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Apple’s tight control over components resulting in high iPhone 5 repair costs [Report]

iPhoneHacks — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:40:55 +0000

When iFixit disassembled the iPhone 5 back in September, they found it easier to repair as it opened from front-to-back. Unfortunately that hasn’t helped to bring down the costs of repairing an iPhone 5, according to a report on MarketWatch. iCracked, a repair firm charges $79 to $99 to fix an iPhone 4S screen, which is half the cost of fixing an iPhone 5 screen ($169 to $199). The report points out that the high costs is due to Apple’s tight control over components. There is a tight control on iPhone 5 components in the market, Forsythe says. “Market forces determine the price,” he says. “Apple sells about 300,000 iPhones a day and, as the repair market grows, prices will get lower.” “Apple controls everything from the manufacturing to the gear for the iPhone 5,” says Jeff Haynes, editor at deal site TechBargains.com. As the iPhone 5 is larger than the 4, the cost for replacement parts rises, he says. “Apple is trying to get people to sign up for Apple Care for $99 and to rely on their services at the Apple store,” he says, “If you don’t, that cracked screen could cost you at least $230.” Due to the high cost of components, quite a few repair shops haven’t still started offering iPhone 5 display replacements. iFixit, which offers repair manuals, is currently selling iPhone 4S display assembly for $95, where as iPhone 5 display assembly is available for $199. Interestingly, as MacRumors points out you need to follow a 29-step guide to replace iPhone 4S’ display compared to a 23-step guide to replace iPhone 5′s display. If you’re someone who tends to drop his/her iPhone, it probably makes sense to opt for AppleCare+ for $99, which covers up to two incidents of accidental damage with a $49 service fee or get a case. Via MarketWatch Continue reading →

Shazam for iPad finally hits the App Store, brings auto tagging, Rdio and Spotify integration and more

iPhoneHacks — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:44:25 +0000

Shazam has released a new version of its app, which finally adds support for Apple’s iPad. In addition to the iPad support, Shazam 6.0.0 brings number of new features such as auto tagging, real-time updates of TV shows and music tracks being tagged, top tags in any city etc. Here’s what’s new in version 6.0.0: Explore the world with Shazam’s interactive maps. Zoom from your current location to cities, countries and continents across the globe to discover what’s popular. Welcome iPad users: Shazam is now a universal app – we have some awesome new features coming first to the iPad: Auto Tagging: When Shazam is running it tags music and media around you – like songs featured in a TV show or music playing on your device. Shazam even runs in the background and tags while you check your emails or play a game. Dynamic new home screen: Browse real time updates of what’s being tagged on TV right now (US only) and the hottest music tracks globally. Flip through your recent matches – add the ones you like to your favourites Auto tagging is enabled by default, but you can turn it off by tapping on the Auto Tagging toggle that is available at the top right corner, just next to the Home tab. When the auto tagging feature is enabled, Shazam runs in the background, even when you’re using some other app and tags music tracks till you turn off the feature. You’ll see a red status bar when Auto Tagging is running. When there is a match, it displays the album artwork of the song on top, you can tap on star button to add it to your favorites. Unfortunately, the auto tagging feature is available only on the iPad app currently. Shazam plans to add the feature to the iPhone app in a future update. The update also comes with Rdio and Spotify integration, so subscribers of these popular music streaming services will be able to launch the Rdio or Spotify’s app directly from Spotify to listen to the tagged song. While the Rdio integration is available to all users, Spotify is available only to users who have purhcased Shazam Encore, the paid version of Shazam. Download links: Shazam Shazam Encore ($6.99) Continue reading →

Gorilla Glass 3 is stronger than Sapphire, and Corning wants to make sure you remember that

Stefan Constantinescu — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:44 +0000

