Klout for iPhone goes 2.0: personalized content stream, topic explorer, Klout Perks and more

Klout started out in 2008 with the promise of measuring the world’s influence. Although its rapid rise to fame has inspired a bunch of similar services, Klout has remained my favorite social media analytics. 

Upon connecting your social media accounts with Klout, the service calculates your score on a scale of 1-100, depending on the popularity of your posts as measured by the number of interactions and reposts from your community, among other factors. 

To derive your score, Klout processes an astounding 50 billion pieces of information every single day. Granted, Klout isn’t the most accurate social analytics tool out there, but it does help you get noticed for your unique passions. 

Besides, the team is dutifully adding new features on a regular basis. My only gripe with Klout: its sub-par iPhone app – and I’m using the term ‘app’ loosely here – that would only let me see my Klout score and nothing else. 

Today’s version 2.0 update changes all that by adding several much-needed features such as personalized content streams, the new content scheduler and topic explorers, Klout Perks and more… 

Klout for iPhone honors Apple’s design guidelines for iOS 7 development and includes swiping-based navigation akin to Apple’s own stock iOS 7 apps. Other gestures are supported as well. For example, just drag up to preview and share a piece of content, or drag right to edit your topics.   

As illustrated below, Klout for iPhone is now all about content discovery. You can start by choosing an item from Klout’s curated list of popular topics from your network. This content stream is personalized, meaning stuff that gets surfaced is likely to go viral with your unique set of friends, fans and followers. 

“As with the desktop experience, the same helpful tags highlight articles that are trending or particularly relevant for your audience,” Klout noted.  

When you see something worth sharing, the app makes it easy to post the story URL to your connected social networks along with photos and location information. Like before, you can still check your Klout Score and add or remove topics from your Klout profile. 

As for Klout Perks, the updated software allows you to browse and claim these exclusive rewards right on your iPhone. Previously, you visited the web UI to redeem your perks.

If anything, the new app can finally help improve your Klout Score by discovering, creating and sharing popular content on the go.  

Speaking of which, those who obsess over their Klout score may have noticed that the service has recently gone from measuring the score and offering dubious Klout Perks to presenting you with a stream of popular content from your social media contacts.

This makes Klout more of a discovery tool than the arbiter of online influence it used to be, or a meaningless popularity contest.   

A look at my Klout score and stream on the web.

As a result of this newly-found business model, Klout’s web interface now lets you skim through trending topics from your network or create and share your own stories to one or all of your social networks (or schedule them for later), right from the Content page. A Klout URL gives away such tweets and Facebook posts. 

The company also offers Klout for Business, now 200,000 customers strong, and an API for web developers. 

Klout was acquired last month by Lithium Technologies in a stock deal estimated at $200 million, turning its founders into instant paper millionaires. 

Wrapping up, Klout will be rolling out an Android app shortly and you canjoin the wait list here. 

“Like Lannisters, Klout always pays its debts,” jokes the webpage. “We owe you an Android app.”

Download Klout free from the App Store.

The app requires iOS 7.0, but unfortunately doesn’t run natively on iPads.

GesturesPlus: improve the pinch-to-close iOS 7 animation

If you’ve used Auxo 2, you’re probably aware of the interesting animation that occurs when closing an app using a swipe-up gesture from the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. The result is an animation that features all of the app icons on the Home screen zooming out in sync with the closing application.

This is the same pinch-to-close gesture that’s available on the iPad, and it’s only recently gaining significant notoriety on the iPhone due to Auxo’s slick implementation of it. In iOS 7.1, Apple changed the animation slightly to better represent an app’s presence in iOS’ three dimensional space, andGesturesPlus—a recently released tweak  available for free on Cydia’s BigBoss repo—brings these changes to lesser firmware.

Admittedly, the function of this tweak is a bit difficult to explain in writing, so I encourage you to click past the break to watch the video  where I compare the animations before and after GesturesPlus is installed.  

Once you install GesturesPlus, there are no options or settings to configure. On an iPad, you can perform a four or five-finger pinch in order to see the new animation in action. On the iPhone, you’ll need a tweak like Auxo 2 installed to allow you to perform the pinch-to-close gesture.

Personally, I never saw a real issue with the animation, but I guess I just didn’t paid enough attention to how awkward it actually is. I’m interested to hear what you think about GesturesPlus. Do you believe that the resulting animation, and iOS 7.1′s animation in general, makes more sense than the one present on iOS 7.0.x? Sound off in the comments below.

Microsoft’s own CarPlay is predictably called Windows in the car

At the annual Build conference in San Francisco last week, software giant Microsoft unveiled its upcoming new platform for automotive, Windows in the car. The software, which appears to have borrowed some ideas from Apple’s CarPlay, could succeed Sync, Microsoft’s ill-fated in-car solution running on the Windows Embedded Automotive operating system. 

