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QuickRes 3.0 makes switching resolutions on your Retina MacBook Pro quick and easy

2013-05-15T00:56:05Z

Switching resolutions on a Retina MacBook Pro usually requires going through System Preferences, but an app called QuickRes is designed to mitigate that annoying process.

QuickRes puts an icon in your Mac’s menu bar that allows you to quickly jump between a variety of preset display resolutions, even beyond supported by Apple, all the way up to 3840×2400. QuickRes can also enable HiDPI mode on non-Retina Macs, effectively doubling the resolution and giving a clearer (albeit bigger) picture.

To switch resolutions, you can right-click the app’s menu bar icon to select which display you want to change (if you have more than one), then select a resolution from a list of presets. You can also setup anywhere from two to eight of your favorite resolutions and switch between them quickly by clicking on the menu bar icon.

QuickRes is available in two flavors. The paid version is available for a 9to5Mac-exclusive price of $.99 (regularly $1.99) through this discount link. The free version, which supports fewer resolutions and does not include a quick HiDPI toggle for non-Retina, is available on the Mac App Store.

EA confirms ‘Frostbite Go’ engine for mobile games will come to iOS & Android

2013-05-14T22:33:25Z

As noted over at NeoGAF, EA has recently updated its website for the popular Frostbite engine to list details regarding a new version of the development platform for mobile devices dubbed “Frostbite Go”. While there aren’t many details, the page confirms that EA has plans to bring the engine to both iOS and Android, something that was previously rumored based off job listings for Frostbite.

One of our most exciting current projects is called Frostbite Go, a mobile division empowering EA game developers with Frostbite’s proven excellent workflows and features to bring true Frostbite experiences to all major mobile platforms.

Runtime in Frostbite supports a highly scalable model in order to appeal to the diverse array of platforms available on today’s market. Efficiency in both our runtime memory and runtime performance are both key factors to enabling code and data systems to deploy content to diverse targets from XBOX360 and PlayStation 4 to iOS and Android.

The Frostbite engine is best known for powering EA’s Battlefield and Need for Speed series, and back in January a job listing hinted that EA has plans to bring the engine to Mac OS X as well.

Seems EA sees iOS as a more viable platform than the Wii U.

RT @9to5mac: EA confirms ‘Frostbite Go’ engine for iOS goo.gl/fb/L3LUF—
Mike Beasley (@MikeBeas) May 14, 2013

EA is currently developing Frostbite 3, which is expected to ship first with the much anticipated Battlefield 4.

Coffee with Tim Cook auction delivers $610,000 to charity

2013-05-14T20:56:00Z

That auction for coffee with Tim Cook we showed you last month wrapped up today, and it looks like the Apple CEO severely underestimated his value.

Tim Cook and Charitybuzz hoped to raise $50,000 for the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, but the final price for an hour long cup of coffee with Mr. Cook ultimately reached $610,000 just before bids closed today.

The winning bidder currently remains anonymous, and the auction permits two people to attend the meeting with the CEO, but we imagine we may soon learn the identity of the mysterious “a********s” with all the publicity around the auction.

The offer expires one year from today, and the meeting will take place at a time mutually agreed upon by the two parties, which probably rules out June 10th as Tim Cook might have other engagements, but we look forward to hearing more about the now infamous coffee with Tim Cook.

It’s especially nice to see so much money go toward a universally deserving foundation.

Class action lawsuit claims iPhone 4 has defective power button nearly three years after its launch

2013-05-14T20:34:50Z

Nearly three years after the device first launched, GigaOm points us to a recently filed class action lawsuit that claims Apple’s iPhone 4 has a defective power button. The lawsuit claims that a defective flex cable typically causes the on/off switch to fail shortly after the device’s one year warranty has expired. It also claimsApple is aware of the problem, which is costing users around $149 to fix off of warranty.

Apple of course still sells the iPhone 4 through a number of carrier partners as its low end, $0 down iPhone option.

