Author

Mike Beasley

New photos of purported True Tone flash and other iPhone 6/6L parts appear online

Mike Beasley Aug 26 2014 - 7:31 pm PT

6 Comments

: iPhone 6L flash

: iPhone 6 flash

New photos of what appear to be the True Tone flash components for both versions of the iPhone 6 have appeared on ElekWorld, providing even more evidence that Apple is planning to announce and release both models at around the same time. Interestingly, the website also carries a whole host of purported iPhone 6 parts, including front display panels, volume rockers, and home button assemblies.

Apple, of course, is expected to announce a redesigned 4.7″ iPhone 6 and a 5.5″ iPhone 6L on September 9th. We’ve seen part and design leaks for both of these models in recent months, and both variants recently entered mass production.

Check out the gallery below for even more images of the site’s claimed iPhone 6 and 6L parts:

Expand
Expanding
Close

T-Mobile offering up to $50 off all iPhone models starting tomorrow

Mike Beasley Aug 26 2014 - 6:01 pm PT

0 Comments

As noted by the folks over at TmoNews, the magenta-branded un-carrier will be offering a discount of up to $50 on all iPhones starting tomorrow. An internal memo leaked from the company indicates that not every model will get the full $50 drop, but at least a few will. The cut comes off of the “device-only price,” or the full price of the phone. Subsidized models won’t be affected, it seems.

This discount is just the latest blow in the ongoing war between U.S. mobile carriers. Sprint recently announced all-new family and individual plans in an attempt to compete with more capable networks like AT&T and Verizon, while scrappy underdog T-Mobile continues its campaign against the norms established by its competition.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Is this iPhone case company worth $2.5B? Goldman Sachs thinks so.

Mike Beasley Aug 26 2014 - 5:50 pm PT

8 Comments

From Reuters:

Otter Products LLC, the privately held company that makes the OtterBox protective cases for mobile phones, is exploring a sale that could value the company at more than $2.5 billion, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter.

Otter Products, founded in 1998 by entrepreneur Curt Richardson and owned by him and his family, has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc to manage the sale process, the people said this week.

Some private equity firms have expressed interest in the company, the people added, cautioning that no deal is certain.

Looks like smartphone case maker Otterbox may be looking to cash in on its success to the tune of $2.5 billion. That would be quite the sale, if anyone were to take them up on it. Otterbox itself acquired fellow case maker Lifeproof last year.

Apple rolls out new iAd formats, launches network in Russia and Switzerland

Mike Beasley Aug 26 2014 - 3:02 pm PT

2 Comments

Apple announced two changes to its iAd platform today, expanding the reach and available formats of the ad network in an attempt to reel in more advertisers. The first of these changes is support for brand new iAd styles, including those pre-roll videos we’ve all come to know and love on YouTube. Full-screeninterstitial have also been added to the selection, with both new formats detailed in an updated implementation guide.

The company also announced that it starting today the iAd network is available in two new countries: Russia and Switzerland. iAd creators can use the iAd Workbench to update their target audiences to cover these new demographics.

iPhone-connected August smart lock finally overcomes delays, begins shipping

Mike Beasley Aug 26 2014 - 2:31 pm PT

1 Comment

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf9DRZLEVTM]

The August smart lock system, which was originally announced in May 2013 and expected to ship in Q1 2014, has finally overcome shipping challenges and delays, the company announced today. The Yves Behar-designed device has already started shipping to a few buyers, and pre-order pricing has ended, bringing the price up to $249.99.

The August is one of many similar replacements for traditional keyed deadbolts that uses Bluetooth and a smartphone app to manage who can and can’t unlock your doors. Owners can add and remove authorized users through the iOS application, and the door will automatically unlock whenever the Bluetooth-enabled smartphone of one of these users comes within range.

Users who pre-ordered the August lock can expect to finally see some progress on their shipments within the next few months, according to CEO Jason Johnson. The device is available for purchase on the company’s website.

iTunes Festival 2014 schedule updated with new acts including Mary J. Blige and deadmau5

Mike Beasley Aug 25 2014 - 11:22 pm PT

3 Comments

Apple has once again updated the lineup for its upcoming iTunes Festival in London, adding several new musical artists to the schedule, including Mary J. Blige, deadmau5, Tony Bennett, and Ed Sheeran. The addition of 19 more acts brings the current announced total to 40, with another 20+ still to be announced.

The complete list of artists added tonight is below:

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple says Yosemite and iOS 8 beta 4 and older will lose CloudKit functionality tomorrow

Mike Beasley Aug 25 2014 - 6:36 pm PT

0 Comments

Apple has sent an email developers alerting them to the fact that certain older betas of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite will no longer be able to take advantage of CloudKit functions like MailDrop, iCloud Photo Library, or iCloud Drive. This is likely due to an older sandbox server being taken offline as the operating systems come closer to reaching their public releases.

