Author

Jordan Kahn

Dir. Partnerships

9to5Mac / 9to5Google / 9to5Toys / Electrek.co / DroneDJ / SpaceExplored

Jordan manages the internal Partner Program for sponsorships and partnerships across the 9to5 network’s media brands including 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, Electrek.co, SpaceExplored and DroneDJ.com.

Jordan also writes about all things Apple as a Senior Editor of 9to5Mac. He covers Google for 9to5Google.com, the best gadgets and deals on 9to5Toys.com, and EV and solar news on Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series and makes music sometimes.

Contact Jordan with partnership inquiries and long-winded complaints:

Connect with Jordan Kahn

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Real Racing 3 adds Bentley & Mercedes-Benz vehicles, progression system, improved graphics & 180+ events

Jordan Kahn Jul 2 2013 - 1:45 pm PT

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Real-Racing-3-Bentley-MercedesBenz EA updated its popular freemium Real Racing 3 game for iPhone and iPad today with a number of new features including over 55 vehicles from Bentley and Mercedes-Benz. On top of a new Time Trail event type and 180+ new events, EA is also adding a progression system that will allow users to “unlock cars and events as you progress through the new career.” That sounds like a nice addition for those that were complaining of EA’s decision to stick with the freemium model for the title.

Also included in the update is improved graphics with “Per-pixel shadowing on high-end devices” and new bonuses:

What’s New in Version 1.2.0

The Prestige Cars Update is here! Bentley and Mercedes-Benz join Real Racing 3’s extensive stable of manufacturers, while the highly requested Time Trial mode arrives with global leaderboards and ghost racing!

• New manufacturers – Bentley and Mercedes-Benz join an exciting line-up of over 55 licenced cars
• New event type – Time Trial! Race against yourself, your friends and the world for the top leaderboard position
• Bonus R$ – Get an R$ boost for the first race of each day, earn bigger bonuses for consecutive days of play
• Clean Race Bonus – Drive cleanly and fairly to receive R$ bonuses
• New progression system – Unlock cars and events as you progress through the new career
• Improved graphics – Per-pixel shadowing on high-end devices!
• 180+ new events!

Apple to announce Time Warner Apple TV integration in the coming months, hiring Hulu SVP to negotiate deals

Jordan Kahn Jul 2 2013 - 1:20 pm PT

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pete_distad According to reports from Bloomberg, Apple is close to reaching a deal with Time Warner to offer TV shows on Apple TV, while also apparently recruiting Hulu exec Pete Distad to lead negotiations for content:

The companies plan to announce an agreement within a few months, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. The iPhone maker is also hiring Pete Distad from online-video service Hulu, where he was senior vice president in charge of marketing and distribution, to help Apple executives in negotiations with media and cable companies, two people with familiar with the matter said.

Distad is currently SVP of Marketing and Distribution at Hulu and in charge of content distribution and customer acquisition/retention on the company’s management team. According to his bio Distad’s current duties at Hulu include “subscriber acquisition and retention, paid, on-channel, and brand marketing, distribution and promotional partnerships, and content marketing.”
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Pebble smart watch announces Best Buy as exclusive retail launch partner, available online today & in stores July 7

Jordan Kahn Jul 2 2013 - 8:32 am PT

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Yesterday we noted that Best Buy retail sources indicated the popular ‘Pebble’ Bluetooth smart watch would be landing on at least some of the retailer’s store shelves this weekend. Today Pebble and Best Buy have finally made things official by announcing the partnership that will bring the most successful Kickstarter-backed device of all time to both Best Buy online and across all its U.S. brick and mortar locations.

It’s definitely big news for the company ahead of Apple’s rumored smart watch, as well as Sony and others getting deeper into the space. The exclusive retail partnership with Best Buy also marks Pebble’s first retail launch of the device following raising over $10.2 million from around 68,000 backers on Kickstarter.

