iPod Touch

Ex-Apple talent helping rebuild Facebook’s iPhone app, broader overhaul in 2013

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 25, 2012

A little less than a month ago, The New York Times reported that Facebook was working on a brand new version of its sluggish iOS client, re-writing it completely with speed in mind from the ground up in Objective-C, the preferred programming language for modern iOS applications.

The current version owes much of its sluggishness to the fact that it provides a web view through an embedded web browser. A new report out today asserted that the social networking giant tapped some former Apple engineering talent not only to help build a smartphone of its own, but also to re-write the official iOS app...

Apple finally fixes buggy Podcasts app

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 25, 2012

A month ago Apple removed Podcasts section from iOS 6 storefronts and posted a dedicated new app to let folks download, consume and manage audio and video podcasts on the go.

Apart from its skeuomorphic design mimicking a vintage tape recorder, the program was plagued with unreliable performance, unexpected quits and generally a bunch of bugs. These issues are clearly reflected in abysmal iTunes ratings that at the time of this writing barely hovered over two and a half stars out of five.

Our own Jeff Benjamin noticed as much, observing in his video hands-on that the radio-dial interface is interesting at first sight, but not very efficient and syncing often doesn't work as intended. Today, Apple pushed out a minor update that promises to squash these pesky bugs while bringing out a couple of new nice-to-haves...

Broadcom outs new chip that could give 2013 iOS devices Gigabit WiFi

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 4, 2018

Broadcom today announced a new wireless chip that features support for WiFi 802.11ac standard, also known as fifth-generation WiFi and promising theoretical wireless transfer speeds of one gigabit per second.

The Broadcom BCM4335 module also includes Bluetooth 4.0, FM radio and software on a single chip using a 40-nanometer process. As Apple is extensively using Broadcom chips in iOS devices and Macs, this is a likely candidate for 2013 iPhones and iPads. The chip provides for some interesting possibilities...

Developers think iOS will win the battle for enterprise

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2017

Apple's iPad and iPhone are picking up steam in enterprise lately as big business abandons RIM's sinking BlackBerry platform. Apple's main rival in the enterprise market is of course Google, whose Android is lagging behind iOS in corporate email and security features, but Google makes up for it with its online suite of Office replacement apps called Google Apps, something Apple doesn't have in its offering.

Despite this advantage, developers polled by the mobile platform company Appcelerator and market research firm IDC think iOS has a significant lead over Android. Moreover, 53.2 percent of respondents think iOS will win the battle for enterprise versus 37.3 percent saying that Android will win...

Viber for iOS updated with refreshed UI, all-new voice engine

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 24, 2012

Viber, an extremely popular VoIP app released last December by a small Israeli startup, got a huge update today, bringing a re-worked user interface with group messaging, profile photos and more, in addition to an all-new voice engine said to deliver improved voice quality.

Like Vonage and Skype, Viber lets you talk to people using your device's cellular or WiFi data connection, exchange instant messages and images, all the while bypassing the carriers' costly voice minutes and text/MMS messages.Unlike Skype, there’s no need to create an account with Viber...

New iPod touch said to feature a 4-inch display, A5 chip

Cody Lee ∙ July 24, 2012

Hot on the heels of last night's note from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, comes a new report regarding the future of the iPod touch. If it holds true, the mp3 player could be getting quite the makeover this fall.

According to the new dispatch, the next-generation iPod touch will feature the same 4-inch display that the new iPhone is rumored to get, as well as an A5 processor and other internal upgrades...

New report calls for revamped iPod touch and iPod nano this fall

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

It looks like the next-gen iPhone and smaller iPad aren't the only new products Apple is planning on unveiling this fall. This according to a new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo has been known to be a credible source for information regarding future Apple products, and he believes that the Cupertino company has an all-new iPod touch and iPod nano in the works...

iOS 6 Beta 3 finally lets you download free apps without Apple ID

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 23, 2012

We received several tips this past weekend that the latest iOS 6 Beta 3 which was released to Apple's registered developers last week finally does away with Apple ID requirement for free apps. Normally, when you download a free app from the App Store, Apple requires you to enter your existing Apple ID or create a new account.

This never made any sense to ordinary users: I can't tell you how many times my friends (some of whom only download free stuff) asked me if there was a way to drop that pesky requirement. It also doesn't support Apple's 'cut the cord' initiative that lets one set up and use an iOS device without a computer and iTunes...

Poll: how do you feel about Sparrow now?

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 20, 2012

Sparrow for iPhone debuted in February of 2011 and remains to date known as a kick-ass email client for both desktop and mobile. Those that love Sparrow appreciate its best-in-class Gmail support, clean and minimalistic interface and just the right set of features.

But Sparrow got snapped up by the Internet giant Google today (looks like this is becoming somewhat of a pattern for Google). From what we know so far, the Sparrow development team will be “working on new things at Google” and they "do not plan to release new features for the Sparrow apps".

This likely means 'no' to the promised iPad version and another 'no' to push alerts for incoming messages. It's assumably a sad day for Sparrow die-hards, so I just put together a little poll to gauge your feelings on the subject of today's unexpected acquisition...

The Dark Knight Rises game lands on App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 21, 2018

The Dark Knight Rises, the third installment in Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to the 2005 Batman Begins and 2008 The Dark Knight, has hit the silver screen with a 87 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, a testament to film director Christopher Nolan's skills. The movie's box office success is bound to help Gameloft's officially licensed title sell well.

If you've been tingling with anticipation, you'll be delighted to know that The Dark Knight Rises the game has just landed on the App Store and can be downloaded now for your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad...

Fieldrunners 2 lands in the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 26, 2017

Nearly four years ago, a tower defense game by the name of Fieldrunners landed on iOS. The game was an instant hit, and has since been ported to a number of other platforms and consoles.

Last night, Subatomic Studios returned to its roots, and released Fieldrunners 2 in the App Store. The long-awaited sequel includes upgraded graphics, and several new gameplay elements...

AT&T announces shared data plans, available in late August

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 18, 2012

The nation's #2 carrier, AT&T Mobility, today announced shared data plans, in response to Verizon's shared data option which became available June 28. And just like the Big Red carrier's Share Everything plans, new plans from AT&T allow new and existing subscribers to share cellular data across smartphones, tablets and other devices, plus get unlimited talk and text.

According to a media release, current customers, including business users, won't be required to switch to the new plans. Should they decide to switch, they can do so without a contract extension. More importantly, AT&T says there will be no changes to its device upgrade policy...