News - page 484

A verdict regarding the long-delayed megamerger between T-Mobile and Sprint is expected to be announced Tuesday, The New York Times claims.

The ruling would combine America’s third- and fourth-biggest wireless carriers to create one with a massive 100 million customers. It follows an “unusual suit” filed back in June by attorneys general from 13 states, alongside the District of Columbia. They are concerned that a merger would reduce competition in the industry, which could drive up cellphone bills.

Accessory maker Totallee is so confident it knows the exact dimensions of the upcoming iPhone SE 2 that it went ahead and started taking preorders for a case designed for it.

This takes some serious nerve, as this low-cost handset is still just a rumor. It isn’t expected to be announced before March.

The wait is over for iCloud folder sharing… at least for everyone willing to install the initial iOS 13.4 public beta or its iPad equivalent. And there’s new Memoji stickers, tablet users can remap some keys, plus some other new features to experiment with.

Cupertino’s seemingly neverending legal battle with patent troll VirnetX Holding Corp. took another turn this week when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied Apple’s request to reconsider an original patent-infringement decision.

VirnetX and Apple have been fighting in courts for a decade over patents related to FaceTime and other secure communications. VirnetX, which doesn’t produce any products, previously won more than $503 million in damages, but courts subsequently threw out the award.

If the iPhone is the best camera because it’s always in your pocket, there are plenty of accessories that make your photos look even better once your phone is unholstered and on the hunt.

Moondog Labs has just such an add-on with a filter mount that goes right over the three-eyed iPhone 11 Pro.

Abode’s do-it-yourself home security system just gained support for Apple HomeKit. With this software update, the Smart Security Kit can be controlled via Siri commands, and an iPhone or other Apple device will be notified when sensors detect a window or door is opened, or there’s movement in the house.

Samsung is already putting out commercials for its new foldable phone before the device has even been announced.

With a big event scheduled in San Francisco tomorrow, Samsung ran a teaser ad for its new smartphone during the Oscars last night and we have to admit, this thing actually looks pretty neat.

Take a look at this futuristic clamshell:

Smartphone sales in China could fall by as much as 50 percent in the first quarter thanks to a raging coronavirus that has shuttered retail outlets and silenced production facilities.

The coronavirus has struck at a time when Apple’s iPhone sales in China were rebounding in a country considered right now one of the world’s most competitive smartphone markets.

Key iPhone manufacturer Foxconn continues to feel the effects of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China. The company recently reopened its factory in the eastern central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, but fewer than 10% of its workforce returned to work, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government rejected Foxconn’s request to reopen its factory in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

Apple is ramping up production of the new iPhone SE 2, which likely will retail for just $399, according to Fast Company. Shockingly, that’s the same price the original iPhone SE sold for in 2016.

Actors love to have some political message to impart to viewers at award shows. At last night’s Oscars, Taika Waititi, winner of the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit, voiced his own passionate plea — for Apple to change its MacBook keyboards.

“Apple needs to fix those keyboards,” he told reporters. “They are impossible to write on; they’ve gotten worse. It makes me want to go back to PCs. Because PC keyboards, the bounce-back for your fingers is way better … Those Apple keyboards are horrendous.”

Apple is moving some more of its iPhone production to India, as China continues to grapple with the spread of coronavirus.

Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has some details as to how coronavirus is impacting on Apple factories in China.

Foxconn reportedly won‘t be able to resume iPhone assembly on Monday. Its plants in China where Apple handsets are put together have been closed since before the Lunar New Year to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and the government has allegedly forbidden them to reopen next week, literally on pain of death.

A new feature in the Activity app offers deep insights into progress you’re making on your personal fitness goals. Find out how to check your Activity Trends and decipher all that delicious workout data your Apple Watch is squirreling away.

You’ll find that how-to, along with new tips for Mac power users, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. It also packs the week’s top Apple news, as well as a review of a new streaming service that basically turns your Mac into a powerful gaming PC. Download it now for a satisfying iPad read, or get the links to the week’s top stories below.

Could Apple be preparing to make a surprise switch to AMD processors in a future Mac? References to a number of new AMD microprocessors have been spotted in the latest macOS 10.15.4 beta, which rolled out to developers Wednesday.

The clues hidden in Mac code suggest Apple’s lengthy relationship with Intel could be on the rocks.

Some Macs ordered today from the Apple Store with any set of features beyond the base configuration won’t arrive for over a month. For example, the wait for a made-to-order 16-inch MacBook Pro stretches into mid-March.

Charrua Soccer promises to be easy to pick up and enjoy, but also offer deep gameplay. This new addition to Apple Arcade has a retro style, harking back to classic games.

Being blinded by WhatsApp’s bright white interface when replying to a late-night text will soon be a thing of the past. The messaging app’s long-awaited dark mode is finally on its way to iPhone.

Beta testers already have access to the new look, which means we should all be able to enjoy it soon.

Apple Stores across China will remain closed into next week amid the growing coronavirus crisis.

All 42 stores were closed this week because of the outbreak but were scheduled to open Feb. 10. In a memo to Apple Store employees this morning, Apple retail chief Deidre O’Brien indicated a reopening time is on hold until further notice.

Big Tech employees are feeling the Bern as the U.S. presidential primary season shifts into full gear. New fundraising data disclosed this week reveals that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has raised more money from the country’s top tech companies than any other presidential candidate.

Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter employees donated nearly $270,000 to Sanders’ bid to take the White House, with nearly half of that money coming from Google. Check out the full breakdown by company:

Apple TV+ is about to get even more competition in the form of a new streaming service currently in development by ViacomCBS.

Now that the Viacom and CBS merger was approved at the end of 2019, a new report claims company execs are plotting a way to combine the current CBS All Access service with Viacom’s assets, among which are Paramount’s trove of over 3,600 movies.

Location-tracking software purchased by advertisers to better understand customers is now a tool employed by the federal government to target undocumented immigrants.

Homeland security and immigration officials are pulling location data from common smartphone apps, from games to weather, where the user has granted permission to access their location.

XFL, the football league founded by WWE chairman Vince McMahon, is coming back to screens nearly 20 years after its disastrous first iteration — and there’s an official app to prove it.

The eight-team XFL season debuts Saturday with the DC Defenders playing the Seattle Dragons. While the app won’t be streaming games, you can use it to get information such as real-time scores and stats, insider videos, and more.

Beloved Sony PlayStation mascot Crash Bandicoot is coming to mobile with a brand new game, according to screenshots which have shown up online.

Developed by King, Crash Bandicoot Mobile is an endless runner in which the genetically engineered bandicoot looks set to speed through Wumpa Island en route, we presume, to disrupting the plans of evil Doctor Neo Cortex.

The Chinese company that assembles most of the world’s iPhones has ordered employees in one region of the country not to return to work next week to prevent further spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Foxconn sent text messages to Shenzhen-based employees that those sites will remain closed until further notice. While Foxconn’s main iPhone factory is in Zhengzhou, a portion is assembled in Shenzhen. Shenzhen is also the headquarters for Foxconn’s parent company, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.