Apple

All-new iHeartRadio app coming to Apple TV soon with live stations and podcasts

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 5, 2016

iHeartRadio Media announced today at CES 2016 in Las Vegas that a whole new radio-streaming app will be coming to the fourth-generation Apple TV. In addition to a redesigned interface, it will allow users to experience all of the core elements of the service and let them access thousands of live and custom stations, including podcasts.

Both registered and unregistered users will be able to play live and custom radio stations, view For You recommendations, save favorite stations to a brand new My Favorites Radio feature and more, all from the comfort of their couch.

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Twitter is allegedly considering a 10,000 character limit for tweets

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 5, 2016

Micro-blogging startup Twitter is considering ditching the 140-character limit for tweets, one of its defining features, Re/code reported Tuesday citing sources familiar with the company's plans.

According to the article, the company is considering a new 10,000-character limit which would basically allow users to post longer-form content in a single tweet, as opposed to spamming their followers' feeds with a bunch of tweets.

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Fitbit unveils new ‘Blaze’ fitness smartwatches

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 5, 2016

Wearable company Fitbit at CES 2016 in Las Vegas announced a brand new lineup of fitness-focused smartwatches, marketed under the Blaze moniker. Featuring a sleek design and easily interchangeable accessories, the Blaze lineup offers an enhanced fitness and workout experience with advanced coaching and other features.

All devices are outfitted with a color touchscreen, have a built-in heart rate tracker and SmartTrack exercise recognition and support interchangeable bands and frames.

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Apple prematurely leaks exclusive Apple Watch Sport models for Chinese New Year

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 5, 2016

Apple will sell some new, exclusive Apple Watch Sport designs to celebrate the Chinese New Year, MacRumors said Tuesday. As evidenced by Apple's websites in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, the new models of the Apple Watch Sport will be available in the aforementioned countries until February 22.

That information was briefly available on the website before being removed earlier today. With a rumored Apple Watch 2 media event planned for March, Apple is likely to roll out additional bands to accompany the launch of a second-generation Apple Watch.

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Apple allegedly plans to bundle iPhone 7 with wireless EarPods

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 5, 2016

Following a November 2015 claim by the Japanese blog Macotakara which asserted that Apple will ditch the standard 3.5mm headphone port on an 'iPhone 7' to focus exclusively on supporting Lightning-enabled headsets and wireless headphones, a new supply chain rumor published Tuesday by Chinese websites Anzhuo.cn and Feng claims that the Cupertino firm will actually bundle the next iPhone with a wireless version of its EarPods headphones to make up for the missing headphone jack.

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Apple to announce Q1 2016 earnings on January 26

Cody Lee ∙ January 4, 2016

Apple just confirmed via its Investor Relations portal that it will be releasing financial results for its first fiscal quarter of 2016 (fourth calendar quarter of 2015) on Tuesday, January 26. As usual, the company will be hosting a conference call to discuss the results at 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET that day.

While earnings reports aren't typically worth getting excited about, Apple loves to show off during the holiday quarter. The company routinely crushes smartphone sales and revenue records for the 3-month period, besting itself last year by moving 75 million iPhones and recording almost $75 billion in revenue.

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Samsung’s latest external SSD comes with USB-C

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 4, 2016

If you're a proud owner of Apple's one-port MacBook, up until recently you could only connect a handful of USB-C accessories without using a USB-C-to-USB adapter. But if CES is an indication, 2016 is going to be the year of USB Type-C.

Earlier today, my colleague Jeff told you about several MacBook-friendly USB Type-C monitors and I wrote about Griffin’s USB-C power cable which brings MagSafe charging to the MacBook. Samsung, too, has jumped on the USB-C bandwagon with the Portable SSD T3, basically a next-generation, USB-C-enabled version of its external solid state drive series.

The switch to USB-C connection has made possible data transfer speeds of up to 450 megabytes per second, enough to handle 4K video editing. And with compatibility across multiple operating systems and devices, the T3 works not only with your MacBook but other USB-C-enabled notebooks and desktops.

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This new portable charger wants you to believe it was designed by Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 4, 2016

Picking a portable battery pack for your iPhone or other smartphone brand can be a daunting task. There are literally hundreds of such accessories in the marketplace that are vying for your attention, available in many shapes, sizes and price points.

The latest entrant to the mobile charging game is a Silicon Valley startup called 4Second Life, which at CES 2016 in Las Vegas showed off its portable charger, the Aluminum VI, which looks (or wants to look) like it was designed by Apple itself.

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Apple seeds iOS 9.2.1 beta 2 to developers

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 4, 2016

Less than three weeks after releasing the first beta of iOS 9.2.1, Apple on Monday seeded iOS 9.2.1 beta 2 to its registered developers. The software is also available to public beta testers who are signed on Apple's Beta Software Program,

The new pre-release software has a build number of 13D14 and can be applied over-the-air on iPhones, iPads and iPods running a prior beta via Software Update.

A standalone firmware download is available to members of the Apple Developer Program through the company's official portal for developers.

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