Microsoft’s largest partner for Sync, Ford, in February announced plans to stop producing Sync-equipped vehicles. Seeing where things were heading, coupled with weak support from car manufacturers, probably played an important factor in the decision to come up with a connected car software of the future, from scratch… 

In its current incarnation, Windows in the car requires a Windows Phone device, but Microsoft should be able to add support for the feature to its Windows 8 desktop operating system.

It should be noted that Microsoft bills Windows in the car as an early concept, one without a firm release date. That said, folks at Redmond did acknowledge that they’ve been testing out Windows in the car in both simulators and real-world vehicles. 

Microsoft also made noise of the fact that Windows in the car will be open to developers from the get-go. 

“There’s this opportunity for application developers to also participate in this ecosystem in a couple of different ways,” Microsoft’s product executive Steve Teixeira said in his Build conference presentation. 

He continued:

You can imagine that, maybe if my car’s in park, I can run any kind of arbitrary app, you know, project that up to this screen. 

But if my car’s in drive mode, one of the things that we will aim to do is enable application builders to write apps that conform with good, safe drive mode behavior and safe drive mode user interface standards.   

 There’s even a marketplace app so drivers can download – if need be – supported apps from third-party developers, while their device is in the car mode. 

This is somewhat similar to Apple’s CarPlay which does support select third-party music applications such as Spotify (with more to come later), but with one huge difference: CarPlay has no park mode that would enable drivers to project ANY iOS app to their vehicle’s in-car screen.  

Unlike CarPlay which taps BlackBerry’s QNX software to connect your iOS device to a bunch of different proprietary infotainment systems car vendors use or support, Microsoft’s solution is based on the industry-standard MirrorLink protocol. 

MirrorLink is owned by the Car Connectivity Consortium, which had 56 members as of May 2012, including almost all major automobile and mobile device manufacturers in the world, including Motorola, Alpine and Pioneer. 

MirrorLink currently works with Sony’s Xperia Z series Android phones and has aftermarket potential given that both Alpine and Pioneer committed to shipping MirrorLink-ready aftermarket solutions. Car makers Volkswagen, Honda, Toyota and Citroen confirmed work is underway on adding support for MirrorLink to their vehicles. 

Google, too, announced its Android-based in-car infotainment integration that will launch across a wide range of car models and industry partners later this year. 

Although some manufacturers, like launch CarPlay partner Mercedes-Benz and electronics maker Pioneer, hinted at aftermarket CarPlay solutions for older devices, they later back-tracked on their vague claims and said that supporting older vehicles would be extremely difficult to do.

Apple’s latest ‘Your Verse’ story is about iPad in Bollywood

You’ve seen how world-classmountainee use iPad for their extraordinary climbs and how coaches use the device to help diagnose athletes’ concussions so how about some more testimonials? 

You’re in for a treat as Apple’s just added a new story to the ‘Your Verse’ microsite highlighting how its popular post-PC device is being used by Bollywood choreographer Feroz Khan to capture inspiration for his passion. 

So, what does it take to choreograph a vision in Bollywood?

Read on for the full reveal… 

The story reads: 

A young woman sits alone at an outdoor cafe. A handsome man steps into view. She glances at him shyly. Seconds later, everyone breaks out in extravagant song and dance. Welcome to a typical day for famed Bollywood choreographer Feroz Khan. 

Armed with his imagination and his iPad Air, Khan is able to shape almost every aspect of his epic dance scenes, from finding the perfect costumes and props to perfecting every last gesture and twirl. 

For those wondering, Khan is using the Artemis HD (a $29.99 value) and SloPro (a free download) apps to help shape his routine, “frame by frame and step by step.”   

SloPro is used to capture super slow-motion video at up to a thousand frames per second. He’s then using Artemis HD to compose rough shots with the same field of view as the lenses the team will be shooting with later, meaning he can experiment with scenes before the actual shoot. 

“As a Bollywood choreographer, I don’t just direct dance movements,” Feroz tells. “I also scout locations, help choose costumes and props, and stay in touch constantly with the team.”

And of course, he depends on his iPad Air for all of it. 

A video of the meticulously choreographed Bollywood dance is available for streaming from Apple’s Your Verse site. Note that these supporting videos are unavailable for viewing through Apple’s YouTube channel. 

I’m finding these stories enjoyable, for the most part.

I just wish Your Verse spotlighted how ordinary people use the iPad – not everyone is a choreographer in Bollywood, a mountaineer or a sports coach. 

That being said, however, I do feel that explaining the many ways talented people use their iPad creatively serves as a nice motivation for the rest of us to reconsider using our devices for stuff beyond surfing the web, hanging out on Twitter and playing games.

15 Coins review: good luck collecting coins in this ultra hard arcade game

I never got into the Flappy Bird phenomenon. I remember hearing groups of people talking about it at a restaurant only days before its untimely demise wondering why something so simple was so popular. I think I have an understanding of that now. 

