AppleInsider reports today on a very interesting theory, first reported on by TechCrunch, as to why Facebook’s new Home feature on Android has failed to seize the public’s imagination, or has turned out to be a “flop” as they put it! It’s all down to the popularity of Apple’s iPhone with Facebook employees, apparently! According to this theory, Facebook did not have enough people working on Home who were familiar with what does and does not work on Android, because so many of the testers were iPhone users who were much more familiar with iOS. So, the theory goes, because they were unfamiliar with Android, and not regular Android users, the Facebook testers didn’t realise how annoying it was that Home removed such popular Android features as widgets and the app dock for favourite apps, or didn’t allow the user to create app folders. TechCrunch says that it’s also for this reason that the iOS Facebook app is so much better than Home. AppleInsider points out that Facebook has admitted its mistakes with Home on Android, and is preparing to update it with various tweaks, including bringing back the popular apps dock, among other features.


Source: iPhone's popularity among Facebook staff may have aided in Home's lackluster launch

We are always saying how happy Apple customers usually are about their products. But that’s not always the case. According to a Florida woman, the tech giant was aware of a faulty flex cable messing with the iPhone 4’s power button, but chose to do nothing about it, hoping the whole thing would just go away.

But the woman decided that Apple should be held accountable so she sued the Cupertino company for no more than $5 million. And apparently, she’s not the only one unhappy with the iPhone 4. It turns out that she’s actually the representative for a whole group of people who own iPhone 4s with defect power buttons that hinders them from turning on/off the device or locking it.

In order to build a case, she has gathered countless testimonies from forum users who seem to be complaining about the same problematic button. She also managed to find a fix-it-yourself video tutorial on YouTube that teaches users of decrepit iPhones how to fix the button. The person behind the video is also heard commenting that the iPhone 4 faulty button problem affects a lot of users.

Debra Hilton, the woman in question, explains in the petition that when first purchased, the iPhone 4’s button seems to be in good condition, but after a year of intense use, it caved in. That’s problematic, since the iPhone 4 warranty is already expired at this point, so the user has to pay good cash for the problem to be solved.

The lawsuit was filed in San Jose, California.

Source: GigaOm

Boy Genius Report writes today of what would appear to be the first confirmation from an industry insider that Apple’s next iPhone will feature a fingerprint sensor. According to the report, PayPal’s chief information security officer, Michael Barrett, made the following statement during his keynote address at Interop. “It’s widely rumoured that a large technology provider in Cupertino, Calif., will come out with a phone later this year that has a fingerprint reader on it.” After dropping that little hint, Barrett went on to say that Apple will not be the only company to introduce fingerprint tech in the near future: “There is going to be a fingerprint-enabled phone on the market later this year. Not just one, multiple.” As BGR notes, it was Apple CEO Tim Cook’s very smart decision to buy AuthenTec that is at the centre of its introduction of fingerprint technology, possibly stealing a march on other manufacturers, which is something that those who have been quick to criticise Cook in recent months would do well to note.


Source: iPhone 5S Fingerprint Scanner Confirmed? | BGR

Cult of Mac reports today on a new rumour direct from sources in Apple’s supply chain in Taiwan saying that the iPhone 5S could have a sapphire crystal capacitive touch home button incorporating a fingerprint sensor. The source goes on to say that the sapphire crystal home button will replace the traditional physical home button, with the toughness of the crystal protecting the fingerprint sensor underneath. The iPhone 5 has a sapphire crystal camera lens on the rear camera, designed to prevent scratches. Cult of Mac says that Apple is finally prepared to do away with the home button, as it can be unreliable and stop working after long periods of use, so it’s hoped that using capacitive touch technology to replace the physical home button will prove to be more reliable. The fingerprint sensor would be built into this technology as well. The source in Taiwan said that the iPhone 5S and the new, cheaper plastic iPhone would both be released in either August or September. There's no indication as to how accurate these sources are, so, as always, take this story with a pinch of salt, especially as other leaked alleged iPhone 5S parts pictures show a normal-looking home button array.


