The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Duet by PROTAG: The Bluetooth tracker evolves Posted: 12 May 2014 03:00 PM PDT If there's one product category that seems to be getting a lot of attention lately, it's Bluetooth trackers. These are the little devices that you drop into a bag or attach to a camera that link with an app on your iPhone and then tell you when the...

You can now mute people on Twitter for iOS Posted: 12 May 2014 02:30 PM PDT If you have some particularly verbose Twitter friends -- you know, the kind that tweet endlessly about the Emmys or go on and on when Monday Night Football hits the TV -- you now have the option to quiet them down right from within the official...

Wthr is a well thought out and innovative weather app for iOS Posted: 12 May 2014 02:00 PM PDT Whtr is a free universal app (with in-app purchase options) with a fresh take on how weather information should be presented and organized. The screens are very clean and simple. The app UI is gesture-based, so swiping up brings up the next screen....

Backblaze: Hard drive temps don't affect failure rates Posted: 12 May 2014 01:30 PM PDT The storage wizards at Backblaze have been analyzing the statistics on drive failures in their huge storage facilities, then posting the results on their blog. Today's stats are rather interesting, taking a look at how drive temperatures affect...

Hyper announces iStick, the first iOS flash drive with a built-in Lightning connector Posted: 12 May 2014 01:00 PM PDT One of the great frustrations of owning an iOS product is how difficult it can be to get files off the device without an internet connection. Thankfully a market is emerging for flash drives that can connect to your iOS device. PhotoFast's...

Forget headphones, Apple's interest in Beats is about paid music subscriptions Posted: 12 May 2014 12:00 PM PDT The rumor mill exploded last week amidst reports that Apple is considering purchasing Beats Electronics for US$3.2 billion. While most of Apple's acquisitions are small, surgical, and neatly fit into the company's future product plans, the...

Daily Deals for May 12, 2014. featuring the PuzzleBox Orbit Mind Controlled Helicopter Posted: 12 May 2014 11:30 AM PDT It's time to save some of that hard-earned cash with our Daily Deals, featuring exclusive TUAW Deals, a handy list from Dealnews and our own handpicked iOS and OS X selections. Don't forget to check out our "Today in the App Store" post that singles...

Remember back when a PowerBook could burn your house down? Posted: 12 May 2014 11:00 AM PDT Ah, the good old days. Nothing like a top-of-the-line notebook charger that may or may not be plotting to start your house on fire with you inside. [Photo credit: Dom]...

Rescue a civilization of adorable citizens in the dreamy world of Kiwanuka Posted: 12 May 2014 10:00 AM PDT The best word I can find to describe Kiwanuka is "abstract." This physics-based puzzle game is more demanding than many in the genre thanks to the all-or-nothing puzzle solutions and total abandonment of a hint system that has become commonplace in...

Apple improves return policy and other news for May 12, 2014 Posted: 12 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT Today in the news, Apple ramps up its online retail customer service and Square ditches one app for another, which you can try...if you live in NYC or San Francisco. Square Order is a new app that lets you place an order from a restaurant, cafe or...

How to save offline maps in Google Maps 3.0 Posted: 12 May 2014 08:35 AM PDT Google recently improved its offline maps feature in the popular Google Maps app (version 3.0), making it easier to both save a map to your iPhone or iPad for offline use and access it when you need it for travel purposes. Here is a quick rundown on...

Facebook gives up on Poke and Camera apps Posted: 12 May 2014 07:00 AM PDT Facebook has one important app that people like/need to use; it's called Facebook. It's something they should be proud of, a useful way to check your feed and post media from the comfort of your palm. Then one day Facebook saw it had new competitors...

Fotos for iOS does some things Apple left out Posted: 12 May 2014 06:00 AM PDT Fotos is a free iPhone app that catalogs your camera roll and albums and lets you add names to your images, making them easily searchable. It seems pretty basic, but Apple really doesn't allow you to name or rename images in the iOS version of...

Talkcast Tonight, 7pm PT/10pm ET: Mother's Day Edition! Posted: 11 May 2014 05:30 PM PDT New dial-in experience! Set up Fuze Meeting before the show if you want to join in live. We come once again to the long standing Sunday night tradition of the TUAW talkcast! Tonight is the very special Mother's Day Edition, where we talk about all...