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Showing posts from February, 2015

Google launches YouTube Kids app for iOS; US only for now

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As a report had indicated last week , Google has gone ahead and unveiled a YouTube app for kids called YouTube Kids. Its the first product that Google has built from the ground up for kids that is aimed at making it safer and easier for your little ones to browse and watch videos on topics they want.  The app has been designed keeping kids in mind and comes with large images, bold icons and bigger buttons to allow for easier navigation. Additionally, it features voice control, just in case your child prefers searching for videos by voice commands rather than typing on the search bar YouTube Kids only provides access to four different categories of videos that are suited for childrens: Shows, Music, Learning and Explore. It will contain content from DreamWorks TV, Jim Henson TV, Talking Tom and Friends and more with contents from more providers coming soon. The app features handy parental control options like built-in timer to limit t...

Legend turns text into fun animations to spice up your messaging apps

Static chats are already old news. It’s time to throw something fresh in the mix with images featuring animated texts. You poignant posts on WhatsApp should have even more of an effect. Legend – Animated Text in Video & GIF  is a text creator that lets you customize whatever you have to say and turns it into a fun animation that you can share with others through your various messaging apps. This app was created by Stupiflix, the development team that brought us the video editing apps  Replay  and  Steady Camera . Users begin by entering text. Ask your friends what their dinner plans are, tell your mom that you are on your way home, or ask your coworker to cover for you while you take a nap. Then, choose an animation style along with a color and background combination. You can save the animation as a video or GIF. Then, post it to Instagram, Twitter, iMessage, WhatsApp, and more. You can also add and crop one of your own pictures from your camer...

Download the best deals on apps and games for a limited time (Feb 16)

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We have some great apps for you today that have gone free for a short duration on the App Store, including Battery Life Magic Pro, Reverser Cam, Battlestations: Midway and more. Free Games: Aliens Abducted HD : This is an extreme geography challenger! Travel with 3 aliens over the world in a life or death game, only your knowledge can save them! $2.99 → Free Starbounder : Harkening back to the golden age of PC shareware titles, Starbounder delivers the kind of intensity that only hardcore gamers can handle! $0.99 → Free Moto Race : Moto Race – Collect coins and don’t crash, complete the levels as fast as possible to achieve maximum score points. $1.99 → Free Royal Defense: Invisible Threat : The castle needs a hero – hordes of trolls are surrounding it! Build towers, save money, learn spells, and keep the enemy away! $0.99 → Free Free Apps: Battery Life Magic Pro: The Battery Saver : Improve battery life by running full cycle charges & following the tips in the app...

PSA: A jailbreak tweak can permanently brick your iPhone or iPad

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As jailbreaking iOS devices has gotten easier over the years, the likelihood of bricking them in the process has reduced. But don’t think your device is safe once jailbreaking is complete. One developer has discovered an exploit that can brick iPhones and iPads permanently. Redditor arcticsn0w has created a proof-of-concept tweak called KilliOS that, once installed, prevents your iOS device from ever booting up again. It’s irreversible, so if it happens to make its way onto your iPhone or iPad, there is no going back. What’s worrying is that the exploit is based on a recent bootcolor-changing jailbreak tweak from dayt0n that alters a device’s VRAM. While arcticsn0w doesn’t intend to break devices with his code, he has made it available to prove how dangerous it can be. “It is an empty package which messes with nvram values in the postinst script, and then forces a reboot,” arcticsn0w explains in his  original Reddit post . “Installing this package wil...

Apple’s plan to bring Apple Pay to China have stalled

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Apple has repeatedly made it clear that it is very interested in bringing Apple Pay to China and other markets of the world. In fact, the first iOS 8.3 beta seeded by the company to developers last week had support for China UnionPay in Apple Pay.  However, it looks like the company’s efforts have hit a roadblock with its talks with UnionPay stalling. In addition, Apple is yet to acknowledge regulators, which has led to a confusion as to whether or not Apple Pay even meets the government’s requirements before the service can be launched to the public. The central bank official who asked not to be named said regulators have not intervened in negotiations between Apple and UnionPay, which began last year and were reportedly aimed at an agreement by March. Many regulators who looked into how Apple Pay worked have already raised doubts about its compliance with Chinese regulations and security standards. For access to any NFC system in China, ...

VLC for iOS will be back in the App Store shortly; Available for users who had installed it previously

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Towards the end of last year, the VideoLAN team revealed that VLC for iOS was all set to return to the App Store as soon as it was approved by Apple. More than 1.5 months later, it looks like the VLC team is finally ready to release their app on the App Store once again.  While the app listing is yet to go live, many users on Reddit are reporting that they were able to update their existing installation of VLC to the latest version (2.4.1) earlier today. In case you had installed VLC on your iOS device before it disappeared in the September 2014, you can head over to the Purchased section of the iOS App Store to download the app right away. If not, you will have to wait until the app’s listing goes live on the App Store. VLC for iOS was first launched in late 2010 and was pulled from the App Store in early 2011 because of licensing issues. The app returned to the App Store more than two years later in 2013,...

