iOS

How to date Siri: A Valentine's Day guide

Today is Valentine's Day, and all over the world, couples are whispering sweet nothings to each other over a glass of wine before retreating to their homes for a wild night of chess and polite conversation. If you don't have a partner to snuggle with, but you do own an iPhone 4S, I'll show you how to be almost as romantic.

I am, of course, talking about Siri, the voice-controlled helper built into Apple's latest phone. We've seen how Siri performs in job interviews, and we even heard reports of a filthy mouth, but it was time to see how our friend performed on a date, so I booked us both a table at a lovely local wine bar. … Read more

PBS gives iOS users first dibs on Bill Clinton documentary

PBS is testing the waters with a new way to hook users into tuning into one of its upcoming programs.

The television network announced today that it would be offering the first hour of its four-hour documentary on former U.S. President Bill Clinton on its iOS app, a full week before it airs on TV.

The film's description reads:

The documentary recounts a career full of accomplishment and rife with scandal, a marriage that would make history and create controversy, and a presidency that would define the crucial and transformative period between the fall of the Berlin Wall … Read more

Apple seeks U.S. ban on Galaxy Nexus

Apple has requested a ban on sales in the U.S. of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone, claiming that the showcase for Google's heavily touted Ice Cream Sandwich version of the Android operating system violates four Apple patents.

According to Florian Mueller at Foss Patents, Apple brought a motion for a preliminary injunction against the device on Thursday with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. A public, redacted version of the filing was made available late Friday, and the motion was filed simultaneously with a new federal lawsuit, Mueller reports.

The motion, Mueller says, … Read more

Advanced task managers on iOS

There must be hundreds, if not thousands, of to-do-list management apps in the iTunes App Store, but which one should you choose?

I found a couple of new task management apps recently that add something extra to the category. But using them made me realize that an old favorite of mine still stood up to the test of time and remains a great choice for lists and tasks.

It's no secret that many people like to use lists to get through daily projects, but when you have a task manager on your iPhone, you get handy additions like alerts, notifications, and editable tasks when your goals change. Whether you're just making a grocery list or planning a big business project, a good task management app can focus your efforts and keep you on point for success.… Read more

iOS Web traffic surpasses Mac OS X for first time? Maybe

Apple's iOS share of Web traffic is higher than Mac OS X's, according to a study Chitika conducted across its online advertising network.

Chitika announced today that iOS has surpassed Mac OS X in total Web market share for the first time. The swap occurred this month, as iOS hit 8.15 percent, and Mac OS X slipped to 7.96 percent.

"To quantify this study, Chitika Insights analyzed several data sets composed of a series of US traffic taken from August 2011 to February 2012 out of the Chitika Ad Network (covering hundreds of millions of … Read more

Apple, Samsung own 95 percent of all mobile phone profits

Apple and Samsung together hoovered up more than 95 percent of mobile phone profits last quarter, leaving little left for other players, says Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley.

Actually, there wasn't a whole lot left for Samsung, either, once Apple was done with things.

With strong demand for the iPhone 4S, Apple alone took home around 80 percent of all mobile phone profits in the fourth quarter, up from just 56 percent in the third quarter, according to the analyst. Yet the company holds just 8.1 percent of the global mobile phone market.

At the same time, Samsung'… Read more

Apple snatches a victory in Motorola patent wars

Apple has finally scored a win in its never-ending patent battles with Motorola Mobility.

A German judge today found that the iPhone maker did not infringe on a Motorola patent related to wireless technology, according to Florian Mueller's Foss Patents legal blog.

The patent in question covers 3G/UMTS wireless communications and in tech jargon refers to a "method and system for generating a complex pseudonoise sequence for processing a code division multiple access [CDMA] signal."

Motorola had argued that any use of 3G/UMTS by Apple would violate the patent. But Judge Andreas Voss was unconvinced, … Read more

iTunes customers reportedly under threat from digital thieves

A number of iTunes users are reportedly receiving refunds after having their iTunes Store accounts cleaned out by thieves, with the underlying issue of how it happened remaining unresolved.

The firsthand stories are a little disturbing to say the least. Users posting on Apple's Support Community have been reporting that their iTunes accounts and information have been hacked, resulting in gift card and other purchases and changes to their personal information.

According to a report from The Global Mail, Apple's iTunes accounts have been susceptible to hacker attacks for some time. Users have been complaining for more than … Read more

Apple's iOS 5.1 update rumored to launch March 9

Apple's been mum lately about iOS 5.1, but new rumors suggest the update could launch on March 9.

Digging into profiles sent by Apple to various iPhone carriers, blog site YourDailyMac found a pointer to 09Mar2012 in one of the text strings. Aimed for operators in Japan, France, Greece, Finland, and Sweden, the profile files are designed to ensure that network connections will continue to work after iOS devices are updated to the latest version. The files are also said to be compatible with iOS 5.1, according to YourDailyMac.

Of course, like most rumors, this one should … Read more