15 Coins is a simple arcade style game that is impossibly difficult. Similar to Flappy Bird, it makes you want to keep playing over and over, no matter how poorly you perform, just to try to get one more coin before you die…

Design

The design is simple the graphics are flat and bright. There is a dotted line in the center of the screen that represents the number of coins you must collect. Your “ship” is a cream colored pie-shaped object that trails a dotted line behind it wherever it moves. 

The coins are blinking dots that appear in random places on the screen. When you successfully grab a coin, one of the dotted lines highlights in yellow. Every time you collect coins, another line is highlighted. 

The game board is also peppered with black pie-shaped objects that represent the enemy’s ships. Avoid them at all cost. There is no way to destroy them. The enemies will follow you around, but will also disappear after a few seconds. So, as long as you stay away long enough, you will be clear of the danger. 

There is one power up that will help make your job a little easier. The blinking square that sometimes appears is a freeze ray that will stop enemy ships in their path and make them vulnerable. When frozen, you can crash into enemy ships to destroy them. Be careful. The freeze ray only lasts a few seconds. You might accidentally crash into an active ship if the power up runs out.   

The goal of the game is to collect 15 coins. As easy as that may sound, it is far from simple. First, your ship does not move in a straight line very well. Every time you touch or tilt the screen, the ship curves sharply to the right or left. Obviously, this makes it nearly impossible to reach an end point with any level of accuracy. You can reduce the sensitivity of the curve, but it is still very hard to control. 

Second, the enemy ships appear en masse and flood the screen, making it even harder for you to navigate the screen without crashing into bits. The enemies, called “Clone” ships, will follow you around, moving the same way you do at the moment they appeared on the screen. When you are bobbing and weaving because you can’t control your ship, having someone on your tail is a recipe for disaster. 

The coins don’t stay where they are, either. They appear and remain on screen for a few seconds, maybe as long as five, but they will fade away if you don’t grab them in time. The power ups work the same way. If you don’t reach them in time, they will disappear.

If you do manage to collect a power up, every enemy ship on the screen will freeze and turn into an outline. This signifies that they are vulnerable to attack. This is your time to take down as many ships as possible on your way to the nearest coin. The power up only lasts a few seconds, though. Maneuvering your ship will sometimes take that long just to get across the screen. 

This is one of those super hard games that drives a person to madness and causes an inexplicable desire to get just one more point no matter how long it takes. I played the game for more than an hour straight and my best score was four coins. I wonder what happens when you actually get 15 of them?

The Good

As I noted above, I was able to play this game for an hour straight without getting bored. The extreme challenge on easy mode – There are three modes of difficulty. How much harder can it get? – is frustrating, but triggers something in my brain that makes me want to keep going. I mean, one more coin can’t be that hard, right?

Because it is so simple and somewhat impossible, this is like a snack game. You can play it for a few minutes on your break without feeling like you need to sit down and focus. Chances are, you’ll die within 10 seconds anyway.

The Bad

I’d like to see some kind of countdown ticker to let you know how much time you have before the power up runs out. 

Although, I guess that would make the game easier, which would defeat the point.  15 Coins is on sale for half off at $0.99. For one dollar, this is a great game to throw some change at. It will keep you interested for any length of time without boring you. When the price doubles to $1.99, I’d say it is a bit steep for something so simple.

Apple’s PRODUCT (RED) contributions top $70 million

Product Red - styled as (PRODUCT)^RED - is a marketing brand licensed to other companies, established in 2006 by U2 frontman and activist, Bono, together with Bobby Shriver of the ONE/DATA, with the goal of raising awareness and funds to help eliminate HIV/AIDS in Africa. 

The initiative earns money on each participating Product Red sale and proceeds go straight to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. 

Apple’s been one of Product Red backers since its inception, thanks mostly to late Steve Jobs who was on good terms with Bono. Product Red today announced that Apple’s contributions to the charity have reached a cool $70 million…

The revelation came in a tweet. 

Great news to end the week! Apple’s total for @RED reaches $70 MILLION. 100% goes to fight#AIDS. Thank you all for buying (APPLE)RED.
— (RED) (@RED) April 4, 2014

Apple is the charity’s largest partner. 

In September, the charity said Apple had contributed $65 million.

As of today, 9.7 million people are on life-saving HIV treatment, up from 300,000 in 2002.

Apple’s offering of Product Red products is constantly evolving and changing. 

The Product Red section of the online Apple Store reveals that currently the company offers Product Red versions of the iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod touch.   

The store also lists a few Product Red Apple accessories, such as Smart Cover and Smart Case for the iPad Air, the iPhone 5s Case and the iPhone 4s Bumper.

A notice on the website reads: 

Every day 700 babies are born with HIV. (RED) works with companies like Apple to fight for an AIDS‑free generation by creating (PRODUCT)RED merchandise. A percentage of gross profits from the sale of those products goes to the Global Fund to help fund AIDS programs in Africa. 

Since its introduction, (PRODUCT)RED has generated more than $215 million for the Global Fund — more than $70 million from Apple alone. You can help make an impact by purchasing a (PRODUCT)RED iPod or (PRODUCT)RED accessories for iPhone and iPad. 

