News

News aggregator Digg gets a makeover, new iPhone app

If you've been around the web for more than a couple of years, chances are you remember Digg. The news aggregation site made social sharing cool long before Facebook or Twitter hit their high notes.

But the last couple of years have been rough for Digg. After seeing a dramatic drop in page views, the site that was once in talks with Google over a $200 million buyout, sold for a measly $500 thousand to the folks at Betaworks.

Enter Digg v1...

iPad newspaper The Daily lays off a third of its staff

We've known for a while now that News Corp.'s made-for-iPad newspaper The Daily was in trouble. Last fall, the paper's audience was estimated to be somewhere in the area of just 100,000 active readers — well short of the 500,000 it needs to break even. Then back in May of this year, word got out that the Daily had been put "on watch" for its poor performance.

Well there must have been some truth to the chatter, as a new report is out today claiming that The Daily just laid off a third of its staff...

Apple buys land for new campus in Austin, Texas

In addition to its upcoming spectacular ring-shaped building in Cupertino called Campus 2, Apple is also moving forward with plans to build another campus in Austin, Texas. The Austin Business Journal reports (via The Next Web) that Apple recently purchased three tracts of  land in the Milwood Section 20 subdivision near Parmer Lane and Delcour Drive, where its campus is thought to be built...

Facebook officially launches App Center

Earlier today, we reported that screenshots of Facebook's App Center were starting to surface. This lead to speculation from folks that a release for the cross-platform, HTML5-encoded app store was on the horizon.

Well, as it turns out, they were right. During a press event this evening, the social networking giant announced that it would start rolling out App Center in the US today. And the rest of the world in the coming weeks...

Hackers starting to make progress with iOS 5.1 jailbreak

We haven't really heard much on the jailbreak front since iOS 5.1 came out. The software update patched all previous exploits, meaning anyone who upgraded, lost their ability to jailbreak (well, A4 devices can still be jailbroken).

But we have good news today for the folks that have updated their devices to 5.1. Pod2g, who was largely responsible for Absinthe and Corona, says that he now has all of the exploits necessary to start working on a new jailbreak...

Apple could receive $7.4 million in tax breaks to build new Texas campus

AppleInsider passes on a report from an Austin news outlet that Apple could receive tax rebates worth $7.4 million over the next 10 years if it goes ahead with plans to build a new campus in Northwest Austin.

Combine this with the nearly $30 million in tax breaks and incentives it is already set to receive, and Apple has a lot of reasons to want to start building its new offices as soon as possible...

Workers’ plight at Foxconn sweatshops is real despite fabricated facts, monologuist says

The  controversial topic surrounding inhumane working conditions at Foxconn plants (often likened to sweatshops) has entered a new phase as monologuist Mike Daisey backtracks on his unpleasant claims, now admitting they were partly fabricated from sensationalist news reports.

As you might recall, the whole thing gained traction as the New York Times published a lengthy piece on the conditions of Apple’s supply chain in China. Other mainstream outlets immediately picked up the story as consumer groups began demanding an ethical iPhone. The public backlash also pushed Apple to list its suppliers for the first time. CEO Tim Cook dismissed the allegations as "patently fales", insisting that "We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain."

Now, as the popular NPR radio program This American Life retracted their story based on Daisey's highly acclaimed show “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs”, the monologuist ran a post on his personal blog this morning basically saying that even though he spiced up his original report, the basic premise on workers' plight in China sweatshops still holds true...

Hint reveals the new iPad will be available at 8AM this Friday

Customers have already rushed to get their pre-orders in for the new iPad, as it's set to deliver and go on sale in-stores this Friday. Apple confirmed that the first wave of iPads are sold out and that demand for the new tablet is "off the charts".

Today, Apple has revealed it plans to open its new Houston retail store this Friday, at 8 AM. Apple typically opens its stores at 10 AM, but has made an exception this time around. More than likely, this reveals that Apple will begin selling the new iPad in its stores Friday at 8AM...

Netflix will offer 1080p streaming to new Apple TV

Following Apple's announcement of an upgraded Apple TV today, Netflix has just announced it will be offering 1080p streaming to the new device. Apple announced the new Apple TV at its media event in California, along with the new iPad.

The new Apple TV is priced at $99 and features 1080p playback and a sleek new interface. Netflix, being one of the main reasons many buy an Apple TV, will be the perfect app for taking advantage of the Apple TV's 1080p abilities...

Apple introduces new ‘Catalogs’ category to App Store

Apple has just introduced a new category labeled 'Catalogs' to the App Store this evening. The new introduction is ahead of Apple's media event tomorrow, where the Cupertino-based company is rumored to announce the iPad 3 and third-generation Apple TV.

The new category has yet to fully roll out to the App Store. Currently, it has apps like Catalog Spree, MTG Merchant, and SkyMall listed under it, but shows no results when viewing the category page. Catalogs may or may not have have some role in Apple's media event taking place tomorrow...

Readability for iOS now available

Popular service Readability has finally launched its app on the App Store. Readability is a great looking web app that allows you to save web items for reading more comfortably at a later time. The new Readability app is available for both iPhone and iPad.

The app makes any webpage look more uniform and clean looking. There's the ability to make the text bigger, share items with your friends, and more...

Apple can continue to sell iPads in Shanghai

After their on-going legal hustle with Proview Technology, Asian Apple fans can rest assured that they'll still be able to buy the iPad in Shanghai, thanks to a ruling by the Shanghai Pudong New Area People's Court.

Just a few days ago we told you how Shenzhen based Proview were ready to negotiate with Apple over the alleged 'iPad' trademark infringement, however it now seems there will be no negotiating, not on Apple's behalf anyway...