31 minutes ago | Posted in: iPhone
Pioneer is exploring the possibility of adding CarPlay support to its current and future aftermarket car add-ons, a customer service representative for the company says. Although the claim doesn't constitute an official announcement, and no specific products have been named, it may represent the first hint that CarPlay could reach vehicles that don't even have built-in dash displays. Mercedes-Benz has proposed retrofitting older models for Apple's technology, but that might still be limited to cars with integrated displays.
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iOS 7.1 includes a warning about the 15-minute, password-free window after an initial in-app purchase in iOS, notes AppleInsider. The pop-up appears the first time a user tries to make an in-app purchase after installing v7.1, and points people to Settings if they want to undo the window. Under Restrictions, iOS can be set to require a password for every purchase, or block all in-app transactions.
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1 hour ago | Posted in: gadgets, audio
The PonoPlayer, a music playback device backed by musician Neil Young, has doubled its target on Kickstarter shortly after starting its campaign. The high-fidelity player has so far raised over $1.6 million on the crowd-funding site, beating the $800,000 the campaign originally asked for within 24 hours of launching, with the pledging period set to continue for another 33 more days.
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2 hours ago | Posted in: security
Recently examined Snowden-leaked documents have shown that the NSA is looking at significantly growing its ability to install malware on a large scale, using automated systems and falsified websites. The documents detail efforts to fake a Facebook server, with the targeted population infected upon visitation of the spoof site.
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Favi has announced its release of the Swivel Screen Portfolio case for iPad Air, featuring a detachable Bluetooth keyboard. Aiming to fill the gap between tablet and laptop usage, the portfolio case positions an iPad Air in a similar manner to a Macbook setup. Its Bluetooth keyboard holds an 80-hour charge if used continually, and includes scissor-switch keys, which allow for quiet and stable typing. Fully adjustable, the stand can rotate for comfortable viewing. Available in black, silver and gold, the Favi Swivel Screen Portfolio with keyboard is priced at $40.
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4 hours ago | Posted in: software
Microsoft is planning to launch a free version of OneNote for the Mac later this month as part of a plan to expand the functionality of the platform, sources say. The company currently has a paid version for Office for Windows, and free iOS, Android, and web apps, but has so far left OS X alone in the software's decade-plus history. Like the Mac version, the Windows title is also expected to become free.
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US District Judge Jeffrey White of the Northern District of California has upheld some claims made against Google in a privacy suit accusing the search engine of using apps installed on mobile phones to collect persoanl data. Allegedly, Google used data from Foursquare, Groupon, Angry Birds, and Pandora to farm location, device identification, and personal information without user's consent.
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US Cellular could be preparing to update its Shared Data plans, according to an allegedly-leaked memo. Dated to be announced tomorrow, the carrier is planning to add more data to existing plans as well as adding another lower tier of service, and introducing a promotional single-line price plan that will be available for a number of weeks before other subscription changes.
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Apple is testing the idea of moving iTunes Radio into a dedicated app for iOS 8, sources say. At the moment, iTunes Radio is just another option in iOS 7's Music app. This may be hurting its adoption, since third-party rivals like Pandora and Spotify are separate apps and hence more visible. As a distinct entity, iTunes Radio would likely still come pre-installed with iOS 8.
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5 hours ago | Posted in: industry
In a series of statements commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Internet, inventor Tim Berners-Lee asked a pointed question. In a post on Google's official blog, Berners-Lee asked "Are we going to continue on the road and just allow the governments to do more and more and more control -- more and more surveillance?" In response, the computer scientist wants to build a "Magna Carta," codifying the rights of Internet users, and limiting the ability of governments to interfere with the execution of a global network.
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6 hours ago | Posted in iOS apps
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Day One is a journaling app that allows users to store ideas and sync them across all of their devices via iCloud or Dropbox. New to v1.13 is a Publish feature that can be used to share specific entires to share with family, friend, and the world. Publish creates an individual website for each entry the user chooses to publish, and provides a link for sharing the entry with anyone. Various other minor improvements are also included.
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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. New notification sounds for events and reminders are included in this update, along with support for opening links in 1Password and Mercury web browsers.
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Tweetbot is a Twitter client that includes multiple timelines, smart gestures, and support for a number of other social services such as Instapaper and CloudApp. Timeline position, direct message read statuses and mute filters are also synced automatically between the iPhone and iPad via iCloud. Version 3.3 introduces a new font option, Avenir, to the display settings, as well as options for large image thumbnails. Various bugs have also been fixed.
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Spotify is a music streaming service that provides users with access to more than 15 million tracks. Radio streaming is a free service offered to all US residents, while on-demand streaming can be unlocked by upgrading to Spotify Premium. A number of reported issues have been resolved with this update.
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Halftone allows users to turn their photos into vintage-style comics that can easily be shared with friends and family. New to v1.2 is the ability to add 3D perspectives to captions, balloons, and stamps. Custom stamps can also now be added to the app, and comics can be shared with others via SMS/MMS.
Apple has reduced the no-questions return window for iPhone buyers from 30 calendar days to 14, sources and new terms on Apple's US website reveal. The change is technically only due to take effect tomorrow, March 13th, but Apple's website has already made the new policy standard. As usual, returned phones must have been bought directly from Apple -- online or offline -- and include all their original box contents.
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7 hours ago | Posted in: Apple
Following preliminary approval last month, Apple has received final approval to build its upcoming Union Square store from the San Francisco Planning Commission and the city's Board of Supervisors. "We are thrilled that the city of San Francisco has given its final approval to begin work on our new store and public plaza, which will make a wonderful addition to Union Square and create hundreds of local jobs," says Apple spokeswoman Amy Bessette. "Our Stockton Street store has been incredibly popular, welcoming over 13 million customers since it opened nine years ago, and we look forward to making a new home on Union Square."
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Rdio will be changing the way it offers listeners music, by not using The Echo Nest in the future, the company has revealed. Following the purchase of the music intelligence company by Spotify, Rdio is keen to not help its chief competition by providing it with more data about its user's listening habits, instead relying on other methods to offer music discovery and curation.
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Ting has started to support the iPhone 5 over its Sprint-based network, as rumored last month. The MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) already provides support for compatible iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S handsets, with the iPhone 5 bringing it closer to current generation devices, but not by much. A blog post advises that, since the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c reached Sprint in late September last year, support for the devices is expected to occur at "about the same time this year."
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Days after the final judgements were rendered in the post-trial matters related to the first Apple-Samsung US patent trial from 2012, Samsung filed an appeal of the jury's decision. Now Apple has done the same, filing an appeal on selected decisions made during the trial -- including some of Judge Lucy Koh's orders (specifically her two decisions refusing to implement product bans on 23 violating Samsung devices) and the limited damages retrial.
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Audio-Visual products manufacturer Creative Technology, through their ZiiLabs (formerly 3D Labs) subsidiary, is suing Samsung and accusing the Galaxy maker of infringing on 10 patents used in graphics system-on-chip designs for mobile and desktop devices. Both Apple and Samsung are named in the suit, as Samsung provides or formerly provided some of its own SoC components to some of Apple's devices.
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