Tim Cook is frequently pictured using an iPad Air with a Product Red Smart Cover. Last October, Apple’s design head Jony Ive created a one-off Product Red Mac Pro. The computer classed as the most expensive PC made to date as it was auctioned off the following month for a cool $977,000.  

In February, Bank of America and U2 teamed up for a Product Red free song promotion on the iTunes Store, with the Irish rock band donating to the charity $1 for every free iTunes download of its single ‘Invisible’. 

Apple also released a special Product Red edition of the fifth-generation iPod touch as well as a Product Red $25 iTunes Gift Card. In recognition of the World AIDS Day, Apple Storescolored the company’s iconic logo in red. 

To learn more about Product Red, visit the official website. 

Tim Cook made $74M last year, the highest among all tech CEOs except Zuckerberg

Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn’t have an easy job. Not only is he in charge of one of the largest companies in the world, but he has to do so in the shadow of one of the most highly regarded executives of our generation, amidst constant criticism from those that say Apple’s best days are behind it. 

No need to worry though, Tim is well compensated. According to a new report, he took home $4.3 million in salary and incentives last year, and another $70 million in vested stock options. All told, Cook banked more than any other tech CEO in 2013 except for Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg… 

Here’s more from USA Today: 

Factoring in vested stock awards and options exercised last year, dozens of other CEOs pulled in well over twice the median CEO compensation. Apple’s Tim Cook received $4.3 million in pay and incentives. He was also able to take ownership of part of the $376.2 million restricted stock grant he received in 2011 for a $69.6 million gain. 

Cook’s $73.9 million topped HP’s Meg Whitman, who came in third at $17.6 million, but neither CEO stood a chance against Mark Zuckerberg. The 30 year-old CEO earned nearly $4 billion last year, after cashing in $3.3B in stock options. Sort of puts his $1 salary into perspective, doesn’t it? 

Opulent executive compensation packages have been a hot topic of debate in recent years, with some saying that the pay gap between execs and other employees is far too wide. But with Apple breaking numerous sales and revenue records under Tim Cook’s tenure, it’s hard to argue he’s overpaid. 

Last month, Fortune ranked Cook #33 on their list of the world’s top 50 greatest leaders.

Apple settles patent infringement suit with Intertrust Technologies

Apple has reached an out-of-court settlement with Interest Technologies this week. The holding company, which is jointly owned by tech giants Sony and Philips, filed a lawsuit against the iPad-maker last year for allegedly infringing on more than two dozen of its patents on distributed computing. 

The original suit didn’t layout specifically which patents Intertrust was accusing Apple of infringing, but the company counts digital rights management (or DRM) tech among its inventions. So it’s not too surprising that the two sides notified the court on Tuesday that a settlement had been reached… 

AppleInsider has the report: 

Attorneys for Apple and Intertrust notified District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on Tuesday that they had reached a settlement agreement and asked that the lawsuit be dismissed. Gonzalez subsequently granted the request, dismissing all claims with prejudice and ordering that each party bear its own fees and costs. Terms of the settlement were not revealed. 

Intertrust originally filed suit last March, alleging that nearly every product in Apple’s lineup infringed on at least one of 15 separate Intertrust patents. Those patents, covering security and distributed trusted computing, were said to be in use on the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac computers as well as the iTunes, iCloud, and App Store services. 

Again, it’s not unexpected that Apple would settle. Intertrust’s patents have been validated several times over the years. The firm won a major victory in 2004 against Microsoft that resulted in $440 million in damages, and it has licensing deals in place with nearly every tech company out there. 

Additionally, Tim Cook’s legal team currently has its hands full with part deux of its high-profile Samsung patent trial that started earlier this week. This time around, Apple is seeking in upwards of $2 billion in damages from the Korean handset-maker for infringing on 5 of its software patents.

Apple engineer explains how the iPhone was designed for ‘normal people’

The Samsung trial marched on today, with Apple’s Greg Christie taking the stand. You might remember Christie, the senior software engineer, from thisWSJ article last month, where he detailed some of the early stages of original iPhone development. And this afternoon, he did the same thing in court. 

More specifically, Christie shared some new details on the development of the iPhone’s ‘Slide to Unlock,’ which is one of the patents that Apple’s accusing  Samsung of infringing. He said initially, his team wanted the handset’s display to be always on, but they quickly discovered it needed a locked mode… 

Recode and CNET have more from Christie’s testimony:

We couldn’t meet our power requirements if we had that active a state,” Apple human-interface head Greg Christie said on Friday, testifying at the Apple-Samsung patent trial. “We had to resort to a power button.” The company was also worried about the phone sending inadvertent emails or “pocket dialing.” 

“We knew we had to have a locked mode, or a locked state, where it wouldn’t let you do most things, except you could unlock it.” Christie and his team then worked on a solution, eventually settling on the slide-to-unlock mechanism that shipped on the iPhone and is among the patented features at issue in the case. 

