MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

The iPhone app needed to unlock much of the functionality of the Pebble e-paper smart watch is now available for download from the iTunes Store - just in time for the first deliveries of the devices. Pebble had previously suggested that the iPhone app might not be available in time for early deliveries of the watch, which set new records for a Kickstarter project in raising over $10...

Stanford University is again offering the iOS 6 edition of Paul Hegarty's well-regarded iPhone and iPad application development course free on iTunes U. This year, Stanford is running the course on Stanford's Piazza collaboration platform -- the same social learning service that Stanford students use -- as well as iTunes U. This setup allows students to assist each other and get more from the...

Apple is running a Valentine's Day promotion on its online store, drawing attention to its free engraving offer and signature gift-wrapping service. The campaign features the iPad and iPad mini as ideal gifts for the holiday, with the iPod touch and iPod nano also being highlighted. Apple has also posted a specific webpage with ordering deadlines to ensure delivery by Valentine's Day....

Orchestra, Inc. has announced a reservation system for Mailbox, its task-orientated email app which we reported on earlier and which has received many pre-launch accolades from tech sites. Mailbox, which will initially be compatible only with Gmail, aims to keep your inbox clean by allowing you to use swipe gestures to quickly move each email out of your inbox by deleting it, archiving it,...

After its announcement at CES earlier this month, Hippih has begun selling its hipKey smart sensor in the U.S. through the Apple Online Store for $90. It launched on European Apple Online Stores back in December, but quickly sold out. It's now back in stock on both the U.S. and European stores.The hipKey is a high tech way of keeping track of your valuables. Simply attach the device to the item ...

Earlier this week, China Times published a rumor that Apple could release an "iPhone Math", a larger iPhone with a 4.8" screen that could compete with "phablets" like the Samsung Galaxy Note. Though the name is particularly suspect, it's possible that Apple would want to get into that product category. Samsung has had some success in the area, and similar products were popular at CES this year....

MIT Technology Review has dug up a job ad posted by Apple on LinkedIn appealing to writers to help make Siri more conversational.“[S]omeone who combines a love for language, wordplay, and conversation with demonstrated experience in bringing creative content to life within an intense technical environment.”The ad notes that writers who apply will also need "experience in writing character-driven...

Apple and Rovio have paired up to give away Angry Birds Rio for the iPhone and iPad for free this week, as part of Apple's 'Free App of the Week' promotion.The game is normally $0.99 for the iPhone and $2.99 on the iPad.Angry Birds Rio brought more of the same bird-flinging action that we all are quite familiar with by now, but also threw a couple of new very welcome twists into the formula....

Though Square Enix has released quite a few ports of its older titles, like Final Fantasy and The World Ends With You on iOS, Final Fantasy All The Bravest marks its first Final Fantasy app that was designed specifically for Apple's devices. Square Enix calls All The Bravest a "pick-up-and-go RPG," an accurate description for the game, which incorporates the Final Fantasy series' Active Time...

Engadget reports that Sprint will finally begin offering its Total Equipment Protection (TEP) plan for the iPhone beginning January 25. The TEP plan offers coverage not only for device failures that occur outside of Apple's standard warranty but also loss, theft, and damage. The TEP plan consists of two parts, an $11 monthly fee for the service and then a significant $150-$200 deductible...

Imangi Studios' iconic endless runner Temple Run proved to be a huge success, having been downloaded more than 170 million times since it launched in mid–2011, and today, a surprise sequel to the original game hit the App Store. Temple Run 2 features the same danger-filled action-packed experience found in the first Temple Run game, but it includes new power ups, a mine cart, zip lines, and an ...

Apple today added installment payment plans to its online store in China, giving Chinese buyers the option to purchase iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks via credit. Consumers can choose to pay in installments on merchandise that costs between 300 yuan ($48) and 30,000 yuan ($4,800), through a plan from China Merchants Bank Co. As Bloomberg notes, the credit option puts expensive devices like the ...

While questions remain about claims from earlier this week that Apple has slashed iPhone 5 component orders, CNET is now reporting on market research firm DisplaySearch senior vice president Paul Semenza's comments on how the iPhone 5's initial shipment ramp was simply too large to maintain."It was a very quick ramp up. The Q4 [estimate] was about 61 million [for the iPhone 5]...that may be...

The New York Post reports on Bob Tedeschi, a former columnist for the New York Times' Gadgetwise blog who was sent undercover in 2010 to develop an app. The story was eventually spiked, but Tedeschi kept the project going.The app he created, Bobo Explores Light, received an Apple Design Award and a number of other accolades and praise. Tedeschi used a pseudonym to avoid any favorable treatment...

As noted by The Next Web, Apple has added support for new movie and TV streaming service Watchever to the Apple TV in Germany.Essentially a German version of Hulu launched by Vivendi this month, it offers local, European and international movies and TV series for €8.99 a month. Key features include the ability to choose between a German dubbed version of international movies, or the original....

Rovio has updated its Angry Birds Space game with a 'Pig Dipper' update that brings the game's first aquatic worlds with new physics, as well as new power ups as well. Angry Birds Space was originally released last March, was the bestselling paid app of 2012, and has remained among the top paid apps ever since.SPLASH! The Angry Birds have landed in the weirdest galaxy yet! All the planets are...

Popular Kickstarter smart watch project Pebble, which broke records by raising over $10 million in its funding push, has announced at CES today that the device will begin shipping to Kickstarter backers on January 23. With over 85,000 orders placed, it will take approximately 6-8 weeks to fulfill the Kickstarter orders, after which the watch will be available for general sale. Image from Eng ...

CES 2013 saw the introduction of quite a few new portable Bluetooth speakers, some sporting innovative designs like Qube's ultra tiny golfball sized speaker and Zagg's 2-in–1 speaker design. Here are a few of the more notable offerings: Zagg Origin The Origin speaker from Zagg is a dual Bluetooth speaker system that comes equipped with a small, portable speaker that can be taken on the go,...