Alex Heath - page 76

It’s safe to say the general consensus is against AT&T charging for FaceTime over cellular in iOS 6. The carrier is expected to introduce some sort of fee for Apple’s video calling service this fall, and AT&T has been trying its best to keep the issue quiet for as long as it can. While you would still be able to use FaceTime over a WiFi connection, carriers like AT&T obviously doesn’t want a bunch of video calls hogging everyone’s bandwidth.

Minnesota Senator Al Franken has been very vocal in the tech scene for years. He famously emailed Steve Jobs about the iPhone tracking debacle back in 2011, and he has continued to stand up for consumer privacy rights with the carriers and companies like Carrier IQ.

Franken recently spoke out on AT&T potentially charging its subscribers for FaceTime over cellular, noting that it would be flat-out “wrong.”

It appears that Apple has started seeding iOS 6 beta 4 (build 10A5376e) to developers as an over-the-air update. Beta 3 was released about 3 weeks ago in the Dev Center. iOS 6 will power the next iPhone, rumored 7-inch iPad, and iPod touch when it is released to the public this fall.

Rumors of a smaller iOS dock connector have been continuing to surface in the weeks leading up to Apple’s September fall event. Initially the consensus was that we’d see a smaller 19-pin connector in the new iPhone, but lately the word on the street is that Apple will use even less pins—possibly as few as 8. Leaked photos of the next iPhone’s exterior show a much smaller dock connector, and the change is likely to meant to accommodate the device’s slimmer design.

According to a new report today, Apple will update not one, not two, but all of its iOS devices with a smaller dock connector this fall.

Real Racing has been a staple of the App Store’s gaming catalog for years. As a game that pushes the boundaries of what iOS devices can do with console-like graphics, the developers behind Real Racing are always improving with new iterations. Real Racing 2 was one of the first games to take full advantage of the iPhone 4S’s faster processor and the iPad 2’s ability to stream 1080p video over AirPlay.

Now the folks at Firemonkeys (a combination of IronMonkey and Firemint’s gaming studios) have announced that Real Racing 3 is coming this year. A specific date has not been confirmed, but the game will feature real racecourses from around the world and 22 cars will be in each race.

iPhone rumors have reached a fever pitch with the word on the street being that Apple is holding its fall iPhone event on September 12th, and mainstream media is even paying attention to the rumor mill during primetime. Everyone wants to know about Apple’s next smartphone, including millions of iPhone 4 owners with expiring contracts.

What do you do when you want to buy a new smartphone? You sell your old one. That’s why eBay has seen a huge 70% spike in used phone trade-ins during the last few days.

In the weeks leading up to Apple’s rumored September 12th media event we’ve seen real-looking and not-so-real-looking leaks of the next iPhone. Rumors say that the sixth-gen iPhone (commonly referred to as the “iPhone 5” for clarity’s sake) will be taller and thinner than its predecessor. The device is expected to boast a 4-inch display, 4G LTE, and a redesigned form factor.

A new video has surfaced alongside a series of images comparing the current iPhone 4S front panel with the iPhone 5’s larger front panel.

The day has finally come, folks. Legendary designer Surenix has brought the benchmark iPhone jailbreak theme called “ayeco”n to the iPad. We showed you a sneak peek of ayecon for iPad last week, and the Winterboard theme is now available for everyone to get in Cydia. It look gorgeous.

The Tweetbot for Mac Alpha just got its coolest update yet. A version released today brings multiple columns for different timelines that can float freely or attach to each other and form a Twitter command center of awesomeness. The update packs other features too, like a menu bar interface, geotagged tweets, and Notification Center integration with multiple Twitter accounts at once.

A Japanese repair house posted photos of what looked like the iPhone 5, and we were all sold. They looked like what the rumor mill predicted, and they had just the right amount of realness to send the internet into a tizzy. Now, Neowin has pictures from an anonymous source in Bangkok, Thailand of what could be the next iPhone. Maybe. Possibly.