Christie also reiterated that developing the iPhone was a serious risk for the company, as it was new territory—something Apple has brought up many times. He said creating the phone took three years, and it went through hundreds of design tweaks to ensure it worked in a way ‘anyone’ could understand. 

One of the biggest challenges is that we need to sell products to people who don’t do what we do for a living,” Christie, one of the inventors of the slide-to-unlock iPhone feature, said. When designing products, Apple keeps in mind that it wants “normal people – people with better things to do with their lives than learn how a computer might work – to use the product as well as we can.” [...] 

Christie, the second witness to testify for Apple in this trial, after marketing chief Phil Schiller, walked the jury on Friday through the process of developing the first iPhone in the mid-2000s. Much of his time on the stand was spent emphasizing Apple’s efforts to make the device easy to use. According to various surveys Apple conducted — and that were made available as court exhibits — ease of use is the most important factor for smartphone buyers.  

As a whole, Apple is trying to make the case that the inventions it’s suing Samsung over are extremely valuable to its business and worth a significant amount of money. The company is asking for some $2 billion in damages from the Korean handset maker for infringing on 5 of its software utility patents.

Sprint now offering up to $650 for new ‘Framily’ subscribers

Following in the footsteps of T-Mobile, Sprint announced this week that it is now offering up to $650 in equipment trade-in and early termination fee credits to new subscribers. The goal of the promo is to entice customers to switch over from their current carriers. 

Folks looking to cash in on the ‘Framily Switching Bonus’ offer must port their existing phone numbers from another company to Sprint. They must also trade-in their previous handsets for new smartphones, and subscribe to one of the carrier’s new Framily rate plans…  

What’s a Framily plan? Once you get past the horrible name, it’s actually not a bad deal. Customers can group together with up to 9 people, regardless of relationship, for discounted rates. Plans can run as low as $25 per month for unlimited talk, text and 1+GB of data.

From Sprint’s press release: 

The Framily Switching Bonus offer is available to new and current customers bringing a number to Sprint from another postpaid carrier and signing up on a Sprint Framily Plan. Customers will receive credit for their phone trade-in as a part of the initial transaction. Approximately 10-12 weeks after initial sign-up, customers who register and submit their final bill from their previous carrier and who are in good standing at the time of payment processing will receive a Visa® Prepaid card worth up to $350 to pay back Early Termination Fees or, if not on contract, their remaining Equipment Installment balance.
Sprint recognizes that “family” now includes everyone important to an individual, including friends, neighbors and relatives. It’s no longer just a family, it’s a Framily. With the Sprint Framily Plan, the more people added to the group, up to 10 phone lines, the greater the savings for everyone on the plan. Because each account can be billed separately, customers can invite friends, family and others to join their Framily.

Sprint finds itself in an interesting situation these days. While it still counts itself as the third largest carrier in the United States, it seems like an outcast with AT&T and Verizon duking it out for top dog, and T-Mobile making noise at the bottom with its Uncarrier campaign.

Rumors began bouncing around late last year that Sprint was actually looking to acquire T-Mobile, but we’ve heard little about the deal since.

Just Mobile AluBolt cradles iPhone and iPad mini

Docks are my favorite iPhone and iPad accessory. I am not exactly sure what about them is enticing, but having my iOS devices propped elegantly at my workstation has been alluring since I first purchased an iPhone. Apple’s products are not just devices for productivity. Apple’s products are works of carefully crafted art. 

In that nature, I would rather prop them up as a showcase. You wouldn’t buy a $600 piece of art and let it lay aimlessly around your home. You would place it prominently, making sure others can tell you have great taste. You own an iPhone, right? Apply the same concept…

Design and function

The AluBolt is an upright docking stand for iPhone and iPad mini. I did throw my iPad Air on there for a test run, agreeing with Just Mobile’s primary intentions to use only the mini. iPad Air was a little wobbly on the stand because of the larger form factor. AluBolt’s base is 10.3mm (4.05″) in diameter with a brushed aluminum top plate, which houses the curved upright arm and Lightning port. 

Below the aluminum plate is a black plastic base with a scratch resistant pad to protect desktops from unnecessary scratching. The bottom pad is not a micro-suction pad, however. Without an attachment point or adhesive, combined with a very light form factor, removing iPhone or iPad mini requires two hands. 

There are mixed opinions about whether a dock should require two hands for removal, but I pref to grab my device and go. Using two hands to remove my device is a time waster and often annoying. The nature of stands with chargers, however, is one that has some pull requirements. The Lightning connector, in contrast to the 30 pin, seems to stay connected more intently, requiring a stronger pull to separate the device and cable. As such, any dock with a built in Lightning port will require a harder tug for removal. Consequently, unless the dock is extremely heavy, about 3lbs, or uses an adhesive like 3M or micro-suction, it will require a two handed motion to spring the iOS device.   