Corning is the company that makes the glass that sits on top of your iPhone and iPad. They also make the glass that sits on top of Samsung’s Galaxy S4. Due to the fact that the GS4 shipped after the iPhone 5, by quite a few months actually, the GS4 uses Corning’s new Gorilla Glass 2 technology, whereas the iPhone 5 doesn’t. Just thought I’d throw that out there. What I really want to talk about however is sapphire, a material that’s been getting a lot of attention recently, so much so that people are starting to think it’s better than Gorilla Glass. Corning just made a video demonstrating that this simply isn’t the case, and that Gorilla Glass 3 is not only less prone to shattering, but that it also doesn’t scratch as easily. The company also wants you to know that they make a glass so thin that you can bend it. Rumors about a curved iWatch said that it would use this new glass, which Corning calls “Willow”. Looking ahead even further, the glass maker is working on glass that has far fewer reflections than today’s solutions, and glass that’s microbial resistant. Be honest, you use your phone in the bathroom, so you should be somewhat excited. Via: MacRumors Continue reading →

New iWatch rumor suggest we’re going to have to wait another year

Stefan Constantinescu — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:38:13 +0000

Another day, another iWatch rumor. This new one comes from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a decent enough track record that people pay attention to what he has to say. So what is he saying? Apple is having a hell of a time working on a new version of iOS for the iPad and the iPhone, so they simply don’t have the resources to work on a watch product. That and Apple thinks the whole wearable computing industry isn’t mature enough, which is the understatement of a century. Should you be upset? Absolutely not. You probably own an iPhone you love, an iPad you lose yourself in every night, and a MacBook. Waiting another year for a product isn’t going to kill you. And let’s be honest, we all know Apple is never the “first” to enter a market. Samsung and Google will probably launch their own respective watch devices before the iWatch, and they’ll get a ton of attention, but you just know Apple is going to do something “differently” that sets them apart from the competition. So with that, keep making fun of glass-holes. Continue reading →

App Deals For Today: Angry Birds Space, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, DreamWorks Dragons, TapDragonDrop, ComicBook!

iPhoneHacks — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:53:26 +0000

Here are some of the top app deals for today. Rovio’s hugely popular game, Angry Birds Space for the iPhone and iPad has gone free today, along with DreamWorks Dragons: TapDragonDrop, ComicBook! and FlickStackr for Flickr. EA has also slashed the price of its popular racing game, Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Angry Birds Space Angry Birds Space, is the fourth major game in the Angry Birds series that was released last year. Here’s a brief description of the game: After a giant claw kidnaps their eggs, the Angry Birds chase it into a wormhole and find themselves floating in a strange new galaxy – surrounded by space pigs! Luckily the Angry Birds have super powers of their own… Angry Birds Space features over 160 interstellar levels on planets and in zero gravity, resulting in spectacular gameplay ranging from slow-motion puzzles to lightspeed destruction. Download links: Angry Birds Space (from $0.99 to Free) Angry Birds Space HD (from $2.99 to Free) DreamWorks Dragons: TapDragonDrop If you’re a fan of the movie, How to Train Your Dragon, then you should definitely download this game of logic puzzles. Here’s a brief description of the app: This is Berk… where a great storm has struck the Viking village and sheep are now scattered throughout the land! Save the day by using your wits and new Dragon friends to solve puzzles throughout the dangerously funny, sheep-unfriendly world of Berk! Tap, Drag and Drop your Dragon’s powerful abilities to rescue the flock. Use catapults, drawbridges and much more to your advantage as you explore the breath-taking Dragon world. Download link (from $1.99 to Free) ComicBook! This is one of the top selling comic creation app, which was named one of the best apps in 2011. Here’s a brief description of the app. In just seconds turn yourself and your friends into comic heroes or villains. Star in your own comic book adventures! Realistic comic styling with a wide selection of: image filters, comic fonts, customizable captions, a library of classic comic graphics and dozens of multi-panel page layouts. Download link (from $1.99 to Free) FlickStackr for Flickr FlickStackr for Flickr is a popular app for Flickr, Yahoo’s photo sharing service. The official app is currently available only on the iPhone, so if you want to access the photos you’ve uploaded on Flickr on your iPad, then you should get this app. According to the app description it is available for free from May 21 – 22nd, so grab it as soon as possible. Download link (from $1.99 to free) Need for Speed: Most Wanted Need for Speed: Most Wanted was one of the biggest hits of 2012. It also made it to App Store Best of 2012. Buckle up, hit the gas and hold on tight; you’re in for the ride of your life. Outrun cops, outsmart rivals – and outdrive your friends – in the most dangerous Need for Speed yet. Do you dare to be the Most Wanted? Download link (from $4.99 to $0.99) We’re not sure how long some of these offers will last, so grab them as soon as possible. It is important to note that while most of these games are now free, they offer in-app purchases. Continue reading →

