Twitter is apparently considering shutting down its #music app only six months after launching it for the iPhone. #music let users share what they were listening to with other Twitter users, although it looks like no one has really been using the feature. Twitter ready to give #music the ax The #music service launched in…
Jeff Gamet
Jeff Gamet is the Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, and co-host of the Apple Context Machine podcast. He is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X” from Peachpit Press, and writes for several design-related publications. Jeff has presented at events such as Macworld Expo, the RSA Conference, and the Mac Computer Expo. In all his spare time, he also hosts TMO’s Daily Observations podcast, co-hosts The iOS Show podcast, and makes guest appearances on several other shows, too. Jeff dreams in HD.
Articles by Jeff Gamet
iOS 7: Limit which Apps Use Cell Data
It's great that the iPhone 5 gives you anywhere access to the Internet, but unfortunately most people have limited cellular data caps. That means apps that love to hog your data connection can push you dangerously close too, or even over, your monthly limit. Good thing iOS 7 lets you block apps from using your…
iOS 7: Changing Text Size for Easier Readability
Just because the display on your iPhone is sharp doesn't mean your eyes are, too.Sure, you can enable bold text to help make words easier to read, but if that isn't cutting if for you, iOS 7 lets you increase text size, too. It's easy and we'll show you how. To increase the size of…
iOS 7: Jumping to the Music App from Control Center
iOS 7's Control Center is a great because it gives you quick access to all kinds of commonly used settings and, well, controls. Some of those controls also give you quick access to the apps they remotely run, including music playback. Read on to learn how. If you aren't familiar with Control Center, you should…
Judge Cote Assigns DOJ Monitor in Apple Ebook Price Fixing Case
Judge Denise Cote has assigned former Assistant US Attorney and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Bromwich with the task of monitoring Apple as part of the five-year injunction she hit the Mac, iPhone, and iPad maker with in an ebook price fixing case. Mr. Bromwich will watch over Apple's business practices for two years, but…
Canaccord Raises AAPL Target on Strong iPhone 5s, iPad 5 Sales
Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley sees the just released iPhone 5s and the still unannounced fifth generation iPad as big sellers for Apple and is raising his target price for the company's stock from US$560 up to $580. He also expects an iPhone deal with China Mobile will give Apple another boost. Michael Walkley raised…
Samsung Smackdown: Judge calls Apple Info Leak Inexcusable
Judge Lucy Koh had harsh words for Samsung and its involvement in sharing confidential information about Apple's contracts with Nokia and very likely could impose sanctions on the company and its legal firm for their actions. Judge Koh called the leaking of the documents improper and Samsung's attempts to coverup what happened inexcusable. Samsung's courtroom…
iOS 7: Set Default Navigation Directions in Maps
The Maps app in iOS 7 will do its best to get you from place to place with its built-in navigation feature, and it can show you driving or walking directions. Maps assumes you're in your car, but what if you usually walk? No problem; just change the default from driving directions to walking. Read…
Analyst: iWatch isn't about Smartwatches
With rumors of an Apple smartwatch running hot and heavy, analysts are offering thier take on just what might be up — or at the end of — the company's sleeve. Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White thinks the mythical watch isn't about being a smartwatch at all, and instead is a wrist top remote for…
iOS 7: Easy System-wide Searches
Sometimes it's the simple things that make operating system updates so nice, like iOS 7's new way of performing system-wide searches. The problem is when the way you get at a feature like that changes and no one tells you where it went. If you're stymied trying to find iOS 7's system-wide search, rest easy.…
BlackBerry Looks for Relevance with Cloud-based iOS Management Tools
BlackBerry is hoping to find new relevance in the mobile device world with the introduction of a new set of Web-based tools for managing iOS and Android-based devices. The Web tools, which haven't launched yet, are promised to make life easier for Administrators that need to manage iPhones and iPads, as well as Android and…
iPhone 5s: Changing Touch ID Fingerprint Labels
