Hangouts for iOS now supports Apple Watch, gains quick-replying from notifications and more

Google Hangouts, the search giant's instant messaging and VoIP mobile client, was updated in the App Store last evening with several new features and refinements.

For starters, Apple Watch owners can now respond to instant messages received from other Hangout users directly on their wrist and also from the notification banner on their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad (provided they use iOS 9.1).

Personal Pickup now available in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden

Personal Pickup, a handy option which makes it easy for customers to order an Apple product online and have it delivered a few hours later to a specific retail store for pickup, is now available in the following major markets within the European Union: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden, as first reported by German blog Macerkopf.de.

Sketchy report calls for iPhone 7 with USB-C, dual cameras, Touch ID-integrated screen & more

A sketchy rumor originating from sources in China has it that Apple is currently experimenting with at least five different iPhone 7 configurations, each with its own unique hardware characteristics.

Some of the features Apple is reportedly testing out for the next iPhone include a USB Type-C connector compatible with wireless headsets, wireless charging, multi-touch-capable Force Touch technology, dual cameras and a next-generation Touch ID technology embedded within the display.

The BookBook for iPhone 6s case is not just for the literary types

With the hundreds of leather wallet cases on the market, the biggest decision you have to make is how many credit card slots you want. If you want your wallet case to stand out in a crowd, try covering it in Twelve South's BookBook case.

Today, we are spotlighting the BookBook case to provide our readers with options for the type of case they may want to invest in to protect their iPhone 6s. We have not recently reviewed the case (we did a couple times in the past for other devices) and are unable to attest to its quality, but chose to spotlight it because of its high rating on Amazon.

New unofficial “Cydia Online” website goes live

"Cydia Online" is the name of a new website that provides direct links to Cydia packages, repos, and information. The website, created by SwiftCracker, has no official affiliation with Cydia. We think it's only a matter of time before the name is changed, as it's blatantly infringing on saurik's trademark.

That said, the premise behind the so-called Cydia online is pretty cool. It's a fast online searchable vault of apps and tweaks found on Cydia's default repos and even popular third-party repos.

It's probably not going to last much longer under its current name, but the idea is, admittedly, an interesting one...

AT&T to increase price of grandfathered unlimited data plans in February

AT&T is going to announce a price hike for its grandfathered unlimited data plans early next year, reports CNBC. The outlet announced the news on Twitter this afternoon, saying it has learned that the carrier plans to increase the price from $30 to $35 in February.

The move is unsurprising, given that Verizon announced earlier this year that it'd be raising the price of its own grandfathered unlimited plans, and the two carriers tend to follow each others leads. AT&T's price bump is significantly less though, at just $5 versus $20.

Review: SteelSeries Nimbus Wireless Controller

If you want to do serious gaming on the Apple TV, then using a wireless Bluetooth controller isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. Yes, Apple controversially made it a requirement for all games on its platform to support the Siri Remote, but that’s not going to cut it for any game with an even mildly complex control scheme.

Games like Alto’s Adventure and Mr. Jump play perfectly fine, and are even suited for the Siri Remote, but in most cases, you’re definitely going to want a controller as an option.

Unfortunately, there is no Apple-branded controller to speak of, but Apple did co-design a controller with the help of SteelSeries. The result of that partnership is the SteelSeries Nimbus, and Apple is promoting this controller as the de facto standard alternative input device for the Apple TV.

All of that considered, while there are other 3rd-party Bluetooth controllers that work with the Apple TV, the most obvious choice is the SteelSeries Nimbus.

I purchased a Nimbus on day one, and have been playing with it for weeks. Is the $49.99 controller worth your time and hard-earned money? Is it really the best way to control games on the Apple TV?

Google Docs and Play Books gain new features

Several of Google's applications in the App Store—including Docs, Slides, Sheets, Play Books and YouTube—have gained new features or bug fixes in a barrage of updates this morning. The company's productivity and Office replacement app, Docs, will now render your comments and suggestions in Print layout, show line spacing and strikethrough in Office's Compatibility mode and let you control paragraph directionality for right-to-left languages.