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

Interested in an iOS-controlled model helicopter, but turned off by the Parrot AR.Drone's $299.99 price tag? Griffin has announced the Helo TC, a $49.99 helicopter controlled via an iOS app. It's not nearly as fancy as the AR.Drone, but at 1/6th the price, it could be a fun toy for users looking to fly something with their iPhone. Instead of using WiFi, the Helo includes a "case" that the...

Yesterday, as part of a report detailing a rumored timeframe for iPhone 5 pre-order and launch dates, 9to5Mac included an image of what appears to be an iPhone display assembly production line that had been posted to Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo. The photo was also posted to the forums at Chinese site WeiPhone.com with a different watermark, so it is unclear what the original source of...

This info graphic from Reuters is an updated version of one the Guardian built nearly a year ago. In a single graphic, it shows how many companies are involved in litigation over mobile patents, and how they are all interconnected. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the lawsuit coverage on MacRumors recently, Apple is at the center of more lawsuits than any other...

Last month, it was reported that Apple and Google were considering bidding to acquire mobile technology firm InterDigital, primarily for the firm's portfolio of over 8,800 patents and 9,700 pending patent applications. InterDigital had decided to explore potential strategic moves for itself, including potential sale of the company, and the company had drawn significant interest due to the...

Delta Air Lines is testing 22 iPads as "EFBs" or electronic flight bags, in an effort to save weight and improve communications with its pilots, according to Flightglobal. Steve Dickson, Delta's senior vice president for flight operations, said that each iPad is loaded with "Jeppesen Mobile TC charting software, a GoodReader document viewer that contains all of our manuals in an electronic...

Apple and Starbucks have expanded their music partnership to offer free apps as well. The coffee chain is now offering customers free "Pick of the Week" cards with App Store redemption codes for featured apps. The first app is Shazam Encore, a music-identification app that normally sells for $5.99. Apple and Starbucks have had a relationship for years, originally offering free songs and...

FOSS Patents reports on news from the German media indicating that enforcement of the preliminary injunction barring Samsung from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 anywhere in the European Union outside of the Netherlands has been temporarily suspended in all affected countries other than Germany. The temporary suspension, which is in effect until a previously-scheduled hearing set for August...

Several MacRumors readers have informed us that wireless carrier O2 has sent out notices to its retail stores announcing that it will be beginning a three-week process to change out the iPhone displays in its UK stores ahead of the launch of the iPhone 5. While we don't believe that O2 has specific information on a release date for the iPhone 5, which has been rumored to not be appearing until ...

Amazon is targeting college students with a new iPhone app, aptly named "Amazon Student". The app ties together a number of features in a package specifically for students. Users can compare prices, buy or sell textbooks, and sell other items they don't need (like video games or DVD's that are no longer needed) as well. The app includes Amazon's barcode scanning software too. The idea is a...

Claims of media event and launch dates for the iPhone 5 have quickly accelerated as attention turns toward the window for such an event, which is likely to open in just a few weeks. Just today, a claim of a September 7th media event appeared and was quickly debunked, and other rumors of an iPhone 5 launch for September or even as far out as late October have also been swirling. TiPb now...

iPhoneinCanada.ca reports that employees at Canadian wireless carrier Rogers are currently beginning "pre-launch training" for the iPhone, suggesting that the carrier is preparing its staff members for the roll-out of the iPhone 5.As of August 11th, the training for the iPhone pre-launch will start. Please complete this training once notified by the Just in Time (JIT) training coordinator in...

Cable provider Cablevision and media conglomerate Viacom yesterday announced that they have settled a lawsuit over Cablevision's carriage of Viacom television channels on its "Optimum" apps for Apple's iOS devices. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but Viacom's channels will continue to be offered through the service.Viacom and Cablevision have agreed to resolve their pending...

Based on the number of submissions we're still getting for this fake iPhone 5 "leak", it seems we need to acknowledge it. The video has been circulating for a few days, but seems to have hit its stride in the last 24 hours. The video claims to show the iPhone 5 discovered by a mistake on one of Apple's international sites. Here's the video for reference: We never posted it because...

Cablevision has released a new app to complement its existing Optimum for iPad offering. The app expands live TV viewing to iPhones and iPod touches, and allows its cable customers to use their iPhone as a television remote as well. Cablevision customers can now enjoy more than 300 channels of live TV and thousands of titles of video on demand (VOD) on all three devices, in addition to DVR...

ZeptoLab has released a successor to multi-million selling game Cut The Rope. The new game, titled Cut the Rope: Experiments, expands on the simple physics model with a few new gadgets. From TouchArcade's review: One is a button that shoots a rope at the candy. The rope can snag it in midair, leading to some impressive carnival stunts. The other is a rope on a suction cup that can be attached...

Condé Nast is following up the iPad edition of The New Yorker with an iOS app of its "Goings On Around Town" section. Goings On [iTunes] is a weekly listing of New York's art exhibits, concerts, and the like, connected to an interactive map. Peter Kafka has details on other features in the app: Like audio recordings from New Yorker authors that will work as walking tours: Food writer Calvin ...

Google today updated its Google+ app for iOS devices, most notably adding support for the iPad and iPod touch. The app had debuted nearly three weeks ago as an iPhone-only offering. Unfortunately, while the app will now run on the iPad, the new version of Google+ is not yet a universal application. Consequently, it does not offer an iPad-optimized interface and is instead limited to...

The iPhone is well-represented in the Northeast and Midwest, according to statistics released by Jumptap, a mobile ad network. The iPhone is also strong in Montana and Louisiana. Android is very strong in the West, plus the rust belt of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. BlackBerry remains strong around Washington, DC, with RIM being the provider of choice for government bureaucrats -- at...