Touch ID on the iPhone 5s makes for an easy screen unlock since you don't have to type a passcode, and you can store fingerprints for up to five fingers so you don't have to always pick up your phone exactly the same way. The default identifier for each print is a generic “Finger 1,”…
iPhone 5s: Identifying which Fingers are Linked to Touch ID
The iPhone 5s includes Touch ID so you can use your fingerprint as your passcode, and it lets you store prints for up to five different fingers. Unfortunately, each is identified with non-descriptive terms like “Finger 1,” and “Finger 2.” That may not be overly helpful in keeping track of which fingers you' lined to…
Apple Appeals Ebook Price Fixing Ruling
As expected, Apple has filed an appeal in the Federal ebook price fixing case where Judge Denise Cote ruled that Apple conspired with book publishers to artificially raise prices. Apple has steadfastly maintained that it did nothing wrong, and that there never was any form of collusion with book publishers. Apple maintains it did nothing…
Analyst Raises AAPL Target on Prospect of 4.8-inch iPhone 6
Jefferies analyst Peter Misek sees a lucrative boost for Apple based not on the just released iPhone 5s, but on the iPhone 6. He raised his target price for Apple's stock from US$425 to $600 based on his belief that the next iPhone model will bump up to a 4.8-inch display from the current 4-inch…
2.9M Adobe User Accounts Stolen in Hacker Attack
Account information, including user names and encrypted credit card numbers, were stolen from Adobe servers by hackers, potentially exposing information for 2.9 million user accounts. Adobe revealed the security breach on Thursday, and has already started notifying customers who may now have compromised credit cards In a statement on the Adobe website, Chief Security Officer…
iOS 7: Stop Safari from Preloading Web search Top Hits
Mobile Safari in iOS 7 wants to do its best to help you work more efficiently, so it automatically preloads the top hit from your Web searches. That's great, unless you don't want Safari to auto-load top hits. You can disable that feature, and it's easy to do. Read on to learn how. To disable…
Reinstating iCloud Storage, Goodbye Free MobileMe
Apple's free 20GB of iCloud storage for former MobileMe subscribers ended with September, which means anyone that procrastinated on signing up for a paid account woke up on October 1 to find that they had been downgraded to a free 5GB account. If you don't need the extra storage, no problem. But if you do,…
iOS 7: Easier to Read Settings Switches
The slider toggle switches in iOS 7's settings don't include any words to indicate whether or not something is active — like On or Off — but they do turn green to show they're active. That's nice, but not all apps offer the green visual cue, and some people may have trouble with colors, too.…
Judge Blocks Apple from Intervening in Lodsys Patent Licensing Attacks
iPhone and iPad app developers were dealt a serious blow recently when a Federal Court Judge ruled that Apple can't intervene on their behalf in in the ongoing patent licensing case patent holding company Lodsys is bringing against them. The patent holder claims app developers must pay licensing fees for in-app purchases even though Apple…
iOS 7: Blocking Control Center in Apps
iOS 7's Control Center feature is great because it gives you quick access to the system settings you're most likely to use. If you use any apps that also rely on the up-from-the-bottom-of-the-screen gesture, however, that can actually be a pain. Luckily Apple thought of that, and the fix is easy. Control Center gives you…
Apple Click Wheel Patent Infringement Costs Apple $3.3 Million in Japan
A Japanese court has ruled that the Click Wheel in Apple's iPod Classic infringes on a patent owned by Norihiko Saito and has ordered the company to pay Y330 million (about US$3,334,650) in damages. Mr. Saito filed his lawsuit against Apple in 2007 and was originally asking for Y10 billion (about $101,050,000) in damages –…
Hackers Work Around iPhone 5s Touch ID Security
The iPhone 5s has been available for only three days and already a group has found a way to bypass the smartphone's Touch ID fingerprint-based authentication system. The group concocted an elaborate system to replicate a fingerprint that's associated with a particular iPhone 5s, and the hack requires physical access to the device. Apple's Touch…
iPhone 5s: Checking for In-store Availability
Apple's retail stores stopped answering their phones over the weekend, which meant there wasn't any way to find out if they had the iPhone model in stock you wanted without going to the store and waiting in line. As of Monday, however, the company's website makes it much easier to know if the iPhone you…