“It’s been so rewarding to see and share the great things our early backers and development partners have done with Pebble already,” says CEO Eric Migicovsky. “Their work and our evolving app ecosystem has kept demand very high. Best Buy’s partnership with us is a big step towards meeting that demand.”

As we first reported yesterday, Pebble confirmed today that the device will be landing in all U.S. Best Buy locations starting Sunday, July 7, and Jet black and Cherry red editions of the smart watch are already available through Best Buy’s website. The Jet black models will be shipping starting today through the retailer’s online store, while the Cherry red models will arrive sometime later in August.

The packaging for Pebble also appears to have received an upgrade for Best Buy’s store shelves since we first saw it back in January right before the device started shipping to Kickstarter backers:

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Eleven “Steve Jobs schools” to open w/ iPad-based curriculum next month in the Netherlands

Jordan Kahn Jul 2 2013 - 8:07 am PT

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Back in March, educators in the Netherlands were proposing “Steve Jobs schools” that would augment the traditional classroom environment by moving to an iPad-based education system. Today Speigel.de provides us with a little bit more information noting that eleven schools are scheduled to open next month with over 1,000 children aged 4 to 12.

It’s not clear if the “Steve Jobs school” moniker will stick as the official name of the facilities, but the report explains a little bit more about exactly how the program will work:
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Spotify for iOS gets ‘Discover’ feature, editable playlists, new icon and more

Jordan Kahn Jul 2 2013 - 6:09 am PT

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Spotify updated its iOS app today with a few new features, one of which is a brand new ‘Discover’ experience that is rolling out to all users as we speak. As you might expect, the feature allows users to discover content based on their previous listening habits, and is of course a nice feature to have as Apple prepares to roll out its iTunes Radio service with built in Genius features.

Also included in today’s update for Spotify is a brand new logo and the ability to edit playlists directly on your iPhone. Spotify noted that “a shiny, new Now Playing view, featuring the ‘Up Next’ queue” is available now on iPhone and rolling out to all users soon.

A full list of what else is new and fixed in today’s release is below:

What’s New in Version 0.7.1

• New: Ever find yourself wondering what to play on Spotify? Introducing the new Discover experience on iPhone. (Coming soon to everyone.)
• New: A shiny, new Now Playing view, featuring the ‘Up Next’ queue on iPhone. (Again, rolling out to everyone soon.)
• New: Say hello to our new logo.
• New: You can now edit your playlists on your iPhone.
• Improved: We’ve changed the order of the iPhone search tabs. Now it’s Artists, Albums, Tracks. (iPhone/iPod only.)
• Improved: We’ve moved the … context menu button in the Playlist and Album views to the top right of the screen. It’s better there. (iPhone/iPod only.)
• Fixed: Ford integration now works correctly when your iPhone/iPod is set to a language other than English.
• Fixed: In your playlist folders, “All Tracks” will now show you the actual number of tracks.
• Fixed: We’ve sorted lots of crash issues too.
• Fixed: The unread messages in your inbox will now update correctly.
• Fictitious: This app shares 73% of its DNA with bees.

DISH and Southwest Airlines bring free, live & on-demand TV to smartphones & tablets on WiFi flights

Jordan Kahn Jul 2 2013 - 5:49 am PT

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9vX8hPbUFM

DISH and Southwest Airlines announced a new partnership today that will allow iOS device users to access live and on-demand programming for free directly from their tablet or smartphone. It’s certainly an idea that we can get behind… After all, would you prefer watching live TV on your 10-inch Retina display or the barely visible 6-inch display typically built into airline seats?

To celebrate the launch of the new TV Flies Free service, DISH took to a Southwest flight yesterday to give out some free iPads and show passengers how the access to 75 on-demand shows and live TV streams work.

“DISH and Southwest are two iconic American brands known for putting the customer first, providing products, services and experiences they truly demand,” said DISH President and CEO Joe Clayton. “It’s only logical our two companies should team up to give passengers free live TV and on-demand shows on flights around the country.”

