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Software Glitch Let Some Verizon Customers Upgrade Phones Without Losing Unlimited Plans

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No, that was just a mistake. Oops.

Some lucky folks at Verizon were recently able to upgrade to a new phone without losing their unlimited data plan. Color us totally jealous.

This was the result of a glitch, said Verizon, and not a change in policy like some may have mistakenly hoped for.

Verizon told AllThingsD on Monday that it would, however, honor the unlimited plans of customers that were able to upgrade without the dreaded limited data plan of doom.

Samsung: We Made Gold Phones Before Apple Ever Did

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Over the last couple of years Samsung has earned itself a reputation for using Apple products as “inspiration” and then copying them in the most blatant ways possible.

The fury of Apple fans was ignited again last week as Samsung was caught shamelessly copying the Apple’s new golden iPhone  creation – the golden iPhone 5s – when the South Korean smartphone maker announced it would be selling a gold variant of the Galaxy S4.  Apple fans were quick to dismiss the smartphone as another copycat move,but Samsung took to its corporate blog to explain that it’s totally not copying the gold iPhone because they’ve made tons of gold phones in the past (kind of).

Last Chance! Almost sold out! 50% off Spigen’s New iPhone 5/5S Tough Armor Bundle [Deals]

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The new iPhones have arrived and there’s no time like the present to ensure that you protect your new device from wear and tear. Cult of Mac Deals has a great offer lined up for those who’ve picked up an iPhone 5S (or  have an iPhone 5) so that they can protect from even the worst of scenarios.

Spigen has been developing some top-notch products (check out a review of one of its screen protectors here) and for a limited time we’ve got the latest offering from the company: The iPhone 5S Tough Armor Bundle – featuring the Tough Armor case & popular all glass screen protector (GLAS.t). And, we’ve got it for 50% off the regular price – just $36.99.

The Patent Troll Lives: Lodsys Wins Against Apple In Court

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Remember Lodsys? The small LLC that basically invented the term ‘patent troll’ made news in 2011 when it started going after App Store developers for infringing on obscure, abstract patent filings. It sued small app developers for outrageous amounts because it claimed to own the definitive patents on in-app purchases and the general concept of an upgrade button.

The issue with Lodsys was that its sole business was buying up patents in bulk and using them to sue the pants off devs. Many devs don’t have the resources to finance a legal battle of that nature, so Lodsys would then settle with a lot of its victims outside of court. Apple went up to bat for its third-party devs in court a couple years ago, and today Apple’s motion to intervene was thrown out.

Apple Now Selling Discounted 128GB iPad Refurbs Online

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If you’ve been itching to get your hands on a 126GB iPad, Apple has started offering refurbished models at a discount in its online store. The fourth-gen iPad that was released back in January is available in a 128GB WiFi/Cellular configuration that normally prices at $799/$929 retail.

Now Apple is selling refurbished 128GB iPads at a 15% discount of $679 for WiFi-only and $689 for Cellular. That’s a great deal when you consider that refurbs are Apple-certified models that come with a 1-year warranty.

New iPads are supposed to arrive in October, so if you care about having the newest hardware, then it’s best to wait. Otherwise, take advantage of this discount Apple is offering.

Source: Apple Store

Dropbox For Mac Updated With Automatic Screenshot Uploading, iPhoto Importer

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Today Dropbox released an update to its Mac app that adds the ability to automatically upload all screenshots you take. The feature is called Camera Uploads in Dropbox’s mobile apps, and now it’s finally coming to the desktop.

Not only can screenshots be automatically uploaded to your Dropbox, but a share link for each image is also pasted into your clipboard as screenshots are taken.

Another addition in today’s update is a new import tool that lets you transfer photos from your iPhoto library to Dropbox.

Source: Dropbox

Compliment Siri On Her New Voice, See What He Says [iOS Tips]

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iOS 7 comes with a brand new set of Siri voices. Here in the US, there’s an updated female voice, as well as a new male voice included in the latest and greatest mobile operating system.

Did you know, though, that Siri is proud of her new voice? Well, just let him know that you like her new vocal apparatus, and you’ll see a few fun new easter eggs as answers.

The Harman Kardon Go + Play Wireless Is A Great Sounding Boombox That Is Hard To Recommend [Review]

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Go + Play Wireless by Harman Kardon
Category: Bluetooth Speakers
Works With: Any iOS Device, Bluetooth
Price: $399.95

These days, small, pocketable Bluetooth speakers are de rigeur, but what about the veritable boombox of 80’s yore? What for the man for whom Beats are not enough, but must march across the subway platform with as big a driver as possible pulsating against is ear?

Harman Kardon’s Go + Play Wireless is for the person who wants more oomph than a Jambox, and doesn’t care if it takes up more space as a consequence. It’s for the guy who loves the boombox aesthetic, and thinks all of these pocketable speakers are losing the plot. It’s a beautiful Bluetooth boombox that looks just as good in the living room as it does blasting tunes while camping or at the beach, but a few strange design decisions might make it a tough sell to some, especially at the price.

