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More details on iOS 7′s flat redesign

iPhoneHacks — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:51:56 +0000

It has been widely speculated that Apple will give us a sneak peak at iOS 7, the next generation mobile operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch at the WWDC 2013 Keynote on June 10. Last month, 9to5Mac revealed that iOS 7 codenamed Innsbruck will feature a “fresh look” with a “very, very flat” interface. The overhaul is being led by Jony Ive, Apple’s SVP of Industrial Design, who took over the design of iOS 7 from Scott Forstall. 9to5Mac provides some more details about the changes we can expect in iOS 7, based on information it has received from its sources. iOS 7 will feature a “black, white, and flat all over” design instead of the heavy textures that iOS users are accustomed to. Ive has apparently stated in meeting that he believes that designs filled with physical metaphors, which is popularly called as skeuomorphism “does not stand the test of time”. Lock Screen Apple plans to replace the “shiny, transparent time bar” on the top of the Lock screen with “a shine-free, black interface.” The square-grid for entering the passcode will be replaced with “round, black buttons with white text and white borders.” It looks like users will finally be able to dismiss notifications on the lock screen with gestures. 9to5Mac says “overall, the Lock screen is different than what users have become accustomed to, but it functions in a similar manner.” Notifications Notification center will sport a “dark/black color background with white text” instead of the dark linen background. Notification center will come with new widgets for localized news feed and quick access to Settings toggles for Wi-Fi, Airplane Mode, and Bluetooth etc. Home screen App icons will come with rounded edges like we have currently, but will “lose shine, shadows and gloss.” App icons of most of the stock iOS apps have been redesigned with “flatter, less-skeuomorphic textures.” The Game Center app icon will “lose the green felt and chess pieces”. You will be able to add panoramic wallpapers, which sounds like the scrolling live wallpaper available on Android. Other changes Navigation and tab bars have been redesigned to remove gradient textures and may instead come with a “slight blurring effect”. Status bar is likely to be less transparent than the one in iOS 6. The system-wide virtual keyboard may get a minor design change. The design is “a lighter shade of grey and does not include shadowing.” Apps Not surprisingly, the stock apps have been redesigned to fit iOS 7′s white, black, and flat theme. The shredding animation when you delete a Passbook has been removed. The Notes app will sport a “flat white look” instead of yellow notepad like design. Mail, Calendar and Maps app will also sport a “more uniformed look with flat white textures.” 9to5Mac goes on to add that “while the core elements of those apps are mostly white, each app has been given a unique button color. Essentially, each app has a white base with a respective color theme.” The Calendar app may come with red button, whereas the Messages app may come with green controls. App Store, Newsstand, Game Center, Safari, Camera, and Weather apps will also come with “significant transformations.” The Weather app will come with animations to highlight rain, sun or snow. According to their source the Calendar app may look something like below design, which was posted on Dribbble. The iPhone will come with a standalone app for FaceTime like the iPad and iPod touch to avoid confusion. New features: 9to5Mac hasn’t revealed any new features in the latest report. It reiterates the features it had reported previously such as: Flickr and Vimeo integration Optimized in-car support for Maps and Siri integration 9to5Mac says that iOS 7 will be released along with the launch of new hardware later this fall. Though Apple has added tons of new features in iOS with every major update, it hasn’t made any major improvements in the UI, it is looking outdated and it is high time Apple re-imagines the user interface in iOS 7. It looks like Apple is not going to disappoint us this time. What do you think of the changes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Via 9to5Mac Continue reading →

AT&T’s new administrative fee will make the company half a billion dollars richer every year

Stefan Constantinescu — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:30:50 +0000

