Opera’s latest iOS browser wants to replace your news app
As helpful as apps like Apple News or Flipboard might be for catching up on the day’s events, they can still be a bit of a hassle. After all, you have to switch apps the moment you want to surf the web on your own terms. Opera thinks it can save the day, though: it’s releasing a new version of Opera Coast for iOS with a “for you” feature that brings personalized news to your browser. Visit your home screen and you’ll get aggregated articles from favorite sites without having to switch apps or look for them yourself. If you’re on an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, you can even peek at those stories with a finger press.
Source: App Store
Twitter Announces Digits for tvOS to Simplify the App Login Process
Following in Facebook’s footsteps, Twitter today announced plans to make some of its Fabric developer toolkit available for tvOS apps. Developers will be able to integrate Twitter’s Digits feature into apps, allowing end users to securely sign into tvOS apps using SMS verification.
With Digits, customers can sign up for an app or service using a phone number with Digits providing a confirmation code used for verification purposes in lieu of a password, a feature that’s likely to be handy on the new fourth-generation Apple TV. Entering lengthy passwords using the new Apple TV remote is a hassle and the Digits login feature will remove that pain point in apps that use it.
Using Digits’ device authorization, your app on the Apple TV will show a short alphanumeric code. Your user then simply enters the code on digits.com/appletv via their laptop or smartphone to authorize the device to their account. Once that’s done, the TV device receives a Digits session for the user’s account which you can use to instantly identify your user and personalize their experience.
Along with Digits, developers can also integrate Twitter’s data analysis service, Crashlytics, into apps to track install numbers and crash instances.
Last week, Facebook announced a Facebook SDK for tvOS, designed to allow developers to access Facebook Login, Share to Facebook, and Facebook Analytics for Apps. With Facebook login, customers can sign up for services and log into apps using a similar confirmation code system.
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple game of the year ‘Monument Valley’ is now free on iOS
If you’re looking for a free iOS game, an interesting new option has just opened up. Puzzle-adventure game Monument Valley managed to pull off the hat trick of being fun, zen and beautiful all at the same time — which helped garner it Apple’s Game of the Year and Design awards for 2014. The title, normally $4, is now showing as “free,” though there’s no word on how long that offer will last. After launching in May last year, it had earned $5.8 million by January 2015, mostly from sales to iOS gamers (creator Ustwo said that only 5 percent of Android sales were paid).
Via: @Wario64 (Twitter)
Source: iTunes
Apple Shares New ‘Ridiculously Powerful’ and ‘Hey Siri’ iPhone 6s Ads
Apple tonight shared two new iPhone 6s ads on its YouTube channel, highlighting the Hey Siri feature and the speed of the device at tasks like opening messages, browsing Safari, using Messages, playing games, and using the camera.
The first video, “Ridiculously Powerful,” focuses on the speed of the iPhone’s A9 processor and shows it being used for Apple Pay, games, taking photos and video, and more. “Not much has changed, except it’s ridiculously powerful, which makes everything faster,” says the opening narration.
The second video, “Hey Siri,” focuses on the always-on Hey Siri feature of the iPhone 6s. With older iPhones, Hey Siri could only be activated when the iPhone was plugged in, but with the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, hands-free Siri voice activation is available at all times.
These two latest videos are part of Apple’s iPhone 6s “The only thing that’s changed is everything” campaign, a tagline and concept Apple CEO Tim Cook first introduced when the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus debuted in September to highlight their revamped internals. Apple has released several advertisements using the wording, focusing on the iPhone’s camera, Siri, and 3D Touch.
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple Honors World AIDS Day for the Fifth Year With Red Store Logos
Continuing a tradition begun four years ago, Apple today has joined in recognizing World AIDS Day by coloring Apple logos on its retail stores around the world bright red. The worldwide event was established to represent the global fight in preventing HIV and AIDS, as well as promoting healthy education of the diseases, a cause Apple has helped forward with its line of (PRODUCT)RED accessories.
World AIDS Day decoration at Apple’s Brussels, Belgium store from Twitter user WJPM
As in years past, the company has taken to promoting the World AIDS Day events not only in retail locations but on its online storefront, as well. The home page of Apple.com today encourages visitors to shop the company’s (PRODUCT)RED line of Mac, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Apple Watch, and Beats accessories to help promote and fund AIDS defense and awareness.
Apple Stores known to be participating in the event include the Bondi Junction location near Sydney, Australia, the Brussels, Belgium store, and Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue spot in New York City. The company quietly launched a (PRODUCT)RED leather case for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus yesterday in time for the December 1 event, and teamed up with iOS developer Supercell in an exclusive promotional event that will let players purchase rare in-game items with 100 percent of proceeds going to the Global Fund to fight AIDS.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple Teams Up With Supercell for 2015 World AIDS Day Campaign
Apple is gearing up for its annual World Aids Day campaign and has partnered with popular iOS app developer Supercell for a (SUPERCELL)RED promotion that will see the developer offering a special in-game decorative item for purchase, with 100 percent of proceeds going towards the Global Fund to fight AIDS.