Apple Plans To Shift Most Of A8 Production Away From Samsung And Onto TSMC

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Apple chips
Photo: Apple

As the battle for global smartphone supremacy has matured into just a two company battle pitting Apple against Samsung, Cupertino is looking to add more between itself and its archenemy by becoming less dependent on Samsung to build chips like the A7 processor featured in the iPhone 5s.

While Apple can’t totally rid itself of Samsung components just yet, a new report  claims that Apple plans to lean on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to handle more of the manufacturing of the A8 processor next year, rather than giving all the work to Samsung.

Boson X Cuts Out The Extras For A Pure Endless-Running Experience [Review]

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Boson X

The endless runner genre might be in a bit of a rut. You run, run some more, kick that thing, avoid that other thing, jump over that third thing … it’s all getting a little predictable.

Boson X by Mu & Heyo
Category: iOS Games
Works With: iPhone, iPad
Price: $2.59

Luckily, we have games like Boson X to mix things up a bit. Its developer bills it as a “rotational runner,” and it takes an interesting approach to adding to the genre: subtraction. Boson X doesn’t add new features like lasers or parkour like, for example, Runbot; it’s actually very minimal. And therein lies its strength.

This Is How WhatsApp Should Look Under iOS 7 [Concept]

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Given that it’s the most popular cross-platform messaging service on the planet, you might have thought that WhatsApp would have a new redesign ready to go when iOS 7 was made available to the public earlier this month, but as things stand, it’s still rocking its old look.

Presumably the team behind it are hard at work on the update as we speak, however, and hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for it. But in the meantime, check out these awesome WhatsApp for iOS 7 concept designs that give us a taster of what might be in store for our favorite messaging app.

Learn To Play At Your Own Speed With The Complete Guitar Lessons Course [Deals]

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I spend a ton of time at the computer keyboard, typing consistently as I write post after post. But there are times when I like to get hands-on with another activity that I enjoy: playing guitar.

Now I’m not that great of a guitarist (I can handle myself sitting around a campfire and have learned to play quite a few tunes), so taking some instructional classes wouldn’t be all that bad of an idea. And doing so from the comfort of my home would be an even better idea. It’d be even better if I could take them whenever I wanted.

This offer from Cult of Mac Deals makes all of that possible. With The Complete Guitar Lessons Course you can learn how to play the guitar at your own speed for only $59 – a savings of 70%!

Use These Emacs Legacy Keyboard Shortcuts To Move Around In Your Text Files [OS X Tips]

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Mac OS X Keyboard

When you’re writing up a long document, or even in the middle of a simple one, it’s good to be able to move around and edit in the text without taking your hands off the keyboard. All the little switches from keyboard to mouse and back again take up valuable time, and–perhaps more importantly–force you to change the way your brain is processing information.

Using the arrow keys is a good way to move the cursor around, and of course there are the standard Command key shortcuts, but did you know that there’s some legacy keyboard shortcuts that come to us all the way back in Emacs, a popular text editing program for Unix, the operating system Mac OS X is based?

There are, and here are a few good ones. I’ve tested them in Text Edit, but chances are several Mac text editing programs will take advantage of these.

Every iPhone Ever Goes Head-To-Head In A Speed Test [Video]

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At this point, there have been eight iPhones, and with the exception of this year’s iPhone 5c, each has a faster chip and more all around chutzpah than the model that precedes it. You’d naturally think, then, that if you lined them all up in a row and ran a speed test on them, each successive model would accomplish tasks faster than the model that precedes it. But as this video proves, the reality is more complicated than that.

Another Game Boy Advance Emulator Sneaks Into The App Store

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Apple doesn’t like to allow emulators into the App Store, so try submitting one for approval and you’ll quickly get a big fat no. But some cunning iOS developers have found a way to sneak emulators through Apple’s App Store approval process by making them look like innocent apps.

The latest hit the App Store today. It’s called Earthquake 7 and its App Store description promises “the latest earthquake news.” But enter a secret phrase into its search bar and you have an emulator that plays all of your favorite Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles.

Recommendations Coming To Rdio

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You know what’s great about Spotify and Rdio? The fact that they both exist, and that they’re both great services. Why? Competition. It’s hard to think of two other arch rivals which are adding great new features to their services so quickly.

Today it’s the turn of Rdio, which has slipped recommendations into its music-streaming service, taking the pressure off you to pick a song for yourself.

How Big Are Cellphone Camera Sensors Anyway (And Other Interesting Facts)

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Whatever it is you want to know about cellphone camera sensors, you’ll probably find it in DP Review’s absurdly in-depth article on the subject. It details not only the common misconceptions about megapixels, but also many real world differences. And it contains the diagram shown at the top of this post, showing the size differences between the sensors in various phones, measured in pixels.

SideCar Hangs Your iPad From Your MacBook Screen

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The SideCar is a lump of silicone that’ll let you use a dual-monitor setup even when you’re on a plane. It’s a simple connector that hangs your iPad off the side of your MacBook screen, either just to keep it handy, or to use as a second monitor using one of many screen-spanning apps in the store.