As pictured, the black plastic housing for the Lightning pin allows movement fore and back. More dock makers seem to make this added detail a priority, which should have been included many years ago. Allowing the Lightning tip to move provides a safer connection. Most people, myself included, quickly grab their device and go, without thinking about damaging iPhone’s Lightning port. The pivoting head prevents damage both to the tip and the Lightning port located on the iOS device. Docking either the iPhone or iPad mini does not require the tip to be moved, however. 

I like the unit includes a built-in USB cable. Others may take a short cut and leave out the cable, requiring a user installed job. With the included cable, I am not forced to use an Apple OEM cable, which are still in short supply around my home, car, and office. 

With an upright design, the curved plastic adds an interesting flair to the overall design, matching the circular base. I would prefer an aluminum support bar, but aluminum on the back of either iPhone 5s or c, could cause scratching without a barrier. Unfortunately, there is no way to adjust, bend, or move the support bar, eliminating the user’s ability to modify the viewing angle.  

As I mentioned, I am a pretty big fan of docks in general, making me predetermined to enjoy the AluBolt. Admittedly, I do like the AluBolt overall, but there are areas of improvement. Most notably, I really hate having to use two hands to remove my iOS device. This is picky and a personal preference, but that is a big sticking point for me. The plastic arm is also a little aggravating, including its inability to pivot, which is, again, a personal preference. 

The aluminum base matches my iMac completely and the pivoting Lightning tip is an excellent damage preventer. Including the installed Lightning cable is also a big plus. As I use a wooden desk, the scratch preventing pad is appreciated, but is an opportunity cost to forego a micro-suction option.   

AluBolt is available for $49.95, which is consistent with other certified MFi accessories, especially with included Lightning cables. I would be happy to pay a few extra dollars for a full aluminum design. 

Who else loves docks?

Atmospheric puzzle game Year Walk is now available on Mac OS X

Just in case you haven’t heard of the thought-provoking and innovative atmospheric puzzle survival game Year Walk, it was a hugely popular iOS title based on Swedish mythology that was impressive, to say the least. Its dark theme and bizarre characters stood out amongst the droves of Angry Bird clones that flooded the App Store. 

Simogo just launched a Mac OS X version of Year Walk that includes some big changes, including new puzzles, new areas to explore, and new graphics. It’s like getting to play the game for the first time, all over again… 

Year Walk for Mac is a lot like its iOS counterpart. Players take part in a Swedish mythological vision quest – going on “walkabout,” if you will. In the game, the protagonist meets a variety of folkloric creatures that he must outwit by solving puzzles.   

After the yearlong walk, the protagonist goes back to his home village. Without spoiling the story, stuff happens and you get to play the game a second time through. Be sure to read the companion guide for help. 

The Mac OS X version has been updated with new locations, new puzzles, and improved graphics. Additionally, the companion guide thatcomes as a separate download on iOSis integrated into the game for easier access. 

The development team at Simogo has also redesigned the game’s controls for laptop and desktop gaming. It is not just a port of the original title. It has been reworked to have its own feel on a computer screen. Players use the WASD keys on the keyboard to move around while controlling a cursor with the mouse. The cursor is used to interact with the environment.   

Some of the original puzzles in the iOS version were specific to the mobile device’s tilt and touch gestures. The OS X version has been updated with redesigned puzzles that fit the desktop mechanics (you won’t have to tilt your 27-inch screen). Plus, some puzzles have been replaced entirely with new ones. 

This version also has menus, maps, and a hint system to help get you through the adventure without feeling lost (which you might feel anyway as soon as you walk out of the cabin door).

Year Walk is available on Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later for $5.99. Download it in the App Store today.

Did you play Year Walk on iOS? Will you be getting it on your Mac?

How to add a respring widget to ProWidgets

EasySpring for ProWidgets is one of the first, if not the first, add-ons for the ProWidgets jailbreak tweak. As you might have heard, I’m a pretty big fan of ProWidgets, not only due to its great design and functionality, but also due to the potential it has for third-party developers.

Although this initial add-on isn’t very exciting, it does show off how easy it is for developers to create good looking widgets. Have a glance past the break as we showcase to you EasySpring—the add-on that allows you to have your own custom respring widget. 

Using EasySpring is a simple affair. You can invoke it by taking advantage of any of the activation methods available to ProWidgets. The activation methods range from Control Center, to Notification Center, and, of course, Activator.

In our video demo of EasySpring for ProWidgets, I decided to use an Activator gesture as a means to invoke the widget. Doing so will showcase a simple respring interface that allows you to choose from three different types of resprings.

The EasySpring widget is expandable to display the three different respring options. Users can choose to go into safe mode, perform a normal respring, or perform a UICache refresh + respring. You can then collapse the widget to find the respring button in its upper right-hand corner.

As stated, EasySpring is about as simple as it gets, but it’s a good indication of what developers will be able to do once more begin to tap into its ability. EasySpring for ProWidgets is available for free on Cydia’s BigBoss repo. Let me know what you think about it in the comments down below.

