Apple

Apple now selling third-party Watch accessories in its retail stores

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Folks in the market for third-party Apple Watch accessories may want to keep an eye on their local Apple Stores. MacRumors has confirmed that the Cupertino company has begun carrying third-party Watch add-ons in at least some of its retail locations.

The first such accessory spotted in an Apple Store is ElevationLab's NightStand for Apple Watch. It's a simple, elegant stand, that costs $29.95 and it appears the company has partnered with Apple on product packaging and Sport band-matching colorways.

Scanbot 4.0 rolls out with Quick-Actions, Workflows, FTP & OneNote support and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 26, 2015

Scanbot, a powerful document and QR code scanner for iOS which sports optical character recognition and a slew of other cool features, was bumped to version 4.0 today.

Available on a freemium basis with optional paid upgrades, Scanbot 4.0 for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad introduces Workflows and Quick-Actions, a pair of major new features aimed at increasing your productivity by automating repeating tasks such as uploading scans to cloud services.

Google’s new YouTube Gaming app is now available in the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 26, 2015

As expected, Google's YouTube Gaming app has begun rolling out in the App Store. Earlier this morning, Google launched a new website which sits at gaming.youtube.com, dedicated to watching and live-streaming gameplay videos.

The free of charge companion mobile app should be now available for download in your local App Store. Featuring a selection of live-streaming and on-demand content, the app acts as your one-stop shop for not just gameplay videos but video how-tos and walkthroughs as well.

Swatch attempts to justify ‘One more thing’ trademark with a silly explanation

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 26, 2015

Swatch would have you think that its controversial “One more thing” trademark has nothing to do with Apple. A company spokesperson told Techradar today that its trademark for the “One more thing” phrase was inspired by a line from the TV show “Columbo,” an explanation people following technology news will have a hard time believing.

Swiss watchmaker Swatch became the subject of the Internet ridicule following news that it was recently granted a trademark on “One more thing,” a catch phrase late CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs used extensively when introducing new surprise products during Apple’s media events.

Google takes on Twitch with YouTube Gaming

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 26, 2015

Originally announced two and a half months ago, YouTube Gaming went live this morning as the search giant's Twitch competitor slowly but surely comes into full view.

Basically a YouTube built for gamers, the all-new YouTube Gaming website is live in the United States and United Kingdom at gaming.youtube.com with a selection of live-streaming videos showing people playing various games.

Much like Amazon-owned Twitch service which allows people to stream their gameplay videos and others to watch it, YouTube Gaming was designed to host gameplay videos, video how-tos and walkthroughs pertaining to popular games and more.

Portal for iOS: wireless file transfers from your computer to iPhone made easy

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 26, 2015

Portal, an Android app that launched earlier this summer, is now available on your iPhone free of charge in the App Store.

Created by a company called Pushbullet which makes a namesake cross-platform notification mirroring utility, Portal for iPhone uses QR codes and takes advantage of peer-to-peer connectivity to transfer very large files and folders between your devices in a snap.

With Portal, you can transfer files from your computer to an iOS device via a simple interface that can be accessed through any web browser. The app lets you transfer as many files as you’d like and imposes no file size limits.

Here's a quick review of Portal based on my brief hands-on time with the app.

Official: Samsung stole trade secrets from TSMC

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 26, 2015

Samsung lifted trade secrets from rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC), the world's #1 independent semiconductor foundry, Taiwan's top court has ruled.

According to a report published Wednesday by Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes, the court has determined that Liang Mong-song, a former senior director of research and development at TSMC, revealed TSMC's trade secrets and patents related to its advanced FinFET process technology to Samsung Electronics.

The report makes no mention of Apple, but the connection couldn't be clearer: Samsung might have been able to leverage the stolen secrets to win orders for Apple's next-generation 'A9' processor. Prior reports have posited that both Samsung and TSMC got to build Apple's A9 chips on the advanced 14-nanometer FinFET process technology which uses entirely new three-dimensional transistors.

Read-later app Pocket rolls out personalized Recommendations feed

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 26, 2015

You can now check out the most interesting articles and videos you might have missed using Pocket's newly launched Recommendations feature. Available in Pocket's latest 6.0 update in the App Store, Recommendations takes “the absolute best content being saved across Pocket” and tailors it to your own saving and reading habit, based on what you save, read and watch in Pocket.

Video of partially assembled iPhone 6s reveals a few previously unknown tidbits

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 26, 2015

A video of a partially assembled 'iPhone 6s' is making rounds on the web, revealing previously unknown details about Apple's next-generation handset which is set for unveiling at a rumored media event on Wednesday, September 9.

According to MacRumors, the authenticity of the components used to kinda assemble the phone couldn't be verified though the parts appear to resemble previously leaked ones from an iPhone 6s prototype.

Germany’s highest appeals court invalidates Apple’s slide-to-unlock patents

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 25, 2015

Germany’s highest appeals court has ruled that Apple's famous slide-to-unlock patents are invalid, VentureBeat reported Tuesday.

The ruling basically reaffirmed a 2013 decision in which the lower Federal Patent Court rejected Apple's claims on the grounds of 'prior art'. The German courts discovered that Apple's slide-to-patent involves a similar technique as that featured on a smartphone released before the iPhone by a Swedish company called Neonode.

MagCable brings MagSafe-like experience with fast-charging to your iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 25, 2015

If the 12-inch MacBook is indicative of Apple's future plans, the popular MagSafe adapter is on its way out as USB-C comes into full view.

Sadly, USB-C is plagued with a major drawback: the standard doesn't use Apple's proprietary MagSafe charging method which employs magnets to ensure your notebook doesn't fly off a desk or wiggle the pins when you trip on the cord.

With MagSafe's future hanging in the balance, a company called aMagic Ltd. set out to replicate the MagSafe charging experience on Lightning-enabled iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

Philips launches dimming kit for Hue wireless bulbs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 6, 2017

Philips's 'Hue' programmable LED lights can now be controlled in a more traditional fashion with the new Hue Wireless Dimming Kit and white bulbs.

Announced this morning, the Dimming Kit allows you to adjust the brightness of up to ten white bulbs at the same time and can be installed directly on the wall or used as a remote control of sort for Hue lights.

The Hue Wireless Dimming Kit can be hooked up to Philips' existing Hue hardware via the company's Hue bridge accessory to control the standard Hue and Hue Lux lighting.