News

Here are the 72 new emojis you’ll be able to use soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 2, 2017

The Unicode Consortium has settled on a batch of new emoji characters that will become part of the Unicode 9.0 standard, to be released formally on June 21. The final emoji candidates for inclusion in Unicode 9.0 include such emoji as a man in tuxedo, lying face, clown face, drooling face, nauseated face, rolling on the floor laughing, selfie, face palm, pregnant woman, first place medal, shopping trolley, deer, shark, owl, potato, croissant, pancakes, bacon, judo uniform and more.

Twitter implements half-baked support for 360-degree video

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 3, 2016

Micro-blogging startup Twitter has added basic support for 360-degree video after both YouTube and Facebook did the same months ago, said The Verge. However, videos shot with 360-degree cameras won't yet play inline inside Twitter's mobile app or website. Rather, users are taken to a separate website where they can click and drag to look around the videos.

Facebook is shutting down Notify, its little used real-time news app

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 3, 2016

Facebook is killing off Notify for iPhone, its mobile notifications app for news, sports, weather and more, a company spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch.

The app debuted on the App Store about six months ago, in November 2015. Notify was conceived as a real-time news app designed around push notifications “from sources you love, right on your lock screen, all in one place.”

Check out the top 40 user-created Badland levels

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 3, 2016

The original Badland game is still one of my favorite atmospheric puzzlers on any platform. Although it's two years old now, there's nothing quite like it on the App Store. That's because its creator, Helsinki, Finland-based Frogmind Games, has made a smart move of building a level editor into the game.

As a result, you get more levels to play than you could bargain for. But, with 2000+ levels created each week, small wonder people are having a hard time finding ones worthy their time. Frogmen has thought of that: in its latest “Eternal Day” update, the game brings out a curated selection of the best 40 levels out of 70,000+.

Apple hires a satnav expert who holds a patent for preventing car collisions

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Revered software engineer Sinisa Durekovic has joined Apple in an unspecified role in October, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing sources.

Durekovic was charged with managing the development of advanced satellite navigation systems used by luxury carmakers such as BMW AG, Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen AG’s Audi, suggesting another possible mapping push for the Cupertino giant.

Thunderbolt Display won’t be refreshed at WWDC

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 2, 2016

Without naming a specific source, iMore's Rene Ritchie has reportedly heard that Apple is not planning to refresh the aging 27-inch Thunderbolt Display at WWDC this month after all. “I asked around, and it's not happening at the keynote or any time in the immediate future,” he wrote.

AirPort base stations are now back in stock

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 2, 2016

Following a brief period during which both the AirPort Extreme wireless base station and the AirPort Time Capsule wireless appliance were unavailable for purchase from Apple’s retail stores in the United States, the devices are now back in stock at most retail locations and are once again available for Personal Pickup, MacRumors discovered.

Jawbone denies exiting wearables business, production of UP devices continues

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Following a Tech Insider report earlier this week claiming that accessory maker Jawbone had made the decision to sell its remaining inventory to a third-party reseller, stop building UP fitness trackers and create a clinical-grade health device, it's issued a post to officially deny exiting the wearables business, putting a stop to “wrongful insinuations“.

Many third-party Instagram apps no longer working

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 6, 2018

Do you use a third-party app to browse Instagram feeds and hashtags more efficiently on an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad?

If so, there's a high likelihood that your app has now ceased functioning due to Instagram's new and much stricter policy pertaining to the official API, which has gone into effect today, as first noted by MacRumors.

iOS continues bleeding share to Android as smartphone market slows considerably

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 2, 2016

Mary Meeker's 2016 Internet Trends Report is a treasure trove of surveys and predictions on the global trends concerning our industry. I found out this morning that half of the searches will be either through images or speech by 2020 and that Siri was handling more than one billion requests per week through speech as of June 2015.

I've now compiled the report's most interesting tidbits regarding Internet usage around the world, the iOS vs. Android battle and more.

Relax with Alto’s Adventure’s new Zen Mode

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 2, 2016

Alto's Adventure from developer Snowman, the popular endless snowboarding odyssey set in the tranquil wilderness, was updated this morning on the App Store with all-new Zen and Photo modes and other perks.

Zen Mode, a new way to enjoy the game, is a dedicated experience that helps you unwind “for all those times when catching llamas and chasing high scores isn’t high on the agenda”.

Apple’s 2016 Back to School promo goes live in the United States and Canada

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 17, 2017

Having launched in Australia and New Zealand in January, Apple announced that its annual Back to School promotion is live starting today through September 5, 2016 at Apple retail and campus stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.

The promotion gives qualifying students, parents of students and educators who buy an eligible Mac with education pricing a free pair of Beats Solo2 Wireless headphones, or Powerbeats2 Wireless for eligible iPhone or iPad purchases.