David Pierini - page 4

Moment drops Android camera app to focus exclusively on iOS

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iPhone lenses
Moment's Pro Camera app is now iPhone-only.
Photo: Moment

Smartphone lens-maker Moment will develop photo and video apps exclusively for iPhone, after the company said Monday it will discontinue the Android version of its popular Pro Camera app.

Moment, known for its high-quality lenses, bailed on Android because it does not have the “engineering bandwidth” to keep up with the various camera systems among Android brands. The Pro Camera app continues on iOS.

Cops seize $80,000 in stolen iPhones during traffic stop in Illinois

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police lights for crime stories
A routine speeding stop led to a trove of hot iPhones.
Photo: Matty Ring/Wikimedia CC

Sheriff’s deputies in Illinois arrested four men after they found 55 stolen iPhones during a traffic stop near Galesburg.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Department later determined the phones were fraudulently purchased around the U.S. using stolen identities. Deputies estimated the value of the phones at $80.000.

Apple pulls pandemic-themed game Plague Inc. from App Store in China

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Plague Inc., a game about a pandemic, might a little too real for government regulators.
Maybe a little too real for government regulators.
Screenshot: Ndemic Creations/YouTube

Apple was forced to pull one of the world’s most popular games from the App Store in China by order of the country’s Cyberspace Administration.

The creators of Plague Inc. say it is unclear whether their pandemic-themed game was removed because of China’s ongoing battle to contain the coronavirus known as COVID-19.

EU might force Apple to offer removable batteries in iPhones

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changing battery on iPhone X
Someone in the EU thinks its a good idea to force companies to design smartphones with easy-to-remove batteries.
Photo: iFixit

Imagine easily swapping out the battery of your iPhone as you would a smoke detector.

The European Union may consider adopting a law that would regulate the design of all smartphones sold in the 27 member nations to provide consumers with easy access to the battery.

Souped-up selfie stick wants you to look good

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selfie stick with light
This little light shines.
Photo: Pictar

Tel Aviv-based Pictar wants to shine a light on your obsession for the perfect selfie.

Its new Smart-Light Selfie Stick comes with a detachable light plus a control panel in the handle to control camera functions and adjust the tilt of your iPhone.

Shareholders meeting reveals Apple Store coming to India; Cook labels coronavirus ‘a challenge’

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steve jobs theater
Apple shareholders gathered at Steve Jobs Theater today for their annual meeting.
Photo: Apple

Apple hosted shareholders for an annual meeting Wednesday, and it was seemingly business as usual. CEO Tim Cook said the company will open its first Apple Store in India this year. He explained why Apple’s streaming service passed on a Friends reunion. He defended Apple’s role in FBI investigations when asked to retrieve iPhone data.

But the tech giant finds itself at an unusual moment in its history with a deadly coronavirus in China that halted business travel, crippled manufacturing, closed all 42 Apple Stores in the country and forced Cupertino to pull back on its March-quarter revenue protections.

Cable company Altice USA adds streaming app to Apple TV

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Altice One on Apple TV
The Altice One app is available on Apple TV today.
Photo: Altice USA

The nation’s sixth-largest cable TV provider announced Wednesday the addition of an Apple TV app to its streaming service beating Roku to the punch in the competitive streaming video market.

Altice USA provides broadband and pay television in 21 states to some 3.3 million subscribers through its Optimum and Suddenlink brands.

The deal with Apple comes as more and more Americans cut their cable TV cords in favor of streaming services.

Filmmaking app brings vintage vibes to your iPhone flicks

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Rtro video app for iPhone by Moment
Give your iPhone videos that retro look with Rtro.
Photo: Moment

Sometimes the story is best told with a home movie vibe straight out of a vintage 8 mm movie camera. That’s just not practical in the age of TikTok and Instagram, but there are plenty of smartphone apps to add a retro feel to your flicks.

The latest is actually called Rtro and it made its small-screen debut today when it became available for download in the App Store.

Jif peanut butter stirs debate over how to pronounce ‘GIF’

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Gif and Jif on the same peanut butter
Choose GIF
Photo: Jif

Jif peanut butter is sharing its label with the word Gif, a brilliant branding move that attempts to settle one of the most important questions of our time: Hard G or soft?

The “answer” is on the label of the limited-edition 40-ounce jars now listed on eBay for $9.99. Jif teamed up with GIF platform Giphy (sort of sounds like Skippy), to create the label in observance of National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day on March 1.

In surprise to no one, virus hit January iPhone sales in China

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iPhone China locked
This iPhone in China is locked.
Photo: Kankanews

Sales of iPhones in China dropped 28 percent in the month of January as the deadly coronavirus began its rapid spread, according to new research.

February is likely to go on record as much worse. As the death toll from the virus rose, factories shut down, Apple closed all 42 of its China retail stores and the government doubled down on quarantines and travel restrictions.

