Meet the iPhone case that tracks your personal health

Health and wellness seems to be all the craze in mobile tech today. From the heart rate sensors of Samsung’s Galaxy S5 to the dozens of fitness wearables currently coming to market, its obvious that tech companies see this as an area ripe for exploration and innovation. Enter Wello, the iPhone case that puts many of these wellness tracking features right in the palm of your hand.

Wello features an array of sensors that measure heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and blood oxygen levels on top of providing a read out of your heart’s ECG waves. It accomplishes this in a slim case design that doesn’t add much bulk to the iPhone’s overall footprint (the case is designed more for its functionality than for protection). The user simply holds the iPhone with fingertips and palms making contact to certain points on the case to generate a snapshot of health in a matter of seconds.

Azoi, the company behind Wello, has dreams of expanding its capabilities down the line. Currently, an attachment can be used to measure lung strength in a similar manner to a breathalyzer. More attachments could become available to measure other health aspects like blood sugar levels.

Wello won’t be available until it receives approval from the FDA, but its makers are targeting a fall launch. The case will be available for the iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, and iPhone 5s. All this technology doesn’t come cheap, though. Pre-orders start today at a price of $199.99, or the equivalent of a new on-contract iPhone 5s. By the time the case launches, Apple could very well have introduced similar features to its product line via the iWatch and other sensors that could come embedded in the iPhone 6. Until then, Wello seems like a great solution.

iWatch pushing Apple to expand Siri’s third-party app integration

The smartwatch, as a concept, has faced several obstacles on the path to mainstream popularity, not the least of which is a limited range of input options. With the iWatch, Apple will need to tackle this issue, among others, but the solution might already be built into iOS.

With a small display that makes typing almost impossible and other touch inputs slightly more difficult, voice control could be the answer. Apple already has the groundwork laid out with Siri, but, as a new report states, the voice-controlled virtual assistant will need some expanded capabilities to truly improve smartwatch functionality. This includes opening Siri up to more third-party applications, such as non-Apple messaging apps.

Apple is pursuing such a possibility, one that would allow outside developers to build for Siri without requiring specific licensing agreements between the companies. For services like Wolfram Alpha, their inclusion as part of Siri’s current list of functions comes as the result of direct dealings with Apple, a setup that has led to what many perceive as the stunted growth the voice assistant application.

The iWatch might also feature contextual display options that would adjust the information presented to the wearer based on data gathered by built-in sensors. For instance, if the iWatch senses its wearer has headed out for a run, a fitness tracking app would automatically be displayed.

Such capabilities would go a long way in addressing the drawbacks inherent with smartwatches, which so far have struggled to present information in a way fit for a smaller touchscreen display. In the same way, voice input could lift the iWatch from simple companion device to a functional standalone wearable not limited by its form factor.

It’s safe to say Apple hasn’t been stewing on the iWatch this long for no reason. There are very real issues that the company has needed to tackle head on in order to create the sort of product that would have the same type of mainstream impact as the iPhone and iPad. So far, competitors have had little luck stirring up much excitement for their smartwatch offerings. Apple could just be the company to change that.

After 5 Rejections, Apple Accepts App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

Persistence, it turns out, does pay off. After rejecting it five times, Apple has finally approved an app that tracks every U.S. drone strike and sends a push notification to users every time a flying robot carries out a deadly mission around the world.

Josh Begley, the data artist and developer who made the app, finally got through Apple's careful approval process on Friday, more than a year and a half after the first rejection by the company's App Review Team.

SEE ALSO: Mapping the Blind Spots: Developer Unearths Secret U.S. Military Bases

It took persistence, but it took also some semantic trickery. Begley got the app approved because he removed the word "drone" from the name of the app and from its description. For the first three attempts, it was called Drones+, then Dronestream for the last two. This latest, successful time, it's called Metadata+, and Begley initially submitted it with no content or functionality, adding the archive of strikes later.

With those simple gimmicks, the app got the green light from Apple, which didn't raise any qualms about it.

That wasn't the case on the five previous attempts.

Begley created the app in the summer of 2012, submitting it on July 10, 2012. After almost two weeks, Apple rejected it, saying the app was "not useful or entertaining enough," and "did not appeal to a broad enough audience," which went against the App Store Review Guidelines, according to screenshots of the rejection message, which Begley shared with Mashable.

The second rejection, on Aug. 9, came because the app used Google Maps images without the "associated Google branding." The third time, on Aug. 27, it was because the app contained content that "many audiences would find objectionable."

At that point, Begley seemed to give up.

"If the content is found to be objectionable, and it’s literally just an aggregation of news, I don’t know how to change that," Begley told Wired at the time.

That's when Begley moved on to other projects, like tweeting every drone strike the U.S. has carried out, or mapping every American military base in the world.

Then, one year later, he tried again. This time he changed the name of the app to Dronestream and resubmitted it twice, on Sept. 10 and Sept. 17, 2013. That didn't work out — the app got rejected another two times two months later.

