Even though Tim Cook and Apple say that the Apple TV is really just a hobby right now, people are scared of it. Intel’s launching a competing product later this year. Samsung’s rushing to get more content on their SmartTVs, and Microsoft and Sony are probably going to announce new consoles this year that will appeal to casual users.
Apple TV really doesn’t do a lot right now other than streaming movies and music to your TV, but it has the potential to become a killer product. Xbox’s founder, Nat Brown recognizes the power of Apple TV and says that if Apple wanted to, it could easily destroy the Xbox, Playstation, and Wii U.
Opera has announced that it will gradually phase out the use of Presto, its own rendering engine, in favor of WebKit this year. It will utilize Chromium, the open source project from Google, which powers the search giant’s speedy Chrome browser. Opera’s first Chromium-based smartphone browser will be previewed at Mobile World Congress later this month.
Realmac Software, the developers behind Clear for iPhone, have been listening to your feedback, and they’ve today release an update that makes the “Edge Swipe” gesture entirely optional. In addition to this, they’re made some iCloud tweaks that promise to “improve how Clear behaves when iCloud misbehaves.”
Tim Cook said that Apple couldn’t even make enough iPhone 5s to keep up with demand last year. Shoot, Apple sold 5 million iPhone 5 units in the first weekend, so we’re keen to believe Tim.
However, a report from Jefferies analyst Peter Misek this morning is claiming the iPhone 5 is loosing its juice, and sales are starting to drop a lot faster than anyone expected.
When it comes to smartphones, there are really only two companies that matter right now – Apple and Samsung. They’re both championing different mobile operating systems, but the two companies are absolutely dominating the worldwide smartphone market.
Earlier today, Gartner reported that Apple and Samsung now control 52 percent of the worldwide smartphone market, even though mobile phone sales declined 1.7 percent in 2012.
Vault’s Lexx case sadly has nothing to do with the ultra-cheesy (and fantastic) 1997-2002 sci-fi series of the same name. But it does come with its own flaws, just like the TV show.
I’ve been in love with the iPhone for the past five years. I got the original as soon as it went on sale in the U.K. in November 2007, and I’ve had every model Apple has released ever since. My job has given me the opportunity to play with plenty of other devices over the years — including those powered by Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone — but I’ve always remained loyal to the iPhone and iOS.
That was until a couple months ago, when my contract ended and it was time to decide which smartphone I wanted for the next two years. I already have the iPhone 5 — I bought it unlocked when it was launched back in September — and I wanted an Android device to replace the Samsung Galaxy Nexus I broke late last year. So I decided to pick up the new LG Nexus 4.
I was lucky; I didn’t have to wait six weeks for the device to arrive from Google Play. My carrier had plenty in stock, so a unit was delivered to my door the day after I ordered it. I was looking forward to testing it out, but I figured I’d play around with it for a little bit, then switch straight back to my iPhone 5 for everyday use. Like the Galaxy Nexus, I thought the Nexus 4 would be mostly used for work — testing apps and writing the odd tutorial for Cult of Android.
If you’re one of those people who still uses Pandora, you’re missing out on some really great music apps that have a deeper catalogs of music. Yes, Spotify and Rdio are pretty much the frontrunners in the streaming music scene, but Slacker Radio just got a brand new look that makes it worthy to be oogled at.
The biggest problems with Spotify and Rdio is that most people (like me) are lazy and don’t want to be forced to comb through 11 million songs to find an artist to listen to for the next 42 minutes. Slacker Radio wants to step in and take that pain away by offering 250 DJ curated stations so you can just kick back and enjoy the music without thinking about what to play next.
The Pokémon Company just released an official app for Android and iOS called Pokémon TV, which allows you to watch Pokémon episodes on your smartphone or tablet completely free of charge. Although this isn’t the Pokémon game you’ve been waiting for for years, it’s sure to please plenty of Pokémon fans.
Bem’s new Outlet has a new take on portable Bluetooth speakers. Instead of packing a rechargeable battery, it just comes with a pair of prongs on the back so you can stick it straight into a power outlet. This does of course mean that you’re out of luck if you want to run it anywhere that doesn’t have mains electricity, but if you never use your $200 Jambox away from your kitchen counter, then you could have bought two Outlets for the same price.
Apple has today announced that it has updated its 13- and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro to add faster processors and lower prices. The 13-inch model now starts at $1,499 with 128GB of flash storage, rising to $1,699 for a new 2.6GHz processor and 256GB of flash.
The 15-inch model now offers a faster 2.4GHz quad-core processor as standard, while the top-of-the-line model gets a new 2.7GHz quad-core processor and 16GB of memory.
