Stay Warm and Connected with Touch-Screen Compatible Gloves [Deals Hub]

As much as it pains us to say it, winter is right around the corner. That means going outside will require bundling up, which leads to one of the great frustrations that comes with touch screens: They aren’t glove-friendly. You don’t have to lose your portal to the world inside your iPhone just because it’s trapped in your pocket when you have the touch-screen compatible gloves from Bazaared. These will keep your hands warms and you connected. You can get them on sale now in the iPhone Hacks Deals Hub. The touch-screen compatible gloves from Bazaared allow you continued access to your iPhone even as the elements beat down upon you. No snowfall will stop you from getting to your favorite apps when your hands are covered by these tight-knit gloves with sensor conducting material on the thumb, middle, and index fingers. These one-size-fits-all gloves are the perfect accessory for you or your tech-loving relative this holiday season, so grab them as a gift (even if it’s a gift to yourself). You can get a pair of the touch-screen compatible gloves from Bazzared for just $14 from the iPhone Hacks Deals Hub. That’s a 51% savings off the retail price. It’s the perfect way to stay connected even out in the freezing cold, so grab this offer while you can. Continue reading →

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Knock: App lets you Unlock your Mac by knocking on your iPhone

Knock is an interesting new app for iPhone. It allows you to unlock your Mac with your iPhone via Bluetooth, without the hassle of entering the password. Knock comes with a companion Mac app that pairs with the iOS app over Bluetooth, and allows you to unlock a Mac with two knocks at the back of the iPhone. Knock makes use of Low Energy Bluetooth 4.0 to communicate with the Mac, so it shouldn’t drain your iPhone’s battery life. Here’s a quick description of the app in the comments: Faster and safer than typing a password, for iOS and Mac. You keep your iPhone with you all the time. Now you can use it as a password. You never have to open the app— just knock on your phone twice, even when it’s in your pocket, and you’re in. Using Knock won’t drain your iPhone’s battery, even if you use it all day every day. Knock securely communicates with your Mac using Bluetooth Low Energy, a new technology that draws very little power. Since the app requires Bluetooth 4.0, it is compatible with iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, and MacBook Air 2011 or newer, MacBook Pro or newer, iMac 2013 or newer, Mac Mini 2011 or newer. If you have any issues unlocking your Mac with Knock, you can always unlock it the traditional way by entering the password. I like the idea behind the app, but in my tests it didn’t seem to work as effortlessly as I had hoped. I am able to unlock my Mac using the app, but I had to knock twice more than once to unlock it. Knock iOS app is available in the App Store for $3.99 [download link]. You can download the Mac app for free from Knock’s website. Let me know how it goes in the comments. Continue reading →

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Apple releases report on government information requests

Google, Yahoo and other technology companies have come forward with statements about government information requests. Now, it is Apple’s turn to disclose details about customer privacy, transparency and global information requests on it customers. Apple released the report on its website in PDF format. The public report details the number and the type of requests it receives from the US and other governments around the world. Apple says it provided this report so customers know how their personal data is being handled by the Cupertino company. We believe that our customers have a right to understand how their personal information is handled, and we consider it our responsibility to provide them with the best privacy protections available. Unlike Google which focuses on data, Apple points out that its business model “does not depend on collecting personal data.” Perhaps most important, our business does not depend on collecting personal data. We have no interest in amassing personal information about our customers. We protect personal conversations by providing end-to-end encryption over iMessage and FaceTime. We do not store location data, Maps searches, or Siri requests in any identifiable form. The Cupertino company also adds that it would prefer to be more transparent about these requests, but the US government prevents Apple from disclosing the details on these requests. At the time of this report, the U.S. government does not allow Apple to disclose, except in broad ranges, the number of national security orders, the number of accounts affected by the orders, or whether content, such as emails, was disclosed. We strongly oppose this gag order, and Apple has made the case for relief from these restrictions in meetings and discussions with the White House, the U.S. Attorney General, congressional leaders, and the courts. Apple confirms that it has received between 1,000 and 2,000 requests from US law enforcement. This dwarfs other countries which sent 127 or less requests. These requests target 2000-3000 accounts. The US also tops other countries in device information requests, with 3,542. The US if followed by Germany with 2,156 requests and Singapore with 1,498. You can view a larger version of the table here and read the full report on Apple’s website. Continue reading →

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Google Search for iOS updated with handsfree voice search, reminders, notifications, and new cards

