Apple brought two-step authentication to FaceTime and iMessage. The Cupertino giant has been using the feature for iTunes and iCloud accounts since 2013.

Going forward, iMessage and FaceTime users will need to enter a second security code after their user name and password. Read more »

Apple officially doubled the size limit for iOS applications. Going forward, App Store package submissions can carry a maximum size of 4GB.

The new iOS app size limit marks a serous jump from the previously allowed 2GB. Read more »

Pinterest has partnered with Apple to launch App Pins, a feature that’ll let you stick iOS apps to Pinterest boards, allowing other users to download and install them on their iPhone or iPad without ever leaving the visual bookmarking service.

“Let’s say you’re Pinning workout inspiration to your Marathon Training board. If you see a fitness app that helps you reach your goals, you can download it right from Pinterest,” the company said in a blog post. Read more »

Google has acquired Odysee, a company offering an iOS and Android app that allows you to automatically backup photos and videos from your mobile devices to your personal computers, as well as lets you privately share them with others. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

“Odysee’s vision was to be the easiest way for everyone to capture unlimited memories and access them everywhere. We are very excited to join Google where we’ll continue to focus on building amazing products that people love,” the company said in an announcement post on its website. The company will now be a part of the Google+ team. Read more »

Apple released a brand new iPad commercial. The Cupertino giant’s latest ad focuses on the tablet’s music making credentials.

The Swedish recording artist Elliphant is starring in the minute-long clip alongside iPad Air 2. Read more »

Telltale has released the next episode in its Game of Thrones series of games. Called The Lost Lords, it is the second episode in the six part series based on the hit HBO show, Game of Thrones, which itself is based on the A Song of Ice and Fire series of books by George R. R. Martin.

The episode 2 continues from where the first episode left off, which we reviewed here. Episode 1 started off on a strong mark, so let’s see if episode 2 can keep the momentum going. Read more »

According to a report in The Verge, Microsoft will soon integrate Cortana into its Office productivity suite. The highly capable virtual assistant will be available in both mobile and desktop guise in the near future.

A Microsoft Office “Work Assistant” application is reportedly in testing. Read more »

While reporting its Q4 earnings, Twitter revealed that it added 4 million new monthly active users (MAUs) in the quarter, bringing the total number to 288 million, which was clearly short of the 292 million figure expected by analysts. But Twitter is not to blame for that, or so say its executives, who are claiming that the company lost 4 million users due to Apple’s roll-out of iOS 8.

The company says that it lost 3 million of those users after Apple rolled out iOS8, effectively changing the way the Shared Links feature in the Safari web browser works. Read more »

The popular third-party iOS keyboard SwiftKey received a major update. Version 1.2 of the application is currently available in the Apple App Store.

The list of new features included in the update is rather extensive. Read more »

The Paper app for iPad, made by the folks at FiftyThree, has today gone 100% free. Previously, you were able to install the app without paying, but you had to shell out $0.99 for each of the following tools: Draw, Sketch, Outline, Write, Color, and Mixer.

From today on these become free, which essentially means you can use the whole app for free. The decision to stop charging for the tools in the app probably means FiftyThree now expects to make enough money to stay afloat simply from sales of its Pencil stylus. Read more »

Microsoft has acquired the popular Sunrise Calendar application for a reported amount of $100 million dollars.

Sunrise is a free calendar application for iOS and Android. It featured an attractive interface design and synced with a wide variety of services such as Google calendar, iCloud, Microsoft Exchange and even Facebook for your events. The app also has other clever features, such as LinkedIn integration, weather forecast for your location, built-in Google Maps navigation for going to events, and timezone support. Read more »

Instagram has updated its video feature, ensuring that video clips shared to the service now loop continuously, meaning they’ll start automatically and repeat continuously until you scroll past them.

Apparently, the feature is designed to please advertisers, who are always keen to get as many views for their ads as possible. As for the users, they probably won’t be happy given that the feature cannot be disabled altogether. For those who are fearing high data bills, the company has explicitly said that the feature won’t affect how much data the app uses. Read more »

The Burj Al Arab silhouette has become iconic for Dubai and the self-titled “world’s only 7 star hotel” celebrated its 15th anniversary (it opened December 1999). Instead of 15 candles on a cake, the Burj went with 15 bespoke gold iPhones.

Crafted by Gold & Co London (which had previously supplied the hotel with golden iPads), the commemorative iPhone 6 units come in Yellow and Black Gold. Read more »

Telltale Games is releasing the second episode of its ‘Game of Thrones’s game on the mobile platform on February 5, two days after it releases on the desktop and consoles. Unlike the first episode, Episode 2 will launch simultaneously on iOS and Android.

Episode 2, The Lost Lords, continues from where the first one left off and is the second in the six part series. The game takes between the end of season three and the beginning of season five of the show, which itself is based on the books by George R. R. Martin. Read more »

Xiaomi is going after the iPhone 6 Plus with its Mi Note and Mi Note Pro phablets, that’s clear. The Chinese company obviously thinks its offerings are superior to Apple’s, and it’s now put out a new video meant to drive that point home.

In it, we can see Xiaomi President and co-founder Bin Lin musing about how his company has a patented new solution which ensures there are no protruding cameras on its phones’ backs. Read more »