According to the lawsuit, “thousands of iPhone 4 users have suffered” from the issue that Apple allegedly knew existed before manufacturing and selling the device. The problem has never received a lot of mainstream media coverage or a response from Apple, but the lawsuit notes that a support forum on Apple’s website boasts over 800K views since first popping up in January 2011.

The class action lawsuit is seeking more than $5 million from Apple on behalf of iPhone 4 users.

Gear up for new Macs, D-Link releases four next generation ultra-fast 11AC WiFi routers

2013-05-14T19:35:42Z

From 9to5Toys.com:

Last month we were tipped to some clues in the latest OS X 10.8.4 beta which indicated that Apple is ramping up to release new Macs and accessories sporting the next generation wireless technology, 802.11ac. It’s entirely possible that we could see these Macs introduced as early as next month at Apple’s WWDC. If you’re planning to upgrade your Mac, you’re going to need an AC compatible router to take advantage of this new wireless technology. Below are four new options for you to consider when making the switch.

D-Link announced the immediate availability of four new 11AC wireless routers, starting at just $80. The next generation wireless technology, 11AC delivers more coverage and up to 3 times the speed of the current wireless standard “N.” The proliferation of mobile devices and streaming content has necessitated the move towards AC wireless as a faster, more reliable wireless connection for home and businesses users.

The new D-Link wireless router lineup consists of the AC750 (DIR-810L), AC1000 (DIR-820L), AC1200 (DIR-860L) and AC1750 (DIR-868L), ranging from $80 up to $170. These cloud routers offer remote network management via the free D-Link Lite iOS app, which “enables users to see what websites are being visited, block unwanted connections, and set up automatic email alerts when unauthorized connections are made.” The top of the line AC1750 and AC1200 feature four ultra fast Gigabit Ethernet ports.

Even though most devices we have aren’t AC compatible yet, if you’re currently in the market for a new router it may make sense to go AC in an effort to future proof your network.

All four of these routers are now available for order from D-Link or major retailers like Amazon.

Pinterest for iOS updated with push notifications, @mentions, search suggestions, more

2013-05-14T19:17:21Z

Pinterest is rolling out a big update to its mobile apps today that brings a number of highly requested features to both the iPhone and iPad. Some of the more notable updates include notifications and push notifications for comments and mentions, the ability to @mention friends from within the app, and improved search that provides suggestions as you type.

The updated app will also now let users invite friends to group boards.

A full list of what’s new in Pinterest 2.4 for iOS is below:

What’s New in Version 2.4

- Send a pin to someone and we’ll seal it with love (iPhone & iPod only)
- Get push notifications so you never miss a beat
- Search…and you shall receive suggestions
- Invite friends to pin with you on group boards
- Pin from more places — now more easily from the web
- Mention your friends (at last)!

‘Watch ABC’ app goes live on App Store, brings live TV to New York and Philadelphia

2013-05-14T16:29:01Z

On Sunday we noted that Disney’s ABC apps for iOS devices would this week begin live streaming TV to users in New York and Philadelphia. It’s the first time a major broadcaster is offering a live TV experience in its iOS apps and today the updated ABC apps have officially hit the App Store. The ABC Player is now called “Watch ABC” and with it comes the new live TV experience as well as the full length on demand episodes that were previously available. The new live streaming service will also be available to users on Kindle Fire and online at ABC.com.

The live video features will initially be limited to Philadelphia and New York City and starting July 1 users will have to verify their “eligible TV provider account for continued access.” For now eligible cable providers include Comcast, Cablevision, Cox, AT&T U-verse, Charter, and Midcontinent.

There are also plans to roll out the app to other markets this summer including: Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno.

Watch ABC version 3.0 is available now for iPhone and iPad.