Google today released a major update to the Google Search app for iOS, adding a bunch of new functionality to Google Now, including the much-hyped “OK Google” handsfree voice search that was one of the main features of Google’s flagship phone Moto X. OK Google Handsfree voice search On the iPhone 4s and later, you can simply say “OK Google” to search by voice (with the app open of course), making it very convenient to perform voice based, handsfree searches. Notifications You’ll now get notifications for calendar events, appointments, flight delays and train information. Reminders You can also ask Google Now to set reminders for you, just like you ask Siri. You can use natural language to specify the time or place to remind you. You can also ask to be reminded when one of your favorite: - Musicians release a new album - TV show has a new episode - Actors star in a new movie - Celebrities and politicians make headlines New Cards Google has also added new types of cards to show you more information: - Tickets for movies, concerts and events - Boarding passes for your flights - Reservation confirmations for car rentals - Warnings when your last train home leaves - Lists of upcoming local events Other improvements include: - A redesigned and simplified homepage - Gestures to zoom or throw away images - One touch sign in if you use other Google apps - Improved voiceover accessibility If the app hasn’t been automatically updated, you can download the update via the Updates tab in the App Store app or use this iTunes link. Download link: ➤ Google Search – free Continue reading →

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Stay Safe and Secure on Public Wi-Fi with Cloak [Deals Hub]

The great part about technology today is you can take it with you anywhere and get your work (or your play) done even when you’re not at home or in the office. But when you choose to connect to a public Wi-Fi server, you also put yourself at risk by exposing your computer and everything on it to people with less than good intentions. Get Cloak from the iPhone Hacks Deals Hub and you’ll be able to hook up to any public internet connection and feel safe. Cloak is a must have service for any person who spends time on public Wi-Fi. This service creates a private Virtual Private Network for you and your devices, giving you your own private spot on an otherwise open connection. It’s the perfect defense against anyone who may want to violate your privacy as you browse the web in public. With Cloak, you can connect to Wi-Fi from your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook and know you’re the only one with access to your information. You can get Cloak from the iPhone Hacks Deals Hub for just $59. It usually retails for $96, meaning you’ll save 38% off the retail price. That’s a great price for peace of mind and personal security, so grab this offer today. Continue reading →

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Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 beats iPad Air and Nexus 10 in Display Shootout

iPad Air comes with a more power-efficient, brighter and less reflective Retina Display compared to the iPad 4, but Kindle Fire HDX still grabbed the top spot in a display shootout with the new iPad and Nexus 10, according to display experts at DisplayMate. From DisplayMate: The Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 and Apple iPad Air are both even more impressive on another performance level because in addition they deliver top notch picture quality, absolute color accuracy, and accurate image contrast that is not only much better than any other Tablet, they are also much better than most HDTVs, laptops, and monitors. In fact, with some minor calibration tweaks they both would qualify as studio reference monitors. For proof, see the measurements in the Brightness and Contrast and Colors and Intensities sections, plus the plotted data in Figure 1, Figure 2, and Figure 3. Most impressive of all is the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, which has leapfrogged into the best performing Tablet display that we have ever tested, significantly out-performing the iPad Air in Brightness, Screen Reflectance, and high ambient light contrast, plus a first place finish in the very challenging category of Absolute Color Accuracy. The report reveals that the Kindle Fire HDX comes with a high performance Low Temperature Poly Silicon (LTPS) LCD, and the iPad Air comes with IGZO Metal Oxide LCDs, which according to DisplayMate is significantly better than the a-Si amorphous Silicon LCDs being used in most current displays. I must admit I was quite surprised to see the Kindle Fire HDX top the display shootout, it remains to be seen if Google’s next generation Nexus 10, which is expected to be launched later this month, will be able to top the Kindle Fire HDX and iPad Air in the display shootout. [Via DisplayMate] Continue reading →

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Video: LG’s G Flex does indeed flex; when will these kind of display end up in iPhones?

Both LG and Samsung announced smartphones with curved displays last month. LG calls theirs the G Flex, while Samsung calls their device the Galaxy Round. Now we know you probably don’t care about these since they run Android, but you can’t help but stop and appreciate the kind of research and design that went into these. What’s different about a curved screen compared to a regular flat display? Think about Mexican food for a moment. There are hard shell (stiff) and soft shell (flexible) tacos. The beef and vegetables, those are the pixels and all the fancy electronics needed to render images. Hard shell “tacos” are hard because they’re made out of glass. There are probably at least 100 factories, each of them absurdly large, pumping out hard shell tacos each and every day in multiple sizes. Soft shell tacos on the other hand, they’re made out of plastic, and they need entirely different factories. Hence why the G Flex and Round and incredibly limited. But Enough about that, let’s get to the fun stuff. Because LG and Samsung built screens out of plastic instead of glass, they’re insanely more durable. So much so that Engadget managed to do things to LG’s phone that would make most other phones cry. Check out the 15 second video above to understand what I’m talking about. When will we get iPhones and iPads using these kind of displays? Back to the taco analogy, it’s all a matter of building up the resources needed to make all those panels. As much as LG and Samsung would like to, they can’t just snap their fingers and mass produce a brand spanking new technology. Maybe we’ll see this show up in the iWatch, maybe not, it really is too soon too tell. Continue reading →

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