Apps

Apple More than Likely to Lose Amazon Lawsuit, “App Stores” for Everyone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Most of you are probably aware of Apple's trademark lawsuit against Amazon. But if not, it's easy to catch up. The online retailer opened up a new app market earlier this year, entitled the Amazon Appstore for Android. Apple's legal team quickly filed a motion with the courts to ban the retailer from using their trademark.

Apple coined the term back in 2008 when they launched their infamous App Store, and they don't want customers confusing it with a 2nd rate offering. It looks like Apple is going to have to do better than that, as Bloomberg is reporting that the judge has stated that she will "probably" deny Apple's motion...

Discovr: The Coolest Way to Explore the App Store

Alex Heath ∙ Updated February 18, 2018

Very rarely do we come across a truly original app discovery tool. Several apps, like Explor, do a good job at helping you find new apps in the App Store, but few of these discovery tools are actually fun to use.

Discovr already allowed you to discover new music on the iPhone, but a new version of the app makes it an App Store discovery tool for the iPhone and iPad. Instead of the classic list approach, Discovr presents you with a blank canvas that you fill with spider webs of related content.

Intrigued? Let's take a closer look...

Dissident and i0n1c on Banning Pirated Apps in iOS 5 Jailbreak

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Stefan Esser, better known as "i0n1c," has been receiving a lot of heat from the jailbreak community as of late. Stefan is a prominent member of the jailbreak developer scene, and he was responsible for the untethered exploit that has been used for the iOS 4.3 jailbreak.

i0n1c recently introduced the idea of banning pirated apps in the iOS 5 jailbreak. He stated that if he were to release the jailbreak for iOS 5, he would consider placing a restriction on installing apps from the infamous 'Installous' repo. Millions of jailbreakers use Installous to download pirated apps.

Hackulous, the group behind Installous, obviously feels very differently about i0n1c's notion. The frontman for Hackulous, known as Dissident, has also shared his thoughts on the issue of banning cracked apps through a jailbreak.

New in iOS 5: AirPlay Mirroring for iPad 2

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 18, 2019

We did a post about the future of iOS gaming a few days ago, but the article only touched on the potential of the young platform. For the last couple of years, Apple has been putting pieces in place to make iOS a heavy hitter in the mobile gaming industry.

First, there came the App Store, which provided a distribution channel for iOS games. Then came innovations like the 3-axis gyroscope for motion control and AirPlay to wirelessly stream content. The latest piece of the puzzle is the new iPad 2 mirroring feature in iOS 5...

Project Spartan – Facebook’s Preparing to Take on the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ June 16, 2011

TechCrunch has been spilling the beans on Facebook's entire 2011 roadmap over the last few days. It appears that someone inside the social networking company has been sending the site information regarding top secret Facebook projects.

We've already told you about the new Facebook photo sharing app, but some even more interesting stuff has developed since then. Ladies and gentleman, allow me to introduce Project Spartan...

Leaked Screenshots of Facebook’s New Photo-Sharing App Surface

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 2, 2018

It appears that the tech world hasn't seen the last of major iOS software announcements this month. The folks over at TechCrunch have gotten their hands on some pretty interesting information regarding a certain social networking company and a new photo sharing app.

The website has received dozens of screenshots and documents from an unknown source that depict a new Facebook app running on an iPhone. What's more, the software looks like a portal for a new Instangram-like photo sharing service...

AppSlide Gives Your iPhone a Back Button, Sort of [Video]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

The iPhone's all-touchscreen design caused Apple to make some steep compromises. The device lacks physical buttons that can be found on the simplest of phones. Though the list is long, it seems like the omission of a physical camera and standard back button sit at the top.

Lucky for us, we have the bright minds of the jailbreak community to make up for iOS' shortcomings. Apps like Activator and FastSnap easily solve the first dilemma, and the new Cydia tweak, AppSlide, solves the second. Back button anyone?

Dialer Shield: Stop Accidental Screen Presses While Talking on Your iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ June 13, 2011

It's no secret that jailbreaking has made owning iDevices more enjoyable. If there is something that you don't like about your iPhone or iPad, chances are that the jailbreak community has a utility or app that'll help.

Dialer Shield is certainly a testament to that, as it provides an easy solution to a fairly annoying problem. Have you ever been talking on your iPhone and accidentally pressed End Call or another function with your cheek? Dialer Shield solves this by locking your iPhone screen during phone calls...

Apple’s Battle for App Store Trademark Continues

Cody Lee ∙ June 12, 2011

One thing is certain in the tech industry: If you ever become more successful than others feel you should be, you become an instant target for a lawsuit. And with the way some companies are performing right now, patent and trademark law seems to be a safe bet for a business.

A particular case that has been highlighted recently is the court battle between Apple and Amazon. While the Cupertino company is known for their fierce legal team, they may have a tough time proving that the term "App Store," is solely their property...

Apple Files Motion to Intervene in Lodsys Litigation

Cody Lee ∙ June 11, 2011

When Lodsys originally filed their complaints last month, everyone looked at Apple for answers. Though the Cupertino company has been relatively quiet concerning the Lodsys litigation, their legal department is finally starting to make some noise.

iOS developers have been holding vigilant to see if Apple would step up and help them defend against the threats from the patent licensing firm. After a cease and desist letter failed to stop the lawsuits, Apple has decided to get legally involved...

Two iPhones Going Into Space to Help Conduct Research

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

As if the iPhone 4 needed any more publicity, the device is about to get some intergalactic marketing. Cult of Mac is reporting that a pair of iPhone 4s running research software are headed for the International Space Station next month.

The 2 devices are set to launch into the stratosphere on July 8, and will be running SpaceLab software. The iOS app will help the ISS crew determine their relative position in space as well as aid in several experiments. Want to get hands on with the app?

App Usage and iCloud Settings in iOS 5

Alex Heath ∙ June 7, 2011

Yesterday, Apple unveiled the next version of their mobile software called iOS 5. We've already shown you a lot of iOS 5, including some screenshots of things like Notifications Center and the new Music app.

We've got a few more iOS 5 screenshots to show you, and these reveal some of iCloud's settings and customizations. A similar, new feature in iOS 5 is the ability to view memory usage for different apps alongside iCloud usage...