Twitter updated its iOS and Android apps Thursday, adding new functionality particularly in the areas of Search and Discover.

Now you can preview article summaries and photos in both Search and Discover without tapping on those stories in order to so.

Just like on Twitter’s website, the Discover tab on mobile now lets you discover popular tweets. Tapping on the “View all Tweets” button will bring up a stream of stories, news, and photos being shared by people in your network. Read more…

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Twitter updated its iOS and Android apps on Wednesday by improving the photo uploading experience and making it easier to switch between multiple accounts.

Now when you add an image to tweet from Twitter’s mobile app, you’ll see a full preview of the photo rather than a cropped version. Images are also easier to upload; simply use a button in the bottom right corner of the compose box for a new tweet. When uploading a photo from the camera roll, images appear below the compose window, letting you quickly select your desired image.

When creating a new tweet, your avatar and username will now appear on the page, too. People with several linked Twitter accounts can toggle between the two by simply tapping on the avatar. This feature also makes it easier to quickly check which account you're tweeting from — with a visual verification — so you don't accidentally send out personal tweets from your business account, or vice versa. Read more…

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Facebook urged its employees in August to switch from iOS devices to Android so that flaws in the company's mobile app could be addressed more rapidly.

Now, photos have emerged of posters hung around the Menlo Park, Calif. headquarters of Facebook, which further urge employees to make the switch that they're calling 'Droidfooding — as in testing your own product. Read more…

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Apple supplier Pegatron is set to raise staffing levels by a colossal 40 per cent in the second half of the year, with the new workers rumoured to be assembling Cupertino’s much-hyped budget iPhone.

While Pegatron itself refused to confirm that the extra workforce would be beavering away on Apple’s latest iPhone, sources have told Reuters that the device is already in the works.

The news agency reports that some Japanese suppliers have already started on early production.

Mass production is scheduled to begin in June, with the device now expected to make an official appearance in the autumn, in line with Tim Cook’s promise of ‘exciting products this fall’.

Pegatron’s hiring drive comes just a month after rival Apple supply-chain mainstay Foxconn added 10,000 new employees to its production lines.

That suggests that Apple is going all out to get every supplier it can working at full capacity on a budget iPhone.

The handset is expected to rock a cheap plastic shell, with talk of a larger screen to compete with the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy range and HTC’s forthcoming M4.

Whether it can capture the lucrative Chinese and Indian markets, however, remains to be seen

Source:  Reuters

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Apple could ditch its policy of replacing faulty devices with brand new ones in favour of in-store repairs, it has emerged, in a move that could dramatically reduce costs for the purveyor of premium pocket-lint.

According to Apple Insider, the Cupertino-based company now has the capabilities to carry out repairs to iPhones and other iOS devices in-store and has already been shifting to this approach.

Alongside repairs to “speakers, receivers, home buttons, the vibrator motor and battery”, which it currently carries out within branches, from next month Apple will be able to replace displays, camera parts, logic boards and sleep/wake buttons.

An Apple employee told the site: "The way it is now, if almost anything is wrong with an iPhone, iPod, or iPad, the entire device is exchanged for a like-new re manufactured (sic) device, whether brought into an Apple store or sent in for mail in repair.

“Now we are starting to actually repair the products and return the same device to the customer."

The change to after-care policy, which was purportedly outlined by Apple Vice President Tara Bunch, will also see Apple adopt for a subscription model for AppleCare.

The move would see customers given training with their iOS device, as well as a 24/7 version of the

AppleCare service. Source:

Apple Insider

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One of the industry's best-connected analysts has dismissed the chance of a new take on the iPhone landing before September, despite some tech sages’ forecasting that a fresh Apple contender will drop as early as next month.

In a typically forthright interview on Bloomberg TV, Jeffries analyst Peter Misek ruled out an iPhone landing at June’s WWDC event. Basing his prediction on supply-chain rumbling that the market research company collates, Misek claims that the earliest we can probably expect the phone is September.

He said: “It typically takes 60-90 days of production before the phone is introduced to retail. And it hasn’t gone into production, yet, so if we assume production starts in June, that would mean the soonest you’d be able to get it would be late August/early September.

“But, we don’t think production is going to start until late June/early July and that’s based on 400+ suppliers that we track.”

Perhaps disappointingly for the iFaithful, Misek also refuted claims that we might get a significantly redesigned kit this time.

According to the number-cruncher, although multiple colours are a possibility, the majority of changes “will be underneath the hood, much like they were with the 4S”.

That suggests the rethought version of iOS that Jony Ive is helming will be the phone’s main sell, along with spec-sheet enhancements such as 12 megapixel camera, faster processor and fingerprint-tracking that have long been mooted on the tech-site rumour mill.

Source:

Gotta Be Mobile

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Apple may be all about premium materials nowadays, but one designer is out to prove a plastic iPhone can look just as impressive as those fashioned from metal.