If you’re on AT&T, then starting this month you’re going to see an extra $0.61 fee added to your phone bill under the line item “administrative fee”. According to 9to5Mac, this fee helps “cover certain expenses, such as interconnection and cell site rents and maintenance.” Now let’s do some math, shall we? AT&T has over 70 million customers who are on post-paid contracts. So that’s $0.61 per month multiplied by 12 months in a year multiplied by 70 million. The answer is $512,400,000. No, that’s not a typo, that’s half a billion dollars. The Tech Block notes that since AT&T has changed the terms of your contract by adding this new fee, you’re technically allowed to terminate your contract without facing any penalties. And you know what? You should. Earlier today there was a story on MacRumors that said AT&T was going to bring 4G LTE to their prepaid plan. For $65 per month you get unlimited talking, texting, and 1 GB of data. If you’re not a heavy data user, then switch. Same network, lower price. You’ll have to buy your next iPhone full unlocked and unsubsidized, which will cost you over $600, but you more than make up for it by having a lower monthly bill. Continue reading →

Video: Jon Stewart rips Apple a new one over their tax situation

Stefan Constantinescu — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:30:49 +0000

The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart poked quite a bit of fun at Apple last night. The show featured a skit showing the American government trying to figure out how to make Apple happy, which is confusing, since Apple should just do what everyone else does and pay their taxes. The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook Here’s Apple’s current situation in a nutshell: Like every other American company, they setup holding companies in countries where the taxes are more favorable. So say for example Apple needs to buy some boxes. A lot of boxes. They open Apple Incorporated in a country where sales tax is next to nothing, buys a whole bunch of boxes, and then ships them to where they’re needed. It’s obviously a little bit more nuanced than that, and I’m not even going to pretend to understand how a multinational corporation the size of Apple gets taxed, but they, like every other company, uses loopholes to minimize what they have to pay. You’ve probably heard about Apple’s recent debt offering. Apple, a company with over $100 billion in the bank, borrowed money so they could pay shareholders a nice fat dividend. Why didn’t Apple just pay them with money from their own bank accounts? Because those bank accounts are in other countries, and bringing that money into America would cause it to be taxed at some absurd rate. In other words, it’s cheaper for Apple to pay people with cash they’ve borrowed than their own money due to how the laws are setup. Pretty crazy, eh? Continue reading →

Apple posts new iPhone ad “Music Every Day”

iPhoneHacks — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:46:50 +0000

Apple has posted a new ad called “Music Every Day” on their YouTube channel. Just like the “Photos Every Day” iPhone ad, which showed people taking photos in a farm, at a beach, at a concert, while roller skating, while jogging etc., the new ad shows people listening to music on their iPhone. The ad ends with a quote “Every day, more people enjoy their music on the iPhone than any other phone.” I was quite disappointed with the “Brilliant” and “Discover” tv ads, but I’m loving this ad campaign. Check out the ad below and let me know what you think. Continue reading →

iPhone 5S, low-cost iPhone said to be coming in multiple colors [Report]

iPhoneHacks — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:52:23 +0000

Japanese blog Macotakara claims that it has received information about the next generation iPhone, unofficially dubbed iPhone 5S, the low-cost or the budget iPhone and iPad 5 from its sources. Here are the details: iPhone 5S Macotakara claims that iPhone 5S will come in multiple colors just like the 5th generation iPod touch. The site claims that iPhone 5S will also be available in gold and green. iPhone 5S will also come with dual-LED flash. The pill shaped microphone hole will become circular, which will be placed between the camera and dual-LED flash. Budget iPhone The cheaper iPhone will also come in multiple colors. However, Macotakara has received conflicting information from its sources about the colors. One source says it will come in navy, gold orange, white, and gray, whereas another insists that it will come in white, pink, green, blue, and yellow orange. So it looks like it won’t be available in black. Apple will start trial production of the cheaper iPhone from June and start ramping up production in July to gear up for the launch in September. iPad 5 We had seen an extra hole in the leaked iPad mini prototypes, however it did not make it to the 1st generation iPad mini. Macotakara says that the hole was for an additional microphone, which will be included in the iPad 5. The new iPad will ship after the launch of iPhone 5S. iPhone 5S is widely expected to look similar to the iPhone 5, but will come with improved internals such as a faster processor, improved camera system (12-megapixel camera with improve night-shooting and HDR) and may also include new features such as the fingerprint sensor and NFC chip. Apple is expected to launch the budget iPhone for emerging markets, which could be priced at $250-$350. However, some reports have claimed that it will be launched in 2014. According to rumores, the next iPad will be thinner and lighter than the iPad 4 and will most likely be launched in October. Continue reading →