Developers who wish to keep testing against these features will need to update to at least beta 5 of each operating system. CloudKit and its various applications are part of iOS 8 and Yosemite, which will be required for all users who wish to use these functions when they are released later this fall.

Apple will unveil its next-generation iPhone 6 in just over two weeks. The two new devices are expected to ship with iOS 8 pre-installed.

California governor signs bill requiring all smartphones to have remote killswitches by July 2015

Mike Beasley Aug 25 2014 - 3:53 pm PT

32 Comments

As we’ve previously covered, the state of California has been in the process of passing a bill that would require all smartphones sold within the state to come with a remote killswitch option to deter thieves. The bill was passed by the state legislature earlier this year, and today it was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, as noted by CNET.

The law goes into effect in July 2015, and will require all smartphones sold within the state to include an option for remotely disabling a stolen device. Apple has already met the requirements of this law with its Activation Lock and Find My iPhone services, but now such features will be required by law on Android, Windows Phone, and other handsets.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Kickstarter: iPhone-connected Starfish child seat sensor aims to save lives

Mike Beasley Aug 25 2014 - 3:03 pm PT

21 Comments

A Kickstarter campaign launched earlier this month is aiming to help save the lives of children across the country with an iPhone-connected, weight-activated child seat sensor called Starfish. The concept is fairly simple. The Starfish sensor pairs with your iPhone via Bluetooth, then fits under the padding of a child safety seat in your car.

Once the sensor detects a child in the seat, it creates a small geofence of about 20 feet. Anytime the paired phone leaves that geofenced zone, it receives a push notification informing notifying the user of the potential danger the child is in. If the notification goes unanswered for five minutes, the app automatically reaches out to an emergency contact and informs them of the situation.

The Kickstarter campaign runs for another 11 days (and ends on September 5th), but thus far hasn’t even reached half of its $15,000 goal. The retail price for the finished product hasn’t been revealed yet, but backers who pledge $40 or more will receive one. The shipping date indicated is expected to be December 2014.

You can back the campaign over on Kickstarter.

Upcoming Secret update removes ability to access photo library or post real names, adds Flickr search, polls

Mike Beasley Aug 22 2014 - 5:13 pm PT

2 Comments

The popular anonymous social sharing network Secret may be under fire in Brazil, but in the U.S. and abroad the software lives on, and today received a big new update on the Android platform, with the iOS version expected to be released sometime over the next few days. The new version both adds and removes several capabilities to the app.

One of the most important changes in the new build is the removal of the ability to access photos saved to a device’s photo library. The camera is still fair game, but Secret is attempting to cut down on personally-damaging photos by taking away the option to upload older images.

That’s not to say that the camera is the only way to upload photos, though. The app now supports Flickr search so users can still find just the right photo for their posts without the need to go through their photo libraries.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple removes Secret app from Brazilian App Store for not conforming with local laws

Mike Beasley Aug 21 2014 - 6:39 pm PT

15 Comments

Following a recent ruling that Apple would have ten days to remove the anonymous social app Secret from its Brazilian App Store, Apple has complied with the order. The justification for the removal, according to a source close to the situation, can be found in section 22.1 of the App Store Guidelines:

Apps must comply with all legal requirements in any location where they are made available to users. It is the developer’s obligation to understand and conform to all local laws

As noted by the judge, the Brazilian constitution prohibits anonymous freedom of expression, which essentially makes Secret and other apps like it illegal with that country.

Per Article 5, Section IV of the Constitution of Brazil:

Expand
Expanding
Close

Tim Cook pays a visit to VA hospital in Palo Alto where doctors use iPads to treat veterans

Mike Beasley Aug 21 2014 - 4:20 pm PT

11 Comments

Tim Cook took some time to visit a VA hospital in Palo Alto today, accompanied by Rep. Anna Eshoo of the CA-18 congressional district, according to a photo the executive tweeted. The Palo Alto VA hospital is one of many medical facilities around the country using Apple’s iPads to help treat members of the U.S. armed forces.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iWork for Mac and iOS updated with bug fixes and stability improvements, iMovie for Mac with iCloud fixes

Mike Beasley Aug 21 2014 - 2:21 pm PT

5 Comments

Apple has published updates to all of the apps in its iWork suite on the Mac and iOS platforms. Pages for iPhone and iPad was bumped to version 2.2.2, while Pages for Mac reached version 5.2.2. Keynote for Mac was updated to version 6.2.2 and its iOS version went to 2.2.2. Both versions of Numbers were also updated, with the iOS version coming to 2.2.2 and the Mac version hitting 3.2.2.

