Apple

Facebook getting ready to ape Snapchat with Messenger Day, a visual storytelling feature

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 18, 2016

If you live in Poland or Australia, you might have stumbled upon a brand new feature at the top of Facebook's Messenger app, called Messenger Day. As reported by Mashable on Tuesday, Facebook has begun expanding this new feature across the globe following launch of Instagram Stories last month. Available in the mobile Messenger app for iOS and Android, Messenger Day is about sharing what you're up to in the form of auto-dissapearing updates, stickers and sketches.

Netflix offline viewing coming before year-end?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

It looks like Netflix offline viewing might finally be coming even though CEO Reed Hastings first said that the feature was “never going to happen”.

As Streaming Observers learned a few days ago, the company has changed its mind and will be reportedly adding offline mode to its mobile application before the end of this year.

Netflix's share prices shot up 20 percent this morning after the company reported better than expected third-quarter earnings.

Candy Crush Saga is coming to CBS as a live action game show

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 18, 2016

Candy Crush Saga has been a cash cow from its inception on the App Store. King's tremendously popular mobile match-three puzzle video game has made a fortune on platforms like iOS, Android, Facebook and Windows 10.

But now, King is set to boost its profits as the CBS network confirmed Tuesday that it has given a series order to a TV adaptation of Candy Crush Saga from Lionsgate TV.

That's right, they'll be actually turning the mobile Candy Crash Saga game into a live action game show in which teams of two individuals will compete on “enormous, interactive game boards featuring next generation technology.”

Sprint’s new tablet-exclusive unlimited plan degrades your video, music and gaming streams

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 18, 2016

I don't trust “unlimited” wireless plans because they're all but unlimited and often come with a bunch of caveats one needs to consider carefully. The latest example: Sprint's newly announced data plan for tablets which promises unlimited 4G LTE data in exchange for $20 per month. So far so good, but the devil—as always—is in the detail.

If you take a closer look at the fine print, you soon realize that the plan limits video streaming to DVD-like 480p resolution, music streaming quality to 500kbps and your online gaming streams to up to 2Mbps.

Spotify for Apple TV should not be expected anytime soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Have you been keeping your fingers crossed for Spotify for Apple TV? If so, you'll be disappointed to learn that a Spotify tvOS app has been “down prioritized,” with a company executive stating that a release supporting tvOS should not be expected anytime soon. It's unclear why the Swedish startup does not want to support the Apple TV, more so given its rivalry with Apple in the music-streaming space.

Benchmarks reveal how higher capacity iPhone 7 units can be faster

Anthony Bouchard ∙ October 18, 2016

When you go to get your new iPhone every year, do you get the higher-capacity handset to have the best of the best, or do you get the lower capacity handset to save some dime?

If you typically pick the latter choice, you might want to re-think your decision for the iPhone 7 & 7 Plus.

Report: new MacBook Pros, USB-C MacBook Airs coming this month

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

New MacBook Pros are still on for October, reports the often accurate Japanese site Mac Otakara. Citing a reliable source within Apple's supply chain, the outlet says the long-awaited refresh of the premium notebook line is still on schedule for this month.

In addition to the MacBook pro update, the site also says that the MacBook Air line is also getting a refresh. It expects Apple to drop the 11-inch model, to focus on the larger 13-inch version, and it will include USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Apple seeds iOS 10.1 beta 4 to developers and public beta testers

Sébastien Page ∙ October 17, 2016

Apple today released a fourth beta of iOS 10.1 to its registered developers and public beta testers. Coming just a week after the previous beta, iOS 10.1 beta 4 has an interesting build number of “14B72 | 14B72b”. Today's release does not, however, appear to contain any outward-facing user features. We'll make sure to update the article with any new information as it becomes available.

Cops obtain a warrant demanding individuals unlock iPhones with their fingerprint

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2016

California's top cops seem to have obtained a questionable warrant request to enter a residence and force anyone inside to use biometric information to open their fingerprint-locked iPhones purely on the assumption they'll learn more after they access the phones, Forbes reported this morning.

Deemed as “an unprecedented attempt to bypass the security of Apple's iPhones,” Forbes found a court filing in which the Department of Justice sought to search a Lancaster, California, property.

Apple releases iOS 10.0.3 for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus with fix for cellular conectivity bug

Cody Lee ∙ October 17, 2016

Apple on Monday released a new update for iOS labeled version number 10.0.3. The update appears to be exclusive for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and it can be downloaded via the Update mechanism in Settings, or from our Downloads page.

As noted in the screenshot above, 10.0.3 brings about various bug fixes, including one for an issue where users could temporarily lose cellular connectivity. This has been a fairly high profile iPhone 7 bug, particularly among Verizon users.

Beats 1 Radio host Zane Love will talk music as a keynote speaker at 2017 SXSW

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2016

Zane Lowe, who used to be a host for BBC Radio for many years before moving to Beats 1 and Apple Music more than a year ago, has been announced as a keynote speaker for 2017's South by Southwest (SXSW) music and film festival, Billboard reported Monday.

In addition to a keynote speech from Lowe, the annual confab in Austin will include keynotes from “Rogue One” filmmaker Gareth Edwards, author Adam Grant and Mount Everest photographer and climber Cory Richards.

iPhone 7 will be launching in seven more countries later this month

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2016

Apple today announced via its international websites that the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus handsets will be arriving in an additional seven markets this month: Colombia, Cameroun, Botswana, Egypt, Kenya, Mozambique and South Korea.

In addition to the latest phones, customers in South Korea and Colombia will be able to purchase the Apple Watch Series 2 later this month, too.