iPod Touch

AT&T opens up its Watson speech engine via SDK for iOS and Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Realizing Apple and Google are moving swiftly to mainstream speech recognition on mobile devices, U.S. carrier AT&T today announced that it is opening up its own Watson speech engine to iOS and Android platforms via a software development kit (SDK), now available on the AT&T Developer website.

Much like Apple's Siri or Google Voice Actions in Android (and Google Now), Watson takes input, analyzes it, performs one or more services and returns a result. Input can be audio files, speech, gestures, face recognition and text. Here's a video of Watson in action...

Angry Birds pig game reportedly in the works

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 9, 2012

Finnish developer Rovio is rumored to be working on a follow-up to its popular Angry Birds series, a brand new game that would see you play from the pig's perspective. That would be an interesting twist to the popular formula which saw Rovio deliver a billion cumulative Angry Birds downloads across all platforms as of May 2012, including a hundred million downloads of Angry Birds Space, the latest installment, in just 76 days...

iPad mini: made in Brazil, has 3G, almost as thin as iPod touch

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2012

Following up on a string of recent reporting which revives the iPad mini rumor, the usually accurate Japanese blog Macotakara claimed that the device will be produced in Foxconn's new manufacturing facilities in Brazil. Manufacturing is apparently set to ramp up in September, just in time for mass availability around the holiday shopping season, as indicated in other reports...

Upcoming Checkmark organizer app has our attention with timed geo-reminders

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 6, 2012

I know what you're thinking, yet another organizer app. Bear with me for a second, this is taking the concept of geofencing to a whole new level. Checkmark for iPhone focuses on geo-enabled reminders, it's got a remarkably efficient interface and works on devices that Apple's stock Reminders app doesn't support, such as older iPads and iPhones. That's all fine and dandy, but you'll be really sold on one standout feature...

How to jailbreak an iPhone with a broken Home button

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 5, 2012

Although there have been methods in the past geared towards skirting around a broken Home button in order to jailbreak an iPhone, I don't remember any of them being as easy as this.

If your Home button is on the fritz, then chances are you have problems getting into DFU mode, which is a prerequisite to using most jailbreak software. Fortunately, the iPhone Dev Team has come up with a simple, yet ingenious method for easily pushing your device into DFU mode using their latest update to the RedSn0w jailbreak tool.

RedSn0w 0.9.14b2 allows you to create a firmware file that will push your device into DFU mode once a normal restore through iTunes is completed. Check out our full tutorial inside for the step-by-step video walkthrough...

Kickstarter project turns your iOS device into an old-school game console

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

If the iCade Mobile game accessory isn't your thing and you're a retro type, consider the GameDock, a cool new Kickstarter project which turns your iPhone into an old-school TV-based game console. It's simple, really: the GameDock, as the name suggests, is a game dock-like accessory where you plug your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, akin to a game cartridge.

You can also pair your device with it over Bluetooth. It includes video output and comes equipped with an USB game controller with physical buttons and an HDMI adapter...

Apple’s risky retail gamble in China: one store per 216 million customers

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

In China, each of Apple's retail stores serves on average 216 million customers. Therein lies the catch to its expansion in the 1.33 billion people market - Apple needs way more stores in this huge country than it can possibly build, and it needs them yesterday.

China is important not just because it has recently displaced the United States as the world's leading smartphone market, but also because it now contributes to one-fifth of Apple's total revenue. Also, Apple says China stores have become its highest trafficked and among the highest revenue stores.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently toured China, talking greater investments with local officials and paying a visit to Foxconn's new manufacturing plant in Zhengzhou. It was a telling acknowledgment of the importance of China at the highest level, but barely enough to change the fact that the iPhone maker is in serious danger of becoming a victim of its own success in China...

Food & Drink section coming to App Store on July 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 2, 2012

According to several iOS developers who've received an official word from Apple, the App Store will soon add a new section dedicated to apps related to food and drink. The change takes effect this coming Sunday, July 8, and will affect all existing apps that are food- or drink-related, including apps that manage recipes or help find restaurants....

iCade Mobile game controller now available

Cody Lee ∙ July 2, 2012

Still looking for a decent handheld gaming accessory for your iPhone? You might try looking at the new iCade Mobile. ION unveiled the controller earlier this year at CES, and now it's finally available for purchase.

ION has seen a lot of success with its original iCade, and is hoping that it can translate that success into the mobile market. But will users take to the Mobile the way they've taken to ION's mini-arcade?

Google and Samsung have a game plan to both get money from Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

As if the fact that Samsung - Apple's main supplier of processors, displays and flash memory chips - has been struggling to fend off Apple's legal blows wasn't enough, a new report out today has it that the maker of Galaxy smartphones and tablets is joining forces with Google as both firms seek to pressure Apple into a cross-licensing deal, with Cupertino paying both Samsung and Google to settle ongoing patenting woes.

If anything, Google openly supporting Samsung in the courtroom suggests nervousness on the part of both technology giants, especially as the latter has recently suffered a pair of legal setbacks concerning devices running Androids software, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the thriving Android ecosystem...

iOS in the lead with nearly two-thirds of mobile web share in June

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Research firm NetApplications yesterday issued a new mobile web usage share report which outlines mobile and tablet operating system share trends for the month of July 2012. iOS leads the pack in mobile web share and by a huge margin, too. The numbers also paint an alarming trend for RIM, which is now heading to a zero market share as the ailing BlackBerry maker struggles to turn its fortunes around...

Thoughts on the rumored 7-inch iPad

Cody Lee ∙ June 29, 2012

It was inevitable that after Google's Nexus 7 announcement, the "iPad Mini" rumors would start surfacing again. The 7-inch Asus-branded tablet has garnered quite a bit of attention this week.

Apple has long been believed to be working on its own 7-inch slate, with reports coming from both Apple-insiders and news outlets alike that such a product exists. But will we ever see it?