Alex Heath - page 28

Up to this point, the term “iBeacon” has been used to describe just about any location-aware transmitter that can send data to a device over Bluetooth. But now it’s going to get harder for companies to market their products as iBeacons.

Apple is clamping down on its iBeacon trademark by adding specifications for the technology to its ‘Made for iPhone’ (MFi) program.

Including iBeacon in MFi gives Apple complete quality control over where the iBeacon name can be used. When a Bluetooth speaker maker wants to be approved by Apple, it has to go through the MFi program. And now the same process will be required for iBeacon.

Apple has added a dedicated channel to the Apple TV for TV4 Play, the country’s largest commercial broadcasting network.

Live broadcasts and original programming are available for free. Full episodes of TV4 Group shows are available for playback up to seven days after their release. Premium TV4 subscribers get access to additional content, and the window of availability for TV shows is longer.

Today the world’s largest hearing aid manufacturer, GN ReSound, announced the ReSound LiNX. Designed specifically for the iPhone, the LiNX is the first hearing aid to be part of Apple’s official “Made for iPhone” program.

WhatsApp, the popular messaging service that was recently bought by Facebook, is adding a big feature in a few months: voice calling.

During a keynote at Mobile World Congress, WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum announced that voice calling would be added in the second quarter of this year. The feature will be a free addition to the already free app.

WhatsApp has 465 million monthly active users, which is 15 million more than Facebook. The service’s huge international presence (it’s the largest mobile messaging service in Korea, for example) also helps explain why Facebook paid $19 billion to own it.

Source: TechCrunch

The iOS game controller market is growing at a pretty healthy pace, but there has yet to be a controller that really steals the limelight. We’ve gone hands on with several options, and they all seem to fall into the same boat: a decent upgrade from touch, but not console-level quality.

Demoed at Mobile World Congress this week in Barcelona, the Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i might be the new controller to beat.

On February 21st, Apple released iOS 7.0.6, a small software update that provided “a fix for SSL connection verification.” The same SSL fix was also released for older iOS 6 devices and the Apple TV. Apple pushes out smaller bug fixes from time to time, so at first glance 7.0.6 seemed like a pretty normal update.

But in reality, Apple patched a major security flaw that has potentially compromised millions of peoples’ data for years. Nicknamed “gotofail,” the bug has been flying under the radar for quite some time, and it still hasn’t been patched in OS X.

Well-known jailbreaker “winocm” announced today that he will be taking a job at Apple later this year.

When reached for comment, the 17-year-old hacker declined to elaborate on what his new role at Apple will entail. He also declined to provide his real name, which is a common theme amongst high-profile jailbreak hackers who prefer to hide behind their online pseudonyms.

While winocm did not work on the recent iOS 7 jailbreak, his expertise in reverse engineering iOS will undoubtedly make him a valuable asset at Apple.

Apple has purchased Burstly, the company behind iOS app beta platform TestFlight. The specific details of the buyout have not been disclosed, but TechCrunch reports that Burstly’s engineers are working at Apple already.

The U.S. Postal Service will sell a collectable stamp of Steve Jobs in 2015, according to a document obtained by The Washington Post. The design of the stamp is still being developed, and the exact date of availability is not yet known.

The late Apple co-founder has become even more of a cultural icon since his passing,. His memory and legacy continues to be honored in everything from Smithsonian exhibits to the Grammys.

Other notable figures to appear on postage stamps next year include Johnny Carson, Ingrid Bergman, Elvis Presley, and James Brown.

Source: The Washington Post

Via: Engadget

It’s not every day that you hear a story of someone quitting their “dream job,” especially at Apple. While people leave the company all the time, hearing anything about it publicly is very rare. Apple’s thick veil of secrecy extends to everything it does, including the talent it gains and loses.

A former mobile designer at Apple named Jordan Price has published a pretty damning explanation of why he chose to quit his job at Apple.

Samsung is an official sponsor of the Sochi 2014 Olympics, and the Korean company has been giving athletes Galaxy Note 3 phones to use during the games. In exchange for the gifts, Samsung has reportedly asked the athletes to specifically cover the Apple logos on their personal iPhones.

What happens if athletes don’t respect the rule remains unclear. Logos were also asked to be covered by Samsung when it was a sponsor of the London 2012 Olympics, so this isn’t a new tactic. However, it does illustrate Samsung’s corporate contempt for Apple.

I’m traveling to Russia to cover the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. It’s going to be a thrilling, crazy experience. You’ll see some of my work here at Cult of Mac, among other places.

