News - page 796

Apple is prepping more-affordable versions of its new HomePod smart speaker and other pricey devices, according to an unconfirmed report out of Asia.

It’s not like you can ever find the app you’re looking for on your various home screens anyway, so why not do something fancy with those icons instead? Like, making your home screen an expression of your inner chakra, man. Or getting in tune with the color harmonies of the universe or whatever.

Whatever hippie crap you’re using to justify it, the results can be amazing. And who knows — if you arrange your home screens by color, then maybe you’ll actually end up finding things faster.

Anyone afraid that the robot apocalypse is imminent might head to the panic room now: Reports are coming in that Amazon’s Alexa smart speaker has begun laughing all on its own.

People who claim to have experienced this generally say they’re not interacting with their Amazon Echo, but it will suddenly begin laughing. Many of the descriptions describe the robolaughter as “creepy.”

Apple will deliver a revamped iPad Pro during the June quarter of this year, according to a new report.

Inspired by the iPhone X, the device is expected to have significantly slimmer bezels and Face ID, and could make up for weaker-than-expected demand for Apple’s latest smartphones. Apple could also be planning a smaller, more affordable version of HomePod.

T-Mobile has increased LTE speeds to a staggering 500Mbps in New York City. It has become the first carrier to test commercial Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) technology, which sends 4G signals over unused 5GHz Wi-Fi channels to increase bandwidth, in the United States.

LAA will soon be expanding its reach across the U.S. — but you won’t be able to enjoy it on iPhone.

Apple Music subscribers who use Android devices can now enjoy stable streaming. Apple’s latest update fixes the frustrating playback issues some users were facing on certain devices. It also adds the ability to listen to music videos in the background.

The augmented reality revolution sparked by Apple’s ARKit needs a dash of accuracy if it’s really going to catch fire — especially when it comes to mapping.

That’s why London developer Andrew Hart created a location-aware toolkit that uses artificial intelligence to punch up the precision in apps built with ARKit.

“One problem with AR location experiences is the low accuracy of phone GPS and compasses, which makes it difficult to ensure that things line up,” Hart told Cult of Mac. “The toolkit uses computer vision techniques to recognize landscapes from tagged imagery, and then aligns the AR environment upon recognition. It works in different weather conditions, and means you can have really precise experiences.”

It’s probably the most iconic aspect of Apple’s iPhone X design, but according to a new report Apple will get rid of the “notch” design for future handsets released as early as 2019.

“Apple decided to get rid of notch design starting from 2019 models, and is having discussions with relevant companies,” an unspecified supply chain source is quoted as saying. “It seems that Apple is planning to implement full-screen that is more complete to its new iPhones.”

After a lengthy period in soft launch, The Sims Mobile is finally available for download worldwide — and it looks impressively close to its desktop older sibling.

As one of the top-selling game franchises of all time, everyone is surely familiar with The Sims. If you’re not, it’s a game in which you create your own virtual humans, design a home for them to live in, pick a career, and then, well, get on with living everyday life. Only more fun than that makes it sounds.

Check out the trailer below.

Do you find it suspicious that the Internal Revenue Service would allow you to pay back taxes with iTunes gift cards? That’s because it’s not true, and is in fact a scam.

Sadly, it’s a scam that people appear to be falling for. That’s why the Treasury Department has issued a scam alert to point out that, “Any caller requesting taxpayers place funds on an iTunes gift cards or other prepaid cards to pay taxes or fees is an indicator or fraudulent activity.”

The usual informal relationship between police and criminals is that criminals commit the crimes and the police catch them. A New Orleans police officer recently decided to shake things up, however, by allegedly stealing a pair of AirPods wireless earphones from the Apple Store in Metairie, Louisiana.

24-year-old patrol officer Ayona McGilberry was issued with a summons for misdemeanor theft this week, according to a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office. McGilberry has subsequently resigned from the force.

