Apple

Nintendo drops a live-action commercial for Super Mario Run ahead of release

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 9, 2016

Nintendo is scheduled to debut Super Mario Run, its platformer optimized for one-handed gameplay, on the App Store on December 15. Ahead of this eagerly anticipated release, the Japanese gaming giant released a live-action commercial that's all about speed.

Running two minutes and five seconds long, the ad features people from all walks of life running across scenic locations and in front of landmarks across the globe. The video features an upbeat tune and classic Super Mario notes and sound effects.

WSJ: AirPods delayed because of issues with dual Bluetooth connectivity

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 9, 2016

Apple’s mysterious AirPods delay continues to puzzle us. Marking a rare public misstep, the company's failed to make its first-ever Bluetooth earphones available in time for the critical holiday season because, as Apple said, it needed “a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers.”

A person familiar with the product's development told the Wall Street Journal on Friday that the problem with the AirPods stems from Apple's efforts to “chart a new path for wireless headphones” and, specifically, resolve what happens when you lose one of the earphones or its battery dies on you.

Apple must replace a Danish man’s iPhone with a new unit rather than a refurbished model

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 9, 2016

Following a five-year fight over marketing manager David Lysgaard's faulty iPhone 4 he bought in 2011 from Apple.com, the Glostrup District Court has ruled that Apple did violate the Danish Sale of Goods Act by giving the man a “remanufactured” device instead of the brand new phone he was entitled to in accordance with local law, Domstol.dk reported Friday. Apple's warranty terms state that refurbs use either brand new parts or those that are equivalent to new in performance and reliability.

Samsung planning a software update to render remaining U.S. Note 7 phones useless

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 9, 2016

Not even the exploding batteries have stopped die-hard fans of Samsung's ill-fated Note 7 from using the remaining phablets that are still in the wild. However, Samsung wants all Note 7 devices to be safely returned and is working on a software update that will render the remaining Notes in the United States useless, according to Samsung's official blog post and a statement given to The Verge.

Siri, cease all motor functions

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 9, 2016

It seems Apple's partnership with Universal Pictures that uses funny Siri responses to promote the animated movie “The Secret Life of Pets” was just the beginning. As revealed by actress Evan Rachel Wood who stars in “Westworld,” Siri is a fan of the show.

In another major movie tie-in for Apple, this time with HBO, Siri has learned some amusing responses to queries related to the science fiction western thriller television series created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy for HBO.

Here are some of them.

Super Mario Run requires a persistent Internet connection to prevent piracy

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 9, 2016

Super Mario Run, Nintendo's eagerly awaited platformer optimized for one-handed gameplay, requires a persistent Internet connection to play in order to prevent piracy, Mario's creator Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed to Mashable. Actually, the security element is one of the reasons Nintendo decided to go with the iOS platform first before releasing Super Mario Run on Android.

Convert and push media into any Apple device with WALTR 2, no jailbreak or iTunes needed

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 19, 2017

Softorino, a purely European crew packed with talented developers, recently released WALTR 2 as a successor to the original app that's captured more than 500,000 downloads worldwide in just under 20 months since its debut.

A well-deserved success, if you ask me, because WALTR made it super easy to convert audio and video files encoded in “foreign” formats, such as DivX/MKV movies with subtitles and FLAC audio files, without requiring a jailbreak.

I raved about WALTR in my review, underscoring how its drag-and-drop simplicity allows just about anyone to bypass the mess that is iTunes. And boy, does it fly: in my tests, WALTR transcoded a 2.64-gigabyte MKV file on my 1.3 GHz Intel Core i5 mid-2013 MacBook Air into an iOS-friendly format and sent it over USB to my iPhone 6 in under two minutes.

Building on this remarkable engine, WALTR 2 is now available with new features like support for more than two-dozen legacy iPod models and other devices starting from iOS 5. It uses automatic metadata recognition that works perfectly, gives you the ability to transfer media to your device wirelessly, supports PDF and ePUB file formats and much, much more.

NoATWAKEUP is a tweak that might help you save some extra battery life

Anthony Bouchard ∙ December 9, 2016

If you own an iPhone, then chances are your battery life is important to you. The importance of conserving battery life is probably increased even more when you're jailbroken and have lots of tweaks running on your device as you use it.

Fortunately, a new free jailbreak tweak called NoATWAKEUP is here to help, as the developer says it can have a positive impact on your battery life.

Apple seeds macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta 6 to developers

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 8, 2016

Just 24 hours after iOS 10.2 beta 7 dropped and three days following macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta 5, Apple on Thursday issued a sixth beta of what would become the second major update to macOS Sierra. macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta 6 (build number 16C63a) is now available to registered developers.

The update can be deployed via the Mac App Store's Updates tab on Macs which are registered with the Apple Developer Program. The full installer is on Dev Center.

Feast your eyes on iSpaceship closeups, ground-level images and interior photographs

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 8, 2016

We've been tracking rapid construction progress at the Apple Campus 2 site thanks to avid YouTubers who take their expensive drones to the skies each month so we can marvel at jaw-dropping aerial footage of the ring-shaped building that'll soon become home to a whopping 13,000 employees.

Just ahead of Apple's planned early-2017 move in, French blog MacGeneration treats us to never-before-seen photographs showing off intricate details and the building's vast interiors at the 2.8 million-square-foot site.

Tim Cook to deliver MIT’s 2017 Commencement address on June 9

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 8, 2016

In the run-up to this coming summer, Apple's boss Tim Cook will head to Cambridge to deliver his address at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Commencement exercises. Cook will address the Class of 2017 on Friday, June 9, the university announced today.

Cook previously gave the commencement address for his Alma Mater Auburn University in 2011 and last year delivered the commencement address for GWU.

Bloomberg: Galaxy S8 to beat iPhone 8 to virtual Home button & bezel-free appearance

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 8, 2016

Samsung's next-generation Galaxy smartphone appears to be poised to beat Apple's upcoming iPhone 8 to the punch now that Bloomberg has corroborated much of SamMobile's report saying the Galaxy S8 will be a bezel-free device with a wraparound display featuring an in-screen Home button. The phone should be unveiled in February 2018 and launch in March.

That way, the Samsung device should enjoy a six-month lead over the iPhone 8's expected fall arrival. However, the Korean giant is considering scrapping plans for a dual-camera on the Galaxy S8 due to “higher manufacturing costs”, one of the sources told the news gathering organization.