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Among the slew of interface changes iOS 11 brings to the table, one of first things you’ll notice after picking up a device with the new operating system installed on it is the redesigned passcode keypad.
If you like the way it looks, but you won’t be upgrading this Fall in order to keep your jailbreak, a new free jailbreak tweak dubbed Creamy (iOS 10) by iOS developer ijapija00 can be used to mimic the aesthetics of the iOS 11 passcode keypad on your jailbroken device.
Apple is widely expected to release three new iPhone models this year: the LCD-based update to the existing iPhone 7 series and a whole new iPhone 8 model with an OLED screen and more. While it's been generally accepted that the LCD-based devices will be named “iPhone 7s” and “iPhone 7s Plus”, the jury is still out on the possible name for the OLED-based iPhone.
An accessory vendor who posted an image of its iPhone 8 screen protector on SlashLeaks today wrote that the OLED-based phone may be marketed under the “Decade Edition” moniker.
This is the first time this particular name has been mentioned.
Be that as it may, we don't think Apple will released a phone named “iPhone Decade Edition” because we don't think a screen protector maker would be privy to the company's plans, but we could be wrong. On top of that, such a marketing name would only last one year.
Apple, of course, began using the “Edition” suffix in conjunction with the gold-plated models of the original Apple Watch, which were marketed as “Apple Watch Edition”.
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When the Cupertino giant phased out golden watches following the release of Apple Watch Series 2 last year, the company retained the “Apple Watch Edition” name for its higher-priced models that feature the casing in brilliant white ceramic.
Back in March, the fairly reliable Japanese blog Mac Otakara reported that the next iPhone would be called “iPhone Edition”. Apple probably has multiple name suggestions for the device and it will be up to the firm's marketing department to pick one ahead of its release.
iPhone 8 renderings via Vianney le Masne.
Smartphone leakster Benjamin Geskin today tweeted out a few images and a video of an alleged tempered glass screen protector for Apple's OLED-based 5.8-inch iPhone 8.
First posted on Chinese social network Weibo and originally re-posted on SlashLeaks, it has noticeably thin bezels and a minor cutout at the top for the camera and the sensors.
As evidenced by the images, the accessory matches up the rumored dimensions and design schematics of iPhone 8 perfectly. It should be said that vendors often design accessories for unreleased Apple products based on rumors, so take this one with a grain of salt.
The screen protector is made by Olixar and can be purchased via MobileFun for $32.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khCLSSpTpto
According to the product's listing, the accessory features edge-to-edge design with a 2.5D rounded edge and includes support for Apple's 3D Touch pressure-sensing technology.
Things have been picking up in the jailbreak community lately, which is great for those who want to try new jailbreak tweaks to trick out their devices. While some tweaks exist to make iOS look better, and others make iOS function in new ways, all jailbreak tweaks serve some kind of purpose to the tune of making your device do more out of the box.
In this roundup, we'll talk about all of the jailbreak tweaks that were released this week, starting with all of our favorites and then moving on to the rest afterwards.
Torch on Focus is a new free jailbreak tweak by iOS developer Guy Kaplan that improves your iPhone photography in low-light conditions, which make it more difficult to focus on your subject.
The tweak manages this by turning on the LED flash on the back of your iPhone from the moment you begin to focus on an object with your camera, so your focusing never skips a beat.
A new free jailbreak tweak dubbed CCustomize by iOS developer FromDerik can give Control Center a completely new look and feel, all while adding a host of useful features to the interface that let you get more done in fewer steps.
When using CarPlay, your iPhone naturally displays the screen you see above for several seconds before automatically falling asleep and kicking you out to the Lock screen.
A new free jailbreak tweak called CarPlay Lockout by iOS developer theo78825 prevents your device from locking you out and rather returns you to the Home screen after a brief display of the CarPlay screen.
Finisar, one of the the world's largest suppliers of optical communication products, told investors on an earnings call that it expects one company, without mentioning Apple by name, to account for millions of units of a specialized laser for depth-mapping.
Finisar is not on Apple's official list of suppliers.
Loup Ventures believes Apple is that unnamed customer. Based on Finisar's comment, Loup expects the next iPhone to be announced in September and ship in October, Axios reported.
Known as VCSEL, which is an acronym for “vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser”, Finisar's specialized sensor is basically a semiconductor-based laser diode that emits a highly efficient optical beam vertically from its top surface.
Lumentum, another supplier, said in May it would kick off volume shipments of the same type of laser in the second half of the year. Aside from Lumentum and Finisar, 3D sensors for the OLED-based iPhone 8 models should also be built by Himax Technologies, Barrons learned.
iPhone 8's highly anticipated 3D and AR features may be based on an advanced motion and depth-sensing technology from Israeli startup PrimeSense, which was acquired by the Cupertino firm in November 2013 for a reported $345 million.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in February that iPhone 8 would ship with an enhanced camera outfitted with laser sensors to support capabilities like 3D selfies, accurate depth mapping, 3D modeling, advanced biometrics and augmented reality features.
iPhone 8 will supplement its FaceTime camera's standard RGB CMOS sensor with a pair of infrared transmitting/receiving modules and a custom 1.4-megapixel sensor capable of detecting changes in light signals, allowing it to sense depth, as per KGI.
