Apple

Rdio ushers in iPhone 6 and CarPlay support, interactive alerts and more in major iOS 8 update

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

Following a recent overhaul with new features, free streaming in more than two dozen countries and other perks, Rdio, the popular Internet service, on Thursday pushed a major iOS 8 focused update.

Following in the footsteps of rival Spotify which two weeks ago added support for CarPlay, Apple's in-car iPhone entertainment system, Rdio has now jumped on the automotive bandwagon, too.

In addition to music playback and navigating your favorites and playlists from the built-in display in CarPlay-enabled cars, Rdio 3.0.4 has a handy new control to adjust streaming quality (should prove indispensable to those concerned about cellular data usage).

Moreover, this update adds support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus screen sizes, iOS 8's Interactive Notifications (you can play music and follow other users directly from an alert) plus other nice-to-haves mentioned after the jump.

Apple updates iWork with Yosemite support, OS X apps get redesigned

Cody Lee ∙ October 16, 2014

Continuing with its marathon software rollout, Apple has posted updates for its iWork apps on both iOS and Mac. The suite of productivity software now properly supports the just-released OS X Yosemite, along with its major new features like iCloud Drive and Continuity.

Both versions received various improvements, such as customizable alignments and easier file sharing, but the three Mac apps got a lot more love then their iOS counterparts. Pages, Numbers and Keynote for OS X have been redesigned to better match the new Yosemite.

Facebook Messenger updated with doodles and captions for your photos

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 16, 2014

Facebook Messenger has received its iPhone 6 compatibility fix nearly a month ago, unlike their main iOS client which only got refreshed with half-baked support for the new iPhone screen sizes yesterday.

Be that as it may, Facebook today issued a small Messenger update adding the ability to adorn your photos with captions and casual scribbles and sketches.

Messenger 14.0 (what's up with version numbers, Facebook?) is free in the App Store.

Instagram’s iPhone 6 refresh is out

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 16, 2014

One of the most popular mobile applications and the de facto leading platform for mobile photography, Facebook-owned Instagram, has at last been optimized with native display support for Apple's latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones.Instagram 6.1.3 is now available in the App Store and lists no other changes in iTunes release notes accompanying the 15.9-megabyte download.

Watch the new iPad Air 2 and iMac with Retina 5K display videos

Cody Lee ∙ October 16, 2014

Apple just posted the introduction videos for the iPad Air 2 and iMac with Retina 5K display shown during this morning's event to its YouTube channel. So for folks who haven't seen the keynote yet, or simply want to watch the clips again, here is your chance.

The video for the iPad Air 2 is short, coming in at just over 30 seconds, and focuses on the tablet's thinner profile by hiding it behind a laser-cut pencil. As for the new Retina display iMac, there are 2 videos that—as you'd expect—highlight its beautiful screen.

Apple updates Mac mini, lowers price to $499

Cody Lee ∙ October 16, 2014

In addition to the new 5K iMac, Apple announced an update to its aging Mac mini line today. The new desktop computer has been outfitted with Intel's 4th-gen Core processor, and now supports PCIe-based flash storage and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and the faster Thunderbolt 2 ports.

But the Mac mini has never really been about performance; it's been about the price. As Apple's least expensive Mac machine offered, the mini gave more people access to the popular OS X ecosystem. And today, the computer gets even more accessible with a $100 price drop.

OS X Yosemite available today as free update

Cody Lee ∙ October 16, 2014

Mac and iOS software chief Craig Federighi just announced that OS X Yosemite will be available to the public today, as a free update in the Mac App Store. As long as you have a compatible Mac machine, you'll be able to grab the software at no cost.

Announced in June, Yosemite is a significant update for Apple's Mac operating system that brings about a fresh new design, and hundreds of new features including Notification Center Widgets, Handoff, Continuity, text message forwarding and more.

Apple Pay launching Monday, October 20th

Cody Lee ∙ October 16, 2014

During his on-stage introduction at Apple's iPad event today, Tim Cook announced a release date for Apple Pay. The company is set to launch the new mobile payment service on Monday, October 20th, alongside the release of the iOS 8.1 update.

Additionally, Cook said that Apple has signed on 500 new banks since announcing Apple Pay last month, and a number of new retailers. The service will work with iPhone 6, 6 Plus and Apple Watch in stores, and iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 online.

Tim Cook kicks off iPad event with usual barrage of stats

Cody Lee ∙ October 16, 2014

The moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived. Apple's October 16 media event has officially begun, and CEO Tim Cook has taken the stage to talk about what the company has been up to and how it's been performing over the past few months.

If you've ever watched an Apple event before, you're probably familiar with how this goes. Cook talks sales figures, retail stats, and praises his team on recent accomplishments. As usual, we've rounded up some of the more interesting tidbits for you below.

New Facebook feature lets you log your safety status during a natural disaster

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 16, 2014

Facebook on Wednesday introduced a new feature which allows its users on desktop and mobile to let their friends know they're okay during a natural disaster. They're calling it Safety Check and the way it works is this: upon analyzing your location and determining that you're in the affected area, Facebook offers you to tell it that you're okay.

This gives your friends and family members a sense of your situation, said the Menlo Park-based social networking giant. The system automatically sends a push notification to users who find themselves stranded in a location where a disaster has occurred. In response, people can check in as “safe” to confirm their wellbeing.

CBS is cutting the cord: launches $5.99 per month video subscription

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Just ahead of Apple's keynote (see our roundup) and less than 24 hours after HBO said it would finally start offering online-only video subscription service in 2015, the world's second largest major network, CBS, has now appeased cord-cutters by announcing immediately availability of a new on-demand video service priced at $6 per month.

Fourteen cities in the United States can now stream their local CBS stations and watch the network's new shows as they air for the first time. NFL games, however, won't be available on the new service, CBS All Access.

Apple to temporarily remove ability to track blood sugar levels over iOS 8 Health bug

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 3, 2016

Apple will soon issue a software update that will temporarily remove the ability to track blood glucose levels in iOS 8's Health app following reports from users in the United Kingdom and Australia that the software is incompatible with standard measurements in these countries, Cnet reported Wednesday evening.

Existing blood glucose data won't be deleted from users' devices, said Apple in a support document detailing the issue. “Third-party apps will continue to be able to support both units of measurement and can continue to use HealthKit APIs to store blood glucose data,” reads the document.

A fix for the issue is being worked on and will be released in due time. Once the patch has been released, the previous blood sugar data will reappear in the Health app.