Microsoft caught lying about Windows 8 tablet size in iPad vs. Windows comparison

iPhoneHacks — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:54:02 +0000

Hot on the heels of releasing the Windows 8 tablet ads which took a dig at Apple’s iPad, Microsoft has launched a new webpage that compares the ASUS VivoTab Smart Windows 8 tablet with the full-sized iPad. Similar to the ad, the chart compares the Windows 8 tablet’s thinness, battery life, weight, display size, microHDMI and microSD ports, printing, ability to run Microsoft Office suite of products and more. Microsoft has also included a diagram of the 9.7-inch iPad next to the ASUS VivoTab Smart Windows 8 tablet that looks visibly larger. However, Elliot Temple of Curi.us says that Microsoft is being dishonest in the advertising as the image is not up to scale. He explains on his blog: Microsoft has drawn a 10.1 inch tablet 36% larger than a 9.7 inch tablet (140×78 pixels vs 102×79). This is so far off you can visually see it’s wrong. The iPad has a screen area of 45.16 square inches, which I double checked with a calculator. The ASUS VivoTab Smart has a screen area of 43.56 square inches. That’s right, the ASUS screen is smaller than the iPad’s. The iPad screen is 7.76 by 5.82 inches. The ASUS screen is 8.8 by 4.95 inches. ASUS is larger in one direction but smaller in the other direction, and has 3.55% less area than the iPad, not 36% more as Microsoft depicts. Microsoft had initially also stated that the Windows 8 tablet has a bigger touchscreen than the iPad, but it seems to have removed it. The ASUS VivoTab Smart is lighter than the iPad, has a bigger touchscreen and more ports, works with more printers, lets you see two apps at once, and runs Microsoft Office and other desktop programs. It now just says: The ASUS VivoTab Smart is lighter than the iPad, has more ports, works with more printers, lets you see two apps at once, and runs Microsoft Office and other desktop programs. However, it is yet to fix the image, which shows that the Windows 8 tablet is visibly bigger than the iPad, which is not the case. Temple goes on to write: How can the screen with a larger diagonal measurement be smaller? Because it’s a different shape. Long and thin gets you a bigger diagonal but a smaller screen, for the same diagonal inches. It is quite embarrassing for a company like Microsoft to get caught lying about something like this. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. HT: Daring Fireball Continue reading →

Dots – a very addictive strategy puzzle game for iOS [Review]

David Gilson — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:30:37 +0000

Dots is a game that takes a stylish new twist on a tried and tested game genre. The objective of the game is to collect dots by connecting like colours in horizontal and vertical lines. It sounds simple, but you are playing against the clock. If you think your brain is up to some fast pattern recognition, read on. Dots first appears as being a exceptionally abstract design. Fortunately though, there are simple tutorials that guide you through how to play. You learn that you must connect like-coloured dots and that once connected the dots disappear. You’ll also find that dots fall to fill the space left by the dots you’ve just collected. It’s this falling mechanism that is somewhat reminiscent of the old Columns formula – an old game where you’d match different coloured jewels. One thing that Dots lacks in comparison is that there’s no chain reaction – the game doesn’t automatically match colours, you have to make the connections. As you connect like colours, a bar will grow around the screen if the bar fills the screen’s perimeter you’ll clear every dot of that colour. However, there’s a shortcut if you can draw a square of like-coloured dots that also clears all like-colours. It pays to keep playing because all of those dots you collect can be spent on buying extra tools that enable you to play even better. The acquisition of power extends a social achievement system. There are badges associated with various milestones in the game, such as the number of rounds completed and number of concurrent dots connected. The game also connects to your Twitter and Facebook accounts, and shows you how your friends are doing in comparison to yourself. Considering that Dots is free and doesn’t have any adverts, it’s a surprisingly high quality product. The challenge of the game lays in weighing up the configuration of the board, and making the most strategic choices for which dots to clear so that you might create squares or long lines of dots to collect on the next turn – all of which has to be done against the clock so you can’t spend too long thinking. Ultimately, the longevity of the game will depend on your taste for puzzle and strategy games. It’s at least worth checking out for the refreshing design. Get Dots from the iTunes app store. Continue reading →

