Infographic: Extending The Battery Life of Your iOS Device:

We think it’s safe to say that most users of Apple’s iPhone and iPad device would like to squeeze as much battery life out of their device as possible during the long business day. Our friends at KwikBoost have shared an infographic that includes some handy tips on how to squeeze a bit more out of your iOS device’s battery.

KwikBoost is a phone charging station manufacturer. They build several phone charging stations but their most popular model is the M8, which can charge up to 8 smartphones at once. You can find their products at college campuses, health facilities, airports, sports arenas, music festivals, business places – just about anywhere! For more information, visit the KwikBoost website.

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Apple Still The Easy Leader In Ad Revenue On Mobile For 2014, Despite Android Gains::

Apple led 2014 in ad revenue by a wide margin, according to a new study by Opera Mediaworks, despite Android reaching an all-time high in terms of ad impressions, and leading the overall market for the year on that score. Android gained at the expense of legacy platforms like BlackBerry and feature phones, however, meaning that while Android grew, Apple didn’t shrink, and iOS-based devices are still the clear leaders when it comes to lucrative rich-media and video-based ad campaigns.

Android closed out 2014 with 62.69 percent of mobile ad traffic, according to Opera, with iOS taking 27.18 percent. iOS managed to account for 51.67 percent of all revenue and monetization via mobile ads, however, compared to just 41.20 percent for Android, despite its considerable lead of overall impressions. Opera Mediaworks attributes this in part to the source of Android’s growth: iOS remained a top performer in developed and western markets, while Android grew mostly on the strength of adopters coming over from platforms serving more emerging markets.

Also of note: Apple’s iPad continues to command a significant percentage of revenue, accounting for nearly 13 percent of monetization while making up less than 5 percent of overall traffic. Even the iPod Touch still accounts for more revenue than BlackBerry and Windows Phone combined, and approaches the revenue share of Android-based tablets, which are at just under 1.5 percent.

Opera Mediaworks also found that the Games category showed strong growth during 2014 for both impressions served and share of revenue, and nearly knocked the Music, Video and Media category off its perch, where it has led the top three categories for the past three years.

Apple’s blockbuster past quarter for iPhone sales should bode well for its ability to continue to lead the pack in terms of mobile monetization, not least because the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus both offer larger displays that are more conducive to the kinds of high-revenue ad formats iOS users are already more susceptible to, including rich media and video spots.

Apple Reminds iOS 8 Developers of Upcoming 64-Bit App Requirment :

Apple has posted a notice on their developer website reminding app developers that starting Feb. 1, all new iOS 8 software submitted to the App Store must include 64-bit support.

AppleInsider:

Today’s reminder is the second such notice sent out to developers ahead of Apple’s planned migration to a comprehensive 64-bit App Store. The company first announced 64-bit requirements for iOS 8 in October.

The 64-bit requirement is for new submissions only. Developers who want to update existing apps have until June 1, 2015 to build in 64-bit support. All newly submitted apps after Feb. 1 will need to be built using Apple’s iOS 8 software development kit.

The iOS 8 SDK is available via Apple’s Developer Portal, and is included as part of Xcode 6.1.1.

The iPhone 5s debuted in 2013 as the first mainstream 64-bit device, sporting the A7 SoC. Other device makers soon scurried to pledge 64-bit support for their future devices soon after the A7 was released.

Pebble 2.3 For Android Brings Interactive Notifications, Will Work With Android Wear-Ready Apps::

Pebble’s upcoming Android software release will introduce support for directly replying to messages and performing other actions right from the watch based on inbound notifications. The 2.3 software update effectively makes Pebble compatible with apps that have built-in support for Android Wear notifications, giving them a way to benefit from the explosion of app development interest in Google’s wearable platform while continuing to chart their own course.

The new software update and notification interactivity features will be available to Android users only, since Android Wear underpins the functionality, but it won’t require an invite for anyone wishing to participate, and instead needs only that the device paired with your Pebble is running Android 4.0 or higher. Which, keen observers will note, actually covers a wider range of devices than Android Wear’s own requirements, which puts the cut off at Android 4.3 and above.

Pebble has a growing challenge on its hands – the company was an early entrant in the smartwatch space, but with every OEM and their brother working on an Android Wear device and Apple readying its own platform for launch very soon, the idea of an independent third-party being able to compete in the space seems increasingly a rather quaint notion. Capitalizing on the opportunities made available by others entering the space is a good start, but Pebble will need to do more to maintain longterm viability.

Apple Says iOS 8 Is Now Installed on 60% of iOS Devices:

Apple updated its App Store Distribution Data for developers on Wednesday, to show that 60% of iOS devices are now running iOS 8. That number is up from 55% of devices when Apple last updated the figure earlier this month.