New Microsoft Windows 8 tablet ad pokes fun at Apple’s iPad

iPhoneHacks — Thu, 23 May 2013 05:39:11 +0000

Microsoft has released a new Windows 8 tablet ad featuring the ASUS VivoTab Smart tablet, which pokes fun at Apple’s iPad. The ad titled “Less talking, more doing” makes use of Siri voiceover to highlight some of the shortcomings of the iPad by pointing out Windows 8 features that are not available on the iPad such as live titles where information is dynamically updated, support for multiple windows at once and Microsoft Office products such as PowerPoint. The ad then goes on to say that “Should we just play chopsticks,” and shows the Garageband app, which seems like a dig at Apple’s iPad and iPad mini ad that have featured the app. Meanwhile, the Windows 8 tablet is shown updating the live titles. The ad ends by highlighting the price difference between the iPad, which costs $699 (64GB) and a 64GB ASUS VivoTab Smart tablet, which costs $499. Check out the ad embedded below and let us know what you think. HT: The Verge Continue reading →

Developer hacks iOS to forward notifications to Google Glass

Rounak Jain — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:45:23 +0000

Cydia developer Adam Bell, maker of Message Box that brings system wide Facebook chat heads, has now developed a new tweak to forward all iOS notification to Google Glass. Glass, in its current form, is very limited when it comes to iOS integration, but by forwarding all notifications Bell’s tweak makes Glass a very useful accessory for people who don’t like checking their phones each time a new notification comes in. Glass doesn’t just display these forwarded notifications, it also stores them so that you can scroll through them later on. So tweets, iMessages, reminder alerts and every other type of notification can now be pulled by Glass. This is obviously jailbreak-only, and Bell says that he’ll be releasing the source code of the tweak on GitHub in a few days, and will follow up with a Cydia release. Glass is still in its pre-alpha/alpha stages with a very limited rollout, and as Google approaches closer to a consumer release support for iPhone will be improved upon. Via: 9to5Mac Continue reading →

Google to add Voice Search to Chrome for iOS soon

iPhoneHacks — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:01:15 +0000

Google has announced plans to add its enhanced Voice Search feature to Chrome for iPhone and iPad. Chrome users will be able access the Voice Search feature in the Chrome app by tapping on the microphone button just above the keyboard as you can see in the screenshot above. Touch the microphone, say your search query aloud and see your results (in some cases spoken back to you), all without typing a single letter. Try these queries with the update (coming soon to the App Store): - “How many miles from San Antonio to Dallas?” - “What’s the weather in Rome?” - “Who stars in The Internship?” Chrome already has a microphone button in the omnibar that allows you to search handsfree with the voice Search feature, but based on the screenshot it looks Google is bringing the voice search interface from the Google Search app. So it should also display the text on the fly, which would be quite cool. Google has also mentioned that the update will also reload web pages faster by using the cache more efficiently. Google is also encouraging developers to give users an option to open links in Chrome in their apps, as the update will come with an option to return back to their app with a tap. Google has said it will adding these features in the next update of Chrome for iOS. However, it hasn’t provided any release date for the update. As always, we’ll let you know as soon as it is released. Via Google Chrome Blog Continue reading →

Scanner Pro: The ultimate document scanning app for iOS [Review]

