The big news today is all about how Apple has apparently been busy secretly squirreling away data about your movements on your iPhone 4 or GPS-equipped iPad, and storing it in a file on your computer via syncing. Is this a big deal, or business as usual, just a giant tech company doing its thing?
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The App Store has spawned some pretty good looking applications for iOS devices; apps for iPhone and iPad are largely renowned for their simplicity and alluring design. With that said, you’d think iOS applications that have an Android sibling – from the same developer – would be just as pretty, right? Wrong.
Here’s a gallery of screenshots that compares iOS apps with their Android versions and highlights some of the differences:
Plans to invest in a Sharp production facility have been reportedly dropped by Apple, with the company choosing instead to use Toshiba as the sole supplier of liquid crystal displays used in the iPhone.
A report in Japanese newspaper Nikkan Kogyu Shimbun claims that “Sharp was no longer a candidate for Apple’s investment,” and that the company wishes to avoid placing full dependancy on one country for the production of iPhone LCDs. It is believed the Tohoku area earthquake – which could have effected component production – may have persuaded Apple to think twice about its investment in two suppliers located in Japan.
Sharp has since issued a public statement denying the rumors, insisting that the report “contradicts the facts,” and requesting the paper retracts its report. If the rumors are true, however, it would be a substantial loss to Sharp.
If you’re still taking time out of your day to call every Apple reseller in your area in the hope of finding that iPad 2 you’re after, the new FindOne app for iPhone could save you a lot of time and effort.
You select which model of the iPad 2 you want and FindOne checks the inventory of every Target and Walmart store in your vicinity to see if they have your chosen device in stock.
The iPhone is a phenomenal tool for a bit of tromping about in the bush; navigation, stargazing, photographing/filming and even staying alive can all be accomplished with the help of the little gadget. That is, if it’s got any juice left.
Solio’s Rocsta ($80) — a solar panel mated to a thin slab of a battery in a sleek, flat, user-friendly housing — seems to have been created with a nod to minimalist adventurous types who want a rugged, no-fuss solar charger aong on their next Iditarod or photo shoot for National Geographic.
Milan Design Week usually yields some sort of quirky Apple-inspired objects (remember the iPod Table?), this year it’s MegaPhone, a minimalist ceramic bullhorn for your iPhone.
“The form is designed to amplify and optimize the best sound output,” say young Italian designers E&IS.
Just a tad impractical, it’s mounted on a thin wooden frame that “allows the object to float off the table;” they imagine it as great for listening to music sans headphones and facilitating conference calls.
Like a lot of these quirky ideas, this one may never make it past the prototype phase. But we’ll pass on price and availability if it does.
Via FastCo Design
Apple critics are accusing the company of ripping off Samsung, not the other way around. They say the Samsung F700, first shown at Cebit in 2006 and released in February 2007, is the inspiration for the iPhone, first shown at Macworld 2007 and released in June that year. LOL @ Apple: Suing someone you stole the design from to begin with.
UPDATE: It looks like the F700 was actually first announced in February 2007 — a month after Steve Jobs debuted the iPhone — and was released in December 2007, months after the iPhone’s debut. Worse, it was greeted with accusations of being a complete iPhone ripoff!
What do you think? Did Apple copy the iPhone from Samsung?
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Good news If you’ve got a Sonos music system and an Apple AirPort Express: a free software update will make your multi-room Sonos system AirPlay compatible.
Available today as a free download, Sonos System Software 3.4 adds AirPlay compatibility to a multi-room Sonos music system. You do need an Apple AirPort Express though, which when plugged into any ZonePlayer’s line-in can be played across multiple systems across the house — so-called Party Mode.
Crackle is one of the fastest-growing digital entertainment networks, offering hundreds of high quality Hollywood movies and TV series from Columbia Pictures, Tri-Star, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics and more.
Fans of the service couldn’t previously enjoy this content on their iOS device due to its Flash-based website, however, the official Crackle application is now available to download in the App Store.
The application is free and supports all iOS devices, while the content is ad-supported and free to watch. It lets you enjoy high quality content over Wi-Fi and 3G and build your own queue of content for viewing online or on your iOS device.
Crackle currently features movies such as The Da Vinci Code, Big Daddy, Ghostbusters, and Snatch, while its TV series collection boasts Seinfeld, Spider-Man, Married With Children, and The Three Stooges, amongst hundreds of other great titles.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7wzffgw9Xc
The new 2Phone case for the iPhone 4 from Rebelsimcard.com features a SIM card slot that enables you to install and use an additional SIM card with your device. Both SIMs will work simultaneously, so there’s no need to switch back and forth – enabling you to make and receive calls on 2 different lines, with two different carriers.