“Customers using DISH’s award-winning DISH Anywhere^TM and Hopper Transfers^TM apps on their iPad can watch all their live TV, DVR recordings and on-demand shows anywhere, anytime via Wi-Fi connection or Hopper Transfers. Now, on Southwest, they can use an iPad to watch free live TV and on-demand shows. It’s a perfect fit.”

Not only is the TV Flies Free service available to all of the 400 WiFi enabled Southwest planes, it’s also the first time onboard entertainment becomes free for SWA customers.

The live-TV lineup currently features Bravo, CNBC, FOX 5 New York (WNYW), FOX Business Network, FOX News Channel, Golf Channel, MLB.com (Major League Baseball, when games are available), MSNBC, NBC 4 (WNBC), NFL Network, Food Network, HGTV and Travel Channel. Popular TV show episodes are also available on demand as part of the TV lineup. Free TV, compliments of DISH, is a limited-time promotion.

Some screenshots of the new DISH/Southwest experience on iPad below:

Apple adds auto-renewable subscriptions for Mac App Store apps in OS X Mavericks

Jordan Kahn Jun 28 2013 - 2:16 pm PT

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Subscriptions-Mavericks-OSX-01

Just like app developers have the ability to sell subscriptions as in-app purchases in iOS apps and Newsstand, they will soon be able to offer the same auto-renewable content through in-app purchases in Mac App Store apps.

Mac apps on the latest releases of OS X already support non-subscription based in-app purchases. For example, items that are purchased once and automatically applied to a user’s account. Up until now, developers offering an auto-renewable or non-renewing subscription in their iOS apps couldn’t do the same in the Mac App Store equivalents.
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Apple continues to grow as top smartphone vendor in US during May

Jordan Kahn Jun 28 2013 - 9:10 am PT

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Research firm comScore is out today with its usual report covering U.S. smartphone subscriber market share for the three month period ending in May. Over the last three months Apple has gained in both categories including ‘top smartphone OEMs’ and ‘OS usage’, continuing its lead as the top smartphone manufacturer and growing its share of the market by platform.

The previous three month period had Apple at 38.9% of the market, making it the number #1 smartphone vendor in the US over second place Samsung. In May, Apple continues that lead by increasing its share 0.3 percentage points to 39.2% of the market. That’s significantly higher than the 23% Samsung grabbed despite growing 1.7 percentage points during the quarter. In a close race for third place is HTC with 8.7%, Motorola with 7.8%, and LG with 6.7%, all of which dropped less than a percentage point since last quarter.

When it comes to the market by OS usage, Android is still on top, growing 0.7 percentage points to 52.4% this quarter. Apple experienced slightly less growth at 0.3 percentage points to capture 39.2% of the market up from its 38.9% share last quarter. That means the majority of the growth, once again, comes at the expense of BlackBerry and Microsoft.
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RadioShack to carry Virgin iPhone 5 tomorrow for as low as $499 with trade-in

Jordan Kahn Jun 27 2013 - 12:25 pm PT

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Apple-iPhone-5-RadioShack

Update: The no-contract, Virgin Mobile iPhone 5 and promotional discounts are now live on RadioShack’s website.

We reported last week that the iPhone 5 would be coming to Virgin Mobile tomorrow starting at $549.99 on its usual no-contract, $30/month unlimited plans. RadioShack will be one of the first to carry the device and is also planning to offer a number of promotional discounts to celebrate the launch.

RadioShack will start carrying the Virgin Mobile iPhone 5 tomorrow both online and in-store for $549.99 (that’s for the 16GB model), but will also be offering $50 for eligible trade-ins until the end of next month. On top of the same $50 trade-in for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, the retailer is also slashing prices on those two devices to $399.99 and $299.99 until July 6th.