Apple collected the adoption numbers by way of App Store visits on November 24. Even though adoption of iOS 8 has lagged behind the previous version – iOS 7 – Apple’s adoption numbers for the latest version of its mobile operating system still look great when compared to competitor Android’s numbers.

Apple hit the 60% adoption rate milestone in a little over 60 days since its release, while Android’s KitKat release took 313 days to reach an installed base of 25%. (Android’s fragmented device market, with numerous manufacturers, models, and versions, all lead to Android’s lagging adoption rate for new versions.)

Facebook Closes $21.8B Deal to Acquire Popular Messaging Service WhatsApp

Facebook has announced it has closed the deal on its acquisition of messaging giant WhatsApp. The deal’s price tag, originally announced for $19 billion, has jumped to $2

The Verge:

As WhatsApp officially joins the Facebook fold, WhatsApp founder Jan Koum has joined Facebook’s board. He will also be paid just $1 per year like Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, according to filings, but has been given a very hefty purse of Facebook shares to hold on to.

Koum has an “inducement grant” of stock currently worth $1.9 billion if he stays with the company for the next four years.

Facebook is likely to operate WhatsApp as an independent entity, much like they have previous acquisitions Instagram and Occulus. “There would have been no partnership between our two companies if we had to compromise on the core principles that will always define our company, our vision and our product,” Koum said when the deal news broke months ago.

 iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus ::

Apple has officially introduced two bigger, and thinner, iPhones. But the larger touch screens aren’t the only thing that’s different in the new iPhones. Tim Cook touted the new iPhones as “the biggest advancement in the history of iPhone.”

Let’s get down to the details. Here’s a rundown of the specs for the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Release DateThe phones will ship Sept. 19, and pre-orders begin this Friday.

They’ll be available in 115 countries by end of 2014, and 8 countries at launch.

PricesPrice tiers are the same for iPhone 6, but the storage capacity in the two higher price points have doubled.

Two-year carrier contracts: The iPhone 6 starts at $199 with 16 GB of storage, $299 for 64 GB, and $399 for 128 GB.

The iPhone 6 Plus is, of course, more expensive. The 16GB model starts at $299, the 64GB model sells for $399 and the 128GB will fetch $499.

DisplaysBoth the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus feature curved glass “retina HD” displays, which will make it easier to swipe from the edges of the display.

iPhone 6 features a 4.7-inch display with a 1334×750 resolution, density of 326 pixels-per-inch. More than 1 million pixels are spaced across the display, which is 38% more pixels than the iPhone 5s display.

The iPhone 6 Plus has a larger 5.5-inch display with a 1920×1080 resolution and density of 401 pixels-per inch. That’s more than 2 million pixels in total and 185% more pixels than iPhone 5s.

Thinness
The iPhone 6 is 6.9 mm thin, and the iPhone 6 Plus is 7.1 mm. The iPhone 5S is 7.6 mm.

ColorsGold, silver and space grey — just as before with the iPhone 5s.

ConnectivityBoth the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have 802.11 ac Wi-Fi connections, which Apple says is three times faster than 802.11 n. Both also support up to 20 LTE bands and will be available on more than 200 carriers.

Battery Life

Apple says the iPhone 6 will have 10 days of standby battery life and up to 10 hours of LTE web browsing battery life.

The larger 6 Plus promises 16 days of standby time, and 12 hours of continuous LTE web browsing.

Chipset
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus both have the new Apple A8 system-on-a-chip inside. This 64-bit chipset is has 2 billion transistors inside, up from 1 billion in the A7, and the A8 is 13% smaller than the A7 chip. Apple says this all adds up to 25% faster CPU performance and up to 50% faster graphics performance when compared with the 5s. The A8 is also promised to be 50% more energy efficient than the A7.

Rear camera
Both models will ship with a new 8-megapixel iSight camera sporting a f/2.2 aperture. The new photo sensor has what’s called “phase detection focus” which Apple says will make it’s autofocus faster, improve skin tones, recognize faces faster and take better macro photos.

The iPhone 6 has digital image stabilization, but the iPhone 6 Plus takes a step up with true optical image stabilization that mechanically moves the lens up, down, side to side, to automatically adjust and stabilize your image as you move the phone.

The new phones will shoot 1080p video at 30 frames-per-second or 60 frames-per-second, and capture slo-mo video at 120 frames-per-second or 240 frames-per-second. There’s also a time lapse feature and new continuous autofoucs for video.

The from camera also has improved face detection and a new burst mode for selfies, along with single-shot HDR photos and HDR video.