Effortlessly make movies from photos with Photo Movie Maker Pro for Mac [Deals Hub]

StackSocial — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:25:27 +0000

If you’re looking for a powerful little Mac app that will help you create sweet videos using your photos and music, then this iPhone Hacks Deals offer is going to be right up your alley. Movie Maker Pro’s simple interface really helps set itself apart from other competitors in the space. The built-in photo editing features not only allow to directly edit your photos before you create a video but you can also add dozens of sweet photo effects to give your final project that extra special touch. If you love taking pictures and are looking for a new and fun way to showcase them then this application is definitely worth a shot – especially for the low price of $19.99. How does it work? Simply drag in your photos and music, drop in a built-in theme and your memories are transformed into a wonderful movie that you can share on DVD and all your other iDevices. You can provide motion, transition and slideshow effects, along with adding background music and subtitles which will give your movie that extra special look you’ve been waiting for. Photo Movie Maker Pro for Mac Features Provide motion, transition and slideshow effects. Edit photo (rotate photo, add text, crop photo, effect photo). Effect photo: 36 kinds of photo effects for you to choose. Add animated captions to photos to help tell the story. Change move in duration and move out duration for themes. 12 kinds of subtitles effects for you to choose. Loop play the imported musics This app will help you make those photgraphed moments all the more memorable – and iPhone Hacks has it for you at a fraction of the regular price. So don’t delay – head to the Deals Hub now and grab Photo Movie Maker Pro for just $19.99 today! Subscribe to our mailing list Continue reading →

Drive Awake app alerts you when you’re drowsy

Rounak Jain — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:22 +0000

Cafe Amazon, a chain of coffee shops in Thailand, has released a new app called “Drive Awake” that alerts you when you’re about to doze off. The whole thing is a neat marketing campaign by the cafe, as the app shows you directions to the nearest Cafe Amazon if you’re found sleeping so that you can get a cup of coffee. Sleep-detection is done by constantly monitoring your eyes using the iPhone’s front facing camera, and setting off an alarm when ever your eyes close. Here’s a video showing how the phone needs to be placed for the app to work properly (skip to 0:34): The app does a decent job at detecting when your eyes close, but it also raises false alarms occasionally. Still worth a try though. You can download the app from this link for free. Eye-tracking was popularised in mobile phones by Samsung with the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy S4. We’ve also told you about an iOS app that brings the S4′s smart pause feature to the iPhone. Via: Gizmodo Continue reading →

Microsoft releases another Windows 8 ad that takes a dig at the iPad

Rounak Jain — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:56:38 +0000

Microsoft follows up on its earlier Windows 8 commercial with yet another ad that takes a dig at iPad’s limited capabilities in certain areas like multitasking, the lack of Microsoft Office, and no MicroSD slot. The ad compares the lack of Microsoft Office on the iPad, but weirdly positions its own OneNote iOS app as the inferior offering. It also highlights the lack of Windows 8′s side-by-side multitasking feature, and also the lack of an inbuilt MicroSD slot, and limited printing capabilities (why printing?!) on the iPad. Apart from software features like multitasking and printing, Microsoft also compares the iPad’s weight and thickness with an Asus tablet. We’ll see what Apple does on this front when it releases the next iPad, rumored to be thinner, lighter and have iPad mini like narrow bezels. Here’s the ad: Tell us what you think of the ad. Is it effective in convincing people to buy Windows 8 tablets over an iPad? Continue reading →