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Disney announces new ‘Star Wars: Assault Team’ game coming to iOS this spring

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Disney announced yesterday that it's working on a new game called 'Star Wars: Assault Team' for iOS and Android, and it's set to be released later this year. Now I know you're thinking "great, another Star Wars game, but this one looks to set itself apart.

Disney describes the game on its Tumblr blog as "a new turn-based combat game for mobile devices with strategy and card-battle elements," where users will be collecting classic characters from the Rebel Alliance and more to defeat enemies across the galaxy...

Google Search app updated with new Winter Olympics Google Now card

Cody Lee ∙ January 29, 2014

Google has posted a new update for its Search app this morning. The update brings the app to version 3.2.1, and includes a handful of improvements and a new Winter Olympics 2014 Google Now card.

The new card is really the biggest addition in this update, as it brings about support for the 2014 Sochi Games. Users will now be able to use Google Now to get info on medal standings and upcoming events…

Saurik lists the jailbreak tweaks he has installed on his iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ January 29, 2014

Since we closely cover the jailbreak community here at iDB, we are often asked by readers what apps and tweaks we have installed. Between us, we probably try a dozen new tweaks a week, or more, so sometimes we have stuff on our devices that others may not know about.

With that in mind, you can only imagine how often Saurik, the founder of Cydia, gets asked what packages he has installed on his device. Well for those of you wondering, he answered the question last night in a Reddit thread and his list of tweaks is actually pretty interesting...

Tumblr update adds new user mentions feature, notifications and more

Cody Lee ∙ January 28, 2014

Good news for Tumblr users this afternoon. The micro-blogging site has posted an update for its iOS client, bringing the app to version 3.5.3. The update brings about a handful of improvements, and a major new user mentions feature.

Mentions work on Tumblr just like they do on other social networks. Typing '@' and a username when you’re writing a post will generate a link to that person's blog and push an alert to that person letting them know they were mentioned...

Nintendo denies report of plans to release ‘mini games’ for mobile devices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Japanese business newspaper Nikkei published a report yesterday suggesting that Nintendo is working on a smartphone app as part of an effort to market its games to users outside of its ecosystem. The report also claimed that the company is working on 'mini games' in the same light.

But according to Nintendo, that's not true—at least the last half of it. In an official statement today, the game-maker debunked the Nikkei article, stating that it doesn't have any plans to offer 'mini' or 'demo' games on smartphone and tablet platforms, at any point in the immediate future...

Rap Genius releases new iPhone app for understanding song lyrics

Cody Lee ∙ January 28, 2014

Rap Genius, the website dedicated to the annotation and interpretation of lyrics, poetry and other forms of text, has released a new mobile app for the iPhone. As you'd expect, it's essentially the major features of the site packaged in a native application.

On the surface, the app looks good. It's nice to see an app go against the grain with a darker theme, and the text and graphics seem sharp. And functionality-wise, it hits on all the big features such as the Shazam-like Genius Recognition Technology...

Virgin knocks another 20% off its iPhone selection

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 15, 2017

Yesterday, Cody informed you of Virgin Mobile's iPhone deal: the Sprint-owned MVNO has shaved another ten percet off its iPhone selection, bringing the cost of the 16GB iPhone 5s down to $495. The 32GB iPhone 5s was slashed to $585 and the 64GB variant dropped to $675, the latter just a little bit more than what you’d normally pay for an off-contract 16GB iPhone 5s.

I'm not sure whether Apple's earnings report had anything to do with it, but Virgin on Tuesday knocked another 20 percent off these devices. The discount extends to the iPhone 5c and iPhone 4 as well...

Moshi launches flip cover iPhone case with embedded sensors

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Accessory maker Moshi on Tuesday announced a new flip cover case for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. The TouchSense, as the name implies, allows you to answer incoming phone calls and silence alarms without having to open the cover.

This nice feat has been accomplished by putting Moshi's proprietary touch-sensitive SensArray plates on the front cover, right where iOS 7's slide-to-unlock (or answer) thingie appears.

And what happens should Apple change the Lock screen UI in the future? I guess Moshi's engineers haven't bothered themselves with such mundane concerns...

Donald Trump dumps shares over Apple’s ‘dumb refusal’ to give us bigger iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 28, 2014

Following Apple's record-setting holiday quarter, its stock still dropped eight percent in after-hours trading because the 51 million iPhones sold missed Wall Street consensus by a few million units. American businessman Donald Trump took to Twitter to express his dissatisfaction with Apple losing its vision and momentum, going on a rant over Apple's "dumb refusal" to give iPhones bigger screens.

Samsung's sizes are "much better", Trump said and stressed he sold his Apple stock because iPhones are still four inches. I'm sure Tim Cook immediately called for an emergency meeting with his lieutenants, fearing the wrath of Mr. Trump...

Tim Cook: iPhone 5c not as popular as we expected

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 28, 2014

During yesterday's earnings call with Wall Street investors and analysts, Apple CEO Tim Cook has officially admitted to the iPhone 5c not meeting the company's internal sales goals. Although the handset proved popular with first-time smartphone buyers, the majority of customers have opted for the flagship iPhone 5s.

If The Wall Street Journal is to be trusted, Apple is expected to “scrap the plastic exterior used in the iPhone 5c” in 2014 and will instead release two iPhone models, one with a 4.5-inch screen and the other featuring a five-inch display...

Nintendo reportedly working on smartphone app to market its games

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Last month, comments made by Nintendo of America's Reginald Fils-Aime during an interview suggested that the company is finally warming up to the idea of producing content for mobile devices. Nintendo is currently the only console-maker that doesn't have an iOS or Android presence.

Fils-Aime said that the gaming giant has been working on "little experiences" for the smartphone, but he didn't get into any details. Japanese business newspaper Nikkei looks to fill in the blanks though, with a new report claiming Nintendo is working on an app to market its console titles...

Hotel chain testing iPhones as room keys in pilot program

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2018

When a hotel clerk first hands you your room key card, one of the first things they usually say is "don't put it in the same pocket as your phone." They say this can cause your key card's magnetic strip to malfunction, although some people question the logic behind it.

But this may not be an issue much longer. Starwood Hotels & Resorts has begun a new pilot program in two of its major hotel locations in Manhattan and Silicon Valley that does away with key cards altogether by allowing guests to enter their rooms using smartphones...