British carrier O2 has released a new app for Android and iOS called O2 Tracks, which allows users to listen to the U.K.’s official top 40 singles to their smartphone. It’s available to download now from the App Store and Google Play, and O2 customers can enjoy the service for just £1 ($1.56) per week.
I’ve always been a fan of Twittelator Neue, a clean Twitter client for iPhone that’s super fast and has a unique way of handling pictures in your timeline. However, I never agreed with its pricing policy. The app costs $4.99 upfront, but users had to pay an extra $1.99 per year on top of that for push notifications.
Fortunately, its creators have had a change of heart. With its latest update, Twittelator Neue provides push notifications for free.
We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again — simply because we enjoy repeating things: STM makes a %@$# great bag. And they’ve just unveiled a revamp of their flagship bags in the form of a new family of gear they’re calling the Velocity Collection. Which is actually pretty damn apt for this line of fast, light, grab-and-go bags.
Ever since we reviewed this sweet menu bar internet radio app for the Mac, we’ve used it to tune into thousands upon thousands of stations just ripe for the listening. It was one of our 15 top apps of 2010, and one of the essential apps in the Freelance Mac App Bundle that came out back in June of 2011.
Now Radium is back with a new icon and a new version, ready to take on a whole new set of fans with its easy to use, small footprint, and just plain full-of-audio awesomeness that we’ve all come to expect from the Mac app. Plus? It’s half off right now in the App Store.
You know about Magnetyze, right? It’s a system that lets you charge an iPhone 4/S or Galaxy S3 without the need for a cord. Pop your iPhone into the provided case, then drop the case on the magnetic charging base and your iPhone will charge (and sync) — it works kind of like the MagSafe power adapter on a MacBook. It’s really cool on the S3, because the Magnetyze case replaces the S3’s original back, so there’s almost zero extra bulk. Neat.
If you’ve got a hankering for a Missile-Command-styled arcade action game on your iPhone or iPad without engaging any emulation or lame vector graphics, Ballpit Monster’sFrog Orbs might be the game for you. Plus, if you’re in the mood for some holiday-themed fun, you can grab a special Valentine’s heart hat for your frog, along with a staff shaped like, you guessed it, a heart.
The Pebble smartwatch has been creating a lot of hype lately, and while we’re still waiting to try it out in the Cult of Mac offices, other early reviews have been pretty positive. Apple is rumored to be working on an iWatch, and we’re just starting to get a glimpse of the future of wearable technology with the likes of Pebble.
Pebble is cool because it connects with your iPhone or Android device to display incoming notifications, control music, etc. A new jailbreak tweak takes it one step farther by letting you see all incoming notifications—no matter the app—via Pebble on your wrist.
HBO has been holding out on embracing the future of technology and AirPlay, but it looks like they’re ready to get serious about customer who want to cut the cord.
While speaking at All Things D’s Dive Into Media conference today, HBO’s Eric Kessler announced that starting today, the company will be enabling AirPlay for HBO Go.
It'll cost you $85 to get a copy of this portrait of Steve Jobs
What’s a better way to strike fear and admiration into your house guests than a portait of Steve Jobs dressed as a Russian Army General? Nothing, that’s what. Except maybe a flamethrower, or pet crocodile. But you don’t have either of those do you?
Replaceface is now selling prints, canvases, cards, cases, skins and even pillows of the portrait of Steve Jobs as a Russian Army General, so you can carry General Steve with you everywhere.
“I was only checking Twitter,” I exclaimed in shock, as she threw my iPhone across the room, shattering it against the brick wall.
“It’s either me, or the iPhone,” she emphatically declared.
I didn’t know what to say. I had only checked Tweetbot while she was looking at her menu. It had finally come to this. Now I had a broken iPhone and a pissed-off girlfriend on Valentine’s Day.
That little story may not have actually happened to me, but I certainly don’t want it to happen in the future. Like many of you, I’m kind of addicted to my iPhone. It can be a problem sometimes. But I have found a way to conquer my addiction and keep my girlfriend happy. No one wants to face the sadness and/or wrath of a loved one who feels neglected. Love is in the air this week with Valentine’s Day, and you want your romantic endeavors with your significant other to be as meaningful as possible. That’s why you need to use your iPhone like a gentleman.
The Chef’s Sleeve is a lot like a Wizard’s Sleeve, only it’s usually covered in gravy and blood. And the Chef Sleeve (singular) is a disposable plastic bag which protects your iPad as you cook. Now, the makers of the Chef Sleeve (the bag, not the actual sleeve) will sell you a cutting board with a built-in iPad stand. What could possibly go wrong?
Evasi0n has been updated to support the iOS 6.1.1 firmware that was released for the iPhone 4S on Monday. This allows users who are suffering the 3G connection issues to update their iPhone’s software and then instantly restore their jailbreak.