At its Worldwide Developers Conference last week, Apple unveiled ARKit, a new framework for developers to help them bring augmented reality experiences to their iPhone and iPad apps.
Augmented reality applications typically display real-world images underneath a computer-generated layer of information, thus augmenting the real world.
iPhone 7 Plus dual-lens supplier Largan Precision publicly confirmed a few days ago that it would start shipping lenses for a 3D-sensing module to be “used in a smartphone ready to ship in the second half this year”.
Image: Alasdair Coull, head of Peter Jackson's Wingnut AR, shows a demo at WWDC 2017 of an upcoming augmented reality game built on Apple's new ARKit framework.
Whether you're coming to the iPhone from the Samsung world or you just like the look and feel of Samsung’s latest smartphone displays, a new free jailbreak tweak called S8Edge by iOS developer Bruno Andrade helps you feel right at home by simulating the Samsung S8 Infinity display on your flat-screened iPhone.
The tweak accomplishes its task by rounding the corners of everything displayed on your screen and adding a darkened gradient to both side edges of your screen that help reproduce the look and feel of the Samsung S8 Infinity display when looking at it head-on.
There's a significant difference in usability between the tabbed browsing experience in Safari on the iPad versus the paged browsing experience in Safari on the iPhone; with that in mind, some might prefer the former.
A new free jailbreak tweak dubbed FullSafari by iOS developer Bensge gives even iPhone and iPod touch users access to the iPad-like tabbed browsing experience in Safari, providing a more capable web browser in the palm of your hand.
Are you a fan of Drive, the search giant's cloud-storage service? If so, a new app from Google will soon let you back up any folder(s) on your computer to Drive and keep them in sync.
This is welcome news because Drive's current desktop client does not allow for selective sync of any folders that don't live inside of the Google Drive folder on your Mac or Windows PC.
The forthcoming Backup and Sync app is better integrated with your computer than the existing client and will replace it on Wednesday, June 28.
According to the search firm, Backup and Sync is intended to “help everyday users back up files and photos from their computers, so they’re safe and accessible from anywhere”.
As mentioned, you'll be able to continually back up any items found in custom folders on your computer, like the Desktop, Photos, Documents and so forth.
Backup and Sync will replace Google's existing desktop uploader for Photos, too.
Basically, you could use the new app to back up and sync your entire Mac account's home folder to Drive and use Google's powerful search engine via Drive's web interface to quickly identify that needle in the haystack you were looking for.
However, you'll probably need to upgrade your cloud storage to keep your Mac safely backed up to Drive. Each Google account gets 15GB of free Drive storage versus Apple's 5GB free tier.
If you need more storage, you can upgrade to one of the paid Drive tiers:
100GB for $1.99 per month 1TB for $9.99 per month 10TB for $99.99 per monthAnd here are Apple's recently refreshed iCloud storage upgrades:
50GB for $0.99 per month 200GB for $2.99 per month 2TB for $9.99 per monthGoogle Drive for Mac and Windows is available via google.com/drive/download.
Google Drive for iPhone and iPad is a free download from App Store.
Do you use Google Drive? If so, are you looking forward to backing up your Mac to the Google cloud? If not, what's your preferred online service for storing files, documents and other data?
Tell us in comments!
Building upon the Apple-IBM enterprise mobility partnership established three years ago, Big Blue (that's a nickname for IBM) today announced a new initiative to help accelerate the development of MobileFirst enterprise apps for iPhone and iPad.
Upcoming app development studios, called Garages, will soon go online in Shanghai, China and Bucharest, Romania, in addition to IBM's existing MobileFirst for iOS studio in Bangalore, India.
IBM's other app studios and Garages can be found in US cities Atlanta, Cupertino, Toronto and Chicago. Plus, the company has committed to establishing new app studios in Shanghai, China and Bucharest, Romania. Lastly, mobile enterprise apps designed by IBM can now be embedded with the cognitive capabilities of its Watson cognitive system.
Bridget van Kralingen, Senior Vice President, IBM Industry Platforms, said:
Four years ago, we made enterprise mobility a reality, and we’ve seen how transformative mobile can be. Today, companies are now reigning in mobile faster than ever, creating a critical need for powerful innovations that will reinvent how they do business. We’re combining the power of mobile with cognitive and analytics to continue to push the market forward.
IBM has officially named some of the clients adopting iOS enterprise apps for their own employees, such as Lufthansa Group, City Furniture, Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines.
Since its introduction three years ago, the partnership between Apple and IBM has resulted in several billion dollars in signings with more than 3,800 client engagements supported by market-ready and custom iOS apps designed for professions across all industries, including store associates, flight attendants and field technicians.