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News - page 1342

Apple wants to save you from the embarrassment of misdirected messages

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Just yesterday I had the experience of sending a text message to the wrong person. Okay, luckily it wasn’t a compromising message in any sense, but it goes to show what happens when you’re carrying out too many text conversations at the same time.

Clearly someone at Apple has had a similar experience, because a patent published Thursday reveals how future iOS devices might incorporate background images of the people you’re messaging, to ensure you don’t send out misdirected messages.

Delve deeper into your Twitter stats with Birdbrain app

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A lot of people I know used to use Birdbrain as their iOS Twitter client back in the day, but in recent times it’s fallen by the wayside due to a lack of updates.

Well, it’s back — and it’s just received a major revamp, adding support and optimization for iOS 7, brand new graphs showing Twitter statistics, and more.

iPhone 6 ‘phablet’ will enter the fastest-growing smartphone category

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They’re big, they’re unwieldy, and they represent one-third of all handsets presently available worldwide.

According to new research undertaken by Canalys, around 34% of smartphones shipped worldwide have screens measuring upwards of five inches diagnoally. The rise in popularity of the so-called “phablet” (describing a smartphone with a screen between 5.0 and 6.9 inches) bodes very well for Apple, ahead of its eagerly anticipated 5.5-inch iPhone 6, which we fully expect to see arrive this September.

Facebook update makes it easier to avoid oversharing

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Facebook is fine-tuning not only how you share stuff, but what content you see after you share.

That’s the goal of an update to its iOS app that is designed to cut down on accidental oversharing by giving users a preview of their posts before they go live. It could be something you don’t want the whole Facebook world seeing, like the embarrassing TV show you’re currently watching.

In a related experiment, some users of the main Facebook app are also seeing additional content suggestions from Facebook after posting.

Apple Store blackout dates point to September iPhone 6 launch

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Apple's 5.5-inch
Apple's 5.5-inch "phablet" iPhone 6 may start mass production in September.

iPhone 6 case leaks have been sprouting up like spring flowers this May, and while we still have a long wait until Apple reveals the date of its iPhone 6 event, its retail stores might already be prepping for a Fall launch.

Apple retail stores have started blacking out vacation dates for employees in September, pointing to a probable September launch for Apple’s bigger screened iPhone.

Automatic partners with Jawbone to whip drivers into shape

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As the nation grows more obese yet car culture still rules, here’s the nudge of the hour: your car and your fitness app talking to each other, reminding you that you’re not moving enough.

Automatic’s smart driving assistant can turn your old hunk of junk into a smart car, but the company announced today that it’s teamed up with Jawbone to whip your belly rolls into shape by giving drivers more insight into how your physical activity and driving patterns are connected.

Nintendo forces takedown of GBA4iOS emulator

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Nintendo won’t bring its popular game franchises to iOS, and Apple won’t allow emulators in the App Store. In order to play titles like Super Mario and Zelda on your iPhone, then, you have to look at unofficial alternatives. GBA4iOS was one of the most popular — but after its creators received a DMCA notice from Nintendo this week, it is no more.

14 weirdest speaker docks to ever cradle an iPhone

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Your iPhone’s speakers suck. No amount of magical design from Jony Ive can change the laws of physics to give those itsy-bitsy tweeters earth-shattering bass, but plenty of acoustic iPhone docks are willing to try.

We’ve seen a menagerie of speaker docks over the years, and while most stick to being practical, we love the weird creations that make you do a double-take. We’ve gathered 14 of the most incredible iPhone docks you’ll ever see in the gallery above.

Got your own favorite bizarre dock for your iDevice? Let us know in the comments below.

Hypnotic arcade shooter JoyJoy set to arrive on iOS

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If you’re looking for the next super-addictive iOS hit, you may have found it in JoyJoy, which arrives in the App Store tomorrow, priced $1.99.

The game, which comes from developers RadanGames, was actually released on Xbox Live Indie Games a few years ago, but this mobile version has been totally revamped. It’s an above-view arcade shooter in which you see off wave after wave of assailants using a wide range of weaponry.

Transformers: Age of Extinction game coming to iOS this summer

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Is it wrong that — regardless of how many times I get burned on either Michael Bay Transformers movies, or video game movie adaptations — I’m still excited at the prospect of a new Transformers game?

DeNA and Hasbro has just announced the official tie-in game for the upcoming Transformers sequel, Age of Extinction. As with the movie, the mobile game will be landing on iOS devices (as well as Android and Windows Phone) this summer.

iPhone is wiping the floor with Samsung in Japanese smartphone race

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The iPhone has hit a new all-time high when it comes to market share in Japan: representing a massive 36.6% of all Japanese smartphones in the first quarter of 2014.

This increase, which is up from last year’s 25.5%, was driven by Apple’s deal with NTT DoCoMo, a.k.a. Japan’s largest carrier. Apple launched the iPhone 5s and 5c with NTT DoCoMo back in September, and sales have been rocketing upwards ever since. Sales have proven so good, in fact, that Apple recently moved Doug Beck, chief of sales for Japan and Korea, over to handle the North American beat — where it is hoped he can apply some of the same sales mojo to increasing U.S. market share.

Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines for iOS now available on iPad

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There’s a reason the majority of apps in the App Store look like they fit together, and that reason is Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines, a document that ensures all developers incorporate Apple-approved elements into everything they do on the iOS platform.

To make these guidelines transparent and readable, Apple has released an iPad-friendly version of its latest iOS Human Interface Guidelines reference material. Available to the public as a free download through the iBookstore, the guide covers everything from general design practices to rules about content, and features the usual iBooks flourishes such as page numbers, resizable fonts and annotation support. It also incorporates embedded videos to illustrate certain topics.

GIFtastic map shows the 6 sad states that still don’t have an Apple Store

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Credit: ifoAppleStore
Credit: ifoAppleStore

Critics slammed Steve Jobs when he opened the first Apple Store nearly 13 years ago, but now that Apple’s retail space makes more money per square foot than Tiffany’s, everyone from Samsung to Microsoft has been trying to duplicate Apple’s success.

To see just how quickly Apple Stores have invaded the U.S., Retale created an interactive map that plots each new store opening since 2001. Each blue dot in the GIF above represents a new store opening, starting with the original Apple Store in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

254 Apple Stores now dot the country with an additional 170 outlets open internationally, but six sad states in U.S. are still waiting for their first Apple shrines to open. Check out Retale’s site for a full breakdown on when each store opened and the flagship products that brought customers into Steve’s aluminum and glass utopias.

Polish Apple reseller makes store out of fruit stand materials

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Made with materials found at your local food market.
Made with materials found at your local food market.

Apple stores around the world are considered shining examples of exquisite design in the cutting-edge world of retail. Steve Jobs was famously picky about every detail that went into the stores, all the way down to the type of wood grain used for the tables.

An Apple reseller’s new store in Poznań, Poland, takes a unique approach to design by incorporating materials used in actual fruit stands. The result is decidedly retro, and actually pretty cool.

Why Beats Music’s surprising numbers make it a prime target for Apple

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Beats Music is in an interesting spot as a new service, mainly because we don’t know when (or if) it will be swallowed by Apple.

After it was revealed last week that Apple plans to buy Beats for billions, the company’s fledgling music subscription service has received a new level of attention. But that doesn’t mean its growth has been healthy.

According to a leaked royalties report, Beats Music only had around 111,000 subscribers as of last month.

Those are incredibly low numbers for a startup with a lot of funding, aggressive advertising, and a juicy promotion in place with AT&T. But to Apple, stagnant growth isn’t an issue. It’s about what Beats Music can do for iTunes.