But Begley also received an email from an Apple Review Team employee on Sept. 23, asking him if he could talk on the phone regarding the app, according to a screenshot of the email.

When the employee called, she asked whether the app was about U.S. drone strikes, according to Begley's recount of the phone call. Begley answered that indeed, it was.

"If it's going to be about that specifically, it's not going to be approved," the employee answered, according to Begley. "But if you broaden your topic, then we can take another look. You know, there are certain concepts that we decide not to move forward with, and this is one."

At the beginning of 2014, Begley decided to give it another try. First, he created an empty app called "Ephemeral" and submitted it on Jan. 17 as an experiment. "The point of it was to have no content at all," he told Mashable.

The app was "quietly accepted," as Begley puts it, just five days later. So on Jan. 22 he submitted yet another empty app called "Metadata+" which promised "real-time updates on national security."

Full-screen video ads may soon come to your favourite iPhone apps

Apple will be altering its iAd platform to allow full-screen advertisements on the iPhone, giving advertisers and developers a better chance to monetise their apps.

The change will come in the near future, according to AdAge, bringing along the feeling of television advertisements by taking up the full screen of the device. The full-screen advertisements will be "interstitial", meaning they'll appear when games or apps transition to another screen.

Apple declined to comment on the rumoured change.

It will mark the first major change to iAd since its launch in 2010, a platform that has failed to gain stream with advertising agencies and developers.

iAd has allowed for full-screen iPad advertisements on Newsstand in the past, but expanding it to iPhone and all apps on the App Store could mean more money for businesses, and clicks from you, the user.

iAds are considered some of the best designed and displayed mobile advertisements in the business, but because of high rates from Apple scaring away potential advertisers, it makes it hard for developers to serve up the number of advertisements they would like.

Thus AdMob, Flurry, and others have made for a better way for developers to monetise their apps. Perhaps with the full-screen change, Apple could compel more people back to their platform.

For users: beware, you may see full-screen advertisements more prevalent in your favourite free apps and games - as long as they're using iAd.

Apple Launches ‘CarPlay’ To Put iPhone Apps in the Dashboard

Apple launched its new iOS car integration at the Geneva Motor Show this week, allowing new car drivers to plug the latest generations of iOS devices into their cars with a brand new onscreen interface designed to work without requiring a lot of the driver’s visual attention.

Rather than running iOS in the car dashboard itself, Apple’s “iOS in the car” program, which has been rebranded as Apple CarPlay, is more of an interface for iPhone, which runs the apps and handles the connection to the internet. As such, one might imagine that CarPlay is just Apple’s regular car integration feature upgraded with a Lightning connector, but it’s more than that. Apple CarPlay features an entirely new interface that prioritizes the voice (via Siri) over touch controls; we have yet to see a screenshot that includes a keyboard, and it works with third-party apps.

Given the range of audio programming already available for Apple CarPlay even before most developers start integrating, the writing could be on the wall for FM radio, which has stubbornly clung on in the car as listeners have migrated to other platforms in the home and on their portable devices. In addition to the standard Music app on the iPhone, Apple CarPlay supports the following, all of which are for listening to music or audio: Beats Music, iHeartRadio, Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher, with more to come.

Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo showed off CarPlay models in Geneva, with Nissan, Peugeot, Jaguar Land Rover, BMW, and General Motors to follow. Use of CarPlay will require an iOS 7 upgrade, after which the iPhone will be able to integrate with the CarPlay-compatible screen and controls.

Image gallery courtesy of Apple:

Did you know that your cherished iPhone hides secrets from you? That's right, a simple nod of the noggin could shift the way you use this precious gadget.

Apple's iPhone is a revolutionary gizmo that has changed the mobile landscape forever, but even if you've had one for years, there are still a few things you probably don't know about it. Each major update that Apple rolls out — and there have been many — brings new features and changes. Here are just a few of the things you've likely missed along the way.

1. CONTROL YOUR PHONE WITH YOUR HEAD

The iPhone is a "smartphone," but it might be even smarter than you ever thought. There is a special control option built into it that lets you use tilts of your head to perform various functions. It's part of a feature called Switch Control, and you can enable it in the Accessibility menu of the iPhone settings.

You can set up a Switch Control command to notice when you tilt your head to the left or to the right, and use that movement as input for things like pressing the home button or checking the notification center. It's built into the phone to assist those with certain disabilities, but it can also be convenient for controlling your device when your hands are busy with other tasks — like when you're wrist-deep in dinner preparation, and don't want to get goo on your gadgets.

2. UNDO TYPOS WITH A QUICK SHAKE

Tapping quickly on a tiny screen with our big ole' clumsy thumbs means typos are an annoying and inevitable part of life. So rather than send texts laden with errors, just give your iPhone a little shake, as I show you in the accompanying Tech Now video. That motion brings up a prompt to undo the typing or cancel and continue. It also works if you accidentally select, copy or paste text you didn't want to. Seems so simple, yet can be so satisfying, when it comes to dealing with this daily digital dilemma.