Apple to announce second quarter earnings on April 23

Folks wondering how Apple did during its quiet second quarter will have their answer in just a few short weeks. The Cupertino company has updated its Investor Relations page to note that it will be releasing its financial results for Q2 2014 on April 23rd. 

There were no new products announced during the 3-month period, but Apple did make some changes to its device lineup. In March, the company launched a new 8GB versionof its iPhone 5c in certain countries, and reintroduced its 4th generation iPad… 

Here’s Apple’s guidance for the quarter:

Apple is providing the following guidance for its fiscal 2014 second quarter:
- revenue between $42 billion and $44 billion
- gross margin between 37 percent and 38 percent
- operating expenses between $4.3 billion and $4.4 billion
- other income/(expense) of $200 million
- tax rate of 26.2 percent  

Of course, Apple never offers guidance regarding smartphone or tablet sales, but it’s safe to assume they are going to be on the lower side. Q2 and 3 are typically slow for the company, as they sit between the holidays andanticipated product refreshes in the fall. 

At any rate, the conference call is slated to begin on Wednesday, April 23 at 2pm PST. And as usual we will be providing full coverage of the call here on iDB, posting financial results and any other announcements or notable highlights. So make sure to tune in!

How to enable five additional dynamic wallpapers in iOS 7

Do you enjoy using iOS 7′s dynamic wallpaper feature? Would you like to get your hands on five additional wallpapers? If the answer to those questions was yes, then you definitely need to check out this jailbreak tweak. 

HiddenWallpapers is a jailbreak tweak that’s available free on Cydia, and it unlocks five additional dynamic wallpapers for your iOS 7 device. Three of the wallpapers are admittedly a bit pedestrian, but there are two that I think are quite special.  

Once you install HiddenWallpapers, go to Settings > Wallpapers & Brightness and select Dynamic wallpaper. Scroll to the bottom of the list of dynamic wallpaper to find the five additional wallpapers. 

The first three additional wallpapers are fairly average, but the last two make the tweak worth downloading. There’s a deep-red wallpaper and an even cooler dark dynamic wallpaper with different colored bubbles. The dark wallpaper is without a doubt the coolest looking dynamic wallpaper available, and I highly recommend you try it out for yourself.

It should be mentioned that HiddenWallpapers doesn’t require WinterBoard in order to work. Just install it, go to you wallpaper settings and enjoy your five new dynamic wallpapers.

HiddenWallpapers is free of charge on Cydia’s BigBoss repo. Download it today, and let us know what you think about it in the comments below.

The best calendar apps for iPhone

Calendar apps are like blue jeans. Everyone has a different idea of what makes them good, and oftentimes, they get more comfortable the more you use them. Especially when you haven’t washed them for a week. Different types of people have different needs from their calendar. Some want a simple design with very little clutter. Others want a productivity workhorse that will offer a wide variety of features. 

Whether you know what kind of calendar app you prefer or not, we’ve done some research to track down the best in this category. We came up with a list of what we believe are the best calendar apps for iPhone. No matter what you’re looking for in a calendar app, we think these are just the right fit for the wide variety of readers we have at iDB… 

Fantastical 2 is arguably the best calendar app for iPhone. Its clean and elegant design as well as its features make it an easy recommendation for anybody. With a smart input parser and Reminders integration, Fantastical 2 not only offers convenience but also simplicity. One of the little things people love about this app is the little colored dots that appear under each dated of the monthly view. You can see at a glance which calendars have an event that day. I color code my Google calendars and this makes it easy to see if I have band practice, something work related, or a family event. For more details about Fantastical 2,check out our review. This app is available for $4.99.   

This fifth update to one of our favorite calendar apps includes smart-type natural language input, easy-to-add new event pop outs. You can sync with your native Reminders app and task managing is incredibly simple. It displays day, week, month, and list views of your events with lots of additional productivity features. Check out our review. This app is available for $6.99. 

If you ever wondered whether your technology could read your mind, this might be the app that would make you believe it. It identifies places you are going and gives you an estimated travel time so you can schedule back-to-back appointments without being late due to traffic. You can also connect with business relationships, call into conference calls, and much more. This app is available for free. 

As you can see, there are quite a few different calendar apps available to suit your needs. Whether you want to have your iPhone tell you when to leave for your next appointment, just want to glance at the week’s schedule, or don’t even care what is happening tomorrow, at least one of these apps is probably a good fit for you.

What is your favorite calendar app?

Apple’s ‘transparent texting’ tech aims to make it safer to walk and text

Last week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application entitled ‘Transparent Texting’ that Apple filed in late 2012. In it, the company proposes to replace the background image of messaging applications with a live video feed from the device’s camera.

This effect would create the illusion that the device has a transparent display, allowing users to see what lies in front of them while they are texting. The goal of the invention is to make it safer for iPhone (and other mobile device) users to text and perform other functions while walking…

From the Abstract [description] ofApple’s patent (via AppleInsider):

“An electronic communication device’s camera can continuously capture and present video images as a background within a text messaging session currently being displayed by the device. The camera can be a rear-facing camera on the device, so that the video images represent the views that the device’s user would see if the device’s display were transparent. The camera can continuously capture and present the video images as the background in the text messaging session, so that the device’s user continuously can be aware of the environment beyond the device’s display while still focusing on the text messages being communicated.” 