A rare Macintosh prototype that was once rescued from the trash recently sold for more than $10,000 on eBay.

But the winning bidder backed out and now, the clear-plastic Macintosh Portable M5126 laptop is back on the auction site. Bidding started at 99 cents with no reserve.

A mophie juice pack air for iPhone X has been approved, if not announced. The case will come with a built-in battery that supports wireless charging.

Nylon bands for Apple Watch are in high demand for their comfort and versatility. Add in great engineering and style, and you’ve got the ideal strap to fit your everyday needs.

Enter Casetify, a company that believes in being radically unique, creating beautifully designed, made-to-order products that are hand-inspected from beginning to end.

The company recently launched its line of Nylon Fabric Bands for Apple Watch, and we’re now featuring them all in our Watch Store. A great value at $40!

Google Street View now offers panoramic views from nearly a dozen Disney theme parks, giving users a glimpse inside.

These join thousands of other immersive images from attractions around the world already in the app.

Xiaomi is gearing up to invade the U.S. with its Apple clones.

We’ve been waiting years for the Chinese company to make its most popular gadgets available outside of Asia. Now Xiaomi has confirmed that it plans to enter the U.S. market in late 2018 or early 2019.

Although the notch at the top of the iPhone X display drew quite a bit of criticism, many Android makers like the idea. LG might become the next to release a device that resembles Apple’s flagship phone.

A Canadian farm couple is demanding Apple pay them $600,000 because a fire they claim was caused by an overheated iPhone destroyed their home.

Ian and Cathy Finley of Langley, British Columbia, say the October 2016 fire was sparked by a three-month-old iPhone 6 left charging on a leather living room chair. Local fire investigators found a charred handset and cord and believe the device “generated enough heat to ignite” the chair.

Apple could kill off iTunes in the near future, a new report suggests.

It cites an email that Apple reportedly wrote to people in the music industry recently, announcing the “end of iTunes LPs.” The iTunes LP format was first introduced in 2009 and let publishers add interactive artwork, along with assorted iTunes Extras, with their content.

The LP format never achieved great popularity. However, the fact that Apple plans to ditch iTunes LPs in 2018 potentially hints at the possibility that Apple may stop selling iTunes music downloads in the near future.

An Apple reseller in Malaysia had to temporarily close after 11,000 would-be customers turned up to buy a small selection of discounted iOS and Mac products.

The incident took place over the weekend after the Switch store announced that it was selling off its stock of demo products, including iPhone models 5s to 7, iPads, Apple TVs, MacBooks and more. These devices were discounted to as little as $25 and as much as $514. Unfortunately, it seems that someone underestimated demand.

The latest iOS 11.3 beta, rolled out to registered developers Monday, includes a small but significant change to one of Apple’s apps. “iBooks” has returned after briefly being renamed “Books.” The move could suggest a rumored revamp is currently on hold.

Google is using artificial intelligence to make it easier for you to find the files you need inside Google Drive. Its next update will add an interface that predicts the people and files you’re most likely to want and makes them more visible, speeding up your workflow.

Want to know how much difference replacing the battery in an old iPhone makes to the overall speed of the handset? A new video posted online by Bennett Sorbo compares an iPhone 6s with depleted battery against one with a fresh battery.

The two iPhones are then put head to head as they run through a variety of CPU-intensive tasks, including opening apps, using the internet, playing games and videos, and more. Check out the video below.

Do you want to continue being able to unlock your iPhone in a timely manner? Then maybe don’t leave a 2-year-old child playing with your handset.

That’s the lesson learned by a mom who ended up locked out of her iPhone for 47.5 years because her son entered the passcode incorrectly enough times.

Spike Jonze’s surreal new short film about the HomePod is likely to go down as one of the year’s best Apple ads.

The Oscar-winning director’s four-minute creation is unabashedly joyful, which is a feeling that sometimes can get lost in all the Apple minimalism. Check out Jonze’s playful and creative HomePod ad below.