3. A BURST OF CREATIVITY

Taking an important photo only to have it turn out poorly is one of the most frustrating things in the world, but you can greatly increase the chances of capturing the moment perfectly by using your iPhone's burst photo feature.

Normally when you take a photo you simply tap the on-screen capture button, which produces just a single photo, but if you hold down the button you'll automatically activate burst mode. Using burst mode, your phone will capture a ton of photos in rapid succession, and save them in a small gallery. Taking photos this way ensures that between the inevitable blinks and giggles, you'll snag a perfect photo.

4. LOCATION-BASED REMINDERS

Have you ever gotten home and realized that you forgot to pick something up from the store? How about arriving at a relative's house and remembering that you have something for them back at home? Believe it or not, your iPhone can help with this common occurrence using its Reminders app, one of the most underutilized iPhone functions.

All you need to do is set up a Reminder as you normally would — and if you've never set up a reminder before, it takes just a few seconds — and then tap on the information icon that pops up. From this menu you can activate the location feature, which will use the iPhone's GPS to notify you of the reminder whenever you enter or leave a specific location. It's like having a personal assistant with you at all times!

5. BLOCK PESKY CALLERS AND MESSENGERS

Is there a telemarketer who just doesn't get the hint to leave you alone? What about a texting service that you accidentally gave your number to, that buzzes you at all hours of the day and night? You can easily block those annoying communications using your iPhone!

Head into the Phone menu of your iPhone settings and add any offending numbers to the Blocked list. That's it! Now, if the bothersome calls and texts continue, you'll never hear a peep. Peace of mind at last.

5 things you had no idea your iPhone could do

Did you know that your cherished iPhone hides secrets from you? That's right, a simple nod of the noggin could shift the way you use this precious gadget.

Apple's iPhone is a revolutionary gizmo that has changed the mobile landscape forever, but even if you've had one for years, there are still a few things you probably don't know about it. Each major update that Apple rolls out — and there have been many — brings new features and changes. Here are just a few of the things you've likely missed along the way.

1. CONTROL YOUR PHONE WITH YOUR HEAD

The iPhone is a "smartphone," but it might be even smarter than you ever thought. There is a special control option built into it that lets you use tilts of your head to perform various functions. It's part of a feature called Switch Control, and you can enable it in the Accessibility menu of the iPhone settings.

You can set up a Switch Control command to notice when you tilt your head to the left or to the right, and use that movement as input for things like pressing the home button or checking the notification center. It's built into the phone to assist those with certain disabilities, but it can also be convenient for controlling your device when your hands are busy with other tasks — like when you're wrist-deep in dinner preparation, and don't want to get goo on your gadgets.

2. UNDO TYPOS WITH A QUICK SHAKE

Tapping quickly on a tiny screen with our big ole' clumsy thumbs means typos are an annoying and inevitable part of life. So rather than send texts laden with errors, just give your iPhone a little shake, as I show you in the accompanying Tech Now video. That motion brings up a prompt to undo the typing or cancel and continue. It also works if you accidentally select, copy or paste text you didn't want to. Seems so simple, yet can be so satisfying, when it comes to dealing with this daily digital dilemma.

3. A BURST OF CREATIVITY

Taking an important photo only to have it turn out poorly is one of the most frustrating things in the world, but you can greatly increase the chances of capturing the moment perfectly by using your iPhone's burst photo feature.

Normally when you take a photo you simply tap the on-screen capture button, which produces just a single photo, but if you hold down the button you'll automatically activate burst mode. Using burst mode, your phone will capture a ton of photos in rapid succession, and save them in a small gallery. Taking photos this way ensures that between the inevitable blinks and giggles, you'll snag a perfect photo.

4. LOCATION-BASED REMINDERS

Have you ever gotten home and realized that you forgot to pick something up from the store? How about arriving at a relative's house and remembering that you have something for them back at home? Believe it or not, your iPhone can help with this common occurrence using its Reminders app, one of the most underutilized iPhone functions.

All you need to do is set up a Reminder as you normally would — and if you've never set up a reminder before, it takes just a few seconds — and then tap on the information icon that pops up. From this menu you can activate the location feature, which will use the iPhone's GPS to notify you of the reminder whenever you enter or leave a specific location. It's like having a personal assistant with you at all times!

5. BLOCK PESKY CALLERS AND MESSENGERS

Is there a telemarketer who just doesn't get the hint to leave you alone? What about a texting service that you accidentally gave your number to, that buzzes you at all hours of the day and night? You can easily block those annoying communications using your iPhone!

Head into the Phone menu of your iPhone settings and add any offending numbers to the Blocked list. That's it! Now, if the bothersome calls and texts continue, you'll never hear a peep. Peace of mind at last.