Most music players, including smartphones, will automatically pause music or video when the headphones or speakers are disconnected. Not only does this mean that we get to keep our place in the song / movie / TV show if the headphone plug is accidentally yanked from the jack, but can also save those precious droplets of battery. What our treasured devices don't do, however, is pause music when the volume is on zero, and while you could watch a video without sound, the same cannot be said for audio. A handy new tweak by the name of AutoPause does exactly as it purports, automatically pausing your music when you turn the volume right down to mute.
As a user of both iOS and Android-based devices, there are certain elements of each interface that I admire, and while the iOS lock screen is a lot prettier than it used to be, I still prefer the appearance of stock Jelly Bean's. As such, I was enthused to learn that the JellyLock tweak, which brings that native Android Jelly Bean interface to iOS, had recently been updated for iOS 7.
Apple and Samsung is a little more than your average company rivalry. There's genuine animosity between the two tech titans, and you only have to look at the ongoing litigation for further evidence of the contempt each feels for the other. Unsurprisingly, both Apple and Samsung regularly take shots at each other with ad campaigns, and in its latest, Sammy has taken a swipe at its old adversary in a new fleet of commercials for the Galaxy Tab Pro and Note 3. Check them out after the fold!
The boot-up sound of Apple's OS X is something that all Mac users will be familiar with, but while iOS is by far the more popular of the Cupertino's two major platforms, the mobile-tailored ecosystem has yet to be deemed worthy of its own unique chime. While the jailbreak community has made it incredibly easy for folks to alter the look and behavior of the boot logo, the sound - or lack thereof - seems to have been completely overlooked, but a new tweak called BootSound brings the iconic Mac OS X start-up noise to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
It has become apparent over the past few weeks that Apple could be planning two new iPhones later on this year as opposed to the customary one, and while the smaller of these two handsets will offer a reasonably bumped 4.7-ish-inch display, rumor has it that the higher-end 'phablet' variant will boast a ~5.5-inch panel. Adding fuel to the fire, a new report out of Taiwan suggests that the larger handset will utilize sapphire-glass, while its down-sized counterpart will continue on the Gorilla Glass trail. Speculatively, the report also makes the suggestion that the "experimental" larger device will drop the 'iPhone' branding, although such a move would seem very, very unlikely.
After being forced to ditch its SkyDrive name following a dispute with the telecommunication and TV giant BSkyB, Microsoft has today begun the rebranding process that will see SkyDrive become OneDrive. Existing users won't notice a great deal other than the new name, but Microsoft is now also offering people who use its service the ability to increase their free storage capacity via referrals a la Dropbox, with the potential to earn an extra 5GB of space.
The iOS Camera app serves its purpose, and does so with fluidity and - if we're being generous - aplomb. Yet, despite functioning as it purports, it's fair to say that in terms of features, it's largely bereft, and has been since the inception of the original iPhone. Many apps, namely Camera+, have come through the App Store and given iOS users a more fulfilling snapping and shooting experience, but if you don't want to go spending money and inundating your home screen with a deluge of icons, a new Cydia entry by the name of CameraTweak 2 will help you to get the most out of the native Camera.
BiteSMS, the popular jailbreak app that displaces the stock iOS Messages with its much-celebrated, feature-rich take on messaging functionality, has finally shaken off the beta label, and the public release of BiteSMS 8 is upon us.
iOS 7.1 is on its way, with the current consensus suggesting that the first major update to Apple's latest and greatest will be ready for prime time on 15th of March for public consumption. With regards to the features therein, we know that iOS in the Car will be the major addition, alongside some minor aesthetic tweaks and general performance enhancements, but while we've been told that there'll be little else of note, the rumor mill has thrown up an interesting new theory. Apparently, Apple is to make significant alterations to the Mobile Device Management mass deployment system, with a supplementary "Volume Services" Web client also set to launch alongside iOS 7.1.
Even though our smartphones and tablets continue to offer higher-spec cameras, more processing cores, increased RAM and displays that go way beyond the realms of high-definition, battery life improvements aren't nearly as impressive. The introduction of Intel Haswell's energy efficient tech has worked wonders for the MacBook range, and although battery retention on iOS is among the best in the mobile industry, you can still take steps to ensure you get the very most usage before the reserves dry up.
