10 minutes ago | Posted in: iPhone, iPad
The tablet market is performing strongly this holiday season, and Apple's iPad Air and iPad mini are leading the pack among all contenders. This according to a new report from market analysis firm Canaccord Genuity, which saw the two newest iPads outpacing entries from Samsung, Amazon, and Google throughout November and the first half of December. The findings are in keeping with previous analyses of the tablet market, which showed Apple in the lead but Samsung and others increasing share.
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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is close to completing a list of rules for cellphone unlocking with US carriers, according to a report. The new rules would govern how a carrier advises a consumer about unlocking and the timing of the unlocking process itself, with the deal between the mobile phone networks and FCC expected to be agreed upon in the near future.
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A report issued by the advocacy group Fair Labor Association has praised Foxconn for continuing to improve working conditions. An audit reportedly found that three of Foxconn's factories in Longhua, Chengdu and Guanlan, each tasked with assembling iPhones and other Apple devices, have satisfied nearly all of the goals that were outlined last year in a reform plan.
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2 hours ago | Posted in: industry
Southwest Airlines is allowing users of Apple's iOS devices to send iMessages while in flight for just $2. A post on the company's blog revealed that the airline will be rolling out in-flight iMessaging for $2 per day for users with a device running iOS 5 or later. The feature was enabled on Southwest flights on Wednesday, and it joins a number of other digital-oriented features the airline has rolled out of recent.
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2 hours ago | Posted in iOS apps
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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a mobile port of the classic side scrolling game. The v3.0 update introduces a new Boss Attack mode that challenges players to defeat all of the game’s bosses in a a single run. Players can also now choose to play through the game as Knuckles or Tails, and for the first time can play through the Hidden Palace Zone, a level that was scrapped from the original game.
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Fantastical is a calendar utility that allows users to create events by explaining events in basic English. For example, a user can enter "Lunch with John at 123 Main Street on Tuesday," and the software will add all of the relevant information to a new event. In v2.0.3 TextExpander support now requires TextExpander 2.3 or later. An option to open maps in Waze has also been added, and problems with editing recurring Google Calendar events have been fixed.
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Dictionary.com provides users with all of the sites Dictionary and Thesaurus information in a downloadable format. The app stores all of the necessary data locally and does not require an active internet connection for use. Version 4.4 adds a number of new premium upgrades, including Idioms and Phrases, Grammar and Tips, a Slang Dictionary, and an entire Encyclopedia. A new in-app message center also allows users to receive word trivia and other bonus content.
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The PayPal mobile application allows users to manage their account, as well as send money to friends from an iOS device. Within the application users can check balances, withdraw funds, and view past transactions. A number of improvements are included in this update, along with various fixes for known bugs. The app should now run smoother on iOS 7 devices and problems users were experiencing with logging in have been eliminated.
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Wikipanion Plus allows users to browse through Wikipedia articles in an iOS friendly format. From within the app users can search for any Wikipedia page, and optionally save them to the device for offline reading. iCloud syncing has been added for iOS 7 devices in this release, and a bug that could delete certain history items has been resolved.
Instagram has introduced a new feature, Instagram Direct, that enables users to privately share messages, photos and videos. The announcement marks a shift from the company's previous system, which was designed solely for public sharing. Users can now choose to send content to another individual or groups of up to 15 people.
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4 hours ago | Posted in: iPhone, Apple
Apple has rejected claims that an underage worker's death at a Pegatron factory was due to poor working conditions. The Cupertino-based company reportedly sent its own team of medical investigators to the factory, which is said to assemble the iPhone 5c, however the experts agreed with Pegatron's assertion that the assembly line environment was not a contributing factor in the pneumonia death.
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Yahoo has acknowledged that a number of users were not able to access Yahoo Mail for part of this week, with the company apologizing for the outage on the official blog. The mail downtime commenced on Monday, with the company claiming to have fixed the issue for the majority of affected users last night, though support teams are apparently still working on some loose ends.
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Facebook has updated its iOS app to automatically play videos that appear in a user's news feed. Version 6.8 of the app does have the videos set as muted by default, reports TUAW, and though there is no option to turn off the autoplay aspect of the videos, there are settings to allow it to work just on Wi-Fi connections rather than cellular. Both videos from users and advertising will be affected by the change, though it is not known when it will appear in versions on other software platforms.
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Adobe on Wednesday updated its photo-management and editing program Lightroom to version 5.3 after more than a month in beta, adding support for a number of cameras as well as bringing tethered capture to the Canon EOS Rebel T4i. The company also updated Adobe Camera Raw to version 8.3, which now supports the iPhone 5s lens among others as well as many other camera models, and brings some new features such as auto-straighten and new camera profiles.
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14 hours ago | Posted in: iPhone, Apple
An official China Mobile page which lets Beijing-based users make reservations for its new "4G" LTE service features a graphic of the iPhone 5s and (on a different page) a jewel-encrusted golden apple -- which both confirms that the world's largest cellular carrier will be including the iPhone at long last, and hints that pre-orders for it could begin as early as late Thursday. China Mobile is the last of China's major cellular providers to carry the iPhone, the result of nearly six years of negotiations.
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Samsung's tales of woe against Apple in court continue -- this time in its South Korean home. Samsung has lost an attempt to ban assorted iPhone and iPad models in South Korea, as the presiding judge dismissed a lawsuit that had Samsung claiming patent infringement against the Cupertino manufacturer.
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18 hours ago | Posted in: iPhone, Apple
In a move likely designed to compete with T-Mobile's recent discounting of iPhone down payments, US retail giant Walmart will cut its up-front price for the 16GB models of the iPhone 5s and 5c by $72 when purchased with a two-year contract from either AT&T or Verizon. The promotion, which begins Friday December 13, coincides with the launch of Walmart's contract-free iPhone sales with service through Straight Talk or NET10 Wireless.
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A pair of ex-Pixar employees have formed 180g -- a software development company that has now released an e-book publishing tool, Vellum. The new OS X software package allows authors and small publishers to easily create, modify, and publish elegant e-books compatible with the three major US platforms: Apple's iBookstore, Amazon's Kindle, and Barnes & Noble's Nook.
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19 hours ago | Posted in: iPad
Apple's good fortune in Japan continue apace, with the company's iPad offerings making up six out of the top 10 bestselling tablets in that country. This according to BCN, which measures electronics sales in Japan and found that Apple tablets were overall the most popular. Topping BCN's list was the iPad Air, followed by the iPad mini.
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20 hours ago | Posted in: iPhone, Apple
Even before an expected debut on the world's largest cellular provider, China Mobile, is announced, Apple's new iPhone models have led to a surprising surge in Chinese sales, vaulting the company from sixth place in marketshare to third place since it debuted its latest models. The popularity of the iPhone 5s and 5c have been such that the company tripled its marketshare in a single month, according to a report from market researchers Counterpoint.
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21 hours ago | Posted in: gadgets
Foxconn – also known as Hon Hai, assembler of Apple's iPhones and iPads – is looking to capitalize on the anticipated boom in wearable tech by starting an investment fund to finance nascent companies working in the segment. Sources familiar with the project told Bloomberg this week that Syntrend Creative Park Co., a Foxconn unit, will administer the NT$200 million ($6.8 million) fund aimed at giving the firm a hand in the development of wearable devices in the vein of Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch, the Google Glass eyewear computer, and the suspected Apple iWatch. The move is the latest by Foxconn to diversify its operations to handle more things than the construction of iOS devices for its most lucrative partner.
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