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News - page 1602

SIMPLcase Carries SIM Toolkit For iPhone Travelers [Kickstarter]

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In my wallet, I have a little “secret” compartment which contains a few international micro SIMs, an Apple-made SIM ejection tool (aka a fancy paperclip), and a guitar pick.

Or at least I usually do. The other day, when I actually needed it, the ejector tool had somehow found its way out of the wallet and into my bag. The problem was that it was not the bag I had with me.

But if I’d had the SIMPL case on my iPhone, I’d have been golden.

Who Should The Mascot Be For The Next Version Of OS X? [Contest]

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What will Apple name the next version of OS X?
What will Apple name the next version of OS X?

We had a lot of fun earlier today coming up with our “vision” for the next Mac operating system, OS X Lion-O.

It got us thinking. What do you think the perfect mascot for the next version of OS X would be?

So we’re having a Photoshop contest! Come up with a concept for the next version of OS X using a whole new mascot and we’ll give the top five winners a free copy of Photoshop Touch for the iPhone or iPad (your choice!).

And the grand prize winner? In addition to Photoshop Touch, the person who makes the best Photoshop will receive a copy of the real next version of OS X (when it comes out, that is!).

Here’s how to enter the contest!

San Francisco Starbucks Still Haunted By The Ghost Of Steve Jobs’s 2007 Prank iPhone Call

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During the historic 2007 iPhone keynote, Steve Jobs famously called a local Starbucks and made a prank order for 4,000 lattes… enough for everyone at the Moscone Center to enjoy. He then said, “Just kidding. Wrong number. Goodbye!”

Amusingly, that quick prank call to demonstrate the iPhone’s Maps and Phone apps is still resulting in prank calls six years later. And even more incredibly, the barista who originally took the call still works at that Starbucks!

Make Your Own Waxed Canvas Bag [DIY]

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You know those cool old waxed canvas bags which used to keep things dry before miners discovered nylon in a cave in Papua New Guinea1? Now you can make your own! Well, technically you could always make your own. But now Photojojo has provided a guide for you. Spoiler: it’s dead easy.

What If Apple Ripped Samsung Off For The iPhone 6? [Gallery]

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The Rumor: iPhone 6 will launch on September 19th

The Verdict: Too soon to tell. Every summer the 'When Will Apple Launch the Next iPhone' guessing games begin, and first up to the plate this year is the Chinese site Laoyaoba. They've pegged the launch date for September 19th. We're still months away, so it's impossible to tell if this is valid or if Apple has even set a date internally, so until we get a Jim Dalrymple 'yep' on this, we'll hold off on clearing our calendars.


There are a lot of crazy rumors floating around out there about the iPhone 6. It might boast a huge screen, come in different colors, have a polycarbonate body, and maybe even a fingerprint sensor. If you believe even half of those rumors, then this might be Apple’s craziest iPhone yet.

Most of the rumors will probably be proven false, but what if Apple decided to go down a crazy path and actually rip off Samsung’s smartphones? Well, one concept artist decided to dream it up.

Check Out The Posters Matt Groening Did For Apple Before The Simpsons

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Bongo’s Dream Dorm artwork
Bongo’s Dream Dorm.
Photo: Apple

Some of you may not know that The Simpsons creator Matt Groening was hired by Apple to produce a number of brochures and posters back in the late ’80s. One of those brochures, entitled Who Needs A Computer Anyway?, has been making its way around the web since 2011. But some of Groening’s posters aren’t so familiar.

Networking in Hell, which is based around Groening’s Life in Hell characters, is one of them — along with Bongo’s Dream Dorm. Check them out below.

Steelcase Gesture Series: Office Chairs For iPhone and iPad Users

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Do any of these sound familiar?

  • The Strunch
  • The Cocoon
  • The Take It In
  • The Trance
  • The Smart Lean

Now, I know what you’re thinking, because I’m thinking the exact same dirty thoughts; but no: they’re not fun “adult poses” to enjoy with another human or similarly-sized biped. They are in fact some of the new postures that chair-maker Steelcase has noticed in hours of actually watching how we slump in our seats.

Apple’s Lightning Digital AV Adapter Has An Incredible Secret

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Over the weekend, a fascinating little post over on the Panic weblog revealed that the Lightning AV adapter meant to send video out from a connected iPhone or iPad over HDMI had an interesting little secret to it: it’s not a converter so much as it is a tiny ARM-based computer with a tiny SoC and 2GB of RAM!

The guys at Panic had a theory that this meant that the Lightning AV Adapter booted a miniature version of iOS every time it was connected, and that it was using a bizarre, hardwired version of the AirPlay protocol to do its streaming. That’s not actually the case, but an anonymous Apple engineer has now given the backstory behind this fascinating little bit of engineering.

Bloomberg: Apple Wants To Launch The iWatch This Year

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An iWatch concept.
An iWatch concept.

Bloomberg recently revealed that Apple has a team of 100 people working on its new iWatch, and according to its latest report, the Cupertino company is hoping to launch the device this year. The smart wristwatch, which could make calls, provide maps, and offer a pedometer, is expected to become more profitable than Apple’s much-anticipated television set.

