Hasta La Gadget!

One of the popular ways that scammers use to trick users into downloading and paying for fake apps on the iTunes App Store would be to submit their app with legitimate screenshots, and then switch them out once they have been approved to resemble another popular app. Scams for Pokemon and Minecraft have been brought to light in the past and it looks like Apple is finally doing something about it. The Cupertino company has announced a new policy in which screenshots submitted along with the app will be locked, meaning scammers will have a harder, if not impossible time of performing ye’ old bait-and-switch. According to the new policy outlined by Apple:

Beginning January 9, app screenshots will be locked in iTunes Connect once your app has been approved. New screenshots may be uploaded when you submit a binary for an update to an existing app or a new app. For more information on capturing and using screenshots, read the Xcode User Guide.

Hopefully this will cut down on the scams in the future. In the meantime have any of our readers out there been scammed by this method in the past?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Tim Cook: China Could Become Apple’s Largest Market In The Future, The Radius iPhone 5 Case Is As Minimalist As It Gets,

Were American children just totally illiterate before Sesame Street? Because the creators of the children’s show have great tools for teaching kids how to read—like an upcoming augmented reality app called Big Bird’s Words. More »

eBay‘s mobile app has been getting better and better with each update, and the company released a new update recently that comes with some significant improvements, namely better search capabilities, new features that make selling items easier, and an improved checkout process that makes buying items on the auction site easier as well.

The updated app includes a new listing flow, and not only does it feature category, pricing, and shipping guidance, but the photo flow has also been improved as well with more editing tools. Photos are important for making a solid eBay listing, so the new tools will undoubtedly be useful to a lot of power sellers.

The best part, however, is the ability to save multiple listing drafts when selling items. Furthermore, you can finish and start your listings in the iOS app as well as the eBay website on the computer. A perfect scenario is making the whole listing on the desktop and then heading out with your phone to snap a picture of the item in question, adding a few more details, and then posting the listing directly from your mobile device.

The new app looks generally the same as it has before, though. This is merely just a feature update rather than a visual overhaul — they did the redesign a couple months when the company changed its logo and branding. Many casual eBay users probably won’t take too much advantage of the new features, but hardcore users will definitely get some use out of it.

eBay is a free download, and the update is available now in the iTunes App Store.

eBay iOS app updates with improved search and easier selling is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Quantified Self enthusiasts are getting their fair share of excitement at CES this week. Basis first unveiled its intriguing health-tracking watch at the event last year, but after hiccups and lawsuits, the company finally launched its product on the market in November. At launch, however, the band looked great and the entire package was very promising.

Unfortunately, the company hasn’t yet launched the mobile apps that will accompany its tracking band and web dashboard, yet today the company gave a glimpse into its first app — for Android — which will be made available in March.

For those unfamiliar, Basis’ band and dashboard allows users to continuously monitor skin temperature, heart rate, motion, calories burned and sleep patterns, among other things. The watchband comes with an LCD display that shows the date and time, BlueTooth support (to be activated once the apps launch) and, most impressively, is laden with sensors.

The watch has a 3-axis accelerometer that measures sleep patterns, an optical scanner to track blood flow and heart rate, skin and ambient temperature trackers that measure heat dissipation and workout intensity, etc. The startup then uploads all this information into the cloud, applies its algorithms and allows users to view heat maps and activity patterns, and then allows them to accumulate points, unlock habits (meant to gamify the experience), and so on.

The idea behind the accompanying mobile apps is, as one would expect, to be able to view all that health data on the go. But, beyond that, it’s been unclear how the company’s mobile apps will supplement its web experience. Thanks to Basis’ demo at CES today, we’ve got a little bit more of an idea. As the startup made clear in its blog post today, its new Android app will include automatic syncing, allowing users to sync data from their bands wirelessly to their dashboard.

Users will be able to sync the app with the dashboard “automatically in the background and on-demand” so that the dashboard is always up to date. On top of that, users can view their habits and insights from their phones and receive notifications, which will alert them when they hit targets and achieve goals, or offer reminders when in need of a push in the right direction.

The app will be available for beta users “by the end of March,” and Basis says that an iOS version is “also in the works” but would give no timeframe for its release. It will likely hit sometime this summer.

Again, it’s an active week in the activity space at CES, as Basis’ announcement follows Fitbit’s launch of its new $99 Flex wristband, which gives the popular health tracking device a new form factor, taking it from clip to wrist. Find out more here.

The new product isn’t available yet, but it’s clear the space is heating up, and some of these companies are already launching multiple product lines. Meanwhile, Basis is taking its time to roll everything out. It remains to be seen whether this approach will work to its advantage. So far, we think it looks great.

Check out our big year-end list of healthtech apps, gadgets and startups here. Full review here.

In the midst of all the sprawling happening at CES 2013, Apple broke the news that its App Store has already seen over 40 billion downloads since its official launch. What’s even more impressive is the news that Apple users have downloaded the 20 billion in 2012 alone. Via press release, Apple says that the App Store has over 500 million active accounts and that its faithful developer community have created over 775,000 apps for the iPhone, the iPad, and the iPod touch.

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By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple Thinks Samsung Should Withdraw Its Lawsuits In The US As Well, Griffin Introduces Line Of Kid-Friendly iOS Accessories, Apps At CES,