Virgin Mobile will have both the black and white versions of the iPhone 5 available on its monthly no-contract plans starting at $35/month and its $30/month auto pay plan.
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New for app developers in iOS 7: text to speech, motion effects, background downloads, free in-app purchases, more

Jordan Kahn Jun 27 2013 - 12:07 pm PT

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Craig-iOS7-WWDC-APIs-SDK-01

We’ve reported on a number of big improvements coming to iOS 7 for both app developers and accessory manufacturers already. Yesterday we reported first on the new blinking and smiling detection features available to camera and photo app developers, and earlier this month told you about some of the new Bluetooth related APIs coming this fall.

We previously walked you through some of the new APIs and features for gamers, but there is still a lot more coming to third-party app developers in iOS 7. A few big improvements: a text to speech API, background downloads for in-app content, motion effects, 3D maps, and much more.

Head below for details on some of the more notable new APIs available for developers to take advantage of in iOS 7:
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Hacked AT&T carrier update claims to enable HD voice (wideband audio) on iPhone ahead of official rollout

Jordan Kahn Jun 27 2013 - 6:34 am PT

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iPhone-5-wideband-audio

AT&T already announced plans to turn on HD Voice, aka, wideband audio support, later this year through a carrier update for iPhone users in the US. Today, iTweakiOS announced an update for one of its hacked carrier profiles that it claims will allow AT&T users to access HD Voice, as well as the recently announced CMAS government and Amber alert update, ahead of a full roll out of the feature later this year.

This hack fixes the reported issue of unstable HSPA+ speeds/signal and iPad users having trouble updating and losing all signal. This hack enables, along with the previous enabled features, HD Voice for all iPhone models running on AT&T so users can now use the UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ network for HD qaulity calling on their 4S and 5. This hack also enables Release 7 HSDPA speeds for the iPhone 4S, giving it a new maximum theoretical downlink of 21Mbps, which AT&T does indeed support. Signal improvements from the previous release have not changed and are still present in this release along with unthrottled LTE and HSPA+.

Apple has actually supported the feature since the iPhone 5 launched last fall, but only around 20 international carriers currently support the feature. Unfortunately, the HD Voice feature, even with the hack, won’t yet work for all users, as AT&T is still currently in the process of rolling out support:
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Apple’s iTunes Radio label royalities revealed, plans to add talk radio for sports, weather

Jordan Kahn Jun 27 2013 - 6:12 am PT

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iTunes-Radio

Leading up to the unveiling of Apple’s new iTunes Radio service earlier this month at WWDC, we reported on some small details regarding deals Apple had reached with the major labels necessary to get bring its Pandora competitor to market. Earlier reports claimed that Apple was paying Warner around 10% of ad revenue— that’s around twice as much as Pandora reportedly pays. Today, The Wall Street Journal provides us with some in-depth info on what Apple is paying labels and publishers after taking a look at the terms of the deal.

Apple will in fact be paying well over the 0.12 cents per listen Pandora offers the labels, as well as a percentage of ad revenue, and the payout will also increase during the service’s second year:

During iTunes Radio’s first year, Apple will pay a label 0.13 cents each time a song is played, as well as 15% of net advertising revenue, proportionate to a given label’s share of the music played on iTunes. In the second year, that bumps up to 0.14 cents per listen, plus 19% of ad revenue.

However, there are some exceptions. The report notes that Apple won’t have to pay royalties for songs that users already have in their iTunes library. That will apparently extend to “songs that might be on an album that a listener owns just part of.” Interestingly, Apple also won’t pay for songs skipped before the 20 second mark and those included in special promotions, but it can only skip paying royalties on two songs per hour for each iTunes Radio user:
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Apple not allowed to add Galaxy S4 in ongoing Samsung dispute, plans to file new lawsuit

Jordan Kahn Jun 27 2013 - 5:31 am PT

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Samsung-GalaxyS4-vs-iPhone-5

Back in May, Apple was attempting to add Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S4 as an infringing device in its ongoing, second major patent dispute with Samsung in California. It was also claiming that Samsung infringed two Siri related patents with the device’s Google Now voice assistant feature. Now, according to a report from Bloomberg, Apple has been denied its request to add the device with U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal claiming it would be a “a “tax on the court’s resources”:

Adding another product to the case is a “tax on the court’s resources,” Grewal said in the ruling. “Each time these parties appear in the courtroom, they consume considerable amounts of the court’s time and energy, which takes time way from other parties who also require and are entitled to the court’s attention.”

