Software

Roundup: first impressions of Apple’s new 9.7-inch iPad Pro

Apple announced its new 9.7-inch iPad Pro on Monday at the 'Let us loop you in' event, and although the tablet is already gaining a lot of hype for its on-par hardware and lower price from its bigger brother, you're still probably wondering just how powerful the little brother of the most powerful iPad ever made actually is.

In this post, we'll share some of the first reputable hands-on videos with Apple's new tablet to hit the internet since the announcement on Monday. With some insight, you'll have a clearer understanding of whether or not the smaller iPad Pro is the right one for you.

The differences between the iPhone 6s and the new iPhone SE

Apple unveiled its new four-inch iPhone at Monday's 'Let us loop you in' event. The new smaller iPhone has been given the name iPhone SE, and in this piece, we'll talk about how it scales up to the already popular 4.7-inch iPhone 6s and go over the individual differences so you have a better idea of what model is going to be right for you.

iPhone SE tech specs

For those that still want a smaller iPhone, Apple announced a new 4-inch handset at its 'Let us loop you in' event on Monday. Dubbed the iPhone SE, the device is practically the same (dimensionally) as the iPhone 5/5s, but has very different hardware inside.

The cost-efficient price tag and the improved feature set are sure to attract customers come pre-ordering on Thursday, March 24th, so without further ado let's get into the niddy griddy and show you the tech specs of the new iPhone SE.

9.7-inch iPad Pro tech specs

Apple announced its new 9.7-inch iPad Pro on Monday at its 'Let us loop you in' event. It's a miniature powerhouse that includes a lot of similar tech from its 12.9-inch big brother. With the smaller price tag, and smaller footprint for those who need portability, many are eager to get their hands on one.

Starting at $599 for the introductory model and becoming available on March 31st with preorders beginning Thursday, March 24th, we know you have high expectations. Here are the tech specs you can expect from Apple's new 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

Chrome Handoff: a new tweak that enables Handoff for Chrome

Google Chrome fans that enjoy using Handoff to create a seamless experience between their iOS device and their Mac have been long disappointed in the third-party web browser's inability to support such a feature.

Fortunately, those sporting a device with a jailbreak can now take advantage of a new free jailbreak tweak called Chrome Handoff, which will enable Handoff for Chrome between your iOS device(s) and Mac. In this piece, we'll show you how it works!

‘Ask to Buy’ lets you control what your kids buy in iTunes, iBooks, or App Store

After a period of Apple being under fire because kids were running up their parents' credit card bills with App Store and in-app purchases, Apple decided to do something about it. Apple's answer was to create a parental control system for the App Store so parents could approve or deny purchases that would otherwise have an impact on their credit card.

This parental control system is known as 'Ask to Buy' and it's available on both iOS and OS X in the latest releases of the operating systems, and in this tutorial, we'll tell you a little bit about how to configure and use Ask to Buy.

What you need to know about the KeRanger ransomware found in the Transmission app

Users of the popular open-source Transmission BitTorrent client for OS X were in for quite a surprise this weekend when it was discovered that certain installers for version 2.90 of the application were found to bundle unwanted ransomware with the installation, which is a type of malware that restricts file access across the system to cause trouble for the user.

Dubbed KeRanger by security research firm Palo Alto Networks, the malicious software will try to encrypt the user's system files in such a way as to tamper with the user's access to their Mac and then force the user to pay money to get their access back.

The makers of the Transmission app are now pushing immediate mandatory app updates to remove the ransomware and fix the problem for those that may have been affected, and it's recommended for all users, but how do you know if you're affected?

How to fix Ethernet problems after a recent Mac security update

As my colleague Christian reported on Saturday, some Mac models have been plagued by non-working Ethernet ports after installing a new security update outed by Apple. Although a lot of modern Macs don't even have an Ethernet port, many models still carry it and many people still love using a wired internet connection because it's faster, more reliable, and more secure than a wireless network.

The security update, known as "031-51913 Incompatible Kernel Extension Configuration Data 3.28.1," reportedly blacklists the Broadcom BCM5701 driver used by the Ethernet port that comes standard on many Mac machines.

Fortunately, there's a light at the end of the tunnel for anyone experiencing issues with their Ethernet ports after installing this security update. Apple has issued a support document on Sunday that notes how to fix the problem. In this tutorial, we'll go over the steps to fix the problem yourself.