Take Amazing iPhone Photos: A Top Instagrammer Reveals How On Our Newest CultCast

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Have any of your Instagram photos ever gotten over 20,000 likes? Yeah, mine either… But Cory Staudacher’s images do all the time. WithHearts is his name on that popular social service, and by posting one beautifully captured image each day, every day — all taken with only an iPhone — he’s become one of Instagram’s most popular users, now with just a hair under 206,000 followers.

Want to learn how he does it? Join us on this week’s CultCast as WithHearts reveals the photo apps he loves, workflows he lives by, and editing tricks he uses to create some of the most captivating iPhone photographs on the internet. He even surprises us with a few tools we never once considered using.

Subscribe to The CultCast now on iTunes to download our newest episode, or easily stream new and previous episodes via Apple’s free Podcasts App.

Show notes coming up next.

Connect iPad To Tripod (And More) With ArchMount Ultra Portable Mounting System [Kickstarter]

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Now, where is that 100-pound bag of dog food?
Now, where is that 100-pound bag of dog food?

Have you ever tried to do any serious videography with an iPad? I don’t recommend it casually, but the iPad can be a great HD video tool, combining high resolution video capture abilities with a large screen for monitoring. Connecting it to a tripod, however, can be a trial.

SerialKickers aim to solve this problem with a new product for iPad, the ArchMount, an ultra-portable mounting system that will let you attach your iPad to a camera tripod for use in video, tele-prompter, or music applications.

Groove On Authentic, Retro Electric Piano Sounds With The iLectric Piano App For iPad

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Sounds so good, you'll think you're in a 70s band.
Sounds so good, you'll think you're in a 70s band.

IK Multimedia is a powerhouse of music peripherals and apps for the mobile musician, with a range of products including the iKlip mic stand mounting series for iPad and iPhone, the iRig Mic and iRig Pre, and a host of guitar, voice, and recording apps for iOS.

Recently, the company released iLectric Piano, an electric follow up of sorts to its iGrand acoustic piano app of a few months back. iLectric provides 19 different electric pianos, sampled from the instruments themselves, and placed in a fun, easy to use, useful iPad app that’s just brimming with the funky, groovy sounds of electric piano the likes of the Wurlitzer 200A and the Hohner D6 Clavinet.

You Can Now Buy More Than Two iPad Minis At Once

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$328,671. That’s how much it would cost to buy 999 base model iPad minis. While you’re probably not going to be buying that many iPads anytime soon (at least I hope not), you may like to know that Apple now lets you buy more than two iPad minis at once. Each customer could previously only purchase a maximum of two.

Apple usually has this kind of restriction for new product purchases during the first few months of availability. Once supply catches up with demand, the restriction is lifted. In Apple’s online store, the iPad mini only recently became fully in stock after months of delayed shipping estimates. Now Apple is saying that it will ship new iPad mini orders within 24 hours.

Source: Apple Store

Via: iPhone in Canada

$450 Million Slashed From Apple’s $1 Billion Damages Award In Samsung Patent Lawsuit

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Apple has lost nearly half of the $1 billion in damages it was awarded last August after beating Samsung in a high-profile U.S. patent lawsuit. The presiding judge over the case, Lucy Koh, decided to invalidate $450.5 million of the original damages owed to Apple in a new ruling today.

Damages were incorrectly calculated for 14 Samsung devices related to the trial, and Koh has ordered a retrial for the updated damages amount.

Apple Blocks Older Versions Of Adobe Flash Plug-In To Protect Users From Malware

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Apple has crippled Flashback significantly, and the number of infected users is dropping rapidly.
Apple has crippled Flashback significantly, and the number of infected users is dropping rapidly.

Apple announced today that they have updated Safari’s web plug-in that blocks older versions of Adobe Flash Player.

The update comes after Apple, Facebook, Twitter, and Microsoft experienced a slew of malicious attacks on their computers via a Java exploit. Blocking the Adobe Flasher Player plugin should protect users from vulnerabilities.

Apple Looking For Anodizing Engineer To Possibly Bring Color To iPhone 5S

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We’ve seen quite a few rumors over the last couple of months that the next iPhone will come in a variety of colors. Last month we even detailed exactly how Apple will colorize the iPhone 5S, and it looks like we’re probably right.

Apple just posted a new job listing today that shows they are looking for an Anodizing Engineer to help add color to the next generation of Apple products like the iPhone 5S.

Grain Audio’s Upcoming PWS Bluetooth Speaker Is Worth Getting Excited About [Preview]

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Last week, three earnest audiophiles rang my doorbell and stormed into my living room to show me a handsome Bluetooth speaker that they claimed was going to reinvent the world of Jambox-alikes and transform Bluetooth speakers into “objects of desire.”

The guys in question? Three gents from Grain Audio, an up-and-coming audio company. And the product they wanted to show me was a prototype of their upcoming Packable Wireless System, or PWS: a walnut-enclosed Bluetooth speaker with some seriously good sound for its class.

The PWS won’t be available for sale for a few months, still, but it’s a speaker worth keeping an eye on. Here’s why.