Development

Facebook’s Project Spartan to Hit iOS Within the Next Month

Cody Lee ∙ July 6, 2011

Facebook went live with the media this morning from their Palo Alto headquarters to make good on Mark Zuckerberg's promise last week that his company would be making some "awesome" announcements. Though Skype-integrated video chat looks cool, iDB feels that the best has yet to come.

Remember that little Facebook endeavor we told you about a few weeks ago code-named Project Spartan? The HTML5-coded platform is nearing completion and could be available to the masses as early as the end of the month...

Evidence Surfaces in iOS 5 that Apple is Still Working on Maps App

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

I have to admit, after all the evidence we've seen over the last several months, I was a little surprised that we didn't see any kind of major improvements to the Map app in iOS 5. Apple has purchased multiple GPS software companies in the last few years, including PlaceBase and Poly9.

But even though there were no significant Map announcements at WWDC, there's still hope. Apple's developer's conference only gave us a "sneak peak" at 10 items from a list of over 200 improvements, so it's very possible that we may still see Maps get a revamp this fall...

Apple Looking to Launch iOS-Powered TV Set This Fall?

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 12, 2018

Though the Apple TV2 is doing much better than its predecessor, ATV2 sales are anything but spectacular compared to Apple's other products. The device has been labeled by Apple as "just a hobby," but there is new evidence suggesting that the Cupertino company may be starting to get serious about taking over our living rooms.

Daily Tech is reporting that they have heard on good authority that Apple is looking to replace the Apple TV line this fall with an entirely new product. Their source, a former Apple executive, is claiming that soon we will be able to walk into an Apple store, and walk out with a TV set...

Charge Your iPhone With Your T-Shirt… Seriously

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

So we've already shown you how to charge your iPhone over a campfire with a cooking pot, now let's look at something a little less flammable (maybe). The Orange Sound Charge is a t-shirt that actually doubles as an iPhone charger.

The folks over at TiPb discovered this interesting Orange prototype that combines innovative technology in a wearable accessory. The Sound Charge actually uses ambient noise to give your iPhone battery life. Hit the jump for a video of it in action...

Want to Know What Apple’s New Campus Will Really Look Like? [Infographic]

Cody Lee ∙ June 12, 2011

Uh oh, looks like someone has a bad case of the Mondays. Well, what better way to start off your week than with a charming infographic? By now you've probably all heard of Apple's new spaceship-looking building that will be built in Cupertino.

The new structure was introduced by Steve Jobs himself at a recent Cupertino City Council meeting and is slated to open by 2015. The completely circular building will house around 12,000 employees and will be created without using a single piece of straight glass. So, what will the new campus be like on the inside?

New in iOS 5: Tone Store to Download Customized Email and SMS Tones

Cody Lee ∙ June 12, 2011

Apple's iOS software design strategy is interesting, to say the least. For example, many people wonder why it took the company nearly a year to implement the App Store after launching the iPhone. It took another year after that to add copy/paste and picture messaging features.

Apple excluded unnecessary items in early builds of iOS, demonstrating a quality-over-quantity sort of approach to adding new features. Luckily, iOS 5 seems to be finally bringing many of those omitted functions to the iPhone. Who's been dying to change the email tone?

Nuance Voice Recognition is in iOS 5 After All

Cody Lee ∙ June 12, 2011

The entire tech industry watched as Scott Forstall outlined Apple's 10 most prized (or most ready) new features in iOS 5 last Monday. To everyone's surprise, the entire presentation went on without any mention of the rumored Apple/Nuance partnership.

TechCrunch and other media outlets reported multiple times last month on sources claiming that Apple and Nuance had struck a deal to bring legitimate voice recognition technology to iOS. But WWDC came and went without a word from either company...

iOS 5 1080p Export Confirms Camera Upgrade in Next-Gen iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ June 10, 2011

Earlier we reported that iOS 5 will give users the ability to playback video in full 1080p HD. The new feature is a welcome addition in iOS, which previously only allowed 720p media playback.

It now appears that iOS 5 will not only let you playback video in full HD, but also export it. 9to5Mac is reporting that a tipster sent them in code from the SDK showing a new 1080p video export option...

Make Your Own iPhone App, No Programming Necessary

Cody Lee ∙ May 26, 2011

Have you ever had an amazing idea for an iPhone application but didn't have the means to get it off the ground? Producing an iPhone app can seem like a daunting task to even the most experienced developer, so what about the folks that are just starting out?

I've been tinkering with XCode for over a year now and still can't quite make heads or tails of a lot of things. Luckily, there appears to be a few options for novices to turn ideas into apps without any programming...

Impressive iPhone 4 3D Demo, No Glasses Required

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

The 3D graphics effect has been done on iDevices before. Apps like Labyrinth for the iPad 2 and the Cydia 3DBoard tweak use the accelerometer in the device to manipulate graphics based on user movements. This is a neat circus trick, but the device must be moved to create the 3D effect.

Jeremie Francone and Laurence Nigay of the EHCI Research group have created an impressive tech demo of 3 dimensional graphics on the iPhone 4. Instead of using the accelerometer, they use the device's front facing camera. How's that possible?

Improving Apps: How You Can Help

Guest Author ∙ March 3, 2011

There are few things more frustrating than discovering a bug or a crash in an app or tweak you just downloaded. But instead of writing a poor review or swearing off the iPhone altogether, you can actually do something to help fix the problem.

Most developers encourage feedback and would like to pinpoint the exact problem so that they can increase their sales. Here are a few steps you can take to help developers quickly fix their apps so that you can use your apps in the way they are described to work.

One Change that Would Make Cydia Better

Guest Author ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

For those of you running a tethered jailbreak, how many times have you installed a package while away from home only to find out a reboot is required? All of a sudden you're left with a device with zero functionality that just drains the battery until you get home.

While we wait for Cydia to get some great new features that may bring transparency and uniformity, here's a simple idea that would solve this annoyance...