It was recently revealed that jailbroken iPads are not able to use Amazon’s new Instant Video app. The issue is a common one that similar apps, like HBO GO and DirectTV, have dealt with in the past. The reason jailbroken iPads couldn’t access Amazon’s video streams seemed to be related to DRM. Amazon may or may update the Instant Video iPad app with a fix, but in the meantime, there’s an easy way for jailbroken iPad users to get around the restriction right now.

You know that feeling you get when you see an iPhone accessory that’s so ridiculous you feel like you have to have it? Behold the Philips FWP3200D 300W Mini Hi-Fi System (say that 10 times fast). This giant jambox wants to make you the ultimate party rocker, but only if you’ve got £299.99 ($470) to drop. With a pair of 2-inch tweeters and 5.25-inch woofer, the “Party Machine” features a dual iPhone and iPod dock made to look like two classic turntables. Plug your iPhones in, and they will literally spin around as the beats blast. 

While some may consider the iPad’s Smart Cover to be too expensive and flimsy, Apple is obviously investing time and effort into the accessory. A recent patent has been uncovered that details an enhanced Smart Cover with a secondary touch display. Like Microsoft’s Surface tablet, the unreleased accessory would also have a keyboard embedded in the cover with virtual keys for typing.

By drawing power from the tablet inside, this patented Smart Cover design could extend the iPad’s screen with extra room for drawing, notifications, and icons around the device’s bezel. The patent also highlights using embedded solar cells and RF antennas to power the secondary display and keyboard. Sounds futuristic.

One of the very few App Store games to reach Angry Birds-level popularity is Temple Run. Developed by the small team at Imangi Studios, the game has seen incredible success in Apple’s App Store and now on Android as well. In celebration of Temple Run’s one year anniversary, Imangi has announced that the game has been downloaded 100 million times across iOS and Android devices. That’s quite an incredible feat.

A Temple Run update has been released today that brings full support for the third-gen iPad’s Retina display alongside a new power-up. All of Imangi’s other paid games have also been made free in the App Store for a limited time too.

Amazon released its Instant Video iPad app yesterday. The app allows Amazon Prime members to stream and download movies and TV shows on the iPad over a WiFi connection.

If your iPad is jailbroken, you won’t be able to watch anything in the Amazon Instant Video app. This isn’t the first time a content provider has blocked access to jailbreakers, but it’s certainly still disappointing.

More juicy tidbits keep surfacing in the Apple vs. Samsung patent trial. We’ve already seen dozens and dozens of early iPhone and iPad prototypes, and we all learned that Apple literally designs products around a kitchen table. A new finding reveals that Apple had “strong interest” in curved glass for the original iPhone, but the idea was shelved because it would have costed too much to make at the time.

Apple had some issues with initial shipments of the MacBook Pro with Retina display, but things are starting to look better. U.S. shipping estimates for the new laptop are now at a more reasonable 5-7 business days. Apple’s website previously said that it would take 1-2 weeks for new orders to ship, with orders taking nearly a month to ship back in mid-July.

If you’re interested in a Retina MacBook Pro, make sure to check out the new build-to-order options Apple added yesterday.

Source: Apple Online Store

It’s been all but confirmed that Apple is holding its fall iPhone event on Wednesday, September 12th. The rumored 8-inch iPad mini is also expected to be announced next month, although it’s been unclear if Apple will ship the device at the same time as the new iPhone.

According to a new report this morning, Sharp will begin shipping larger 4-inch iPhone displays throughout Apple’s supply chain this month as production for the September launch ramps up. Production of the iPad mini’s smaller display is also expected to begin in August leading up to Apple’s event in September.

A report this morning claimed that AT&T employees were being instructed to push Windows Phone and Android smartphones over iPhones to customers. Not only that, but the report claimed that employees are being forbidden from buying an iPhone as a company-owned device. AT&T later released an official statement in a poor attempt to clear the air, saying “The idea that we would steer any customer away from a particular device couldn’t be more farfetched.”

