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Unpower tweak alerts you when your device gets unplugged

Cody Lee ∙ February 23, 2013

Have you ever noticed that, by default, your iPhone and iPad give you an audible alert when you plug them in, but not when you unplug them? Why is that? It seems like it would serve a similar purpose--letting you know if your device is plugged in or not.

Well whatever the reason is, it's not something you have to worry about anymore. At least, not if you're jailbroken. There's a new tweak out in Cydia this week called 'Unpower,' and its one function in life is to alert you when your device gets unplugged...

NYPD creates ‘iTheft’ unit for catching iPhone and iPad thieves

Cody Lee ∙ February 22, 2013

We've reported on a number of stolen iPhone and iPad cases on iDB over the years. Apple's gadgets are both popular and expensive, making them the perfect targets for thieves looking for a quick score.

But those thieves better watch out if they ever find themselves on the streets of New York. The city's police department has assigned a team of cops to work directly with Apple to put a stop to these thefts...

Facebook app updated with new button design and free in-app calling

Cody Lee ∙ February 22, 2013

Facebook just posted a nice little update for its official iOS app, bringing it to version 5.5. This is the app's third update in as many months, as the social network continues to improve its mobile experience.

The change log for today's release includes a new button design, which makes it easier to comment on, like and share stories from your News Feed, and support for Facebook's free in-app calling feature...

Here’s your math behind a budget iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 22, 2013

After meeting with Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer recently, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty issued a report proclaiming so-called budget iPhone a no-brainer. Huberty joins what is now a growing list of analysts calling for such a device so Apple could better target emerging markets where cash-strapped folks mostly buy unlocked sub-$200 handsets - unlike the United States where carriers subsidize smartphones handsomely.

Thanks to these generous subsidies, US consumers don't pay full price for the hardware - provided they agree to a long-term service agreement, of course. Now, with the penetration level for the iPhone approaching a limit in the high-end segment, the untapped low-end represents an estimated $135 billion opportunity.

Even with Apple's margins peaking, an iPhone mini - as the media dubbed it - should triple Apple's addressable market in China and add nearly $2.4 billion to its handset business...

iPhones found to be 300% more reliable than Samsung handsets

Cody Lee ∙ February 22, 2013

Earlier this week, research firm Strategy Analytics issued a report showing that the iPhone 5 and 4S are the two most popular smartphones in the world. The 5 alone accounts for 13% of all smartphones shipped globally.

Today, crowd-sourced trouble-shooting website FixYa shared its own findings on the smartphone space. And according to its data, Apple's handset isn't just the best-selling in the world. It's also [by far] the most reliable...

LG teaches Apple how panorama should be done

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 22, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh-2_Nt8Wac#!

So LG is advertising the expanded panoramic and camera capabilities of its Optimus G Pro smartphone. At first blush, the commercial looks like a blatant ripoff of Apple's iPhone 5 ad titled "Cheese", down to the kids on the white background and the elongated "Cheeeeese".

On closer inspection, it has a nice twist to it, watch what happens after mark 0:30. Their VR Panorama obviously out-innovates Apple in how amazingly it stitches the photos together to produce a nearly 360-degree image. Apple better come up with some expanded panorama features in iOS 7...

Millennial: tablet use skyrockets, led by iPad mini and Kindle Fire

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Millennial Media becomes the latest to release research showing 2012 was a year of rising adoption of tablets and smartphones. Apple continues to lead the charge in tablets - particularly the iPad mini - while Samsung has become the popular face for the family of Android alternatives.

Apple held on to its tablet lead with 58 percent of the market. About a half-dozen Amazon tablets helped Google's mobile operating system capture 41 percent of tablets, with Samsung the most significant player...

Qualcomm’s new wireless chip makes a truly global iPhone possible

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 22, 2013

Doesn't it bother you that Apple sells its LTE devices like the iPhone 5 and latest iPads in a bunch of variants, depending on your carrier and geographical location? For example, the iPhone comes in two GSM models and one CDMA version. Blame it on the limitations with existing wireless chipsets, not Apple. Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a fantastic technology, but it's also highly fragmented.

And with nearly fifty different cellular bands in use globally worldwide, no wonder LTE is a bag of hurt, one that has introduced fragmentation unlike any other cellular radio technology before it.

Fortunately, chip maker Qualcomm has announced a new cellular solution which supports as much as 40 different bands on a single chip. It could finally allow Apple to build a truly global iPhone model that could support all implementations of the major cellular technologies used by carriers the world over...

iPhone network locking under fire in Hong Kong

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 22, 2013

Just as an online petition to re-legalize unlocking has surpassed 100,000 signatures in the United States, meaning the White House must issue a response, Apple's phone-locking is under heavy fire in Hong Kong, where a local carrier alarmed watchdogs that it lost big money over the policy. Having discovered that the iPhone 5 wasn't functioning on its fourth-generation network, Hong Kong Telecom (HKT), a unit of telecommunications operator PCCW Ltd., filed court documents and is now seeking to contest the practice...

Brazil lawsuit claims iPad 3 made intentionally obsolete

Ed Sutherland ∙ February 22, 2013

Did Apple withhold features from the third-generation iPad, then make the tablet obsolete just six months afterwards by unveiling the iPad 4 - with the missing items? That's the accusation being made against Apple in a class-action lawsuit filed Thursday in Brazil. At the heart of the lawsuit brought by the Brazilian Institute of Politics and Law Software (IBDI) is the charge Apple released the "new iPad" in May 2012, then in October introduced the iPad 4 alongside the iPad mini. By updating the processor and other features Apple has produced planned obsolescence...

Apple releases iOS 6.1.3 beta 2 to developers

Cody Lee ∙ February 21, 2013

Believe it or not, Apple has seeded a beta for another iOS update to developers today. The company has already issue two software updates, 6.1.1 and 6.1.2, in as many weeks, and only released iOS 6.1 three weeks ago.

Today's developer software is marked as iOS 6.1.3 beta 2. The first beta was actually sent out earlier this month, known as iOS 6.1.1 beta 1, but it's been renamed to iOS 6.1.3 due to the recent iOS bug-fixing updates...

Petition to legalize cell phone unlocking will get response from White House

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

On January 26th of this year, the DMCA exemption that made unlocking your cell phone legal, expired, subsequently making the popular practice illegal. Now, folks who go about unlocking their handsets risk serious legal repercussions.

Obviously, people weren't too happy with the way this played out, so an online petition was started to re-legalize unlocking. And as of today, that petition has surpassed 100,000 signatures, meaning the White House must issue a response...