Each of today’s update has the same exact change log:

Expand
Expanding
Close

Walmart temporarily cuts 16 GB iPhone 5c price to $.97, iPhone 5s now $79

Mike Beasley Aug 20 2014 - 9:15 pm PT

2 Comments

Walmart has cut the prices of both of the current iPhone models substantially in what looks like some early prep for the iPhone 6, which is expected next month. As noted by Engadget, you’ll be able to get the 16 GB model of the iPhone 5c for only $.97. No, that’s not a typo. The phone is now selling for ninety-seven cents.

The 16 GB iPhone 5s also got yet another price cut, this time down from $99 to $79. Both of these prices are only temporary and will climb back to their usual points in 90 days—unless of course a newer model comes along and knocks the retail price of these handsets down a few bucks.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Judge rules that Apple can’t recover $16M legal fees from Samsung in patent lawsuit, releases $2.6M bond

Mike Beasley Aug 20 2014 - 7:11 pm PT

1 Comment

Judge Lucy Koh ruled earlier today that Apple would not be able to recover the roughly $16 million in legal fees incurred while suing Samsung for patent infringement, according to a new report. Apple would have had to prove to the court that the case was exception in order to recover the legal costs, which Koh said it had failed to do.

[tweet https://twitter.com/FedcourtJunkie/status/502252272118935552 align=’center’]

While the patent lawsuits between these two companies still manage to make headlines every few weeks, the rivals recently announced a decision to avoid any further patent litigation outside of the United States. Meanwhile, U.S. courts will likely remain a contentious battleground for the two titans.

Judge Koh also ruled today that a $2.6 million bond posted two years ago by Apple in order to block the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 should be released back to Apple. The company had previously elected not to bother enforcing the ban since the tablet is no longer sold anywhere and has been succeeded by two newer models.

OS X Server 3.2 developer preview, Safari 7.1 and 6.2 beta 3 now available for developers

Mike Beasley Aug 20 2014 - 4:12 pm PT

0 Comments

Apple has released new beta builds of two coming versions of its Safari browser, versions 7.1 and 6.2. The two updates will be available for Mavericks and Mountain Lion users later this year, presumably. The update will introduce updates to the WebKit engine, including support for IndexedDB, Javascript Promies, and new CSS capabilities.

The last seed for these updates was published nearly a month ago, while the first build of each was made available in early July. You can read the full seed notes below. The betas are available on Apple’s developer website. OS X Yosemite will ship with Safari 8.0.

Also available for the first time today is the beta version of OS X Server 3.2. It requires OS X 10.9.4 and has a build number of 13S5165.

Expand
Expanding
Close

New photos claim to show 5.5-inch ‘iPhone 6L’ shell compared to smaller model

Mike Beasley Aug 20 2014 - 3:46 pm PT

43 Comments

New photos leaked online today claim to show the body of the upcoming 5.5-inch iPhone, recently dubbed the “iPhone 6L” in another leak. The parts in the images are said to have come directly from Apple’s supply chain, though that claim is obviously quite difficult to verify. The design of the body matches up with previous leaks (more photos below the break).

Apple is reportedly working on two similar versions of the iPhone 6 for release this fall, likely following an announcement on September 9th. Each model will be larger than the current iPhone 5s, coming in at 4.7 and 5.5 inches, respectively. The device will sport a sapphire crystal display, which we’ve seen on video in recent months, though some sources claim that only the 5.5-inch variant will get that specific upgrade.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Brazilian judge orders Apple, Google remove Secret from the app stores, remotely delete from users’ phones

Mike Beasley Aug 19 2014 - 6:40 pm PT

17 Comments

Update: At the moment, this ruling is still unofficial. A Brazilian prosecutor is pushing for the removal of these apps, but the judge has not officially ordered any action just yet. A source tells us that Secret has sent counsel to Brazil to investigate the situation, though we’ve been told this ruling would really be against Apple, Google, and Microsoft rather than the Secret app itself. Original story below:

A judge in Brazil has had it with the anonymous bullying carried out on social networking apps like Secret and has stepped in to put a stop to it, according to a report from Estadao [translation]. Judge Paulo Cesar de Carvalho has ruled that Apple and Google must delete the application from their respective app stores, but the ruling doesn’t stop there.

According to the report, the judge has demanded that both companies remotely delete the application from every device that has installed it in the country. While that might sound like a hilarious case of a judge not understanding how technology works, you may be surprised to learn that it’s actually a capability that both companies possess.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Captain America: The Winter Soldier hits iTunes a full 3 weeks before Blu-ray release

Mike Beasley Aug 19 2014 - 3:24 pm PT

6 Comments

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SlILk2WMTI]

Marvel’s blockbuster Captain America: The Winter Soldier won’t be available on Blu-ray for another three weeks, but fans of the franchise can grab the movie for $19.99 right now on the iTunes Store as part of an early release deal.

