If you plan to fly to Hawaii soon, you may want to spend the travel time with an iPad mini. Hawaiian Airlines says it will offer the iPad as an entertainment option to passengers on more than a dozen aircraft starting September 1, including Boeing 767 flights.
The Apple tablet will be available for rental either before passengers board or during flight. According to the airline, 1,400 tablets will be offered from its Honolulu headquarters to the U.S. mainland, Asia and the South Pacific...
While much recent discussion regarding Apple's guilty verdict on e-book price-fixing charges, we're now getting the first glimpse at how consumers may benefit. Based on a proposed $162.25 million fund established by the five publishers who earlier settled, consumers could receive up to $3.06 per New York Times bestselling e-book they downloaded to their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.
The exact amount depends on whether your purchased e-book was listed on the NYT bestseller list, with a smaller $0.73 disbursed if your e-book did not make it on the list...
Apple may be preparing a new look for iPad-based photo manipulation apps, according to a 2011 patent application just now uncovered. When first filed in the U.S., the application describing a new slider-based user interface did not include Apple as the owner, allowing the invention to fly under the radar until now.
In a detailed explanation, the filing describes a user interface with multiple sliders, pop-up menus and image previews allowing tablet owners to see how changes affect their final product. The interface appears unlike that now offered in the iOS 7 Photos app or the iPhoto iOS app (a $4.99 download)...
It's not often that Silicon Valley gets to mix tech with romance, but there appears to be a full-blown soap opera erupting in the executive suites at Google.
Hugo Barra, who as product manager for Android was the face of Google's mobile software, is moving to China and smartphone maker Xiaomi.
But what's got tongues wagging is that Barra's departure comes amidst news that he leaves a Google romance. Google's co-founder - who just split with his wife - is on the rebound: with a Google employee. Confused? Don't worry, we'll explain it all below, as well as what the product chief's new job may mean for Android and Apple...
Although Apple already permits owners of Mac, iPhone, iPod and iPad devices to adjust the user interface in a global way, a newly-published patent application describes how certain elements of the UI could be adapted. The application details a method to filter certain areas of the user interface, permitting users to adjust certain areas of the interface while leaving other locations untouched.
Along with giving us more control of an application's user interface, the adjustments outlined in the application titled 'User Interface Contrast Filter' could help improve such things as battery life...
With the growing number of handsets - including the iPhone - which include both front and rear-facing cameras, there is that decision during FaceTime calls and videoconferencing on where the focus should be: the caller or the subject? Now comes word Apple wants to automate that question, using cues to switch between the two video streams.
In a just-published patent application, the iPhone maker proposes software that can select the front or rear camera by watching for moving lips or listening for speech. The invention could come in handy for the growing denizens of news people becoming their own photographers, as well as creating better family vacation flicks...
Despite all the chatter about Android and other smartphone platforms trying to entice developer, when it comes to picking their first choice, developers opt for iOS. In addition, 27 percent of developers chose the iPad as their second priority compared to a fifth for Android tablets. The survey by researcher Forrester shows that while Android has the numerical lead, when it comes to developer unveiling a mobile product, iOS is considered first...
Apple is seeking to trademark the term 'startup' as it relates to computer retailing, support and education. Although filed in Australia, the application reportedly could have global impact. The move comes as Apple preps its September launch of a new iPhone 5S and 5C, accompanied by the addition of a new iPhone trade-in program at its retail locations. But is there any concern that Apple's application is too broad?
Apple is to patent trolls what Justin Bieber is to prepubescent girls. The iPhone maker has become the favorite target for companies whose sole product is lawsuits, according to a new study finding Apple has been sued 171 times by patent trolls over the past five years.
Since 2009, the number of yearly lawsuits by trolls (or Non-Practicing Entities, as they're called in more politically-correct circles) against Apple has steadily risen with 24 filed through June 30 this year...
Apple has once more dipped into Sweden for its latest startup acquisition. AlgoTrim's claim to fame is software which compresses images for quicker display on mobile displays and technology for efficient and battery-friendly image processing and editing - again, optimized for mobile devices. While neither Apple nor AlgoTrim will talk about the purchase, their reticence hasn't prevented speculation that the tiny firm was acquired to boost iOS imaging.
What does Apple want with a company which reportedly earned in 2012 just $3 million - pocket change for the Silicon Valley tech giant? First, consider who also wants AlgoTrim's software. Yep, Google's Android...
Apple seems to have succeeded in keeping government watchdogs from roaming the corridors of its Cupertino, California headquarters. A proposal by the Department of Justice (DoJ) to install an external antitrust monitor to oversee Apple activities was greatly curtailed Tuesday. Instead, New York federal judge Denis Cote ruled that any monitor would be limited to overseeing Apple's antitrust policies and employee training.
A proposal by the DoJ to watch over all of Apple's distribution efforts for potential antitrust action was also trimmed, the judge saying she doesn't want government investigators interfering in the iPhone maker's "flexibility to innovate"...
Are you thinking of upgrading to Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S or iPhone 5C, expected to be announced in early September? One handset trade-in firm is offering customers a guaranteed price on their current iPhones despite the usual drop in value following new product releases.
Gazelle said Monday it will lock-in pricing for iPhone trade-ins through Oct. 15, giving consumers time to wait until the iPhone 5S is announced before sending in their current smartphone...