Several readers have since shared their experiences of AT&T reps pushing Android phones over the iPhone, with one even noting that a buddy who works at AT&T gets more commission on Android smartphone sales.

According to a new testimony, it appears that Verizon may be also instructing/incentivising its reps to push other smartphones over Apple’s iPhone.

The New York Times recently said that Apple was considering a multi-million dollar investment in Twitter. The report was then refuted by other publications, including The Wall Street Journal. According to the WSJ, Apple’s investment talks with Twitter were more than a year old. It seemed odd that Apple, a company known for rarely buying (much less investing in) other companies, would pump so much money in a financially-healthy startup like Twitter.

In a new report today, The Wall Street Journal sheds more light on Apple’s relationship with Twitter, highlighting that the two companies have been focusing on how to tie Twitter into Apple’s OS X and iOS platforms. Interestingly, Apple is currently working to add deeper iTunes integration with Twitter.

It’s a great time for jailbreakers. With iOS 6 and the next iPhone right around the corner, it’s never been a more exciting time to for the iOS jailbreak community. If you’re into jailbreaking, you’ll be pleased to know that the world’s first jailbreak convention is headed to San Francisco, California this September, and I’ll be there representing Cult of Mac.

We’ve already given you initial details about JailbreakCon 2012, and now the full convention schedule has been posted for all to see. The lineup of speakers and workshop leaders includes some of the premiere members of the jailbreak community, including the hackers that are already working on a jailbreak for iOS 6.

Good news for Google Chrome lovers: the popular third-party browser has been updated on the Mac with Retina graphics for the new MacBook Pro. This makes Chrome the first browser besides Safari to take full advantage of Apple’s ultra-high resolution display tech. Google has also included built-in webcam and microphone support and several other improvements.

Back in May we told you about FreedomPop’s 4G sled for the iPhone that came with 500MB of free data, and today a similar add-on has been announced for the iPod touch. FreedomPop’s $99 sled brings 3G/4G data to the third and fourth generation iPod touch, effectively turning the device into an iPhone without the phone.

The iPod touch add-on is identical to the iPhone model, the only difference is that the iPod touch version draws power from the device itself while the other relies on its own battery.

If you’ve never been to a Cracker Barrel restaurant, then I feel sorry for you. Where I live, Cracker Barrel is where you go for hearty, good ol’ fashioned, country cooking. Breakfast is always especially good.

The only times I ever played checkers growing up was at Cracker Barrel. While you wait for your food, there are boards set up around the restaurant with rocking chairs. There’s something about sitting down with a friend or loved one to just play a simple game of checkers. In the age of Xbox LIVE, Draw Something and Scrabble apps, face-to-face gameplay is sadly becoming a thing of the past.

A new iPad game called Checkers blends traditional board gaming with pixel-perfect digital charm.

According to a new report this morning, Apple is considering a stock split that could add the company to the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Sanford C. Bernstein & Co predicts that Apple’s decision to issue its first dividend in 17 years to shareholders makes now a perfect time for the stock split.

Apple is currently in the NASDAQ index, but given the incredible financial success the Cupertino company has seen over the past decade, it makes perfect sense to move to the Dow Jones.

I gave up on Google Chrome for iOS about a day after it was released. Even though my iPhone is jailbroken and I can bypass iOS’s restrictions to set Chrome as my default browser, I missed Safari. Also, Chrome felt considerably slower than the iPhone’s default browser, and that was because Apple handicaps third-party apps by not allowing them to access the lightning-fast Nitro Javascript engine in iOS.

Does the lack of Nitro in your favorite third-party iOS browsers keep you awake at night? Me neither. But that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be cool to make an app like Google Chrome just as fast as Mobile Safari. For jailbreakers, there’s a new tweak out that makes it all possible.