Apple lawyer Josh Krevitt claims that denying to add the device in the ongoing patent suit would force Apple to “‘file a new lawsuit’ because the Samsung products covered by the case will be out of date by trial next year.”
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Google Hangouts iOS app updated w/ clickable links, invites via SMS, performance improvements, more

Jordan Kahn Jun 27 2013 - 5:17 am PT

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Google has just rolled out a nice update to its recently released Hangouts app for iOS. Version 1.1.1 of the app now includes the ability to send and click on URLs within the app, support for inviting friends to Hangouts via SMS, and much more.

Also included in the updated app is official support for iOS 6.0, new in-app sounds for when you receive a message, and other improvements and performance enhancements. A full list of what’s new is below:

What’s New in Version 1.1.1

Thanks for using Hangouts and sending feedback! This update addresses some of the top requests we’ve heard from you:

— Support for sending and clicking on links
— Invite friends to Hangouts via SMS
— In-app sounds when you receive a message
— Improvements to badge count behavior
— Addressed network connection bar weirdness
— Bug fixes
— Support for iOS 6.0

Skype for iPhone & iPad updated with improvements to audio/video calls & photo sharing

Jordan Kahn Jun 27 2013 - 12:00 am PT

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After launching a new Video Messages feature for Skype back in February and making it completely free and unlimited earlier this month, Skype has updated its apps today with a number of performance enhancements. The video message feature, which allows users to record and send video messages within a Skype chat, was previously limited to three-minute-long videos, and after 20 free messages required a $4.99 premium account.

The updated Skype apps for both iPhone and iPad are available in the App Store now and also include stability improvements for audio and video calls, and performance enhancements for sharing photos.

What’s New in Version 4.9

– Video messaging is now free and unlimited.
– Audio and video call stability improvements.
– Share photos more reliably.
– Improved accessibil

Google Earth for iOS gets new UI w/ sidebar, Street View & improved directions/search

Jordan Kahn Jun 26 2013 - 1:06 pm PT

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Google updated its Google Earth app for iOS and Android today with a few new features including a revamped interface that includes the left side panel it has been bringing to lots of its mobile apps.

Also new in version 7.1.1 of Earth is Google’s Street View feature, as well as improved directions and search with the ability to “visualize transit, walk, bike and drive directions in 3D while update search result list will let you browse search results quickly.” Google also announced that it is now making Google Earth available in over 100 countries worldwide:

Also with this release, we’re making Google Earth for mobile available in more than 100 countries worldwide, so you can start their virtual journey in Google Earth from almost anywhere on Earth. To unleash your inner explorer, check out your local Google Play store or iTunes to download the latest version of Earth for Android and iOS.

Version 7.1.1 of Google Earth for iPhone and iPad is available on the App Store now.

