News

The CharityBuzz auction for a coffee date with Tim Cook has risen to US$605,000. This is the first increase in the price of the auction in several days, and comes with eight days left in the bidding. The auction is for an hour (that amount of time is not promised) with Tim Cook on the…

Apple is getting ready to retake control of the narrative, according to Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes, and doing so could help the company's stock regain momentum. Mr. Reitzes raised his price target for $AAPL to US$525 from $465, sparking a rally. In the early afternoon session, the stock was trading at $460.928, up $10.948 (+2.43…

I love getting review items from Just Mobile because their products are not only top of the line in quality, they are always unique. The new Gum Max Duo meets my expectations as usual. This product will charge an iPad and an iPhone at the same time, yet at only 4.25 x 3.25 x 1.25-in…

Once again I'd like to thank Smile for sponsoring us here at TMO, and this week I get to tell you about PDFPenPro 6. You've likely previously read my stuff about PDFPen, and PDFPenPro builds on that with a few key features. The big things that the Pro version has always added are the ability…

Let's offer a salute to clever game developers, especially Patrick and Daniel Klug, the cofounders of GreenheartGames. When they released Game Developer Tycoon for Mac, Windows, and Linux, they decided to put a cracked version of the game for pirates to steal on bittorrent, but they did so with a twist: players playing the cracked…

There are times when the iPad or iPhone user needs a stylus. And because stylus technology has come a long way in terms of the design, craftsmanship and the nib material, they're even more fun to use. The LYNKtec TruGlide Pro, with a 5 mm microfiber tip, is the best pure stylus I have ever…

It took Beethoven four years to write that symphony. Some things can't be rushed. Good music and good wine. Paul Masson's emerald dry. Delicious white wine. Paul Masson's wines taste so good because they're made with such care. What Paul Masson himself said nearly a century ago is still true today, 'We will sell no…

Along with earnings that hit US$43.6 billion, Apple reported on Tuesday that it is more than doubling its investment in returning capital to investors. The company is adding $55 billion to its shareholder returns, bringing the total up to $100 billion, and includes a 15 percent increase in the quarterly dividend. Apple expands its capital…

The U.S. International Trade Commission gave Motorola Mobility a tough pill to swallow on Monday when it invalidated the company's proximity sensor patent. The ruling killed the last remaining patent in Motorola's 2010 infringement lawsuit against Apple, and shot down Google's hopes of eventually winning an iPhone import ban. ITC says Motorola's proximity sensor patent…

AMD has hired Raja Koduri away from Apple some four years after Apple hired the graphics engineering executive away from AMD. This is the second GPU wonk that AMD has reclaimed from Apple, with Jim Keller having returned to the processor firm in August of 2012. Apple first hired Raja Koduri in April of 2009.…

Everything is About the Balance of Forces Humans beings are stretched to the limit when it comes to analysis that has substance when also burdened by the need to be timely and appealing. Headlines are designed to attract attention and make bold claims. As a result, much of the time, nothing is as it seems.…

Verizon announced during its first fiscal quarter earnings report on Thursday that it activated 4 million iPhones, which comes in above Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um's 3.5 million unit target. The cell service provider's activations were down compared to last quarter, but are up year over year. Still, Apple's quarterly iPhone numbers may come in…

Time magazine has released its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and Apple's designer-in-chief, Jony Ive, was named one of the most influential artists. U2's Bono, who counted the late Steve Jobs as a friend, did the write up on Sir Jony for the magazine. Sir Jonathan Ive Bono's description…

A petition hosted at Change.org is asking Verizon to follow in T-Mobile's footsteps and drop contract requirements for customers. The petition has already gathered more than 79,000 signatures out of a goal of 150,000. [Update: We added Verizon's statement.] Change.org Image for Petition Earlier in April, T-Mobile announced its “Uncarrier” plans that let customers buy…

Eric Schmidt has apparently found religion on privacy, and he's here with a message: mini-drones need to be regulated. We can't have folks and terrorists and such using these things to spy on each other, he said, that's for governments and Google to do. OK, I added the bit about Google, but that's what kept…

New Trent’s iTorch IMP52D is a 5200 mAh battery pack that works with all versions of the iPhone and iPad. It should also work with the iPod touch although it is not advertised to do so. The iTorch also includes a laser pointer and LED flashlight. Included with the product is a micro-USB to USB…

Digital Treasures has added to its line of Props Power Cases with the introduction of the Props Power Case for iPad mini. Props Power Case for iPad mini The case is a standard folio style design with tab closure, but it includes an 8000 mAh battery built-into the bottom of the case. The battery only…

Mac users turned their attention to long time Mac app developer Ambrosia Software Wednesday night when the company's coders posted messages on Twitter saying they lost their jobs and that the business was shutting down. Despite what the word is on Twitter, however, company president Andrew Welch says that's not what's really happening. Ambrosia Software:…

Starbucks announced a change to its iTunes Pick of the Week program on Tuesday that pushes customers to the company's mobile app for free downloads, which had some people thinking the cards they're used to seeing next to the cash register were going away, and soon. Turns out that's not the case, and what Starbucks…

I love this one: some folks may not remember, but rumors started up in 1996 that Steve Jobs might team up with Oracle Larry Ellison to buy Apple, or maybe Mr. Ellison was simply going to buy Apple so his buddy could run it again. Many people thought this sounded awful. Steve Jobs was kind…

Former Apple VP Ron Johnson Former Apple retailing VP Ron Johnson has been fired from JC Penney, the company he left Apple for in 2011. Mr. Johnson had been hired to turn JC Penney around, and he promised to reinvent the shopping experience. Customers were slow to embrace change, and sales, profits and JC Penney's…

The US Patent and Trademark Office has revised its stance on Apple's request for a trademark on the iPad mini name. The agency has resolved most of the issues it had with granting the trademark, and so far Apple hasn't had to do anything to make that happen. USPTO: iPad mini trademark isn't so bad…

In a sign of both Apple's increasing clout in China and growing consumerism in that country, representations of Apple products have become a top offering to the dead. NBC reported that cardboard representations of iPhones, iPads, and iMacs have joined more traditional offerings of fake money, food, and bags of clothes as offerings to the…

Facebook offered up its big reveal on Thursday, taking the wraps off of “Home,” a new Facebook app for Android. Or, at least some android devices. Home puts Facebook services front and center by taking over your home and lock screens and giving you quick access to status updates and messages from your Facebook friends.…