AirPlay is a great way to stream music to your favorite stereo or Apple TV, but what if you don't have special hardware designed to receive AirPlay? Now any jailbroken iOS device can be used thanks to the tweak AirPlayServer. For example, an unused old iPhone can be set up as an AirPlay receiver, so that other iOS devices on the same Wi-Fi network can send audio to the unit.

This becomes especially handy when connecting the AirPlay receiver to a stereo or other external speakers. Instead of spending money on an AirPlay-specific accessory, simply plug the headphone jack of the jailbroken iOS device into the stereo for full sound. Any other iOS device on the network can be configured to send audio to the new AirPlay receiver using the built-in AirPlay menu.

Microsoft has finally launched the first official Office companion app for iOS. The software is set to compete with Apple's productivity apps Pages, Numbers and Keynote. One catch, although the Office Mobile iOS app is free, you must be an Office 365 subscriber to use the software.

Of course Excel, Word and PowerPoint documents can be edited in the app, and changes can be synced to other devices thanks to built-in SkyDrive, SkyDrive Pro and SharePoint support. Since this is Microsoft's official Office app, documents look like the originals with support for SmartArt, animations, charts, comments and more. Documents attached to email messages can be opened and edited as well.

Remember the old Emergency Broadcast System that would interrupt your favorite radio station or TV show? Fast forward to 2013. AT&T customers with an iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S running iOS 6.1 or later are set to begin receiving government-issued safety messages with the next carrier settings update.

The software update will be automatically delivered to your iPhone, after which the message "Carrier Settings Update: new settings required for your device have been installed” will appear. The alerts are part of the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS). Initially your iPhone will be set by default to receive all Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).

Back in April, PocketGamer claimed Apple secretly met with developers at the annual Game Developers Conference to discuss production of an unnamed iOS "joypad". It was then discovered at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, that Apple had added MFi (Made for iOS) game controller support to iOS 7. Apple followed up the MFi announcement by holding a 45-minute long session on Tuesday, where they showed developers app frameworks and hardware mock-ups for third-party iOS controllers, according to Apple Insider.

The event was entitled "Integrating with Game Controllers", and Apple revealed that both Logitech and Moga were already collaborating on some prototypes. Apple also showed two mock-ups of a "form-fitting" design, and a standalone device for both the iPhone and iPad. Both controllers featured the standard D-pad and dual analog sticks seen in most home console controllers these days. The form-fitting model turns the iPhone into a gamepad that and frees up space on its smaller display, and the standalone mock-up is a wireless device that does not need to connect to the iPhone or iPad to work. Both controller mock-ups featured a dedicated pause button, pressure-sensitive buttons and non-drifting D-pads.

There's nothing more frustrating than typing in those long iTunes gift card codes, especially when you make a mistake and have to start all over again. Thankfully Apple has decided to make the process easier by adding the ability to redeem a gift card by using your device's camera. Twitter user Beau Giles discovered the new feature and tweeted the screenshot below. iTunes 11 gave the same feature to Mac users who can now use their FaceTime cameras to redeem gift cards also.

To use the new iOS 7 camera gift card feature, go to the App Store app, and tap the Redeem button at the bottom of the Featured page. You can then choose to enter the code the old way, or use your iPhone's rear iSight camera to snap a picture. The gift card needs to have a "gift card with a box around the code” for it to work.