What’s New in Version 7.1.1

* Google Maps Street View: With Street View, you can explore the world at street level.
* Improved directions/search: Updated directions let you can visualize transit, walk, bike and drive directions in 3D while update search result list will let you browse search results quickly.
* Improved interface: Easily browse and enable different layers through use of new left hand panel

‘There’s something wrong with those colors’

Jordan Kahn Jun 26 2013 - 11:53 am PT

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We’ve heard some stories in the past of Steve Jobs’ involvement in the construction of the Pixar campus in Emeryville, California and the main building, now named “The Steve Jobs Building” in honor of its co-founder and former CEO. In it’s recent tour of the building, senior design project manager Craig Payne, who happened to come with Steve to Pixar from NeXT, told BuzzFeed another interesting story about Jobs’ attention to detail during the project:

“So Steve loves the Hills Brothers building in San Francisco, and he wanted to replicate that [brick] palette,” says Payne. “So we found a company in Washington state that agreed to match that as best as possible. It was like five different colors of brick. So they made a 10-foot-high by 10-foot-wide panel of the brick, and Steve said, ‘I love it.’ He even said, ‘I want to eat it,’ which is a funny comment. It was done. We found our brick.”

That is, until the brick started to be applied to the walls. “Steve looked at it and said, ‘There’s something wrong with those colors,’” says Payne. “Sure enough, they took the production brick and they built another panel next to the one that he approved, and one of the colors was off. We were in a real mess because we were at the point where the brick was going to be laid on the building. We went back to the brick manufacturer, and we were like, ‘That deep brown needs to be deeper.’ They sent, like, three more samples, and after the third sample they said, ‘We’re going to do one more, but that’s it, and if you don’t like it, we’re done.’ They were just at their wits’ end. So I was the sacrificial lamb. I flew up to Spokane. The brick came out of the kiln, the guy grabbed the brick and said, ‘Do you want it or not?’ I didn’t lose my job, so I guess I made the right decision.

You can check out the rest of BuzzFeed’s tour of the Pixar building here.

AAPL Company

Apple applauds Supreme Court’s ruling that same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional

Jordan Kahn Jun 26 2013 - 11:20 am PT

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Image <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Ussupremecourtinterior.JPG">via Wiki</a>

Apple provided a statement to AllThingsD applauding the Supreme Court’s decision today in two major cases related to same-sex marriages in California:

One ruling overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, the bill passed in 1996 that ruled same-sex marriages unconstitutional. The other decision left intact a lower-court ruling that invalidated California’s Prop. 8 ban on same-sex marriage.

“Apple strongly supports marriage equality and we consider it a civil rights issue. We applaud the Supreme Court for its decisions today,” an Apple spokesman told AllThingsD in a statement.

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Award winning indie game ‘Limbo’ arrives on iOS July 3 for $4.99

Jordan Kahn Jun 26 2013 - 8:33 am PT

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The award winning indie game Limbo from independent Danish developer Playdead has made its way to just about every platform over the last few years since launching on Xbox Live in 2010 and eventually PS3, Windows, & Mac. Today, Playdead announced that it’s now created iOS ports of the game for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that will be arriving in the App Store next week.

We have worked very hard to bring LIMBO to as many devices as possible; rethinking the controls and performing extensive optimizations to ensure an amazing touch-based experience across iPad 2 (and higher), iPad Mini, iPhone 4S (and higher) and the latest generation of iPod Touch.

The game, which has sold over 3 million copies since it launched, will be available on the App Store July 3rd for $4.99.

Digg’s Google Reader replacement now rolling out to all on web & iOS

Jordan Kahn Jun 26 2013 - 7:04 am PT

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Digg-reader-01

From 9to5Google:

After launching a private beta of its new Google Reader replacement, Digg announced today that it is now rolling out the beta to all users signed up to test the new app. Digg just sent out the first batch of invites to the new web app, but promises it will be “adding users in increasingly larger batches.”

The app is still a work in progress and won’t get you every feature you might have had with Google Reader, but for now you can easily import your Google Reader content, use Google Reader-like shortcuts, and save and share to all the usual third-party services.

iOS versions of Digg Reader land for iPhone and iPad in the App Store sometime today, and Digg says an Android app will be available before the end of July.

Update: The iOS version is now available.