Low-end AirPods rumor gains traction yet remains ‘lite’ on credible details

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They AirPods Pro fit in their case like nothing ever happened.
These AirPods Pro are full-strength.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Tossed into the swirl of rumors and reports about coronavirus and its impact on Apple production is an alleged new entry to the AirPods lineup called “AirPods Pro Lite.”

The quotes bookending the product name are because no one is sure what to make of what is essentially a rumor first reported by a Chinese website with a mixed record for accuracy.

In the last few days, reports have surfaced in DigiTimes of a second “lite” version supplier, giving further credence to the various reports.

Most Americans say they won’t buy a folding smartphone

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Xiaomi foldable phone
We're not exactly clamoring for one.
Photo: Lin Bin/Xioami

Someone thinks a foldable smartphone is a good idea. That person, for now, is not the consumer.

In a survey of 11,374 Americans, a whopping 82 percent of the respondents said they have no plans to purchase a foldable smartphone. That doesn’t mean companies need to shut the lid on the idea.

Apple seeks dismissal of Servant plagiarism lawsuit

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Apple TV+ Servant promo image.
Apple defends against plagiarism allegations.
Photo: Apple

Apple asked a federal judge on Tuesday to toss a movie director’s lawsuit, arguing similarities between her work and the Apple TV+ series Servant are “common” and “unprotectable ideas” found in other works.

Francesa Gregorini’ has accused Apple, and Servant’s creators M. Night Shyamalan and Tony Basgallop’s of ripping off her 2013 film The Truth About Emanuel. Both movie and television series features a traumatized parent who hires a babysitter to care for a baby that turns out to be a doll.

10 more Apple Stores in China reopen to masked customers

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Apple Store in Qingdao
The Apple Store in Qingdao was the first to close amid coronavirus concerns.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple is unlocking the doors to 10 more Apple Stores in China but will remain vigilant as health officials try to contain the deadly coronavirus.

The stores set to reopen today are listed on the store page of Apple’s website. The 10 stores, including the first one closed due to the outbreak, will operate at reduced hours.

Apple has 42 retail sites across China.

Apple moves production of some high-demand devices to Taiwan

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Apple logo on store
Apple has a backup plan.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple is shifting a portion of AirPods, iPad and Apple Watch production from China to Taiwan as the tech giant continues to deal with coronavirus-related delays in China.

The virus, called COVID-19, has forced Apple to diversity on the fly its China-reliant production model. Much of the country remains quarantined and restricted in travel, and Apple assembly and supply partners are unable to operate at full capacity.

March or April? Reports clash over iPhone supply

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Foxconn iPhone assembly
A Foxconn assembly plant in China.
Photo: Foxconn

Apple’s contract iPhone assemblers in China are far from operating at full capacity and will likely miss its production schedule on a budget-friendly iPhone.

If the report by a major economics news site in Japan is true, Apple would postpone rumored plans for a March announcement of an iPhone 9 or SE 2.

AirTags on the radar for roll out in the second half of 2020

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New evidence shows AirTags closer than ever to release
Here's how AirTags will work on your iPhone.
Photo: MacRumors

Apple’s fall product launch will include a tiny gadget with a big responsibility: knowing the whereabouts of your devices when you lose them.

AirTags, a circular Bluetooth tracking keychain attachment similar to Tile, got on the radar of supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who reported news Tuesday on the supplier charged with producing the circuitry.

Low-cost iPhone skirts virus-related delays for March release

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iPhone assembled in India
Coming soon with a 2?
Photo: Indian Express

The long-awaited successor to the popular iPhone SE remains on track for launch sometime next month, a top analyst on Apple’s supply chain in China said.

TF International Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note to investors that coronavirus has not impeded production of the budget-friendly iPhone. The new handset is known as either the iPhone SE 2 or iPhone 9.

Health officials distribute iPhones to cruise ship hit with coronavirus

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iPhones for quarantined cruise passengers
Stranded passengers can get news and medical consultations with government-issued iPhones.
Photo: Jun Masuda/Twitter

Japanese health officials passed out some 2,000 iPhones to quarantined passengers stuck on board a cruise ship with an outbreak of coronavirus.

The iPhones will allow stranded passengers to consult with doctors, order medications and work through anxiety with mental health professionals.

Pro colorist pans Apple Pro Display with science and one-liners

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YouTuber Vincent Teoh reviews Apple Pro Display
World's best pro display? Vincent Teoh says not so much.
Screenshot: Vincent Teoh/YouTube

Professional colorist and YouTube HDTV reviewer Vincent Teoh says he cannot recommend Apple’s $5,000 Pro Display XDR to creatives who do commercial color grading.

But the pricey monitor’s “beautiful design will look good in the office of a divorce lawyer,” Teoh says.