Produced by Ran Avni and spotted by Cult of Mac, the render illustrates what Apple’s next-generation iPhone could look like if it were made of plastic rather than aluminium and glass like the iPhone 5.

The result is an impressive concept that's proof that despite the perceived inferiority of plastic, it isn’t at odds with the trademark design ethos that’s made Apple’s smartphones so popular around the world.

At first glimpse, Ravni’s handset looks largely similar to the iPhone 5, but at the back it boasts smoother, curvier edges that immediately bring the iPad mini to mind.

While we don’t think that Apple would, or even should, make its flagship kit out of plastic, it certainly wouldn’t be a wrong choice for the more affordable version that’s been a staple of the rumour-mill for some time now.

Unofficially dubbed the iPhone mini, a cheaper Apple smartphone is expected to retain the four-inch display of the iPhone 5, but recycle other parts from older models, such as an A5 processor from the iPhone 4S and an eight-megapixel camera.

Apple is widely tipped to unveil a less costly iPhone alongside its flagship model this year – possibly in summer or autumn.

Would you like to see a cheaper iPhone made of plastic? Share your thoughts in the comments platform below.

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Summer isn't just the season of love — it's also the season of travel. If you're planning a getaway in the next few months, either large-scale or small, you most likely have a budget to abide by (if not, you might want to look into drafting one.)

We did some research and in-staff sourcing to track down the best digital resources to help you, the traveler, save money during your upcoming summer journeys.

Granted, they do depend in part on the type of travel you're planning. Some are great if you're looking to crash for free or find last-minute rooms; others are more ideal for long-term trips where you'll be working for the roof over your head. You can try one, two or a combination of them all — it's a win-win regardless.

Take a look through them below. Are there any must-use tools we missed? Share your favorites with us in the comments! Read more…

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A friend of mine, Sam, recently listed his Nokia Lumia phone for sale online. After making arrangements to meet a buyer, he went to the AT&T store to have them wipe his phone of personal data. Unfortunately, the process killed his phone. He let the buyer know, who then, apparently angered by the cancelled deal, began sending weird texts to Sam's new iPhone.

How could Sam have avoided the hassle? He could have used Burner, an app that lets people create disposable numbers that they can give out in place of their real number. Burner released an app for Android phones and a major update for iPhone.

The software takes the place of burner phones, cheap mobiles that can be picked up at a local convenience store with no identifying account information associated with them. Burner offers similar anonymity without the need for another phone. Instead of tossing the phone, you delete the phone number the app generated.

Disposable numbers aren't only for drug dealers — just ask Sam. In fact, anonymous numbers come in handy for a variety of activities, such as getting quotes on a service when you don't want follow-up calls, first dates when you're really not sure if there will be a second one and, as in Sam's case, whenever you sell something online. Read more…

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Apple has gotten a lot of flack over the last month for its after-sales service practices in China, and perhaps rightfully so. But instead of being exploited by Apple, police have discovered that some Chinese criminals used Apple’s return system to turn more than 100 fake iPhones into real ones.

In December, a Wenzhou Apple shop owner turned in what he claimed were 121 iPhone 4S BAND parts (the core of the phone, worth about $476 each) that were broken and asked they be replaced. Apple complied, but discovered in January that the parts were actually counterfeits. Apple reported this to the shop, which maintained its innocence and reported the case to the police.

After several months, police arrested one of the shop’s engineers and her boyfriend, who, in turn, implicated other employees in the scam, all of whom have since also been arrested. In addition to raising questions about Apple’s after-sales service in China and whether it might be too lenient when it comes to returns. But it also raises the question of how many of the iPhones out there are real. Scammers can now make fake parts so real that it takes even Apple itself a month to notice the difference. Read more…

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Apple's so-called “iPhone mini” could grab 11% of the low-end smartphone market within its first year on the shelves.

In the worst-case scenario, the budget iPhone could cannibalize about 30% of existing iPhone sales, according to AppleInsider.

According to Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster, Apple’s low-cost iPhone is likely to launch in September with a price tag of around $300. This phone would carry a gross margin of 30% for Apple, compared to 55% for existing models.

The budget iPhone’s rumored release is being billed as a way to satisfy customers in developing nations who wish to spend less on smartphones. We've heard quite a bit about this phone over the past few months, including various concept designs. Read more…

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If you like to accessorize to suit the season, consider giving your iPhone a festive makeover. We have found 10 iPhone cases that will add some seasonal style to your device. Read more…

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LAS VEGAS — Netatmo's Urban Weather station debuted in August for iOS devices, and has now added support for Android devices as well.

An update announced at CES, Android users can now use their phone or tablets along with the Urban Weather Station to receive real-time notifications on the air quality and weather conditions specific to their home or office.

Monitoring is done through small indoor and outdoor modules that are possibly best described as the size of a toilet paper roll. The smaller of the two is mounted outside — the unit comes with everything you need except the tools — and the larger module is placed inside. Read more…

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