Video

Instagram buys Luma for its advanced video filters and stabilization tech

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

In another indication it's taking smartphone photography and videography seriously, Facebook-owned Instagram today bought a small Silicon Valley startup Luma, formerly known as Midnox.

The transaction represents Instagram's first acquisition since joining Facebook's fold in April 2012. The startup is behind Luma Camera, an iOS app designed to make it easy to record and share high-quality video.

This isn't your typical acqui-hire: Instagram is both after Luma's talented engineers and its advanced technology which makes possible real-time cinematic processing such as filters, effects and video stabilization. As you could imagine, the promising app got immediately pulled fom the App Store following the deal...

Upcoming Mac utility lets you bypass the passcode on jailbroken devices

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

An upcoming Mac utility by jailbreak developer, Majd Alfhaily, (better known by his Twitter handle, @freemanrepo) allows users to outright bypass passcode lock protection on jailbroken iOS device.

Alfhaily sent us a beta version of the tool, which we were able to run successfully and unlock our passcode protected iPod touch. Take a look at our preview video walkthrough for more details.

New ‘VideoPane’ updates adds bug fixes, redesigned preferences, and more

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Ryan Petrich's uber popular VideoPane tweak has been updated with a load of features since we initially talked about it. In usual fashion, Petrich has provided a barrage of new features, bug fixes, and optimizations for the tweak.

If you haven't had the chance to check out our original review of the tweak, then I highly suggest you do so now. Otherwise, if you're already familiar with VideoPane's inner-workings, you'll enjoy the long list of improvements.

Netflix gains My List feature

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 21, 2013

Netflix today announced a new feature to make saving your favorite movies and televisions shows easier than ever. Aptly named My List, it lets you add any movie or TV show title to your own row or gallery on Netflix. You can easily rearrange the list, add or remove titles, with Netflix automatically sorting your entries.

It's based on the existing Instant Queue feature which however lacks automated sorting and its own Netflix row.

My List is a staggered roll-out that's launching worldwide in the next two weeks across multiple platforms, including iOS...

ReturnDismiss: easily dismiss the keyboard in iOS

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

There's now a super easy way to dismiss the keyboard from within any app in iOS. ReturnDismiss, a new jailbreak tweak released for free on Cydia's BigBoss repo, makes it possible for jailbroken users to easily hide the stock iOS keyboard using a simple tap and hold gesture.

ReturnDismiss even works when the app you're in doesn't normally support the ability to dismiss the keyboard. Take a look at our brief video walkthrough inside for all of the goods...

Twitter’s Vine hits 40 million registered users

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2016

Twitter's Vine has seen little action over the past few weeks, especially in light of Instagram Video and with a bunch of startups vying for our attention in the short video-sharing space.

That's not saying Vine has peaked - quite the contrary. Although I don't share vines as much as I used to, I find myself firing up the app every other day to enjoy some of the truly stupendous or just downright hilarious clips.

According to the latest Twitter-provided data, the Vine community is now home to some forty million people. Even though that's a respectable figure by any measure, it fails to impress in today's connected world where a service without at least a hundred million users is largely viewed as a failure...

YouTube app updated with picture-in-picture and deeper Chromecast integration

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

Yesterday, Google announced that it was bringing a new version of its YouTube app to Android, but it didn't say when it would be reaching iOS. Well it looks like the answer is today. The search giant just posted a big update for its standalone iOS YouTube app.

The update, which brings the app to version 2.0, brings about a number of improvements, including a new 'picture-in-picture' feature, which lets you watch a video in the bottom half of your device's screen while you continue to explore content on the site...

Procreate iPad gains 1080p canvas recording and support for Wacom’s Intuos Creative Stylus

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 18, 2018

The winner of the 2013 Apple Design Award, the iPad illustration app Procreate by Savage Interactive has never ceased to amaze me with its natural-looking brushes, deep bench of features, its gorgeous interface and the incredibly accurate and smooth Silica painting engine.

Hot on the heels of Monday's introduction of Wacom's pressure-sensitive Intuos Creative Stylus for iPad, Savage has now updated the app with support for the new Wacom hardware.

Procreate version 1.9 also includes a powerful new capability: full HD canvas recording. Go past the fold for the full reveal...

TiVo launches new Roamio DVR devices with out-of-home iOS streaming

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 20, 2013

Tuesday, set-top box maker TiVo announced a lineup of digital video recorder (DVR) devices with support for out-of-home streaming to Apple's iPhone and iPad. The Roamio-branded gear comes packed to the gills with a range of popular streaming options, including Netflix.

TiVo praises Roamio's brand new web-based app experience and the integrated DIAL protocol for easy control of apps and streaming content from mobile devices. The built-in TiVo Stream lets you connect to your Roamio over Wi-Fi and stream recordings and cable channels to a limited number of devices. The out-of-home streaming for the iPhone and iPad is "coming very soon," TiVo said...

‘AutoOK’ makes complex passcodes work like normal passcodes

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

In theory, "complex" word-based passcodes are more secure than the standard 4-digit passcodes that the majority of us tend to use, but they do come with a caveat. It might not sound like a big deal, but with complex passcodes, you have to tap the 'OK' button after entering the passcode in order to unlock your device. With standard passcodes, simply entering in all four digits is enough to prompt the device to unlock.

AutoOK is a new jailbreak tweak that serves as a workaround for this problem. It will automatically submit your complex passcode and unlock your device without needing to tap the OK button. Have a look at our video walkthrough inside to see how it works.

Preview: Anemo

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Anemo is an upcoming tweak that brings a sleek looking Quick Reply feature to the stock Messages app. The tweak, which has been in its conceptual stages for quite some time, is a collaboration between iOS developer, John Corbett, and renowned iOS designer, Sentry.

Anemo was initially featured by Sentry in its conceptual stages via a post on The Verge's forums. Afterwards, it quickly rose to popularity, amassing over 200 comments from interested users.

Today, I was able to go hands-on with a real working beta copy of Anemo. What I found was a tweak that lived up to its initial concept laid out almost a year earlier. Check inside for my first hands-on demo with Anemo.

Apple starts showing Mac Pro commercials in movie theaters

Cody Lee ∙ August 16, 2013

If you're heading out to go see the new Jobs biopic, or any other movie this weekend, be sure to keep an eye out for Apple's new Mac Pro ad. Reports are surfacing that it has started airing in theaters nationwide.

The commercial, which was first shown at WWDC during a sneak preview of Apple's new Pro computer, shows the radically-redesigned desktop tower from various angles. We've got the ad queued up after the fold...