The movie, which takes its influence as much from political thrillers as more traditional popcorn-friendly superhero fare, is the followup to last year’s Captain America: The First Avenger and the subsequent team-up film The Avengers.

It’s not the first time a studio has timed the iTunes release of a movie ahead its physical media counterpart. Last year Star Trek Into Darkness got the same treatment three weeks before it hit store shelves. Typically movies will debut in both formats around the same time, with services like Netflix being forced to wait even longer to get them. It’s certainly interesting to see a subtle shift in priorities for some of the more popular movies.

Apple adds 21 artists to iTunes Festival London lineup, including Lenny Kravitz & Ryan Adams

Mike Beasley Aug 18 2014 - 11:49 pm PT

1 Comment

Apple today announced several new bands and solo artists that will be appearing at the 2014 iTunes Festival in London next month along with Pharrell Williams, Maroon 5 and more for a total of 60 acts. Among the new additions to the lineup are Lenny Kravitz, Ryan Adams, and The Script.

The annual festival will be held in London’s Roundhouse over the course of September, as well as streamed online for viewers around the world. Apple is partnering with radio stations and other outlets in the UK to give away tickets to fans. The complete list of new additions the line up is below:

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple recruit Dr. Dre finally accepts Tim Cook’s ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (Video)

Mike Beasley Aug 18 2014 - 8:38 pm PT

4 Comments

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM8iK3QJfhg&feature=youtu.be]

First Phil Schiller nominated Tim Cook for the charity-driven Ice Bucket Challenge challenge, then Cook passed the torch to Dr. Dre.

Today Dre finally proved that he didn’t forget about the challenge and posted a video on YouTube in which he pours an entire trash can of ice water over his head. Of course, it’s likely he also donated to the ALSA, given that he released the video later than the 24 hours participants are usually afforded. But hey, better late than never, right?

Dre nominated Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar.

Apple re-releases Xcode 6 beta 6, solves issues discovered by developers in new build

Mike Beasley Aug 18 2014 - 6:18 pm PT

6 Comments

Earlier today Apple released the sixth developer preview of OS X Yosemite, along with a new beta version of its Xcode developer tool. However, after users found that the new Xcode beta was unusable, Apple pulled it from the developer website.

[tweet https://twitter.com/alvarofr_/status/501435923322916864 align=’center’]

It seems the issues have now been rectified, as the beta is once again available on Apple’s developer site with a version number indicating that it is two builds newer than the one released this morning.

[tweet https://twitter.com/iadam1n/status/501528399001960448 align=’center’]

The Xcode beta includes development tools for Mac and iOS, including Apple’s new Swift programming language which was debuted at WWDC earlier this year. In a rare move for the company, Apple has released the beta version of Xcode 6 to anyone who wants it, regardless of whether they have a paid developer account or not.

You can grab the Xcode beta from Apple’s website.

Sprint announces revamped family data plans with double data, individual plans coming soon

Mike Beasley Aug 18 2014 - 4:01 pm PT

13 Comments

Sprint has unveiled its newest family data plans in an attempt to win back customers that have fled to rivals AT&T and Verizon. The new plans offer twice as much data as the competition at about the same prices. It’s the latest move by the floundering carrier following the less-than-stellar reception of its recently-announced “Framily” plans.

The new plans allow up to ten lines with a shared data pool of 20 GB—paired an additional 2 GB per device as part of a limited-time offer—for a grand total of up to 40 GB of shared data through 2015. A pricing chart (below) breaks down how all of the charges in the new plans work, including an additional $10 per tablet and shared data packs of up to 60 GB.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Pokemon is coming to the iPad, just not in the way you were probably hoping

Mike Beasley Aug 15 2014 - 6:55 pm PT

0 Comments

The world has long clamored for Pokemon on iOS, and now it looks like those users may finally get their wish. But don’t get your hopes up to play the upcoming Omega Ruby on your iPhone, or even the classics like Pokemon Red. The game headed for the iPad isn’t part of the popular adventure game series at all. It’s actually a digital version of the Pokemon trading card game.

YouTuber Josh Wittenkeller spied an early build of the app earlier today, snapped a photo and posted it to Twitter.

[tweet https://twitter.com/TheJWittz/statuses/500350510403432448 align=’center’]

The Pokemon Company has confirmed that the app is in development, but there’s currently no established timetable for when it will become available to the public. Mac and PC versions of the app have be available for some time.