News

Case-Mate is getting into the college football spirit with its Collegiate iPhone Case Collection. The iPhone and Samsung Galaxy compatible smartphone collection includes over 40 schools such as Texas A&M, Rutgers and Virginia Tech. Each individual university or college case features a few different designs with authentic colors and traditional logos.

The Collegiate Collection is also part of Case-Mate's Tough Case series. Each case features a slim, two-piece design with a shock-absorbing flexible bumper to protect against bumps and falls. The cases are designed using a resistant polycarbonate hard shell and a shock-absorbing interior cushion, and sport a textured easy-to-hold grip.

No matter what colors the iPhone 5S may carry on its exterior, upgraded hardware will ultimately set the device apart from the crowd. More information has surfaced revolving around the next generation Apple A7 chip to be featured inside the upcoming iPhone 5S. MacRumors previously identified a prototype of the handset with a new chip in Apple's series labeled APL0698.

Now 9to5Mac reports the A7 chip runs 31 percent faster than the current A6. Not only this, but the same source claims the A7 system will sport an independent chip designated specifically for motion tracking. This could mean Apple is working on new camera software for the iPhone 5S, or implementing new ways to interact with iOS without having to touch the display.

Apple has even more surprises in store for those anticipating the iPhone 5S announcement early next month. According to parts leaked by Sonny Dickson, the company will add a graphite and black color to the lineup this fall. This could mean the iPhone 5S will be available in graphite and gold flavors in addition to the familiar slate and silver combinations of the iPhone 5.

Alternatively, Mendmyi claims the iPhone 5S will only be available in the new colors gold and graphite, in a shift away from the colors used on the iPhone 5. Offering only the updated color schemes would set the iPhone 5S apart from the iPhone 5. For comparison, all four colors are shown in the above photo of metal parts including the volume, sleep and mute buttons.

Checking up on apps and how they use iOS system resources is handled automatically, but some iPhone owners want to know what's happening behind the scenes. AppSwiper provides a new way to visualize what apps are running at a glance, and to display the amount of RAM being used. If necessary, apps can be stopped with a simple button press.

For those with jailbroken devices, AppSwiper provides new functionality for $0.99 on the Cydia app store. Once installed, this tweak makes it possible to swipe up directly on a running app icon, which will display the amount of RAM taken up by the app. Tapping Kill immediately stops the app, freeing up system resources for other things. What's cool is that running apps are highlighted right on the home screen, by adding color behind the app name.

The iPhone has a variety of passcode features to help protect the device from prying eyes. Normally with a four-digit "simple" passcode, the iPhone unlocks as soon as the fourth number is entered. iOS users can set a complex passcode which includes letters, however when this is enabled an OK button appears. From then on, unlocking the device requires tapping an OK button after entering the password.

Now jailbroken iPhone users who use a complex passcode can skip the OK button with the free tweak AutoOk installed. Just as it's named, the tweak will automatically register the passcode OK button, making complex passcodes behave like simple passcode entry. As soon as the full password is entered the device will unlock.