What’s New in Version 3.0.0

- The ABC Player is now called WATCH ABC.
- Now in select markets, WATCH ABC is a new way to experience ABC television. You can watch your favorite TV shows and local programming – LIVE.*

*Live video available in Philadelphia and New York City area only. Must be within each station’s local viewing area. Program substitutions may apply. Starting July 1, 2013, simply verify your eligible TV provider account for continued access to LIVE video.

Square announces new Square Stand hardware for iPad, now available for pre-order

2013-05-14T15:26:26Z

Square announced a new product called Square Stand for vendors using Square Register for iPad to process payments.

Square Stand features the familiar credit card reader that made Square so popular with smartphone and tablet owners. The stand looks to replace traditional POS cash registers by mounting an iPad in a stylish case that resembles Apple’s iMac desktop computers.

Square can already replace your cash register with its Square Register app, which the Square Stand relies on, but the new hardware offers a more professional appearance while allowing vendor to lock their iPads to their counters more easily.

Square Stand is available for pre-order for $299 and will ship the week of June 8th.

The new hardware, which uses Apple’s 30-pin connector, supports the iPad 2 and 3 at the time of launch, but a Lightning version should come later this year. Square also offers other hardware, including a cash drawer, receipt printer, and barcode scanner, which is available for purchase now..

You can pre-order Square Stand starting today.

BlackBerry announces BBM coming to iOS and Android later this summer

2013-05-14T15:02:55Z

Although BlackBerry has been rumored to bring its BBM messaging platform to iOS and other devices before, today the company has made things official announcing at its event that support for both iOS and Android will be arriving in the coming months. The service, which BlackBerry says currently has about 60 million monthly active users, will come to devices running iOS 6 and Android 4.0 or above when it’s launched as a free app sometime this summer in the App Store and Google Play.

The company said that it would be bringing messaging and groups functionality to new platforms first but also has plans to introduce voice features, screen sharing, and its just announced ”social engagement platform” dubbed ‘Channels’ in future releases. BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins said the company is “committed to making the BBM experience on other platforms as fully featured” as possible.

While features such as screen sharing and voice will come later, the following features will be available to the iOS and Android apps at launch:

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

BlackBerry notes in its press release that Apple and Google will first have to approve the planned BBM apps (as always) before launching in the App Store and Google Play.

(via TheVerge)

Philips updates ‘Hue’ app with geofencing, recurring schedules & visual cues for weather, email, social media, more

2013-05-14T14:25:03Z

Philips today launched a big update to the Hue app that provides users with control over their network connected Philips Hue lighting system which the company began selling exclusively through Apple Stores last year. Version 1.1 of the app adds a ton of new features including Geofencing to trigger scenes when you leave or return home, recurring schedules for functions such as alarms, a new synchronous scenes, and much more.

One of the big announcements accompanying the launch of the updated app is a new IFTTT (If This Then That) channel for Hue. IFTTT is a service that allows online applications to talk to one another by letting users set up actions for one app that are triggered by another. For example, with the Hue channel, users can have “access to any application programming interface (API) on the Internet, allowing Hue smart bulbs to act as informational gateways and visual cues for updates on weather, stock quotes, sports scores, email, social media and more.” Imagine getting a notification through Hue related to a weather forecast or update on a social network.

The Philips Hue starter kit is available now for $199 with 3 bulbs and additional bulbs are available to purchase for $59 each.

A full list of what’s new in the update Philips Hue app is below:

What’s New in Version 1.1.0

- Geofencing feature: Scenes can now automatically turn on when coming home and turn off when leaving home
- Scenes can now be switched on or off using a timer between 1 and 59 minutes
- Alarms can now be set to recur in a weekly schedule and with a random offset for the start and end time
- Fades of alarms now start at the set time instead of ending at the set time
- Increased reliability of alarms
- Improved vibrant colors for LivingColors and hue lights and added support for LivingWhites
- When activating a scene the lights change at the same time synchronously
- Compatible lights can now be added to the system using their serial number