Digg warns that the app is still very much in beta, but reminds us of a few features it plans to add in the coming months:
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Cupertino to live stream public meeting on Campus 2 environmental impact tomorrow

Jordan Kahn Jun 25 2013 - 10:30 am PT

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Update, July 2: The City of Cupertino just posted the recording of last week’s meeting (above).

Earlier this month Apple published a report detailing its economic impact on Cupertino from the construction of its brand new ‘Campus 2’, aka ‘Spaceship’ campus. Tomorrow, the public in and around Cupertino will get their chance to weigh in on Apple’s impact on the surrounding area with a public comment period. The City of Cupertino will be live streaming the event and is also allowing the public to submit comments through www.cupertino.org/applecomments.

Many of the comments submitted congratulate Apple on its new project, but others are concerned about the removal of trees and other environmental issues:

We are concerned about the fate of the trees in and around the new Apple Campus. A couple of months ago, we met a man who claimed he was an arborist hired by Apple and that he planned to chop down 6000 trees on the Campus and around the streets with replacements of new trees. We don’t know it has been confirmed by the Apple Campus 2 or not.

These trees have been living in our neighborhood for more than 40 years(?) – when we moved into this area in 1989, they were already quite big. And we enjoy so much of these beautiful trees – they give us shade in summer and they make our streets much enjoyable while walking along. Especially they improve our environment and give us clean air. Please let these trees happily live in our neighborhood with us and our children and children’s children. Many thanks

The meeting will take place tomorrow at 6:30 pm local time at Cupertino Community Hall and live streamed at www.cupertino.org/webcast. Cupertino linked to a full copy of Apple’s Campus 2 Draft Environmental Impact Report on its website.

Spy shot claims to show iPhone 5S front panel on assembly line

Jordan Kahn Jun 25 2013 - 10:08 am PT

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Following the latest round of images yesterday claiming to show a redesigned next-generation iPhone, today gforgames.com points us to a new image that apparently shows the front panel of the device. The report speculates the image, originally posted to Chinese blogging service Sina Weibo, shows the device on an assembly line, which could point to the device entering production. There appears to be slightly redesigned flex connectors that we’ve seen in other images, but from this angle these could very easily have been faked.

Below is another alleged shot of the device’s front glass that we’ve received:

iPhone-5S-front-glass-01

Hack brings Russian subscription TV service ‘UnliMovie.tv’ to Apple TV, no jailbreak required

Jordan Kahn Jun 25 2013 - 8:31 am PT

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Russian blog iGuides.ru points us to a new hack for Apple TV users that brings Russian subscription TV & movie service Unlimovie.tv to the device with no jailbreak required. The service, which is currently in beta, requires users to manually change the DNS on their device (easily accessible from within Settings) in order to access its digital TV service directly through Apple’s own Trailers app.

It isn’t the first hack of its kind: Just a couple weeks back, one of our favorite media servers, Plex, arrived on Apple TV without a jailbreak through what appeared to be a similar hack of the stock Trailers app.

The Unlimovie.tv service is currently in beta, allowing users to access a number of Russian digital TV channels for free, but the creators plan to officially launch the service in September through its paid subscriptions. That is, of course, if Apple doesn’t put an end to it in the meantime.
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Apple continues new ‘Designed by Apple in California’ campaign with full two page print ads

Jordan Kahn Jun 25 2013 - 8:04 am PT

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Update, June 29: Apple is running different full two-page ads in the Toronto Star and other Canadian newspapers today. The ads includes the same text and “Designed by Apple in California” tagline as the one above, but use alternate images that have also appeared on Apple’s “Designed by Apple” web page. Check out the other ads below.

We previously reported that Apple was starting a brand new ad campaign that focuses on its ecosystem and the people that use it rather than specific products, and today a reader notes that it has also brought the campaign to print with a full two-page ad in the Toronto Star (pictured above). We’d expect this to be the tone of its ads in the coming months, and the ad above (alongside its latest TV commercial), is also currently running on Apple’s “Designed by Apple” web page on Apple.com.
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