David Gilson — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:40:27 +0000

You might not realise, but you’ve got a document scanner in your pocket. Remember all those spy films where the hero pulls out a tiny camera to take a copy of the villain’s plans to take over the world? You too can do that because your iPhone’s camera is more than capable enough to take high quality document snaps. While just the built-in camera app alone is fine, it’s always difficult to avoid perspective distortions and have shadows get in the way. Scanner Pro is here to help with all of that, read on to find out how. When you first use Scanner Pro, it’s not at all clear quite how it organises its scans. You actually perform scans in batch loads, and each batch is shown on the top-level of the app. When I started testing it, I didn’t realise I was working within my first group/batch. I eventually learned that these groupings of batches were extremely useful and that you can organise things even more by creating a folder to put batches in – groups of groups! The best thing with the batch system is that once you’ve completed a group of scans, the group can be uploaded to a number of online services as a multipage PDF. When starting to scan, you may take a photo within the app, or import a photo from the camera roll. The latter option is useful if you have a bunch of document photos you took before buying the app – you can still give them the Scanner Pro treatment. The first thing that Scanner Pro does is allow you to draw a quadrilateral around the area you wish to have scanned. This solves the first problem of photo-scanning – perspective. Scanner Pro is actually quite smart as it tries to guess the area you wanted to scan. I found this to be consistently almost accurate – by that I mean that it usually gets the plane of perspective correct, but it usually adds on an extra area that I don’t want to include. The corner controls for setting the shape can be quite fiddly, but Scanner Pro has two tools to help with this. Firstly, a magnifying glass appears to help you get close in. Secondly, if you’re finding that your finger is occluding the area of interest, or you’re bumping into the side of the screen, a two finger gesture can launch a long ‘handle’ so that you can move the corner from a distance. However, I’m still trying to work out exactly what the magic combination of touches is to get the handle on the corner I intended is. Next in the process is tweaking the visual properties. Here, you can set brightness, contrast, rotation, and image size. Also, you can set the document type: photo, greyscale, or document. The latter option (which is default) is perhaps the most useful as it uses software to smooth out all of the uneven shading you’ll always get when you photograph a sheet of paper. Once the scan has been created, there are a large amount of options on what you’ll actually do with it. You can save single scans to your camera roll, and print documents via networked printers. Scanner Pro lets you open in installed apps such as Evernote and Instashare. Even more surprisingly was built-in support for uploading to Google Docs, Dropbox, Evernote, and any WebDAV server. Given the clarity created by Scanner Pro’s algorithms, the built-in support for uploading to your Evernote account makes the two apps a perfect combination. Of course, this is only so for Evernote users. However, Evernote users enjoy the service’s powerful optical character recognition so that both images and image- based PDF files are made searchable by Evernote. Creating an Evernote note within Scanner Pro. Scanner Pro is pretty much the whole package if you happen to use your phone for heavy duty document scanning. Bear in mind that the app is relatively expensive ($6.99). However, you might find that the expense if worthwhile if you regularly need such a tool. There are other apps that can do a similar job when it comes to correcting perspective. However, Scanner Pro’s biggest strength is in its ability to organise scans and share with other apps. ➤ Download link ($6.99) Here’s a source image that we used with Scanner Pro … … and here’s the scan we produced. Continue reading →

Twitter for Mac update finally brings Notification Center integration

iPhoneHacks — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:04:47 +0000

Twitter has just released an update for its Mac app (v2.2.1), which finally brings Notification Center integration. Even though OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) brought Twitter integration to the Mac, it strangely didn’t come with Notification Center integration. Here’s what’s new in version 2.2.1: Notification Center integration: receive notifications when someone mentions you or when you receive a Direct Message. You can configure this from the app’s Preferences window. This update also includes the following changes: * Fix for Growl notifications not working in Lion and Mountain Lion * Fix for bug that prevented un-favoriting tweets * Fix for missing account switcher in composer * Fix for error message when posting a tweet with a pasted image * Fix for enlarged avatar when dragging a tweet into an email * Fixes for crashes and various other bugs You can download the update via the App Store app or you can download the latest version via this direct App Store link. HT: 9to5Mac Continue reading →