Ingenious new app is every math teacher’s nightmare come true

If your school doesn't already collect your smartphones before you go to class, we're certain that it will start doing so after seeing this new mobile app. Per Engadget , an app called PhotoMath is every math teacher's worst nightmare come to life as it will solve equations for you just by using your smartphone's camera.

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Posted in 2014 at 11:45PM, October 21

FXNOW iOS App Gains Support for 'Simpsons World', All 552 Episodes of The Simpsons Available [iOS Blog]

FXNOW, an on-demand video app that features hit movies from Fox networks FX, FXX, and FXM, was today updated to add support for Simpsons World, an FXX feature that allows users to watch all 552 episodes of popular television show The Simpsons.

FXNOW is an on-demand video service featuring Simpsons World, as well as the biggest and best lineup of critically acclaimed dramas, hit comedies and blockbusters movies from 3 networks, FX, FXX and FXM. With the addition of Simpsons World, FXNOW delivers a one-of-a-kind Simpsons experience with access to Every.Episode.Ever. and more, at your fingertips.

Accessing the FXNOW app and the Simpsons World content requires a cable subscription from one of the following TV providers: AT&T U-Verse, Bright House Networks, Comcast XFINITY, Cox, Midcontinent Communications, Optimum, Suddenlink, Time Warner Cable, or WOW!.



Along with airing old episodes from the past 25 seasons, Simpsons World will allow users to watch new episodes of The Simpsons 24 hours after they first air on television.



There's also an FXNOW channel on the Apple TV, which is rumored to be gaining Simpsons World content as well, but thus far, Simpsons World content has not been added to the channel.



FXNow can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

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Posted in 2014 at 11:27PM, October 21

Apple and GT Advanced Reach Deal to End Partnership, GT to Sell Furnaces to Pay Debt

GT Advanced and Apple have reached a deal that will see the two companies dissolving their partnership, according to documents submitted to the court earlier today, reports The Wall Street Journal . According to GT Advanced attorney Luc Despins, the agreement between the two companies marks an "amicable parting of the ways."



Under the terms of the deal, GT Advanced will sell off more than 2,000 sapphire furnaces, with some of the proceeds going to Apple as repayment for the $440 million loan the company gave GT to purchase the sapphire equipment.

Mr. Despins said the proposed settlement allows GT Advanced to try to sell the furnaces at the Mesa, Ariz. sapphire-manufacturing facility, and give the money to Apple, which financed the equipment. GT Advanced would surrender its claims against Apple, under the deal, and agree not to disparage the technology giant, Mr. Despins said.

There was some speculation that GT Advanced was aiming to force Apple into taking over the sapphire operation, but it appears that Apple is not interested as both parties seem to want out of the deal. With GT planning to sell off all of the furnaces, it is unclear whether Apple will be able to source enough sapphire from other suppliers in order to incorporate sapphire into the iPhone display in the future.



Apple and GT Advanced have also agreed to file a revised explanation for the company's bankruptcy filing, which will be provided to the court at a November 25 hearing, but the original court papers remain sealed. If approved, the settlement between GT Advanced and Apple will see original court papers stricken from the court record, keeping the details of what went wrong between the two companies quiet.



Rumors have suggested that the deal between GT Advanced and Apple began falling apart early on, with GT Advanced missing technical milestones as early as February. A failure to produce high-quality sapphire led Apple to withhold a final $139 million loan payment, which may have been the reason behind GT Advanced's Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing in early October.



GT Advanced will begin winding down operations at its sapphire plant in the near future, eliminating the jobs of more than 727 employees in the coming weeks. GT Advanced plans to prepare existing sapphire boules for sale, clean and sell furnaces, and then close the plant for good by December 31.

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Posted in 2014 at 11:07PM, October 21

Staples Begins Accepting iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 3 Pre-Orders [iOS Blog]

Staples today announced that it has begun accepting iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 pre-orders on its website, allowing customers to place early orders for a Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3.



Staples will also be accepting in-store pre-orders for Apple's new tablets beginning on Saturday, October 25. The retailer expects the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 to be available in Staples stores on Monday, October 27 at the earliest, but exact timing of in-store availability remains unknown.





