Apple

Siri Exploit Lets Anyone Skip the Lockscreen to Text or Call Contacts

The iPhone lockscreen has never been completely secure. Past exploits allowed random people to access your photos or to make callswith a few choreographed swipes. The latest, however, can grant access to your full contact list through Siri and let a stranger call, text, or email anyone they want from your number. Discovered by Egyptian…

Boosted iPhone Battery Life, Retina iPad Minis, Cheap Storage

Been complaining about your iPhone’s battery life? Today’s the day to do something about it. Get the uNu DX iPhone 5/5S MFi Battery Case for 50 bucks. It comes in multiple colors, greatly improves battery life while staying slim, and has a stack of great reviews to its name. [Groupon] It’s a good day to…

Reminder: Apple vs. Samsung Is Just a Professional Fanboy Fight

Yesterday, a verdict came down in the long, long line of Apple vs. Samsung patent disputes. But before you go thinking this is some huge deal, it’s important to note that nothing’s really solved and nothing will change. And that’s fitting, since this is just a giant fanboy fight. The accusations are big… This is…

Another verdict has been reached in another Apple vs Samsung patent battle in the courts. This time Samsung was found to have infringed on two Apple patents and owes nearly $120 million to Apple. Apple, on the other hand, infringed on one Samsung patent but only owes Samsung $158,000.

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

It’s the weekend. And it’s getting spring-ish out there! You worked hard all week, and so did your smartphone. Time to kick back and relax, and treat yourself—with apps. Multi-Platform Updates SmartAsset You’re probably using some kind of budgeting app to keep tabs on your daily/weekly/monthly expenses, so why not use one to help with…

A Remote Control for Your Smartphone Camera, Built Right Into a Case

A remote shutter release for your smartphone’s camera can help you get better photos, but they’re not terribly useful unless you’ve got one with you when it’s time to take one. iLuv’s new Selfy offers a clever solution to the problem of carrying one around everywhere by building one right into a case. Selfy’s remote…

The Next Version of OS X Might Be a Radical Change Like iOS 7

Last year at WWDC, we got a huge overhaul of Apple’s mobile operating system. And this year, it looks like OS X could be in for the same treatment. According to 9to5Mac, the upcoming OS X 10.10 is going to be a major overhaul, maybe the biggest in OS X history. 9to5Mac reports that OS…

Is There Such a Thing as a Sonic QR Code?

There are at least two things that Sony Pictures marketing executives did not consider when preparing a cross-promotion between its new Spider-Man film and the song-identification app Shazam. I first read about this promotion this morning on io9.com, because pretty much the first thing I read every morning is Morning Spoilers on io9.com. The film…

26 Inspiring Instagrams

Love it or hate it, Instagram is the photographic platform of our era (mixed with a bit of Facebook and Snapchat, of course). Here are 26 reasons why maybe that’s not such a bad thing after all. Winner: ByWard Market Shooting this last Thursday at ByWard Market in Ottawa, I was in trip with few…

Apple’s Updated Macbook Air: Faster Processors, $100 Cheaper

Apple has refreshed its MacBook Air lineup today, with the super-slim laptops now sporting Intel’s latest Haswell silicon to boost their speeds—and selling for $100 less. Both the 11- and 13-inch entry-level Airs now feature a 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, compared to the previous 1.3GHz chip. They still both come with 4GB of…

Why Smartphones Are About to Get Tacky as Hell

If you haven’t seen Samsung’s new teaser for its Galaxy S5 “Crystal Collection,” shield your eyes now—this thing has enough reflective power to blind the sun. And judging by the shape of the smartphone market, phones dripping with crystals will soon be the status quo. Get ready for an army of handsets that shine so…

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

It’s the weekend! We know you worked hard all week, and you’re ready to chill out, max, and relax all cool. Make sure your smartphone’s ready too, with our favorite apps of the week. Android Opera Browser Updated this week for smoother swiping and more stable navigation, Opera’s browser is fast and smooth. “Off-Road” mode…

Apple Will Fix Your iPhone 5’s Sleep Button for Free—If You Qualify

Is your iPhone’s sleep/wake button finicky? You might be in luck. On Friday, Apple announced a new program to fix a small number of iPhone 5s with faulty buttons. Just input your phone’s serial number on this page to see if you qualify. And if you do, be prepared to be without your phone for…

An iPhone App Knows How You Feel By Checking Your Pulse

The Morpholio Project‘s latest development uses an iPhone’s camera and flash as an impromptu pulse monitor, measuring your visceral reaction to the things you’re seeing. It’s like a lie detector for your aesthetic taste, and Morpholio’s Toru Hasegawa let me play with it. The Morpholio Project is a collaboration of architects and academics focused on…

iOS 7.1 Developers’ Source Code Hints at Siri for Apple TV

Apple’s virtual helper might soon appear in additional types of hardware from the tech giant, with snippets of code found within the iOS 7.1 SDK suggesting that a version of Siri for Apple TV may be in the works. The discovery hinges around the device identifier “3” that’s been found inside the Assistant call code…

Apple’s OS X beta program is now open to everybody. Previously, you needed a $100 per year developer account to try out Apple’s latest features buried in the beta builds of its operating system.

Rumor: Danny Boyle to Direct Steve Jobs Movie With Leonardo di Caprio

The Hollywood Reporter claims that producers are tapping up Danny Boyle and Leonardo di Caprio to take on the the latest in a string of Steve Jobs flicks. Rumor has it that the director of Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, and more recently even the London Olympics opening ceremony is to take on the movie after Aaron…

Apple Now Recycles Any Product You Give Back (and Gives You Credit)

Starting today, all of Apple’s retail stores will accept any of the company’s ageing products for recycling—and, if it looks resaleable, you might even get some store credit, too. The scheme is part of Tim Cook’s ambition to “leave the world better than we found it.” As of today, then, Apple will provide “free, responsible…

New Video Goes Inside the Painstaking Design of Apple’s HQ

New details about architect Norman Foster’s design for Apple’s Cupertino HQ have been slow to leak, but this video gives us the most detailed look so far. This building is going to have everything: Native trees! Solar panels! Crazy circular desk spaces! The video contains plenty of awesome footage of the models being made by…

A $15 USB Adapter That Fixes an Annoying iMac Design Flaw

No product has even been made better when functionality follows form, and Apple’s decision to only include USB ports on the back of its iMacs has been frustrating desktop computer users for years. An ugly USB extension cable makes life with an iMac considerably more enjoyable, and now, thanks to Bluelounge’s new Jimi, it doesn’t…