The $250 2Phone case actually looks pretty good, and also features a 800mAH rechargeable battery that provides your iPhone with some extra juice when you need it.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogHcJT0bvUg
Gameloft released a teaser trailer on Thursday for its upcoming N.O.V.A Elite title heading to the App Store. Although it hasn’t been confirmed, from the gameplay video the title looks to be completely dedicated to online multiplayer action – and it looks pretty damn good.
N.O.V.A Elite is expected to hit the App Store very soon – possibly as early as next Thursday. There are currently no details on price, though Touch Arcade speculates that it could be free; following in the footsteps of ngmoco’s Eliminate Pro – the free online multiplayer that brings in cash through in-app purchases for “power ups.”
In true N.O.V.A. style, Elite looks to be an intense, action-packed shoot ’em up – and I can’t wait for its release. Check out the trailer above and leave your thoughts in the comments.
Shortly after the release of iOS 4.3.2 yesterday, hackers discovered that the firmware update can be jailbroken successfully with the latest version of Redsn0w and PwnageTool bundles. These are, however, tethered jailbreaks – which means you’ll need to connect your device to your computer every time you need to reboot.
Though it’s possible to jailbreak the latest iOS release, it is still a good idea to stay away from the update for the time being if jailbreaking your device is important to you. There is yet to be an announcement from the Dev-Team regarding a jailbreak for this firmware, and there’s a chance you may lose your untethered jailbreak completely if you upgrade.
Apple has just released iOS 4.3.2 – an update for all devices that support the 4.3 software – except the Verizon iPhone 4 (CDMA) – which fixes a FaceTime bug and an issue that prevents some international users from connecting to 3G networks on the iPad.
The release notes read:
– Fixes an issue that occasionally caused blank or frozen video during a FaceTime call
– Fixes an issue that prevented some international users from connecting to 3G networks on iPad Wi-Fi + 3G
– Contains the latest security updates
As usual with an iOS update, jailbreakers should avoid updating their devices, especially if they rely on an unlock. Dev-Team member MuscleNerd has warned hackers with messages on Twitter, confirming that Apple is working hard to prevent untethered jailbreaks:
ultrasn0w unlockers stay away from today’s iOS 4.3.2!
Apple sure is aggresively patching these untethered jailbreaks lately (but that’s better than lawsuits)
The iOS 4.3.2 update is now available to download via iTunes. Verizon users get the same bug fixes, but they come in the form of iOS 4.2.7 – also immediately available.
Artist Christopher Locke makes iPhone speakers from salvaged trumpets.
Selling for $400 apiece, you’d be surprised how good they sound. Check out the video below:
One of the best things about a device like the iPhone is that you can enjoy constant connectivity with your favorite social networks – wherever you are, whatever you’re doing. As one of the most popular social networks, it’s no wonder there’s a shed-load of third-party Twitter clients in the App Store, but how do you separate the good from the poor and decide which is best for you?
If you’re not keen on the official Twitter app, check out our list of the best 8 third-party Twitter apps for iOS after the break.
Rovio Mobile, the creator of the hugely successful series of Angry Birds games, has revealed in a message posted on Twitter that it is working on a solution to bring game syncing across all devices. The feature would enable players to begin a game on their iPad at home, which they could then continue from where they left off on their iPhone on the train. When you unlock a new level on one device, you unlock the level on all devices.
Game syncing is a feature that many iOS games would benefit from. As more and more games and applications become universal and playable on both the iPhone and the iPad, one of the biggest frustrations is that you have to complete the same levels, missions, and objectives twice – once on each device. The same goes for high scores.
Rovio has also confirmed a forthcoming Easter update to Angry Birds Seasons – due sometime next week – which will deliver 15 brand new levels to enjoy while you devour your eggs. And if you didn’t have enough platforms the play Angry Birds on, the Facebook version of the game will also get three new levels so that it doesn’t feel too left out.
[via AppAdvice]
According to several reports from various sources recently, it seems there could be a nasty ‘virus’ lurking in dodgy internet adverts that wipes your iOS device when you tap on them. Users searching for jailbreak and unlock methods on their devices are the ones currently at risk.