Here’s the gear I’ll be taking with me overseas:

Rumors surrounding iOS 8 and the iWatch are starting to heat up, including details of a new “Healthbook” app. Apple is particularly focused on fitness for its smartwatch, according to a pair of reports from yesterday.

Realmac’s Clear ushered in a new approach to designing productivity apps, and a new calendar app called Peek has taken the same visual aesthetic and built upon it.

The name says it all. Peek is designed to let you see your schedule at a glance, and there are plenty of fairly intuitive gestures to help.

Automatic, the smart driving assistant I described as making my old car future-proof, has been updated with iBeacon functionality. The immediate benefit is that the connection between the Automatic hardware and iPhone app will be improved. But putting iBeacons on the road holds some exciting long term possibilities as well.

Apple has released iOS 7.0.5 as a minor update for all devices capable of running iOS 7.

Bug fixes for network provisioning are included for iPhone 5c and 5s models sold in China. Apple recently struck a deal with China Mobile to sell the iPhone on its network, which has the largest subscriber base in the world.

Today Moshi announced the SenseCover, one of the most unique iPhone cases I’ve come across in a long time. By using touch-sensitive plates on the front of the case, the SenseCover allows you to answer incoming calls and turn off alarms without opening the front flap.

A reader sent this in. Pretty much sums up the two main spins on Apple you see in the media.

Thanks: Chris

I always know when it’s going to rain. It’s not because I’m psychic, but because of Dark Sky, which I can confidently call one of—of not the—best weather apps in the App Store. Originally funded through a Kickstarter campaign, the success of Dark Sky has brought about Forecast.io and a robust weather platform for other great apps.

What does two years of development and going back to the drawing board get you? A complete redesign of Dark Sky for iOS. I’ve been using it for months, and it’s finally available in the App Store as a free update.

Today the U.S. Department of Justice gave permission to companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft to share previously classified details regarding requests for customer data from the government.

Tim Cook recently said in an interview that Apple has a gag order preventing it from disclosing what exact information it has given over to the NSA. Now Apple and other companies that have fought for greater transparency from the government can share more about what they’ve had to share. Apple has posted a revised list of the information requests it received between January and June of 2013.

Apple has announced its earnings for this past holiday quarter, and the results are a doozy. The company reported $57.6 billion in revenue, which is an all-time record. 51 million iPhones and 26 million iPads were sold, which are both records as well.

This quarter’s results are particularly important for Apple because of all the new hardware it announced before Christmas. The iPhone is obviously selling well, but the iPad’s growth is insane when you consider that Apple only sold 14 million units in Q1 of 2013.

As part of Apple’s celebration of the Mac’s 30th anniversary, the company invited David Muir of ABC News to its Cupertino headquarters for a rare interview with CEO Tim Cook. A couple teaser clips have already aired, and the full special will premiere tonight on ABC’s World News With Diane Sawyer.

In the interview, Cook was joined by Apple executives Craig Federighi and Bud Tribble. Federighi is in charge of Apple’s software, and Tribble was a member of the original Apple Macintosh design team.

There are several juicy tidbits to be gleaned from the interview excerpts, including the confirmation that Apple’s new factory in Arizona will manufacture sapphire glass. Cook also shared his thoughts on the iWatch rumors, NSA, and more.

Today Apple released a slew of updates to its iWork productivity suite. On the web, iWork for iCloud has received an iOS 7-like makeover in every aspect except the editing interface. Browsing for documents on iCloud.com now looks more like it does on iOS.

An emphasis has been placed on document sharing with a new “Shared with Me” menu in each app’s toolbar. You can also share password-protected documents, presentations, and spreadsheets.

Apple didn’t just update iWork’s web apps today. Several updates have been released on iOS and OS X as well.

It has been nearly two years since Apple has released a major update to its set-top box. And now a fourth-gen Apple TV could be announced as soon as March. Today a pair of reports from iLounge and 9to5Mac claim that a new Apple TV will be unveiled within the next couple months.

While the hardware probably won’t be that exciting, Apple is rumored to finally give the product’s software the overhaul it so desperately needs. Some kind of dedicated gaming experience may even be in the cards.

The iPhone 5c’s lifespan will be short-lived, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. Apple will reportedly discontinue the 5c this year and release two larger iPhone models.

The initial success of the iPhone 5c has been questioned amidst reports that Apple cut orders by as much as 35% shortly after releasing the phone last fall.

Rumors of larger iPhone designs have been swirling for months now, and the Journal is saying to expect screens larger than 4½ inches and 5 inches.