Source: Cult of Mac » iPhone 5S To Get Sapphire Crystal Home Button With Fingerprint Sensor [Rumor]

BlackBerry today confirmed a rumour that first appeared on Boy Genius Report a while back, and that some might have thought would actually never happen, by announcing that BlackBerry Messenger will be coming to iOS and Android sometime this summer, once it gets approval from Apple and Google. The news caused such a stir that it was trending worldwide today. In a post on the “Inside BlackBerry” blog, BlackBerry outlined its plans for its flagship service, saying,

“We’ve got some exciting news designed to make it easier for you to connect with your entire mobile social network.”

Basically what this means is that people can connect with their friends and family on BlackBerry Messenger without having to use a BlackBerry to do so. In the announcement, BlackBerry details the key features that users can expect to enjoy once the app is released:

• The immediacy of BBM chats
• Multi-person chats
• Voice note sharing
• BlackBerry Groups, where BBM users are able to set up groups of up to 30 people and share calendar, photos, files and more

Speaking at BlackBerry Live 2013, Andrew Brocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem at BlackBerry said,

“For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We’re excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community.”

BlackBerry says that if and when the BBM app is approved by Apple and Google, it will be released as a free download.

Source: BBM for iOS and Android to Launch This Summer «Inside BlackBerry - The Official BlackBerry Blog

Amazon brings something fresh to the iOS. Meet the Amazon Cloud Drive Photos app, which, as the name suggests, is a software aimed at photography enthusiasts and regular folks alike.

What the app provides is the possibility to sync the photos taken and stored on the iPhone or iPad with the Amazon Cloud Drive. Whole albums can be backed up into the Cloud or just specific photographs. Using the app, one might experience a little déjà vu, since some of the functions resemble those found in Dropbox.

“Access your photos from your iPhone or iPod touch, your computer, or any web browser. Take a picture on your iPhone and save it to​​ the Amazon Cloud to enjoy on your computer. Upload photos from your computer and enjoy them on your iPhone or iPod touch.”

So, the photos you take are automatically uploaded into the Cloud Drive. Viewing the pictures from the Cloud is a lot of fun since you can add a lot of layouts and share your “work” with friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Users interested in backing up their files should know that Amazon offers 5GB of free storage to every user signing up. In order to grab more space, a pricing plan is then applied. Get 20GB of storage for $10/year and 50GB for $25 while 100GB come for $50. The launch of this photo-centric app represents Amazon’s latest endeavor in becoming more Apple friendly as the company just released an updated OS X app.

Source: PC Mag

We have seen a lot of rumors in the last months suggesting that Apple will start building a cheaper iPhone aimed at developing markets, like China. Last week, we heard that production of the device is about to start, since one of the Apple’s manufacturing partners is hiring 40% more workers.

A cheaper iPhone would mean that Apple would have to use cheaper materials to build its iconic iPhone. The most common theory, for example, is that the Cupertino tech giant will probably renounce using aluminum for the phone’s back plate and switch to plastic, instead. A lot of fans were worried that plastic might end up ruining the overall look and feel of the device. But a new video released by concept designer Ran Avni shows without a doubt that a plastic iPhone might not end up looking so shabby, after all.​​

Yes, you can see the phone doesn’t have the premium look of the iPhone, but it doesn’t seem bad or tacky either and we’re pretty sure it would prove to be very popular with the crowds.

The iPhone presented in the video features the same two colors we have been accustomed to: silver and black. When looking carefully at the plastic back, one might see resemblances to the iPad mini. The video proves that Apple could still release a plastic device on the market and turn it into a smash hit, like it did with everything it has launched so far.

Source: CultOfMac

You might be kicking yourself when you read this story if you delayed getting an iPhone 5 on T-Mobile, as iDownloadBlog reports today that following its early launch offers, T-Mobile has now increased the price of the initial down payment for the iPhone 5 to $149.99. When T-Mobile first sold the iPhone 5 back in April, it cost just $99 initially, plus 24 monthly payments of $20. Then, for a short time last week, T-Mobile actually slashed the initial down payment to zero, provided you had another phone to trade in at the same time. So, you should congratulate yourself if you actually managed to get an iPhone 5 for free during this very short window, as any new would-be buyers will now have to fork out $149.99. As TMoNews via iDownloadBlog points out, this latest increase means that the total cost of owning a 16GB iPhone 5 on T-Mobile has now risen to $629 from $579.


Source: How ?Uncarrier?: T-Mobile increases iPhone 5 down payment to $149