Once upon a time, it was extremely easy to gift an app to a loved one directly from the iOS App Store. It was a simple case of selecting the Gift App button, and then passing in the relevant details of the recipient. Payment would then be removed from the registered payment method held against the account and everyone would go on their way, happy in the knowledge that the gift of giving had been accomplished satisfactorily. For some reason, Apple changed the giving game with the introduction of iOS 6, and actually removed the facility entirely from the App Store for a while, but thankfully it is now back.
This holiday season and beyond, we’re going to be bringing you more hands-on reviews of the products you love, and whether you’re in the market for a new device, peripheral or accessory, we’ll be featuring many of the market essentials here at Redmond Pie. Now, the iPhone 5 is one of, if not the most sought-after gadget on the market at present, so what better place to start, we thought, than to get on the hunt for some of the most interesting, quirky and robust cases for the revered handset. Heading off the series of cases for the sixth-gen Apple smartphone is the BookBook from Twelve South.
Electronic Arts and Gameloft are big developers in the gaming industry, and as veterans of many a great title, many of us look forward to the holiday period in the hope that the company will deliver another wave of great savings on some of its best. That has once more proven to be the case, as most of EA's and Gameloft's best titles are now free or down to just $0.99. Details - and a list of those games available on the cheap - can be found after the break.
Microsoft may be planning to bring its revered Office productivity suite to a bunch of new devices in the near future, but hitherto, a service by the name of CloudOn has allowed consumers to use the software on their mobile devices. Today, CloudOn has been updated to version 3.0, and among the refinements in usability, it now boasts support for the iPhone, iPad mini, as well as the Google / ASUS Nexus 7.
The once-mighty BlackBerry brand of smartphone from Research In Motion may have lost its way somewhat over the past couple of years, but a couple of browser tests carried out by The Gadget Masters suggests there's still plenty of life left in the old dog yet. Testing the BlackBerry 10's browser against Internet Explorer and Safari on Windows Phone 8 and iOS respectively, the BlackBerry come out on top. More details, and a demonstration video, after the break.
A couple of days ago, we learned a new software vulnerability within Samsung's hardware courtesy of a member of the thriving XDA-Developer forums, and at the time, it was classed as a kernel level exploit providing the perfect breeding ground for malicious apps to access physical memory of devices affected. Today, Samsung has stepped out and confirmed the existence of the vulnerability, stating its intent to address the situation as a matter of urgency.
The fact that the Google Maps app is sitting at the top of the iOS download charts, it shows that iOS users definitely have a need for a fully-functional maps app that is built on top of extensive and accurate location data. Despite its somewhat insane popularity, iOS still uses the stock Apple Maps app for all direction requirements that are passed through to it via Siri.
If you are an unforgiving Instagram member who has been actively using the photo-sharing service from the beginning, then the recent well-publicized change to the company's terms of service could be the final trigger point needed to make you cut all ties with the network. If you are one of the ones who have been around from the beginning and have uploaded countless photographs to share with your followers, then all is not lost, thanks to the new Freethephotos service that allows users to easily migrate their uploaded Instagram images across to a Flickr account.
If you are an Angry Birds and Stars Wars fan, then chances are high that you were overwhelmed with excitement when Rovio signaled their intention to release an entire themed version of the smash-hit mobile game thanks to a deal with Lucas Entertainment. The Stars Wars version of the game has since landed on the iOS and Android platforms and continues where previous versions of the franchise left off, but the news is filtering through today that Rovio has brought their latest Angry Birds creation to another one billion people, with the immediate release of the game as a Facebook application.
Facebook has announced some big changes to mobile ads via a post on its its Developer Blog. The social network, which has made no secret of its desire to monetize the mobile market, has enlisted a sleuth of new options to both developers and users with regards to how advertisements interact with the audience. Those using Facebook for iOS 6 will be able to install apps straight from ads within the official app, and thanks to deep Facebook integration on the latest iteration of Apple's mobile OS, users won't even need to leave the app.