Now there are a few things worth mention here. For one, this is not at all new technology. There are tons of third-party apps available in the App Store right now that offer up the ability to stream live video from your iPhone’s camera in the background while you type out a message or e-mail.

But the fact that Apple is working on a native implementation of the tech is still notable. Believe it or not, texting while walking causes more [although often far less severe] accidents per year than texting and driving, and the government has asked the company repeatedly to deliver solution.

Auxo 2 jailbreak tweak coming to Cydia April 2nd

Good news jailbreakers. The dev group A3 tweaks announced earlier today that Auxo 2, the highly anticipated sequel to their originaljailbreak tweak, is nearing completion and should be ready for release sometime this week.

We first saw evidence of Auxo 2 at the beginning of the month, when the group’s UI designer Sentry posted apair of 6-second video clips teasing some of the tweak’s features. And today, a much longer trailer has been posted…  

For those unfamiliar with the original Auxo, it was a tweak that extended the functionality of the app switcher in iOS 5 and iOS 6 by adding music controls, Settings toggles and other stuff. You can read our full review of it here.

So when will Auxo 2 be available? Well if you look at the above image, the reflection of the words reads April 2nd, which we’ve confirmed with Sentry to be the official launch date. We’ll obviously let you know as soon as it hits Cydia.

For a more in-depth look at Auxo 2 and other new jailbreak tweaks, make sure to tune in to this week’s episode of Let’s Talk Jailbreak.

PowerDown Pro: add more options to the iPhone’s power down interface

PowerDown Pro is a jailbreak tweakthat adds extra options to the power down screen that appears on your iPhone after holding the sleep button. Normally, this menu contains a single option—slide to power off—but with PowerDown Pro, three additional options are put into play.

Each of the available options—reboot, respring, safe mode, and shut down—can be accessed using swipe gestures on the red rectangle box found on the power down screen.   

Once you install PowerDown Pro, you’ll find a new panel for the tweak in the stock Settings app. PowerDown Pro’s preferences contain a kill-switch and a separate panel for rearranging or hiding the four power options. 

PowerDown Pro is a simple tweak, but it’s good looking, integrates like a native iOS feature, and it’s practical. You can find it on Cydia’s BigBoss repo for $0.99. If you decide to give it a shot, please share your thoughts about the tweak down below in the comments section.

How to disable “Cover Flow” in the iOS 7 Music app

The traditional Cover Flow feature that’s been a staple of the Music app for many years was finally retired in iOS 7. It was replaced with a cool new album art view that appears when placing your device into landscape orientation.

While the new-fangled Cover Flow view (I’ll just call it Cover Flow for lack of an official name) is pleasing to the eyes, some may find it to be an annoyance at best and a hinderance at worst. Needless to say, its usability is questionable, and it arguably places style over substance and convenience.

With that being said, there is a way outright prevent the Cover Flow view from being displayed when placing your device in landscape mode. The solution to the problem is a newjailbreak tweak entitledNoCoverFlow7. 

Once you install NoCoverFlow7, it’s ready to go. There are no options to configure and no settings to adjust. To test out the tweak, place your device into landscape mode while inside the stock Music app. The Cover Flow view, which will look similar to the image below, should no longer display. 

I don’t know if this view is annoying enough to warrant downloading a dedicated tweak just to disable it, but it’s here for the taking if you’d like to try it. NoCoverFlow7 is available for download right now on Cydia’s BigBoss repo. If you decide to try it, be sure to share your opinions on it in the comments section below.

Recent ‘ProWidgets’ update adds a simple Grey theme

A few weeks ago, we reviewed ProWidgets—a tweak that I believe is amongst the best of jailbreak releases. The tweak by itself is very well done, but my sentiments were also based on ProWidgets’ potential with regard to expandability.

The version of ProWidgets that I reviewed didn’t include the simple grey theme that’s now available with the latest ProWidgets update. Although it’s not technically a third-party theme, this is one of the first big changes that we’ve seen to ProWidgets since our initial review.   

Like the rest of the themes available for ProWidgets out of the box, the new grey theme can be selected directly from the themes panel of the tweak’s preferences. Like most preferences for jailbreak tweaks, you can find ProWidgets’ inside of the stock Settings app. 

Honestly, I have to say that the grey theme is a bit on the conservative side. Here’s hoping that more developers and themers hop on board and begin to support this amazing jailbreak release, else it would be a huge shame. 

What are your thoughts on the simple grey theme included with the latest build of ProWidgets? Do you, like me, share the opinion that it’s too conservative? Sound off in the comments below.

If you’ve yet to purchase ProWidgets, you can do so for $2.99 on Cydia’s BigBoss repo. Be sure to read and watch our full video walkthrough of the tweak as well.