Apple stopped signing iOS 9.2 firmware for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches on Thursday, a move that prevents users from performing downgrades from iOS 9.2.1 to iOS 9.2 via iTunes.
Apple stops signing iOS 9.2, downgrades no longer possible
Apple
Twitter is testing a dedicated GIF button
Thursday, TechCrunch reported that some users of Twitter's mobile application for Android had briefly seen a dedicated GIF button inside the app before it disappeared on its own. The new button gave them quick access to trending GIFs and was located between the camera and poll icons inside Twitter's Android app.
According to user Phil Perlman, tapping the button lets you select trending GIFs, or tap through to choose a GIF reaction based on mood categories.
Apple researching pressure-sensing Touch ID with 3D Touch type functionality
Apple has filed for a new patent application, which surfaced this morning in the United States Patent & Trademark Office's (USPTO) database.
It reveals that the Cupertino firm is seeking to add pressure sensing capability to the iPhone's Touch ID button while hinting at the possibility of enabling 3D Touch-like functionality by way of applying various degrees of pressure to the Home button.
Titled “Force-sensitive fingerprint sensing input,” the invention describes adding a resistive element having a mechanically resistive force to the Touch ID button—such as an elastomeric material, spring or similar component—which would then be able to measure the depression.
Apple boosts Maps with new Flyover cities, Traffic and Nearby data
Apple has updated its Maps backend with nearly two-dozen new cities now supporting the Flyover feature. In addition, the company has activated live Traffic data for Taiwan and added Finland to the list of countries that support iOS 9's Nearby feature. Three-dimensional Flyover data has been added to five new cities in the United States, with additional Flyover views now available in various cities across Europe, Africa and Japan.
Apple ordered to pay $625 million in VirnetX patent suit
Apple has been ordered by a federal jury in east Texas to pay $625 million for patent infringement, Reuters reported late Wednesday. The jury found the iPhone maker guilty of using VirnetX's security technology without its permission.
More specifically, Apple was found guilty of willfully infringing on technology found in VirnetX Holding Corp's patents related to virtual private networking protocols, which Apple uses in its FaceTime and iMessage apps on iPhone and iPad.
Back to School promo goes live in New Zealand and Australia with free Beats Solo2 headphones
Apple’s annual Back to School promotion is back with a new deal launching today in Australia and New Zealand. University students, students accepted to a university and parents buying for a university student are being tempted with a free Beats Solo2 on-ear headphones, a $199.95 value, with an eligible Mac purchase.
When purchasing a new MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac or iMac with Retina 5K display, customers shall receive an instant credit for the purchase of a pair of Beats Solo2 wired headphones in Gloss Black, Gloss White, Gloss Red or Gloss Blue or wired Beats Solo2 headphones in Space Gray, Silver, Gold or Rose Gold.
T-Mobile is offering 4 lines of unlimited LTE for $150
T-Mobile has just made its existing Family Match promotion a little more tempting. As was announced this morning, the carrier is offering data-hungry families up to four lines of unlimited LTE data for just $150 per month for the entire family, which works out to $37.5 per line.
“Now get 2 or more lines of Unlimited 4G LTE for the price of a 10GB plan, or 10GB for the price of 6GB,“ teases the carrier. And for a limited time, T-Mobile's customers on a Simple Choice Family plan can get a fourth line at no additional charge.
Fitbit unveils fashionable Alta activity tracker with swappable bands
Wearable maker Fitbit on Wednesday announced a brand new activity tracker with fashionable design that gives you the ability to swap bands.
Featuring five days of usage on a single charge and a selection of bands, including leather ones and a stainless steel bracelet, Fitbit hopes to appeal to the burgeoning market of stylish tech gadgets that are worn on one's body.
The Alta has the usual assortment of movement-tracking sensors and includes a slim touchscreen OLED display that shows basic stats and notifications relayed from a smartphone.
Analyst Gene “iTV” Munster calls for S-upgrade to Apple Watch this Spring
Apple analyst Gene Munster—the guy who has been predicting a full-on television set with a shiny Apple logo on it for well over five years before admitting he was terribly wrong—is back!
In a note to clients, a copy of which was obtained by Business Insider, the Piper Jaffray analyst is calling for an 'S-upgrade' to the Apple Watch this Spring.
In sticking to its annual upgrade cycle Apple will now make an S-version of the wrist-worn device, reasons Munster. If he's right, that would constitute borrowing a page from the iPhone's book.
As you know, iPhones recycle same design with so-called S-upgrades that focus on hardware advanced every other year. This Spring, Munster posits, the Apple Watch will receive refreshed internals like faster chips, packed inside enclosures unchanged from existing watches.
Review: this exquisitely done astronomical clock for iPhone might cure your Apple Watch envy
It's funny how the Apple Watch's debut prompted Apple bloggers to become self-proclaimed horology experts. I never pretended to be one, but as an amateur astronomer think Apple should be credited for going to great lengths in paying homage to the traditional environment in which horology was developed by putting strong emphasis on the device's advanced timekeeping features and features like the cool Astronomy and Solar watch faces.
You don't need to own an Apple Watch if you're eager to discover the fascinating relation between time and the cosmos, all you need is a superb iPhone app by Swiss developer (how appropriate!) Celestial Dynamics, called Cosmic Watch.
DigiTimes: Apple testing dual-lens cameras for iPhone 7 Plus from three different suppliers
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is adamant that Apple is working on a premium edition of an 'iPhone 7 Plus' that will come outfitted with dual-lens cameras for telephoto functions and today DigiTimes is reporting that Apple is already testing dual lenses for the handset sourced from three different suppliers.
The hit-and-miss Taiwanese trade publication has it on good authority, citing sources from the upstream supply chain, that Apple supplier Largan Technology and two unnamed Japan and China-based vendors have shipped dual-lens camera samples to 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California, for testing.
Apple said to unveil new 4-inch iPhone 5se, iPad Air 3 and new Apple Watch bands on March 15
Apple is currently planning to hold a media event on Tuesday, March 15, to formally unveil a rumored new four-inch iPhone 5se, a third-generation iPad Air and new Apple Watch band options, according to a report this morning by 9to5Mac's reliable Mark Gurman.
“As the scheduled event is still a month-and-a-half away, the date could conceivably still shift or turn into an online announcement,” cautioned Gurman.