How to check your Apple Pencil battery level

Apple Pencil 2 charging on iPad

How do you know when your Apple Pencil is charged? Or even yet, how do you know what the battery level of your Apple Pencil is?

Even though the Apple Pencil 1st generation and 2nd generation lack a battery status indicator to tell you how much charge you have left, there are ways to learn how much battery life is still there in the device.

This quick tutorial shows you how to check your Apple Pencil's battery status. We will detail methods for both Apple Pencil 1 and Apple Pencil 2.

Springtomize 3 for iOS 9 is now available on Cydia

Springtomize 3, a jailbreak tweak that many iOS 9 jailbreakers have been looking forward to for quite some time, has been updated for iOS 9 and is now available for download on Cydia.

Users who have already purchased the tweak in the past will be happy to hear that the iOS 9 compatibility update comes free of charge. New users can expect to pay $2.99 for the privilege of using a tweak that brings an immense amount of customization to iOS.

Google+ for iOS gets a facelift and new features in latest update

Following yesterday's overhaul of Google+ Communities and Collections on the web, today Google+ for iOS gets bumped to version 5.0 and thoroughly redesigned.

The new-look Communities and Collections are now accessible through the new Google+ 5.0 for iOS app. This edition of the software includes other improvements, too, including switching between multiple accounts and expanded options for sharing with folks outside Google+.

Apple Pencil packs in the smallest logic board iFixit has ever seen

According to a teardown analysis of the Apple Pencil performed by iFixit, Apple's optional Bluetooth stylus accessory for the iPad Pro packs in the smallest logic board that the repair firm has ever seen. Despite its minuscule appearance, Apple's engineers had to fold it in half to fit inside the Pencil's tiny enclosure.

As if that weren't enough, the Apple Pencil is choke full of other radical technological solutions, said iFixit.

The Smarteer screen protector adds extra navigation buttons to your iPhone 6s

Considering the iPhone has such a high resell value, even after two years of use, most of us go out of our way to protect our device to ensure it looks as good on day 730 as it did on day one. Having a good screen protector ensures that your beautiful screen does not suffer scratches and scuffs along the way.

The Smarteer is more than just a screen protector. QPUA, the company behind this new technology, has added two action buttons at the bottom, so you can access certain features on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus without having to reach up to the top of the screen.

How to check your local Apple Store Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil inventory

It's been over a week since I've had my iPad Pro, and I've still yet to snag an Apple Pencil or a Smart Keyboard. The prospects of obtaining either of the vital iPad Pro peripherals from Apple's online store doesn't seem good. Shipments are currently slated 4-5 weeks out in most cases, and in store personal pickup doesn't even appear as an option when checking out.

The situation is so bad that eBay scalpers are taking advantage and selling the Apple Pencil for double and sometimes triple the price. Needless to say, it's a frustrating situation for iPad Pro early adopters wishing to make full use of the new hardware.

But not all hope is lost for those of you hoping to snag a reasonably priced Apple Pencil or a Smart Keyboard before late December or early January. I've seen several reports of folks that have been able to walk in store and pick up one or both products, even though Apple's online store was showing out of stock. According to an Apple employee that I recently spoke to, Apple is receiving frequent shipments of both products and selling out almost as fast as it can re-up.

Thankfully, there is a way that you can check your store's local inventory before making the trip. Instead of risking disappointment, use this handy tip before you venture out in order to up the chance of scoring an Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard, or if you're particularly fortunate, both.

Apple posts new Apple TV ad highlighting the Watch ABC app

Right after posting several new advertisements highlighting apps on the Apple TV, Apple has launched yet another new ad, this time highlighting the popular Watch ABC app.

Yesterday, Apple published five new ad spots for various apps on the platform, including Disney Infinity 3.0. Crossy Road, HBO Now, Asphalt 8, and Netflix. Not content with that onslaught of promotion, Apple has added an additional new 15-second video to its YouTube channel in an effort to showcase ABC's streaming video offering.

Vine update makes it super easy to remix your favorite videos

Vine on Wednesday announced a new update for its popular mobile video-sharing app. It appears that this is a backend update, as I didn't have to download anything to see the changes (although I did restart the app), but there are a few new features worth noting.

The first is a new audio remix option. With Remix, users can make their own creations with sound from any Vine with the touch of a finger. Just tap the [...] button beneath a Vine clip within the mobile app, and select "Make an audio remix" from the popup menu.

New Microsoft app, Forum for iPhone, lets employees speak their mind freely

Microsoft continues releasing mobile apps for the iPhone first before they eventually trickle down to the “other” operating systems. The latest example: Forum, a new iPhone application born out of Microsoft's Garage division responsible for skunkworks projects.

It was conceived to help employees within an organization speak their mind and state their opinion on any topic.

Fellow workers can then vote on your favorite posts (and optionally flag them) and find out what everyone else is really thinking about any given topic. Forum is a free download and available primarily to businesses.

Sprint launches LTE Plus network in 77 markets with speeds up to 100Mbps

Sprint on Wednesday announced that it has flipped on the switch for its LTE Plus network in 77 major markets. The next-generation network is now available in several big cities across the United States, including Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Orlando and Boston.

In a press release, Sprint CTO Dr. John Saw explains the benefits of LTE Plus over standard LTE, such as stronger and more reliable service, and of course faster speeds. Saw says the new technology is capable of peak speeds in excess of 100Mbps on compatible devices.

Official Google app revamps voice search interface and Google Now cards

In addition to refreshing the layout for Communities and Collections on Google+, the search monster today also rolled out an update to its iOS search app.

Available at no charge in the App Store, the native Google search experience on your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad now includes an overhauled voice search interface with a nicely animated logo.

More important than that, the layout of your Google Now cards has been reworked and updated to better organize and surface content for you.