Samsung's advertising machine was in full flow once again at the Oscars 2014 ceremony, and when a Galaxy Note-snapped picture by TV personality Ellen DeGeneres surpassed the record for most retweets ever in just half an hour, the marketing and PR department of the electronics firm must have felt as though they'd struck gold. Yet, as ever at these kinds of events, the truth tends to reveal its ugly head backstage, and a later snap uploaded by DeGeneres via Twitter for iPhone suggests that, like a seemingly disproportionately high number of celebs, she's in fact an iPhone user.
In an official press release coming out of the Geneva International Motor Show Apple today announced that it is in the process of rolling out CarPlay. CarPlay is Apple's official new name for the iOS in the Car technology that we have been hearing so much about over the last twelve months, bringing a whole new way for users to interact with their iOS device in a motor vehicle.
That's right, we're coming to that time of year again when Apple's current-generation tech has been in our lives long enough for us to start speculating about the next flagship product to be released. The iPhone 5s has been publicly available to purchase for over five months now, which means that it's time to join the iPhone 6 rumor mill and discuss what the guys in Cupertino have in store for us. To keep in line with current smartphone trends, analysts and technology forecasters have widely tipped Apple to introduce the next iPhone with a larger multi-touch display, which is exactly what is depicted in these latest leaked images that claim to be from the iPhone 6.
By now I am sure most of you will be aware of iOS 7.0.6 which was released by Apple only a few days ago to patch critical SSL connection verification vulnerability that can expose your device to man-in-the-middle attacks. All versions below 7.0.6 are affected by this bug.
The iPhone is considered a very expensive device to own, but the fact that newer technologies become cheaper with every year enables vendors like Apple to ensure that each new model packs more new and exciting features for roundabout the same price. If prices of the raw materials remained constant, building a handset like the iPhone would be impossible on a large scale, and to emphasize this point, Tech Policy Daily has carried out some research on how much an iPhone would have cost to make in 1991.
Yesterday, it emerged that Samsung, a partner of the 2014 Moscow Winter Olympics, was giving away free Galaxy Note 3 handsets in goody bags handed to each and every participating athlete. Only, instead of being a genuine gift with the hope of a little ad coverage if the Olympian was snapped using the device, it was also reported that the Korean company was trying to exercise some kind of jurisdiction over what the athlete could then use (or indeed, not use) with regards to rivaling devices during the opening ceremony. However, official correspondence from the IOC (via MacRumors) has refuted the claim, so while it did make for an entertaining (and strangely plausible) story, Samsung's give away looks a genuine, no-strings gift to the stars after all.
Samsung, as you'll likely be aware, has a colossal advertising budget, regularly throwing tens of millions into new ad campaigns. While some, like the Samsung Style dance, have left us cringing, the company has regularly taken the more traditional approach of involving itself in major sporting events, and having been a major partner in the London 2012 Summer Olympics, the company is also looking to capitalize on Moscow's 2014 Winter Games. But while its tactic of giving away a free Galaxy Note 3 to every athlete may equate to some decent coverage when the TV feeds are beamed worldwide, there's a catch, in that recipients of the free Note must obscure the Apple logo if they plan on using an iPhone during the opening ceremony.
Apple has just rolled out iOS 7.1 beta 5 download, which carries the build number 5B103i. Details on how to update / download iOS 7.1 beta 5 on your iPhone or iPad are given below. As ever, it contains a number of fixes and general enhancements, and we've got all of the info right here.
The constant scrutiny of each and every corporate decision Apple makes may provide us a little insight into the day-to-day activities of Tim Cook's company, but what it doesn't do is provide us with a rationale behind some of the decisions made. And Apple's decision to attempt to block the use of unauthorized Lighting cables within iOS 7 is one of those decisions that some consumers would like some more information on.
The Siri digital assistant that ships with all mobile compatible devices running iOS has been known to put its foot in its mouth on more than one occasion. Barely a day could pass in the early days of the digital assistant without someone using Twitter, Facebook or Reddit to post screenshots of Siri replying to a seemingly innocent question with a ridiculous, controversial or opinionated answer. Long periods of silence on the Siri front seemed to suggest that we had passed that stage but the existence of Samantha in the movie Her seems to have ruffled a few electronic feathers.
