Doctor Who, the legendary British sci-fi series, turns 50 this year, but the BBC never expected it to last so long, and foolishly destroyed or recorded over many early episodes. Fortunately, two lost stories, “The Enemy of the World” and “The Web of Fear,” were found in Nigeria, remastered, and have been released exclusively on iTunes — to be seen for the first time in over 40 years. The two stories are available for $9.99 apiece and feature Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor and feature Nicholas Courtney’s first appearance as the beloved Colonel (later Brigadier) Lethbridge-Stewart. Unfortunately, episode 3 of “Web of Fear” is still missing, though the serial features a reconstructed episode with audio and still images. There are still 27 Doctor Who stories that are partially or entirely missing.
Amazon has announced two new Kindle Fire HDX tablets with quad-core processors and new features aimed at making them more competitive with Apple’s iPads.
MacPaint shipped with the Macintosh in 1984 and is the mother of all modern graphics programs. If you miss those days, or never got a chance to experience MacPaint for yourself, developer Martin Braun has adapted it for the Web. CloudPaint replicates both the features and interface of the original, which was developed by Bill Atkinson and Susan Kare and open-sourced in 2010.
Attackers have stolen Adobe source code and information on 2.9 million customers. How did this happen and how can you protect yourself?
Watch (or listen) to a special TidBITS staff roundtable, where we discuss what we love — and hate — about iOS 7.
Apple has come a long way when it comes to gaming, and the company is now in position to take the market by storm. Josh Centers explains why, with some exclusive inside information.
Voice actress Susan Bennett has come forward to CNN as the original voice of Siri. While neither Apple or Nuance would offer confirmation, her claim has been verified by colleagues and an audio-forensics expert. Bennett’s specialty is interactive voice response (IVR), the technology behind automated phone systems. She was hired by ScanSoft in 2005 for an IVR project. ScanSoft later merged with Nuance, which is reported to be the source of Siri’s voice technology.
AgileBits has updated the Mac version of its venerable 1Password password management utility to version 4, with a number of new features and refinements that keep it on top. Strap on your tinfoil hat and join Josh Centers for a tour of what’s new.
Americans are storming an online marketplace, but this time for health insurance, not iPhones. If you currently lack health insurance, check out healthcare.gov to see what’s available.
Since 2011, patent troll Lodsys has been shaking down small iOS developers over patents. Apple attempted to intervene, arguing in a 2011 motion that it had already licensed the patents in question and developers were covered under Apple’s license. However, U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap has now dismissed Apple’s motion because the defendants in the case have all settled. Help us, Martha Stewart, you are our only hope. Unless, that is, Apple were to go on the offensive, as Gilstrap suggests: “Nothing about the Court’s decision prevents Apple from filing an original declaratory judgment action, in a venue of its choosing, whereby each named developer and patent holder have an opportunity to defend themselves in open court.”
Vanished is a survival horror game with a twist — the protagonist is blind. Josh Centers takes a look at this unique game and dreams of how its concepts could make for the ultimate Daredevil game adaptation.
Fast Company has spent months in research to bring you the never-before-heard history of the iPhone. This article, an extract from the new book, “Design Crazy,” describes how the iPhone evolved from a Mac tablet (not unlike Microsoft’s Surface) to the sleek design we eventually saw. Only a select few Apple employees were allowed to see the actual iPhone interface; the rest had to test against an intentionally hideous decoy, until Scott Forstall convinced Steve Jobs otherwise.
Lodsys has become infamous for patent-trolling small iOS developers, but they might have bit off more than they can chew when they set their sights on Martha Stewart. Yes, that Martha Stewart. While most app developers don’t have the resources to fight Lodsys in court, the Verge reports that the powerful and popular ex-con is fighting back, asking a judge not only to declare that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s apps don’t infringe on Lodsys patents, but also to invalidate all Lodsys patents cited in the suit, which would put a swift end to Lodsys’s reign of terror. And that’s a good thing.
With the iPhone 5s, Apple has gotten back into the dock game, but it’s now competing with Twelve South’s attractive HiRise. Josh Centers looks at both docks — which will reign supreme with his iPhone 5? When you play the game of docks you win… or you waste your money.
Well-known developer and podcaster Marco Arment is working on a new podcast client, called Overcast. In a blog post, he discusses how he came up with the name, the alternatives he considered, the steps he had to go through to ensure that there were no trademark infringements, and how he secured an online presence, including a domain name and Twitter handle. It’s a fascinating look into something most of us never consider.