Bluetooth

iOS 10 gains convenient cellular data shortcut with a little help from 3D Touch

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 14, 2016

iOS 10 takes 3D Touch, a pressure sensing technology which debuted a year ago on the iPhone 6s, to plenty new places throughout the operating system. With 3D Touch, you can clear all notifications in one fell swoop, rename folders quickly, prioritize downloads, interact with notifications and more.

You also get useful 3D Touch shortcuts upon pressing app icons in Control Center (sadly, 3D-touching Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles does nothing).

Worse, Control Center continues to inexplicably lack a dedicated cellular data toggle. But worry not, as Apple has found a way to slip in that sought-after cellular data shortcut with a little help from 3D Touch.

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7 great Bluetooth headphones for your new iPhone 7

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Now that you've ordered your iPhone 7 and picked out a case, it's time to think about getting another accessory: Bluetooth headphones. With Apple choosing to remove the 3.5mm jack from its latest handset, wireless headphones make the perfect companion for your new gadget.

As for which model to get, Apple's just-announced AirPods look pretty cool. But between their steep $160 price tag and unproven real-world performance, we think there are some better options out there. Here is a list of 7 great pairs of Bluetooth headphones for your new iPhone 7.

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A short 15-minute boost from AirPods charging case equals three hours listening time

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 9, 2016

The AirPods, Apple's new $159 wireless earphones, are scheduled to go on sale in late October so we'll need to be patient for a while before getting our hands on a pair of these and learn just how long it takes to charge both the earphones and Apple's Lightning-based charging case from 0 to 100 percent.

Meanwhile, I stumbled upon a nice tidbit in BuzzFeed's interview with Apple executives saying that it only takes a short 15-minute boost from the tiny charging case to give AirPods three hours of run time.

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KGI: Apple’s wireless AirPods will be high-end, use a bespoke low-power Bluetooth chip

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 6, 2016

Apple's wireless headphones, likely to be called “AirPods”, will take advantage of an in-house designed Bluetooth chip and be marketed as a high-end alternative to the Beats brand, which itself will be positioned in the mid-range market, according to a note by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In his report to clients, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors, Kuo writes that Apple's custom-designed chip improves Bluetooth reliability, sound quality and battery performance for longer battery life versus an off-the-shelf chip.

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iPhone 7 Plus could come bundled with Apple’s new AirPods Wireless Earphones

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 6, 2017

Another day, another iPhone 7 leak. A high-resolution photograph of an alleged iPhone 7 Plus packaging that surfaced this morning would have us believe that a 5.5-inch iPhone 7 model could ship with Apple's new wireless earbuds in the box.

The info sticker on the back of supposed packaging shows the details for a 32-gigabyte handset model, suggesting the purchase is bundled with an “AirPods Wireless Earphones”. The purported photo was uploaded anonymously and sent to AppleInsider.

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Twitter for iOS adds iPad keyboard shortcuts

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 3, 2016

Yesterday, Twitter's mobile application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch added a few useful keyboard shortcuts for iPad owners, said Twitter app developer Amro Mousa. If you have an iPad connected to a third-party Bluetooth keyboard or Apple's Smart Keyboard, Twitter for iOS now lets you use various keyboard shortcuts to quickly access some of the most frequently used options without needing to tap on-screen controls.

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Genuine-looking iPhone 7 Lightning-to-3.5-mm audio adapter caught on video

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 28, 2016

As you know, the next iPhone is expected to ditch the 3.5mm analog audio jack for wireless headphones, powered by Bluetooth, and wired ones, driven by Lightning. Now, certain sources are adamant that the handset may ship with a Lightning-to-3.5-mm audio adapter in the box so that folks could continue using their existing audio accessories.

Today, we get another glimpse of the claimed adapter in a set of leaked images and an accompanying high-resolution video. This latest leak came on Thursday via Vietnamese blog Tinhte.vn, which claims to have received the adapter from a Foxconn factory.

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Pokémon GO Plus companion wearable accessory has been delayed until September

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 28, 2016

Pokémon GO Plus, a Bluetooth-driven wearable device that helps you catch 'em all without looking at Nintendo's Pokémon GO augmented-reality game on your smartphone, is now set to launch in September, not late-July as previously announced. Nintendo of America tweeted news of the delay earlier this week.

“The Pokemon GO Plus accessory will now be released Sept 2016 instead of the originally expected end of July launch,” reads the announcement.

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macOS Sierra preview: Auto Unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 25, 2023

Auto Unlock, a new feature in macOS Sierra, gives you instant access to your Mac when you’re wearing an Apple Watch. As its marketing name suggest, Auto Unlock is seamless. You simply wake your Mac from sleep while wearing your watch, and boom—just like that, you’re logged in and ready to go, no password typing required. Here's our entertaining video walkthrough of Auto Unlock and a detailed overview of the feature for those interested in its inner workings and intricacies.

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