Apple is aiming to integrate Flickr and Vimeo into iOS 7, a source tells 9to5Mac. The integration is expected to work in much the same way as Facebook and Twitter support does in iOS 6, allowing single sign-ins via the Settings menu. In the case of Flickr, at least, signing in may not only add another option to iOS' built-in sharing menus, but also simplify apps with their own hooks for the service, such as Instagram. Flickr is already integrated into OS X Mountain Lion and the iOS edition of iPhoto.
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A ruling yesterday in the Northern District of California may have repercussions on the smartphone patent battles raging across the US court landscape. A federal judge granted a user of a standards-essential patent a preliminary injunction against enforcement of a possible US International Trade Commission (ITC) sales injunction. This decision by Senior District Judge Ronald Whyte is the first time a US district court is preventing the ITC's only option to combat patent infringers in conjunction with standards-essential patents.
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1 hour ago | Posted in: Apple
In a brief sidetrack during his Senate testimony today, Apple CEO Tim Cook voiced his opinion on US intellectual property law. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) asked Cook about the IP benefits of running a company in the US versus other countries, but appears to have been surprised when Cook took a critical tone. "I actually think that we require much more work on IP in this country," he said.
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During his testimony before the Senate on Apple's tax strategies, CEO Tim Cook restated an earlier promise that a forthcoming Mac model -- not identified -- was going to be built in the United States, and further revealed that it would be assembled in Texas. While the exact site wasn't specified, Apple has established and is expanding an administrative campus in Austin, and manufacturing partner Foxconn has facilities in Houston.
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2 hours ago | Posted in: industry, Apple
During Tim Cook's appearance on Tuesday before the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (which is presently looking into the tax code), Chairman Carl Levin (D-Michigan) accused Apple of "exploiting an absurdity [in US tax laws] that we have not seen other corporations use," referring to a loophole he believes should be closed. Cook maintained that Apple pays US taxes on its US profits as it should.
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4 hours ago | Posted in: gaming
Microsoft has revealed its latest iteration of its Xbox game console at a media event. The Xbox One, codenamed Durango during its development, is billed as an all-in-one system for the living room, with a greater focus on allowing users to watch live television and other media, along with heavier Kinect integration, Skype calling, and gaming improvements.
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Yesterday in the MacNN forums, Mac Elite "abbaZaba" started a thread discussing a few new features they believed would be beneficial to add to the iOS Remote app. Senior User "RobOnTheCape" is looking for suggestions for good tripods to use when taking HDR pictures with an iPhone.
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At Apple's online store, take advantage of low prices on refurbished MacBook Air models. Save $300 on the 13.3-inch MacBook Air with a 1.7GHz Intel dual-core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and 256GB of flash storage, now $1,099. For $1,059 is the refurbished 11.6-inch MacBook Air with a 1.8GHz Intel dual-core i7 processor, 4GB of RAM and 256GB of flash storage.
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Newegg.com is celebrating Memorial Day with price cuts on a wide selection of items. Included in that list is the Mac mini which retails for $799. Until the 27th, use coupon code 'MEMRDAY22' at checkout to drop the price to $774. That earns it the title of lowest price by $4. The Mac mini features a 2.3GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive along with HDMI port, built-in speaker and support for iPhone headset with speaker. A one-year warranty on parts and labor is included from Apple.
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A new Broadcom chipset spotted on a Chinese website may be a component of future Mac updates, bringing 802.11ac (known as "Gigabit Wi-Fi") and Bluetooth 4.0 to new models on a single chipset. Not only will the chip handle all wireless communication for future Mac models, but the new chip appears -- at first glance -- to be backward compatible with similar parts in recent models, opening up the possibility of aftermarket upgrades.
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Vudu has launched an update for its iOS video player that adds support for downloading movies for offline viewing. Previously, users were required to stream all of their content from within the app, however, now they may select to download any content at various qualities for offline use. Other changes include closed captioning support for the iPhone, a simplified Player, and numerous bug fixes. VUDU Player is a free Universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store.
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7 hours ago | Posted in iOS apps
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Tumblr is a blogging tool that can be used to post varying content to any number of personal blogs. Version 3.3.2 introduces a brand new post chooser that resembles the Mac's Fan Stack feature. Unlike in previous releases, clicking on the compose button will now fan out a list of choices overlaid onto of the current window.
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TextExpander allows users to create a library of abbreviation shortcuts for frequently used snippets of text. These snippets can then be used to quickly type text in more han 150 apps that include TextExpander support, such as OmniFocus, Things, and WriteRoom. The latest version includes support for fill-in snippets, as well as for renaming and duplicating existing snippet groups. Alerts are also now displayed for conflicting snippet abbreviations and duplicate snippets.
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AfterLight is a photography app that includes a number of filters and effects for editing images on iOS devices. In v1.7 a Hue button has been included with the Original Textures and Instant Film Textures, providing users with seven extra coloring options for each. An invert button has also been added to the Dusty Textures, the Vignette tool and the Grain tool, and images can now be sent to AfterLight from any app that includes the "Open In" option.
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1Password is a password management app that allows users to store and organize multiple passwords. Full iCloud support is included for syncing passwords across multiple devices, as well as a password generator that can create passwords of varying strength. Version 4.2.1 is minor update that fixes a bug in resolving sync conflicts.
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Scanner Pro can be used to digitalize documents by using the built-in camera on iOS devices. After capturing an image of a document, the software begins to analyze the content and creates a digital copy. Real-time border detection is included in this release, allowing users to visually see what part of a page has been recognized and what will be scanned.
Sales of prepaid smartphones in the US consumer market have risen dramatically, doubling in the last year and "continuing a string of more than 12 quarters of triple-digit sales increases" according to a new report from market analysts NPD. Prepaid phones -- defined as either premium smartphones such as the iPhone bought outright to avoid a contract or low-end smartphones aimed at lower-income consumers -- increased 11 percent in year-over-year in the first quarter of 2013.
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In the aftermath of the devastating tornado that cut a path of destruction through Oklahoma City on Monday, wireless carrier AT&T announced that overage charges would be suspended for the area until June 30 as part of an effort to assist victims, many of whom lost everything. Due to high call volumes as friends and family check on their loved ones, the company said it would add additional resources to relieve cell congestion.
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20 hours ago | Posted in: Apple
Apple is preparing to open a new Apple Store in Adelaide, Australia on May 25 at 10AM. The Rundle Place outlet will not only be Apple's first in Adelaide, but also by extension the first in the state of South Australia, which is otherwise sparsely populated. The company has 19 other stores in the country, most of which are in New South Wales or Victoria.
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21 hours ago | Posted in: industry
Today, Google made it known to its array of merchants that it is discontinuing the Google Checkout functionality, and migrating some existing users to Google Wallet. In a blog post announcing the move, Google called the Wallet product "a platform that enables merchants to meet the demands of a multi-screen world where consumers shop in-stores, at their desks and on their mobile devices." Users have six months to find an alternative solution, if not migrated automatically.
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Samsung Display announced today that it is showcasing several mobile to extra-large-sized display prototypes at the Society for Information Display’s Display Week. These include a Full HD 1920×1080 mobile AMOLED 4.99-inch display with the world's broadest color gamut, a 10.1-inch 2560 x 1600 LCD for tablets, and a 13.3-inch 3200 x 1800 LCD for notebooks.
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