News - page 1552

While speaking today at the All Things D conference, Nuance CEO Paul Ricci confirmed that Nuance does indeed help power the voice recognition service for Siri.

Since Siri’s launch in 2011, many people assumed that Apple had formed a partnership with Nuance, but neither company has officially confirmed the relationship.

During the his interview, Ricci was asked whether it’s his company’s fault if the iPhone doesn’t understand a user’s voice. Ricci confirmed that Nuance does power the voice part of Siri, but the company is not involved in speech-recognition efforts with Google.

The SETA smartphone stand is another one of those post-Lighting iPhone “docks” which don’t actually let you dock the phone. The 30 pin dock connector was bad in many ways but it did at least give us docks into which we could dump our devices and let them charge.

The SETA pretty much ignores the dock part and just proves a handsome, minimalist spot on your desk to park your phone. And it also provides a neat way to control your charging cable.

Apple has received a lot of heat from the U.S. Senate lately regarding its international tax practices and off-shore cash, and you can now add Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to the list of Apple tax dissenters.

Woz said that he doesn’t think Apple’s tax practices are really fair, and suggested that Apple, and other large firms, be taxed on their income.

In an interview with the BBC, Woz had the following to say regarding Apple’s tax practices:

Apple’s on a roll today. Shortly after releasing a cheaper $229 iPod touch (sans iSight camera), they’ve lowered the price on another staple… at least for students. If you buy an entry-level MacBook Pro, it now costs $999, $200 off retail. That’s double the previous educational discount, and makes it as cheap as an entry-level MacBook Air. Nice!

Source: Apple.com

If you’ve been waiting patiently for an iPad Mini version of LifeProof‘s rugged, waterproof iPad Nuud case, you’re not going to get one — instead, LifeProof is going to enlarge its Fre%20iPhone%20case%20for%20the%20iPad%20Mini.%20what%20this%20means%20is%20you%20won’t%20have%20the%20Nuud’s%20completely%20bare%20screen,%20and%20instead%20will%20have%20a%20thin%20screen%20cover%20over%20your%20iPad%20Mini’s%20screen.The%20outfit’s%20choice%20to%20go%20with%20a%20screen%20covering%20may%20be%20a%20good%20thing%20or%20a%20bad%20thing,%20depending%20on%20your%20tastes;%20but%20there’s%20no%20argument%20that%20the%20arrival%20of%20LifeProof’s%20thin,%20rugged,%20waterproof%20iPad%20Mini%20case%20is%20a%20great%20thing.

Sometimes when you can’t decide between two things the easiest thing to do is flip a coin. Don’t got a quarter? Well, Siri can now create some random numbers for you via the command “Roll the dice.”

The litter Easter egg might also come in handy if you’re Monopoly board is missing its shiny white dice. But then again, you’ll probably be playing a game on your iPhone by then.

Oh, and if you just want Siri to flip a coin instead, she can do that too:

Skype has today updated its iOS app to make it super easy to switch to a Bluetooth headset or speaker during a call. It also makes one-to-one chats appear in the correct order, makes some bug fixes and improvements, and more.

Two weeks ago, plans for Apple to move its flagship retail store in San Francisco a couple blocks away to a new space in Union Square was met with a lot of positivity from politicians and city planners, and it seemed like a done deal. But perhaps not, because apparently, Apple’s plans for the new Apple Store also involve ripping up a beloved fountain currently on the same spot.

Following the launch of its new cheaper iPod touch this morning, Apple has confirmed that it has now sold more than 100 million units of the iPod touch since its introduction back in 2007. That makes it one of the Cupertino company’s most popular products to date.

Evernote, one of our favorite digital trunks for our virtual documents and notes have just announced that they are taking security on their service to the next level, rolling out two step authentication to all users, along with a couple other features to make sure that you’re the only person accessing your Evernote account.

Rockstar Games has today updated Grand Theft Auto 3 for iOS to finally introduce support for the iPhone 5’s larger display. The update also adds the ability to play custom playlists in-game, and sync your game saves between other iOS devices via iCloud.

Update: And now it’s out, for the spanking low price of $9.99!

Looks like we were right. It looks like Aspyr Media is definitely bringing the classic Star Wars RPG Knights Of The Old Republic to iPad. And, in fact, it looks like it’s due out soon. But it still hasn’t officially been announced!