QR Mode turns the stock Camera app into an awesome QR code reader

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In some countries, like Japan for example, QR codes are prolific and people user them often. Although that’s not the case in the United States, and probably never will be, it does seem like there has been an uptick in QR code usage in the last few years. A new jailbreak tweak called QR Mode will certainly help its cause, among jailbreakers at least. QR Mode is by far the best looking and best functioning QR code reader on Cydia, and it’s even better than standalone app offerings found in the App Store. Its feature set is well-rounded, its implementation seriously impressive, and it doesn’t feel overly intrusive. Although it suffers from a few bugs, QR Mode is well worth its $1.99 asking price, especially if these bugs can be stamped out. The great thing about QR Mode is that it supports a plethora of QR code types, and features data parsing that allows you to perform actions with the data read from these codes. The following QR code types are supported:...

BerryC8 allows you to launch your favorite apps from the Lock screen [Jailbreak Tweak]

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BerryC8 is amazing new jailbreak tweak by developer Max Katzmann that allows you to launch your favorite apps directly from the Lock screen. What’s so interesting about the tweak is that it has been developed with Touch ID in mind providing a seamless experience to users who own a device that supports Touch ID. The tweak allows you to add up to 8 applications to the Lock screen and launch it directly from there. Only four applications will be displayed at once on the Lock screen but if you’ve added more than four apps, you can simply swipe from the right or the left edge of the screen to switch between the first and the second page. In order to launch a specific app from the Lock screen on a Touch ID enabled device, hold your finger on the app icon and drag it downwards to the bottom center of the screen. As you’ve reached the end of the screen, continue to move your finger towards the Touch ID to unlock your device and launch the app simultaneous...

How to watch the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 live on your iPhone or iPad

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The 44 days long ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 started on Friday with a match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. While cricket is not a popular sport in developed countries like USA and Europe, it is still followed by billions of people across the world.  Since it is the World Cup, broadcasters from around the world will be providing viewers with the ability to view the matches on their PCs, iPhones, iPads and other devices apart from just the idiot box. Depending on your region though, you will have to use the app from the official broadcaster of your region on your iPhone or iPad to view the live stream and might have to subscribe to some packages from them as well. India India is one of the largest cricket following nations in the world. With the India vs. Pakistan match scheduled today, the World Cup fever is already going to reach its peak in the country today. If you won’t be in front of a TV to enjoy all the action though, you can live stream the...

Microsoft’s Outlook second update for iOS brings IMAP support and more

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Less than three weeks after it was initially launched on the App Store, Microsoft has started rolling out the second update for its Outlook app for iOS.  The update bumps the version number to 1.0.4 and adds the much requested IMAP support to the app, which makes it compatible with a wider number of email service providers. Additionally, the update also adds support for PIN enforcement policies set by server administrators and improves accessibility. It was only last week that Microsoft had rolled out the first update for its Outlook app that added support for advanced account settings and the ability to disable emails being grouped as conversation. While not a major update, the support for IMAP based email accounts in itself will allow more people to switch to Outlook as their primary email app on their iPhone or iPad. I have already switched over to the Outlook app as my default email client on my iPhone and iPad because of its integration with calendars ...

How to auto hide the dock and remove its delay on the Mac

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The idea of auto hiding the dock has always seemed appealing, because it give back the real estate normally lost by an always-present dock. The downside to auto hide, however, is the slight delay that occurs whenever the dock shows and hides. For me, the delay totally kills the idea of using auto hide. But what if you could remove the delay? In this tutorial, I will show you how to have the best of both worlds: a dock that is hidden, yet at the same time immediately accessible due to the omission of the annoying delay. Step 1: Open Terminal Step 2: Copy and paste the following command into a Terminal window: defaults write com.apple.dock autohide -bool true && defaults write com.apple.dock autohide-delay -float 0 && defaults write com.apple.dock autohide-time-modifier -float 0 && killall Dock To remove all of these changes, and bring back your dock, simply paste the following command into a  Terminal window: defaults delete...

Aoraki: Jailbreak tweak provides system-wide access to shortcuts in iOS 8

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There are a bunch of tweaks in Cydia that allow you to quickly compose a Whatsapp message, tweet a post, share a song and more. Aoraki is an all-in-one jailbreak tweak that provides system-wide access to such shortcuts in iOS 8. The tweak adds a green floating button to the screen which can be accessed from anywhere within iOS. Tapping on the button opens a new interface providing the following shortcuts: Quick compose for Whatsapp, Mail, iMessage, Twitter and Facebook Share files using iOS’s filesystem Share songs and photos on your device Quickly enable or disable various settings toggles Open the camera Search the App Store, Amazon store, Instagram, Twitter and various other sources Respring, reboot or shutdown your device Put your device into safemode Clean the user interface cache The tweak also allows you to re-position the floating button on the screen by long holding on it and dragging it around the screen. Once you install t...

iOS 9 said to focus on ‘huge’ stability improvements and overall optimization

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Every year since 2007, Apple has released a brand new version of its mobile operating system, iOS, for its mobile devices. Some of those updates are huge, and others focus on other things. This year, when Apple unveils the newest version of iOS, which is expected to be called iOS 9, it’s believed that Apple will be focusing on more under-the-hood tweaks and fixes, making sure that the overall user experience continues to get refined and improved across the board. This suggestion is again postulated by a new report published by 9to5Mac , which states that Apple’s iOS 9 will have “huge” stability and optimization focus. Apple has been busy adding new features into iOS over the last several years, including many marquee standout options like Touch ID, the general overhaul to the aesthetic of iOS with iOS 7, and iOS 8’s laying the groundwork for the upcoming Apple Watch. Add to the mix support for Apple Pay, Notification Center, Control Center and more, and iOS has cert...

Apple Pay now supported by the White House with federal payment cards

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As Apple Pay continues to gain support from banks and credit unions, some high-profile names have yet to jump on board. That changes today with one major entity proclaiming support for Apple’s mobile payments system. On Friday, February 13, the White House officially pronounced support for Apple Pay via its federal payment cards. With this newly announced support, individuals that receive veterans or Social Security benefits via a debit card will be able to use Apple Pay to use those cards on their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. “ The deal includes the Direct Express payment network and government cards issued through GSA SmartPay, which handles more than 87.4 million transaction worth $26.4 billion each year, according to the General Services Administration. “ The support of the government, especially in terms of specifics benefits payments, shows the security that Apple Pay boasts and should go a long way to propel Apple Pay even further. [via Bloomberg ]

AT&T launching a $75 7GB Mobile Share Value plan on February 15

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Verizon Wireless just did some tweaking of its own when it comes to its More Everything data plans, and not to be outdone, AT&T is making some announcements of its own. Starting Sunday, February 15, AT&T will activate a brand new, “limited time” 7GB data tier for its Mobile Share Value plans. As is par for the course with AT&T’s Mobile Share Value plans, this new 7GB per month plan includes unlimited talk and text, and that data allotment will be shared with any other lines on the account. It will also include AT&T’s brand new Rollover Data feature, which will see any unused data roll over to the next month for usage. As far as pricing goes, the new plan will run $75 per month, and AT&T also includes a monthly access charge for a smartphone on the line, too. Normally, with a two-year agreement, this access charge runs $40 per month. However, AT&T will save that access charge down to $15 per month if a customer picks up a new smartphone on AT...

You can now run the Windows 10 Technical Preview on your Mac with Parallels Desktop

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You can now run the Windows 10 Technical Preview on your Mac with Parallels Desktop Want a taste of what’s to come for those who use Windows? With the latest version of Parallels Desktop 10, you can run Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 Technical Preview on your Mac without even leaving Yosemite. That means you can test out Windows’ new Start menu, Cortana integration, the new Windows Store, and lots more ahead of its consumer debut this fall. You can also run all of your favorite Windows apps, including the new Office Preview for Windows 10. It should be noted, however, that Windows 10 support in Parallels Desktop is “experimental,” which means you may run into some bugs and other instabilities that still need to be ironed out. “Parallels Desktop enjoys very strong support among software developers and IT pros,” said Parallels president Jack Zubarev. “We are happy to deliver all the tools they need to quickly and safely test or run the latest OS and applications, now incl...

How to free up space on your iPhone or iPad quickly and easily with PhoneExpander

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How to free up space on your iPhone or iPad quickly and easily with PhoneExpander I’ve some good news. If you’re grappling with the storage space issue on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch now, then there is a much easier and faster way to free up space on your device, thanks to a new Mac app called PhoneExpander by  Nice Mohawk . It makes the process lot more easier and user friendly. In this guide, I am going to show you how to use the tools offered by the app to remove temporary files, delete unwanted apps, and also take a backup and delete photos and videos from your iPhone in just a few minutes. How to use PhoneExpander to free up space PhoneExpander is currently available only for Mac. The developer plans to develop a Windows version in the future, but they’re currently focussing on the Mac version. PhoneExpander officially supports iOS 7 or later, though the developer has tested it successfully ...