In addition to accepting pre-orders for the new iPads, Staples is also offering trade-ins for old devices, giving eCash cards that can be used towards the purchase of a new device. Staples' trade-in deals aren't quite as good as those available on other sites, so it may be worthwhile looking into other options.



Several other retailers, including Apple, Best Buy, Target, and more, are also offering pre-orders of the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. Some early orders from Apple have begun shipping out, but it is still unclear when the devices will be purchasable in stores.

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Posted in 2014 at 10:09PM, October 21

iPad Air 2 Up to 55% Faster Than iPhone 6, Up to 68% Faster Than iPad Air

A short time ago, we highlighted a new benchmark appearing to show an iPad Air 2 device carrying an A8X chip with a triple-core 1.5 GHz processor and 2 GB of RAM.



While we mentioned that the enhanced specs have led to huge performance gains compared to the A8 chip found in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Primate Labs has now published a nice pair of charts showing just how dramatic this improvement really is, making the iPad Air 2 far and away the fastest iOS device ever.



The most striking improvement comes in the multi-score benchmarks, where the A8X with its three cores of processing power blows away the dual-core A8 found in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. As a result, the iPad Air 2 registers over 55 percent faster than the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in the multi-core benchmark. Comparing iPad to iPad, the A8X in the iPad Air 2 measures 68 percent faster than the A7 in last year's iPad Air according to the multi-core benchmark.





The iPad Air 2 also sets new high scores in the single-core benchmarks thanks to the 1.5 GHz cores in the A8X, with much of the nearly 13 percent gain over the A8 coming from the 100 MHz speed improvement compared the 1.4 GHz cores found in the iPhone and 6 Plus. The iPad Air 2 of course also compares favorably to the original iPad Air, with single core scores up 23 percent.

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Posted in 2014 at 08:50PM, October 21

The Pokemon Company Releases Second Official Pokemon Game for iOS [iOS Blog]

The Pokemon Company today released Camp Pokemon, an official Pokemon game that stars real Pokemon characters. Because the game is aimed at kids between 6 and 8 years of age, it's unlikely to be of interest to adults, but it does suggest The Pokemon Company is committed to bringing Pokemon games to iOS.






In Camp Pokemon, kids are tasked with exploring an island "filled with fun Pokemon-themed activities" that include searching for Pokemon to earn pins and playing a variety of Pokemon mini games to earn rewards.

- Find the Pokémon: Use a spyglass to search for virtual Pokémon and earn their Pins. Earn Rewards to unlock new levels and search for other Pokémon in different environments.

- Poké Ball Throw: Launch Poké Balls at cardboard cutouts of Pokémon hiding in the grass and knock them down. Earn Rewards to unlock the Rock and Water environments.

- Pokémon Evolutions: Test your knowledge of Pokémon Evolutions by choosing the correct Pokémon missing from the Evolution chain.

- Battle Matchups: Practice type matchups, an important skill in Pokémon battles, by choosing which type is strong against the given Pokémon.

- Pokémon in Focus: Choose the Pokémon that matches the shadow projected on the tent.

- My Cabin: In this home base, campers can find their Pin Book, Photo Book, and Bulletin Board.

- Photo Booth: Create camp memories by taking photos with the iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch camera, adding stickers to the images, and saving the pictures to the app’s Photo Book or the Camera Roll on the camper’s device.

- Mystery Cave: What could be hiding in the Mystery Cave? To find out, campers will need to earn the right to enter!

As noted by our sister site TouchArcade , Camp Pokemon is going to be a "snooze-fest" for adults, but it makes it "obvious that The Pokemon Company is serious about iOS," hinting that additional Pokemon games could come to iOS in the future.



Along with Camp Pokemon, The Pokemon Company also released Pokemon TCG Online on iOS in late September, bringing the card trading game to the iPad for the first time. Pokemon TCG was the first official Pokemon game to be released on iOS.



Camp Pokemon is a free app for the iPad and iPhone and can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]



Pokemon TCG Online is a free app the iPad and can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

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Posted in 2014 at 07:30PM, October 21