Second Gear, the creator of popular Markdown editor Elements for iOS, is currently developing a new app, and it has a novel way of updating fans on its progress.

Rather than issuing a boring newsletter via email or announcing developments on a blog, the company is offering digital Passbook passes that provide automatic updates on its progress.

We’ve already seen hacked carrier updates for iOS devices on AT&T and T-Mobile, and now there’s one for customers on Verizon, too. Like the others, this one promises to increase the 3G and 4G data speeds on your iPhone 5, iPad, and iPad mini — and it doesn’t require a jailbreak.

Like blades on a disposable razor, there can never be enough ports on a USB hub. At least, that seems to be the thinking behind Satechi’s 7-port USB 3.0 monster, a wedge-shaped desktop hub made for Mac users.

Sonte’s new film can switch up its opacity in just a second, and it can be controlled from your iPhone. Cover a window and flip it from transparent to opaque at the tap of a screen, blocking out nosy passersby or ugly distractions whilst still letting in most of the light. It’s like turning any room into a bathroom. Only without the extra plumbing required.

The KickLight is a $180 LED lamp for your iPhone. I hear you. “WHAT?!” you shout, in justifiable ALL CAPS. You even combine a question mark and an exclamation mark to further express your angered confusion. To which I can only say CALM DOWN. It’s actually worth the money.

Apple has this morning added a new iPod touch to its online store that does away with the rear-facing iSight camera in an effort to be cheaper. The device also has just 16GB of internal storage — half that of the regular iPod touch — but it is $70 cheaper at $229.

Apple has announced a few of the big artists that will perform at the 2013 iTunes Festival in London this September. Justin Timberlake, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Jack Johnson and Jessie J will all be headlining, and more artists will be announced leading up to the event.

Like last year, each concert will be streamed live via iTunes on the desktop, the iTunes Festival iOS app, and Apple TV.

Designed by the makers of the Jawbone fitness band, August brings the concept of sharing a key into the 21st century.

A sleek, hi-tech deadbolt and companion iPhone app allow you to unlock and lock your door without the need of a physical key. Access codes for your lock can even be sent to friends and family using the August app.

Injustice: Gods Among Us, developed by NetherRealm and published by Warner Brothers, just updated on iOS today with new characters, including fan-favorite Lobo, the main man alien space-biker with an attitude and a huge cigar, along with Red Son characters Superman, Wonder Woman, and Solomon Grundy.

The fighting game is one of the few that gets it right on touch-based devices, bringing the console game (available on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) in fairly close form to Apple’s mobile operating system.

Apple is looking to diversify its presence in the Asian supply chain, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. Instead of partnering with Foxconn to make the rumored budget iPhone, Apple has reportedly commissioned Pegatron, a rival factory, to build the device.

Foxconn has been making the majority of Apple’s products for years, but under the leadership of Tim Cook, the umbilical cord is being cut.

Twitter released a new app for iPhone and Android today that is all geared toward helping users tweet faster and better.

The new app boasts that users will be able to tweet a picture in under six seconds, thanks to the improved user interface that eliminates steps to tweeting photos by adding a new photo icon on the Tweet box.

Twitter is also trying to assist users in preventing tweeting in error. A new accounts avatar is displayed above the Tweet box so users know which account they are logged into at all times

Here are the full release notes from Twitter:

The iPhone has quickly become the most popular camera in the world simply because it’s the camera that’s always on you. Even though the iPhone’s camera doesn’t have anywhere near the same features and tools as a DSLR, that doesn’t mean you can’t squeak out some extra performance out of your iPhone to get pictures that look like a pro shot them.

Long exposures are a basic staple of most DSLR photographers, but thanks to some awesome apps for iOS, iPhone users can join in the fun too without having to spend hundreds of dollars on gear. In this guide we’re going to teach you about all of the gear and apps you need to take long exposure photos with your iPhone. 

Summer is here, and you know what that means? Movies. Lots and lots of over-the-top, cheesy summer action movies. It the best time of the year if you’re into popular movies, and Apple’s iTunes Movie Trailers app is one of the best way to get acquainted with all of them.

Apple just published a new update for its iTunes Movie Trailers app that adds better video playback, the choice of HD or SD trailer viewing, and Fandango integration. With the new update users can watch trailers for any movie and then purchase tickets through Fandango. Oh, and Fandango has Passbook support too, so you’ll never have to bother with losing your tickets ever again.

Here are the release notes: