Apple

The iPhone Is One of the Best Google Phones You Can Buy

The addition of Google Now to the iOS App Store has granted iPhone owners access to one of Google’s most useful products. But it did something else, too. It made the iPhone a better Google phone than the vast majority of Android phones you can buy. https://gizmodo.com/google-now-for-iphone-and-ipad-its-here-and-its-gre-484296181 The Android Experience Let’s be clear right up…

Google Now for iPhone and iPad: It’s Here, and It’s Great (UPDATED)

Rumors have been swirling that Google Now (the Big G’s super-useful personal assistant application) would be coming to the search page on Google.com, but surprise! Our friends on iOS are getting the love first. Starting today, Google Now will be rolled into the Google Search app for iPhone and iPad. https://gizmodo.com/google-might-change-google-com-and-make-using-the-inter-5995205 Google Now, for those…

Undercover Cops Are Selling iPhones On The Street To Get People To Stop Buying Stolen iPhones

In San Francisco police are trying a new tactic to disincentivize people from buying stolen iPhones: they’re trapping them in undercover stings. Wearing plain clothes, the officers are going around certain city areas and selling iPhones which they readily indicate are stolen. When someone tries to buy one, they make an arrest. The goal is…

Drawnimal, Netflix, and More

Adults shouldn’t have all the fun. This week’s set of iPad apps includes something for the kids as well as a beloved, improved toy all your very own. Drawnimal: It seems kind of ridiculous to integrate an iDevice into crayon and paper drawing time. Some things are sacred. But for kids who are addicted to…

Drippler, FocusTwist, Akatu, and More

Take beautiful shots, drink responsibly, cover up bodily functions, and improve your phone. Sound like an unattainable amount of multitasking? Not really, if you have this round of the best iPhone apps of the week to assist you.

Drippler: Turn Your Phone Into the Best Damn Phone It Can Be

Already a favorite among Android users, Drippler’s highly helpful, personalized suggestions and tips are finally making their way into the hands of iPhone users everywhere. What does it do? Takes note of your iPhone model and carrier, then comes up with a feed of all the newest phone fixes, apps, and other goodies it thinks…

Twitter for Mac Is Finally Updated for the First Time in Over a Year

After an absurdly long silence, Twitter has finally announced an admittedly small set of updates to its OS X client. And at this point, we’ll take what we can get. Among the improvements, the Tweet compose box now includes a convenient button for easier photo-sharing—photos that are finally getting the full Retina support they so…

Akatu Fake Shower: Drown Out Embarrassing Bathroom Sounds With a Fake Shower App

Whether you just started dating someone or are hanging out a friend’s, you’re generally going to prefer that they not hear the symphony of sounds you’re making in the bathroom. Sure, you can turn the shower on as a ruse—but our planet is strained enough as is. Fortunately for both you and Mother Earth, Akatu…

Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Camera Versus the Competition

Last month, we tested the best smartphone cameras out there and declared the HTC One’s ultrapixel camera the master of all. Now it’s time to see how the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Sony Xperia Z measure up. https://gizmodo.com/htc-one-ultrapixel-camera-versus-the-competition-5990360 Today, we’re comparing the cameras on five top smartphones: The Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z, HTC…

A Look Inside Afghanistan’s Almost-Apple Store

Fake Apple stores are nothing new. China has a slew of them, all polished and shiny, appearing almost as if they are the genuine article at a glance. Quartz dug up some details on Afghanistan’s (fake) Apple store, and though it’s a bit more frumpy than most, it still gets the job done. https://gizmodo.com/fake-chinese-apple-store-looks-amazingly-real-5822918 Located…

Apple’s announced its Worldwide Developers Conference will kick off June 10th in San Francisco. Brace yourself for news.

Booze-Tracking Bluetooth Breathalyzer Counts Down Your Return To Sobriety

An experienced imbiber has a pretty good idea of when they’ll return to the land of the sober based on what type, and how much hooch they’ve consumed. But if you need a more detailed ETA on when you might be able to drive, walk, or even stand again, the BACtrack breathalyzer connects to a…

Looks like some of Apple’s systems are having a little case of the morning crankies. Only some users should be affected.

The Only Thing Apple Really Sells

A recent Wall Street Journal article posits an interesting question: Is Apple a hardware company or a software company? Does it sell iPhones or iClouds? The answer has deep meaning for the analysts who evaluate the company’s worth. It’s framed as an identity crisis, one with dangerous implications for the most dominant consumer electronics company…

Voice Control Is Coming to DirecTV’s Smartphone App

DirecTV released their (long overdue) Android tablet app just over a month ago, and it looks like that low-key entrance was paving the way something bigger: a voice control rollout over both its iPhone and Android mobile apps. https://gizmodo.com/directv-ipad-app-updated-to-let-you-stream-video-anywhe-5895343 Prosaically dubbed “Voice,” the app’s addition is powered by a combination of Nuance software and DirecTV’s…

FocusTwist: The Closest to a Lytro Camera Your iPhone Can Get

While we’ll still have to wait a bit for Lytro powers to come to our smartphones on a hardware level, we can at least approximate the neat little camera’s refocusing powers with what we’ve already got. And this is where FocusTwist for iOS steps in. https://gizmodo.com/how-your-smartphone-will-get-lytro-like-superpowers-5988341 What’s it do? Lytro employs light-field technology when it…

Turn Your iPad Mini Into the Perfectly Sized Desktop Arcade

There are already numerous arcade accessories for the iPhone and iPad, but this iPad Mini version seems to strike the perfect balance of compact size versus playable controls. https://gizmodo.com/the-rad-icade-mobile-icade-for-iphone-and-icade-core-j-5874342 The Arcadie cabinet docks with your iPad’s mini lightning port for power and connectivity, and works with a handful of free clones of classic arcade games…

Netflix’s Updated iOS App Comes With a Shiny, New Intuitive Design

While it may not be quite the total overhaul some were hoping for, Netflix has just released a not-quite-major but definitely more convenient update to its iOS app. https://gizmodo.com/rethinking-netflixs-design-5995023 The biggest change comes with a redesigned, more intuitive UI that lets you flip through what you’ve already started watching—and are most likely to want access…

Yahoo’s New Summly-Integrated News App Is Now Live

Today marks the launch of a new Yahoo news app for iOS that integrates Summly, its recent acquisition from a certain industrious young entrepreneur , that’s made specifically “with smaller screens in mind.” In other words, it’s only available for iPhone and iPod touch for now. https://gizmodo.com/how-i-made-a-15-year-old-app-developer-cry-5830076 The small-screen-intent obviously means redesigned article pages to…

Apple Has Reportedly Rejected Up to 8 Million iPhones Delivered By Foxconn

China Business is reporting that Apple has returned up to a mind-boggling 8 million iPhones to Foxconn because of quality issues. It’s not clear which model of iPhone didn’t come up to scratch, but China Business suggests that between five and eight million handsets were returned “due to appearance of substandard or dysfunctional problems.” The…