Walmart-Owned Vudu iOS App Update Now Includes Offline Viewing

Vudu Update

Walmart’s video on demand service, Vudu, just rolled out a new update for its iOS app. Version 2.0 of Vudu now lets you download videos from the service, and then watch them even if you’re offline. The player itself is streamlined, and Closed Captioning–already supported on the iPad version of the Vudu app–is now available on the iPhone, too.

Vudi is a Netflix-style video on demand service that is owned by Walmart that lets users stream videos to Mac, PC, Xbox 360, Pla...

Olloclip Quick-Flip Case and Pro-Photo Adapter add protection, tripod mount

The team at Olloclip has taken the wraps off of their newest product, a case for the iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5 called the Quick-Flip Case (US$49.99) that works with the Olloclip 3-in-one lenses to produce a lightweight solution for all-purpose iPhoneography. Let's take a look!

Design

At first glance, this doesn't look like much of a case. It's made out of a smoked translucent black or opaque white polyurethane material and looks like any of a thousand other slip-on hard cases for iPhone. But the...

Vudu adds ability to download movies for offline viewing to iOS apps

Wal-Mart-owned video-on-demand service Vudu has updated its iOS apps to allow movie downloads for offline viewing. The Android phone version of the app has had this feature for awhile, but Android tablets are still unable to download and view their Vudu/Ultraviolet collection on their tablets.

Other additions to the update include a reworked player to make the app easier to use, as well as support for closed captions on the iPhone. It's worth noting that the Flixter iOS app already allowed for ...

Google to bring Chrome app launcher to OS X

Google to bring Chrome app launcher to OS X

Those of us who use Google's Chrome browser for OS X are familiar with how Chrome web apps can be installed and launched from within the browser. Now it appears that Google is working on a way to bring those Chrome apps even closer to the heart of your Mac by creating a Chrome apps launcher for OS X.

Google engineer François Beaufort detailed the plans in a Google+ post, noting that OS X users can actually try out a beta of the Chrome OS app launcher right now. To do so, you need to inst...

Microsoft announces Xbox One, with more Smart Glass and TV integration

Microsoft has announced a brand new game console today, though the company would probably disappointed to hear that I called it that. The Xbox One is really more of an entertainment center all-in-one -- it's designed to connect your games, your streaming media, and cable television all together in one set-top box. In some ways, it's a competitor to Apple TV. The Xbox One will also include a new Kinect camera, which will boast Siri-like voice control over all of its functions, and allow users t...

Apple still most valuable global brand

Every year, Millward Brown Optimor produces the BrandZ list, a listing of the 100 most valuable brands. As with last year, Apple is at the top of the list with a 2013 brand value of just over US$185 billion.

Apple's brand value rose only 1 percent this year, but that number is still well over #2 Google at $113.7 billion. How much of a gap lies in the brand value between Apple and Google? How about almost the value of the venerable Coca-Cola brand at $78.4 billion (the soft drink company is at #...

Tim Cook on the state of IP protection: Our product cycles move much quicker than the court system

Tim Cook on the state of IP protection Our product cycles move much quicker than the court system

During Apple's April 2012 earnings conference call, Tim Cook emphatically stated that he hates litigation.

"I've always hated litigation," Cook explained. "I continue to hate it. I just want people to invent their own stuff."

That notwithstanding, Apple today finds itself embroiled in a myriad of patent infringement lawsuits. With Samsung in particular, Apple has ongoing legal battles with its Korean-based competitor in 11 countries across 4 continents.

Oddly enough, Apple's legal battles were ...

Just about everything you’ll want to know about Beethoven’s 9th on your iPad

Beethoven's 9th Symphony (free plus in-app purchases) is an epic iPad app that lets you explore one of the greatest symphonies ever written in a unique, compelling way. Classical music lovers will definitely want to check it out.

Beethoven's 9th Symphony uses every trick in the multimedia tool box. For starters, you can listen to 4 different performances of the work, taken from the well-known DGG catalog. As you listen, follow along with the the score in real time. The original manuscript displ...

Badger Brings A New Level Of Meaning To iPhone App Badges [Jailbreak]

IMG_2533

Badger is a new jailbreak tweak that lets you access unread notifications from an app icon. Instead of opening Notification Center, swiping on a specific icon can reveal a list of notifications. From there, you can clear individual messages and even respond to texts.

Badger

Convenient.

Once you install Badger, the tweak’s preferences can be customized in the Settings app. The animation style is totally up to the user, but I prefer for the notification window to fade in and fade out. There are se...

Ireland distances itself from Apple’s tax inquiry

Ireland has responded to criticism from Senater Carl Levin (D-Mich.) that Irish tax laws allowed Apple to avoid playing taxes on tens of billions of dollars in profits using Irish subsidiaries. So what did Ireland have to say for itself?

In a statement to RTE, Ireland's national broadcast network, deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore said:

These are not issues that arise from the Irish taxation system. They are issues that arise from the taxation systems in other jurisdictions, and that is an i...

Daily Update for May 21, 2013

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

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Daily Update for May 21, 2013 originall...

Apple Publishes Opening Statements From Today’s Senate Hearing On Taxes

21bits-cook-tmagArticleApple has published the opening statements read by CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer earlier today at the U.S. Senate Subcommittee hearing on corporate taxes. The hearing lasted several hours and was televised live on CSPAN. Senators like Carl Levin, John McCain, and Rand Paul were present to lead the committee and hear from industry [...]

Why The Apple TV Has Nothing To Fear From The Xbox One

How iPads, YouTube help bands practice

Mark Crump at GigaOm has an interesting piece on how the iPad is becoming an important tool for music bands. Crump is an amateur musician whose band is rehearsing for a gig. What's interesting is Crump's realization that the iPad is almost all his band needs at rehearsal.

Crump explains how his iPad fits into band rehearses. First, he chooses the songs in the Music player app and sends his friends links to the songs on YouTube. Next he'll use the AmpliTube app (free) to load up his selected son...

Daily Deals for May 21, 2013

It's time to save some of that hard-earned cash with our Daily Deals, featuring a handy list from Dealnews and our own hand-picked selections that include some sweet deals on iOS and OS X software (all prices are USD).

Deals from Dealnews

  • Monoprice.com: [24-Inch LCDs Or Larger] Monoprice 27" IPS-G LED LCD Display for $474 + $17 s&h
  • Oyen Digital: [Drive Enclosures] DataTale SMART 4-Bay Thunderbolt HDD Enclosure for $540 + free shipping
  • MacUpdate Promo: [Mac Software] Drive Genius 3 for Mac d...