAd Workbench tool, eases minimum ad spend requirement

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

It is no secret that iAd, Apple's mobile advertising network based on its Quatro Wireless acquisition, is struggling. Originally conceived to help app makers improve their bottom line by injecting highly engaging interactive iAds into their warez, the platform has been marred with high ad rates, big brand exodus, executive reshuffling and Apple's relative inexperience in running a mobile ad network.

But Apple isn't standing still. Today, the company launched a new iAd Workbench tool that helps its registered developers better target their users, manually, automatically or both. This allows for a much finely-graded targeting criteria, down to the specific device, gender, age, location and preferences...

The 2013 Apple Design Award winners announced

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Shortly after Tim Cook wrapped up Apple's big keynote yesterday, developers and other WWDC attendees made their way over to another popular event: the 2013 Apple Design Award show.

Every year, Apple hands out awards to outstanding iOS and OS X apps based on a number of factors like design, and innovation. And the winners of this year's prestigious Design Awards are...

Apple updates AirPort Utility with 802.11ac support

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 10, 2013

As you know, Apple alongside a host of software-focused announcements today also refreshed its AirPort wireless appliances with compatibility for the latest 802.11ac standard, also known as Gigabit Ethernet. As a result, the updated AirPort Express and Time Capsule base stations can now transfer data up to three times faster, and more reliably too. And to go along with the hardware refresh, the company has pushed new versions of AirPort Utility for iOS and Mac...

Apple’s iTunes Festival app gains Passbook tickets

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

As we count the remaining days until Apple's summer developers conference, British Airways has eventually seen fit to add Passbook support to its iOS client. And now Apple is following suit.

Nearly a year following the introduction of the Passbook app that was unveiled alongside iOS 6 at WWDC 2012, the company has finally update its iTunes Festival London 2013 iPhone app with Passbook integration.

The updated software arrives as Apple last week confirmed its September music festival in London will be headlined by such acts as Jack Johnson, Justin Timberlake and Thirty Seconds to Mars...

New-look inbox arrives to Gmail iOS app

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 4, 2013

A week ago, the Internet giant Google started rolling out a new-look inbox with categories and tabbed interface to help users better organize their messages. In order to take advantage of these features on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, you'll need Google's freshly updated Gmail iOS app. Gmail version 2.3.14159 includes richer and selective notification options along with the new sortable inbox. More details right after the break...

Twitter’s Vine reaches 13 million users on iPhone, lands on Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 9, 2018

Twitter's Vine debuted in late-January exclusively on Apple's iPhone so you could easily spam the web with a few seconds worth of "viral" clips. While we knew it would eventually land on Android, its somewhat slow adoption had prompted Twitter to go back to the drawing board and add more features.

Less then five months later, Vine for Android is a reality. And reminding us that Vine still exists, Twitter has proudly announced that the iPhone edition now has thirteen million users - hardly what you'd call a successful iPhone app.

Perhaps a bit unsurprisingly, many features from the iOS app are currently missing in the initial Android release. On the other hand, the Android version happens to include a feature Twitter says isn't possible on the iPhone...

Google Drive iOS app gains commenting and swipeable galleries

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 3, 2013

If you use Google Drive to keep your files safely backed up in the Google cloud, pay attention as the Internet giant has just pushed an interesting little update making its iOS client a whole lot more useful for collaborative work than before.

Google Drive for the iPhone and iPad has been bumped up to version 1.4, adding swipeable images while viewing them in full screen, in addition to comments for your Google Docs files.

The first feature lets you swipe through the images stored in your Drive as you would in Apple's stock iOS Photos app. The latter capability supports viewing, creating, replying to and resolving comments in Google Docs files.

Commenting was previously available via the web interface, but not on mobile devices. The free application is now live on the App Store so go ahead and update it if you haven't already...

Google updates iOS Search app, rolls out nutritional information in search results

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 31, 2013

I really, really wish Apple doubled down on Siri. When the intelligent personal assistant debuted as an iPhone 4S-exclusive back in October 2011, Siri was likened to a seismic shift that would vastly improve our interactions with the devices in our lives. And it did.

But merely nineteen months later, Google has leapfrogged Siri with Google Now, which combines the power of Google search with the company's Knowledge Graph and top-notch voice recognition to deliver relevant info before you even asked for it.

But Google isn't standing still. Today the firm has updated its native iOS Search app with "location improvements and bug fixes." And just yesterday, it announced that nutritional information will start cropping up in search results across platforms, including iOS and Android applications that incorporate Google Now...

Apple criticizes TransMedia CEO for saying users are platform-agnostic

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 31, 2013

We all know the great lengths Apple will go to nurture and preserve its developer ecosystem and user experience on its platform.

One developer, however, has tested Apple's patience by issuing an iPhone app press release that suggests users don't really care which mobile platform they happen to be using.

That drew an interesting response from a representative from Apple Worldwide Developer Relations, who cautioned the comment is at odds not just with Apple's primary marketing messaging, "but the entire reason Apple exists"...