Apple

Several companies are developing a feature that, depending on who you ask, requires 5G connectivity for their next phone. This feature takes a few different forms but is, at its core, all about hyperlocal sharing. For Apple it's their newest version of AirDrop, using Ultra Wideband tech with (for example) the iPhone 11 and the U1 chip - they call it "spatial awareness" and it's in the process of being developed (in a slightly different iteration or two) by Samsung for Galaxy phones and by Google for Android phones, too.

Continue Reading

Crane games are common sights in arcades, but now the magic of the internet will allow you to try your luck remotely. Sega has launched Sega Catcher Online in the United States, giving us here on this side of the Pacific a chance to win crane game prizes from Japan.

Continue Reading

The European Union has long been trying to standardize the chargers and connectors use in smartphones, particularly to fight the increasing amount of chargers and accessories wasted because of incompatible technologies. Now it seems to be on the verge of formally drafting rules that would force Apple to ditch its proprietary Lightning connector in favor of USB-C. Unsurprisingly, the company is pushing back, claiming that the effects of such a regulation would actually result in the very situation that the EU is trying to avoid.

Continue Reading

iPhones are still as expensive as ever and market trends suggest they will still climb every year. That makes cheaper models of flagship phones all the more enticing to consumers but many do worry what they're losing in exchange. Fortunately for iPhone fans, DxOMark has put the latest extremes of the iPhone 11 generation to the test and, at least as far as camera performance is concerned, you won't be missing out on much with the cheaper iPhone 11.

Continue Reading

Apple's smartwatch may not be the only fitness tracker out there, but it's shaping up to be the one more people will choose to wear to get the most out of their gym memberships - and even make them cheaper. Crunch Fitness has announced a new Apple Watch app which - if you're working out at a Crunch Signature location - will offer special features both before and during a session.

Continue Reading

Yesterday, we saw a very interesting series events play out around Tetris - of all things - and the way it's officially offered on mobile devices. Electronic Arts announced that it was sunsetting its Tetris apps, Tetris 2011 and Tetris Blitz, on both iOS and Android. According to a brief statement from the publisher, both games will become unplayable on April 21st, 2020.

Continue Reading

Twitter suggests that it'll be "sliding into your DMs like [emoji] [emoji] [emoji]" etc this week with an update for the basic app. The update will allow emoji reactions to messages in Twitter - direct messages, specifically - to allow the expansion of the platform to reach ever-closer to the vision held by its maker. Is this the right way to make Twitter an all-encompassing social network?

Continue Reading

Today we're taking a peek at the next fancy color likely available with the iPhone in the year 2020. In the year 2019, Apple released the most elegant "new" color for its iPhone lineup yet with what they called Midnight Green. A new tip suggests that in 2020, we'll be seeing a long-awaited Navy Blue.

Continue Reading

Forget the AirPods and the Mac Pro Cheese Grater. Apple's most reviled product may not have been a distinct product but a component instead. Fortunately, it seems that the company is ready to put its butterfly switches behind it and is spreading the good news of good old scissor switches. In fact, it may even spread that to a rather unexpected recipient, the iPad Pro. Hopefully not before it comes to other MacBooks first.

Continue Reading

Today reports linked the next-gen lowest-cost iPhone to a February production schedule for 2020. Per those familiar with Apple's plans, this phone could be released as early as March of 2020. This would put the device's release schedule well ahead of that of the higher-cost more AAA hero phone collection from Apple that generally appears in September.

Continue Reading

For the past years, Apple has painted itself as a champion of user privacy, as long as said user is also a customer. Its privacy advocacy has become so central to its message that it has, after decades of formal absence, attended CES but only as a panelist in a privacy roundtable. There will always be some who will doubt a for-profit's ulterior motives and they may have just been given a smoking gun that implies Apple did secretly cave in to the US governments wishes to have easier access to iCloud users' unencrypted backups.

Continue Reading

By March, it will have been four years since the iPhone SE launched but the desire for an affordable iPhone has never wavered. In fact, it may have become even greater in light of the steadily rising prices of Apple's premium phones. The long wait might be over as a new report claims that production for a new low-cost iPhone will begin next month, which could hint that the iPhone SE 2, or iPhone 9 according to some quarters, could launch on the first budget iPhone's fourth birthday.

Continue Reading