ESPN app goes universal, refreshed UI and more in new update

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ESPN app goes universal, refreshed UI and more in new update ESPN, one of the leading names when it comes to sports, has updated its iOS app to better fit on larger displays, and do so with a nice new aesthetic. On Thursday, February 12, ESPN officially updated its iOS app to make it a universal option, as well as picking up support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Now, when downloading ESPN for an iPhone, the app will also be fully supported on the iPad as well, which should help those who like to keep up on sports scores and news keep up-to-date no matter which iOS device they’re using (as long as it’s running iOS 8 or later). The latest update brings ESPN up to version 4.2, and comes with other great new additions as well, including ESPN Now, which will let users swipe to the right and access a livestream of newly added news stories, photos, videos and more. The app now also supports news and updates from the Cricket World Cup. The traditional bug fixes and per...

Report: Apple is gearing up to launch refreshed MacBook Air as inventory tightens

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Report: Apple is gearing up to launch refreshed MacBook Air as inventory tightens Posted by Rajesh Pandey on Feb 11, 2015 | 0 Comments According to sources of  Apple Insider,  Apple has stopped sending out fresh shipments of certain MacBook Air models before their rumored refresh with Intel’s Broadwell processors later this month. The company has also given retailers the green signal to sell certain 11″ and 13″ MacBook Air variants at a reduced price to get rid of the inventory. The company has not made any official statements to its retailers and distributors in the United States and Europe, but its actions clearly hint at the launch of a refreshed MacBook Air sometime soon. Rumors have indicated that Apple plans on releasing the refreshed MacBook Air on February 24th with Intel’s latest Broadwell processor that feature a powerful inbuilt GPU and offer an even better power-to-performance ratio. The Cupertino company is also expe...

New leaks further indicate that Samsung Galaxy S6 may look a lot like the iPhone 6

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New leaks further indicate that Samsung Galaxy S6 may look a lot like the iPhone 6 If the sketches and renderings of the Galaxy S6 made by Korean website UnderKG  are to be believed, Samsung’s upcoming flagship is going to look a look like the iPhone 6. The sketches and renders are based on the actual dimensions and design cues of the Galaxy S6, which the website received from its sources.  The website claims that the Galaxy S6 would have a dimension of 143.3mm x 70.8mm x 6.9mm, which makes it slightly taller and wider than the iPhone 6. The difference in dimensions makes sense when you consider the fact that the Galaxy S6 is rumored to come with a 5.1-inch display, while the iPhone 6 features a 4.7-inch display. The website has also made some renders of the Galaxy S6 based on the leaks and rumors, which shows the handset having metallic edges that look strikingly similar to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It is always possible tha...

Jailbreakers: You can no longer downgrade from iOS 8.1.3 to iOS 8.1.2

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Jailbreakers: You can no longer downgrade from iOS 8.1.3 to iOS 8.1.2 Even though Apple released iOS 8.1.3 on January 27th, which killed the TaiG and PP jailbreak, it was still possible to downgrade from iOS 8.1.3 back to iOS 8.1.2 as Apple did not stop signing the iOS 8.1.2 firmware file. This was useful for jailbreakers, as one could downgrade back to iOS 8.1.2, and re-jailbreak your device using the TaiG jailbreak for Windows and PP Jailbreak for Mac. Unfortunately it will be no longer possible to downgrade to iOS 8.1.2 from iOS 8.1.3 as Apple has just stopped signing iOS 8.1.2 file. This was confirmed by Callum Jones , who runs the ipsw.me site, that provides real-time signing status for iOS firmware files. This doesn’t come as a surprise as over the last few years, Apple has used this strategy to keep jailbreakers at bay. It not only releases new software updates, that fixes the vulnerabilities used by the jailbreaks, it also stops signing t...

iPhone 6 Plus users consume twice as much data as iPhone 6 owners

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iPhone 6 Plus users consume twice as much data as iPhone 6 owners Choosing an iPhone 6 Plus over an iPhone 6 could have a big impact on your data consumption, new research has found. Owners of Apple’s larger device tend to use it more like a tablet — watching more video and playing more games — which means they’re eating up their data allowance much faster. Almost every iPhone 6 Plus owner I know has told me that they’ve hardly picked up their iPad since adopting their new smartphone. Its 5.5-inch display makes it ideal for watching movies and TV shows on the go and browsing the web, and it’s the perfect size for mobile gaming. As a result, it’s leading to an increase in data usage, according to a new report from Citrix . On average, 6 Plus users consume twice as much data as those with the smaller iPhone 6 — which means it’s not only more expensive to buy, but also more expensive to keep long-term. The iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s consume around half as much data as th...