Supercell is the developer behind some of the most profitable apps in the App Store, with Clash of Clans currently ranked as the number three most profitable app and Boom Beach ranked as number 10. From now until December 4 at 8:00 a.m., players who purchase a (Pile of Gems)RED pack in Clash of Clans, a (Pile of Diamonds)RED in Boom Beach, or a (Bag of Diamonds)RED in Hay Day can contribute to the fight against AIDS.
Apple has a long history of working with (PRODUCT)RED to fund AIDS research and charity work, and the company has run a World AIDS Day campaign for the last several years. Each year, Apple highlights World AIDS day on its website and decorates its retail stores with red Apple logos. With World AIDS day taking place tomorrow, December 1, Apple retail stores are expected to see decorations going up this afternoon and this evening.
Apple has also released an official (PRODUCT)RED leather case for the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, which joins the (PRODUCT)RED silicone case that was released alongside the new iPhones in September.
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple Teams Up With Supercell for 2015 World AIDS Day Campaign
Apple is gearing up for its annual World Aids Day campaign and has partnered with popular iOS app developer Supercell for a (SUPERCELL)RED promotion that will see the developer offering a special in-game decorative item for purchase, with 100 percent of proceeds going towards the Global Fund to fight AIDS.
Supercell is the developer behind some of the most profitable apps in the App Store, with Clash of Clans currently ranked as the number three most profitable app and Boom Beach ranked as number 10. From now until December 4 at 8:00 a.m., players who purchase a (Pile of Gems)RED pack in Clash of Clans, a (Pile of Diamonds)RED in Boom Beach, or a (Bag of Diamonds)RED in Hay Day can contribute to the fight against AIDS.
Apple has a long history of working with (PRODUCT)RED to fund AIDS research and charity work, and the company has run a World AIDS Day campaign for the last several years. Each year, Apple highlights World AIDS day on its website and decorates its retail stores with red Apple logos. With World AIDS day taking place tomorrow, December 1, Apple retail stores are expected to see decorations going up this afternoon and this evening.
Apple has also released an official (PRODUCT)RED leather case for the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, which joins the (PRODUCT)RED silicone case that was released alongside the new iPhones in September.
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple Releases (PRODUCT)RED Leather Cases for iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
An official (PRODUCT)RED version of Apple’s leather case for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has been spotted in at least one Apple retail store today, as reported by French tech site iGeneration [Google Translate]. When the new line of iPhones debuted in September, only the silicone case was offered in a (PRODUCT)RED option.
The (PRODUCT)RED leather case for the iPhone 6s hasn’t appeared yet on Apple’s online store, but will most likely soon follow if the company keeps slowly rolling out the case to its retail locations around the country. When it does, it’ll no doubt come in at the same price of the other leather cases sold by Apple, costing $45 for the iPhone 6s version and $49 for the iPhone 6s Plus version.
A portion of sales from Apple’s entire (PRODUCT)RED lineup goes to the Global Fund to help fund AIDS programs in Africa. Most recently, the company introduced (PRODUCT)RED accessories for the Apple Watch, debuting a new collection and band in the bright red color option during its September “Hey Siri” media event.
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple’s next iPhone reportedly ditches the headphone jack
Apple’s quest for ever-thinner, ever-smarter devices may produce another casualty: your iPhone’s headphone jack. A rumor at MacOtakara claims that the next iPhone might drop the 3.5mm port and use the Lightning port for audio instead. The move would let Apple slim its phone even further (reportedly, over 1mm thinner than the iPhone 6s) and take advantage of Lightning’s features, such as headphone-based DACs and app launching. You’d have to use an adapter for any conventional wired headphones, or else make the leap to Bluetooth.
Via: MacRumors
Source: MacOtakara (translated)
Microsoft’s Cortana iPhone app rolls out to beta testers
Less than a month after kicking off the Cortana for iPhone beta signups, Microsoft has started rolling out the app to people who showed interest in testing it. As TechCrunch points out, the early build is being distributed through TestFlight, a developer-focused service that lets iOS users try applications before their public release. Based on the app’s current description, Microsoft is asking testers to set a Cortana reminder on a Windows 10 PC and see how it works with an iPhone, as well as communicate with the virtual assistant and observe how she responds to queries. Back in August, Cortana also arrived on Android via public beta, so it’s only a matter of time before Microsoft officially releases it on Google and Apple’s mobile platforms.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Microsoft News
AIVAnet 