When performing a search for these hacks on an iOS device, false adverts are returned that claim to unlock your device for free. Tapping on them takes you to a webpage that shows an animation lasting 10 to 15 seconds, followed by a message that says: “DOWNLOAD UNLOCK 2 NOW FREE.” By this point the device is completely wiped of all your information.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTuniZZA1VY
A new iPhone application called Friends Aloud from VoiZapp uses state of the art text-to-speech technology to read aloud your Facebook news feed. It cycles through your friends’ status updates, as well as the associated comments, and reads them out in a pleasant, easy to understand voice.
For Facebook addicts Friends Aloud allows you to peel your eyes away from your iPhone or computer screen but remain up to date. Leave your device in your bag, pocket, or on your desk, and carry on with your day while you listen to everything that’s happening on Facebook.
The hiring of a Senior Composites Engineer at Apple has fuelled more speculation that the company could move away from aluminum for building future devices, choosing to use carbon fiber instead. Kevin Kenny began work at the Cupertino campus this month after spending 14 years building carbon fiber bicycles for Kestral Bicycles, where he was the President and CEO.
This isn’t the first time Kenny has worked with Apple; a patent called “Reinforced Device Housing” filed by the company in 2009 had Kenny’s name on it, and depicted an outer casing for electronic devices made from ultra-strong carbon fiber. The patent reveals Kenny was clearly working with Apple for a long time before he became a full-time employee.
There are plenty of photo apps that do pixellation effects, but Pixel Face grabbed my attention because of the way it embraces the whole 8-bit world of pixels.
It’s not just the photos that look colorful and retro, it’s the app itself. The buttons are cheerfully bright, the sounds are like something your games console used to do back in the 1980s.
ChuChu Rocket! is packed with over 500 puzzles and frantic 4 player multiplayer action, and the Sega Dreamcast classic, which has proven to be a massive iOS hit in the App Store, has gone completely free for one day only.
10 years ago, a cute group of ChuChu’s invaded the hearts and minds of gamers as they looked for an escape plane away from the evil KapuKapus into their cozy rocket ships. now, you get to re-live the glory days of frantic puzzle fun on your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad!
ChuChu Rocket! features four different difficulty levels to maximise its replay value; in addition to a free-for-all and team battle multiplayer mode with support for up to 4 players. Battle it out over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi across 25 intense multiplayer levels.
As one of the most popular puzzle games in the App Store, ChuChu Rocket! is a surefire way to cure your weekend boredom. Grab it now while it’s free!
A new application called iKeyGuard is the first key logger for the iPhone, and is now available to jailbroken devices through Cydia. The application runs discretely in the background and keeps a record of every single key pressed on the device.
iKeyGuard is $9.99 and is simple to install; just download the package from Cydia and it will start working as soon as it’s installed. The application’s main menu is accessed through Safari in order to be discrete, and this is where you can access your archive of key logs. You can also have them emailed to you at different intervals.
Its developer advertises iKeyGuard as a way of ensuring your employees are keeping your data safe, but we’re sure its main use will be to spy on kids and spouses.
If you want to be a little creepy, you can access the package from the BigBoss repo, which is installed with Cydia as default. Let us know what you think in the comments.
[via iPhone Download Blog]
According to a source for Boy Genius Report, Apple is working on the next release of iOS and planning to release the firmware to the public during the next two weeks. iOS 4.3.2 will include a few enhancements, address security issues, and fix several bugs that have effected some users.
Unfortunately the details handed over to BGR are a little limited, so we’re unable to report what enhancements or bug fixes will be made in the next iOS release. Although, issues with Wi-Fi that effects users with certain routers, and a problem with the taking photographs on the iPad 2, have been picked up in iOS 4.3.1.
BGR sources seem to have been consistent with their information in recent months, revealing on March 21st that iOS 4.2.1 would launch within two weeks – 4 days before it went live.
As always, we’ll let you know when iOS 4.3.2 is available to download.
Retro gamers can now enjoy 100 classic Atari titles on their iOS devices thanks to the launch of Atari’s Greatest Hits. The application is a free download that comes bundled with Pong, and through in-app purchases users can download additional game packs at $0.99 each, or the entire collection of 100 games for $14.99.
The collection of classic hits includes 18 Atari arcade games and 92 Atari 2600 games. But the fun doesn’t stop there; the app also boasts head-to-head multiplayer over Bluetooth and original cabinet and box art.
Check out the entire list of games available – and those that support Bluetooth multiplayer – after the break.
We’ve been keen followers of developments at CloudEngines, the outfit behind the Pogoplug network-attached storage device, ever since we reviewed the first one back in late 2009. This month, a little over two years after the Pogoplug debuted, brings a whole raft of new offerings from the company — including one that may bring a big surge to NAS popularity in general.
