Apple

Apple TV gains NBC Sports Live Extra channel

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 27, 2015

Apple's $69 set-top box has gained yet another content source with Monday's addition of the official television channel from NBC Sports Live Extra. It arrived just in time for Saturday's 141st Kentucky Derby and during the first round of the National Hockey League's playoffs.

NBC Sports Live Extra for Apple TV, much like the existing iOS app, delivers “thousands of live sporting events that air on NBC, NBCSN and Golf Channel,” in addition to live video, at no cost.

No cable or satellite subscription is required to enjoy some content, but you'll need to create an account with the NBC Sports in order to take full advantage of its features. Also, NBC Sports Live Extra users may want to provide their cable subscription details in order to enjoy the vast majority of the more than 3,000 live stream events per year.

Apple posts iOS 8.4 beta 2 with new Trending Searches feature on iTunes Radio

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 27, 2015

Apple on Monday seeded iOS 8.4 beta 2, which includes a redesigned Music app experience from the previous beta, to its registered iPhone, iPod touch and iPad developers.

The software carries a build number of 12H4086d and can be applied over-the-air through the Software Update mechanism available in Settings > General, for those who are running the first beta. A standalone installer is available through Apple's portal for developers.

Release notes accompanying the download mention claim “this beta version of iOS contains bug fixes and improvements”. At least one new feature was spotted in this release: trending searches. Now when you're searching for a song on iTunes Radio via the Music app in iOS 8.4 beta 2, it will automatically suggest a list of trending searches.

Unread gains iOS 8 Share sheet, 1Password integration, landscape on iPhone and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 10, 2018

Unread, an RSS client for the iPhone and iPad originally created by Jared Sinclair and later acquired by Supertop, is getting a nice update this morning with several new features and a handful of bug fixes.

Unread, which supports a number of popular feed services, now features a useful Share extension so you can now send links and text from any app easily rather than fiddle with a proprietary sharing menu.

On the iPhone, the app will now reorient its user interface when you turn your device upside down. More importantly, Unread 1.5 for the iPhone and iPad at last supports Readability in the article view, letting you enjoy the full articles without ads, custom layouts, website navigation and other distractions.

How many Watches did Apple sell?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 1, 2017

While Apple is set to announce quarterly earnings later today, it won't be breaking down Watch sales for competitive reasons. This hasn't stopped analysts from making educating guesses in terms of Watch sales since the device's April 24 debut.

Estimates range from as low as 631,000 units to as high as 1.7 million units, with second-quarter shipments expected to hit nearly four million units as Apple's suppliers resolve manufacturing issues with the Watch's AMOLED display and Haptic Engine.

LA’s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center integrates Apple’s HealthKit into patient files

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 27, 2015

Researches at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles are bringing data from Apple’s health-tracking platform, HealthKit, into patient files, according to a Bloomberg report Monday.

The unusual move is designed to provide doctors with a more complete overview of their patients' health, giving them another set of comprehensive health data to take into account as they make clinical and medical judgments.

Already the hospital has updated its online medical records system, turning on access to HealthKit for more than 80,000 patients, Darren Dworkin, chief information officer at Cedars-Sinai, told the news organization.

Seven cool things Apple Watch can do without its paired iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 25, 2016

Designed as a versatile companion to the iPhone, the Apple Watch uses the GPS and Wi-Fi in your iPhone to give you the full experience. That's why the very first step before you can start using the Watch is pairing it to an iPhone in iOS's Apple Watch application.

But even though the wearable device wasn't conceived as a standalone product, it can still do a few tricks on its own, without having a paired iPhone in range. Here are seven different things the Apple Watch can do without being tethered to an iPhone.

Discover announces bringing Apple Pay to cardholders this Fall

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 27, 2015

In a rather major announcement Monday, Discover, a notable Apple Pay holdout, said it will be joining the Apple Pay party this fall. The move will permit Discover cardmembers in the United States to make contactless payments in participating stores through Apple Pay using their iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch.

As a bonus, Discover cardholders will continue to receive current benefits when using Apple Pay. This marks the last of America's four major credit card networks joining Apple's mobile payments initiative.

In addition to paying in stores, “millions of cardmembers” can also use Apple Pay with their iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 when paying for goods and services within apps beginning this fall, said the company.

Is Apple Watch draining your iPhone’s battery too fast? This may help

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 27, 2015

Contrary to popular belief, the Apple Watch has a pretty remarkable battery, a notion driven home by even the toughest of critics and reviewers.

Now that first shipments have arrived into the hands of consumers, and people have spent a day or two with their device, reports are coming in that the wearable device is in some cases dramatically draining the battery of an iPhone it's paired to.

Our own Oliver Haslam has underscored the phenomenon in his hands-on with the Watch based on his first 24 hours with the device, as did others including former Engadget editor Ryan Block. What gives?

Apple partners with Red Cross for Nepal earthquake relief donations

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple has setup a donation page to help aid those affected by the devastating Nepal earthquake that struck the nation on Saturday. Like with past disasters, Apple has partnered with the American Red Cross to handle donations, with 100 percent of the money going to the cause.

Apple Watch gets beat to hell for science [Video]

Jake Smith ∙ April 25, 2015

While many of you are probably holding on to your precious Apple Watch with care, CNET took it upon themselves to see what will ruin the wearable, so you don't have to. We're taken through several everyday scenarios of how the Apple Watch could get ruined in the kitchen. It actually holds up pretty well.

Chinese court says Apple isn’t guilty of Siri patent infringement, overturns previous ruling

Jake Smith ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

"Siri, how does it feel to be a winner?"

A Chinese appeals court has put an end to a three year patent battle over Apple's Siri voice recognition found on its iOS line. AFP reports that Apple has won an appeal in China over the patents, overturning an earlier decision that put Apple in the guilty chair.

Apple Watch battery retains up to 80% of its original capacity at 1,000 complete charge cycles

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

The battery inside the Apple Watch will retain up to eighty percent of its original capacity at a full one-thousand charge cycles before its capacity starts depleting further, as revealed on the Batteries section of Apple's website.

In terms of daily use, the battery of any Apple Watch model will last up to eighteen hours based on mixed usage, as per Apple's official data.

In addition, you'll get up to 72 hours on a single charge if you run the device in Power Reserve mode. Pitting the Apple Watch battery against that inside the iPad, iPhone and MacBook reveals quite a technological achievement for such a comparatively small package.