Google just gave us yet another reason to use its excellent Google Photos app for iOS. Its latest update, version 2.0, gives iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus users the ability to quickly turn their favorite Live Photos into shareable GIFs and video clips.
Microphone technology is Siri’s next big hurdle
Apple, Amazon and Google are all in a battle to create the next great breakthrough with microphones in order to make their digital assistants more powerful.
While machine learning and artificial intelligence are getting all the hype lately, few industry analysts say microphone technology will play just as key a role in taking Siri and Alexa to a new level.
Apple wants an astronaut emoji (among other things)
Astronauts and pilots are set to get their own emoji characters if Apple has its way.
The iPhone-maker recently submitted a request to the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee to add five more professions (artist, astronaut, firefighter, judge, and pilot) to the Emoji 4.0 update that is set to bring support for gendered emoji, a rainbow flag, and more.
Take a look at Apple’s proposed designs:
Apple Music is ruining Spotify’s negotiations with record labels
Negotiations between music streaming service Spotify and all three major record labels have hit a snag lately and Apple Music is a big reason why.
Spotify’s licensing agreements with Sony, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have reportedly been on a rolling month-by-month basis for much of 2016, yet the companies haven’t been able to hammer out long-term deals yet because Spotify isn’t willing to share as much revenue as Apple Music.
Apple spurns Lyft’s overtures for acquisition
The second largest ride-hailing service in the U.S., Lyft, has reportedly been trying to find relief from its fierce competition by approaching Apple and other top tech companies regarding a possible acquisition.
Apple joins government task force to kill robocalls
The scourge of robocalls may be coming to an end, thanks to a new task force comprised of over 30 top tech companies, including Apple.
The U.S. government has enlisted the help of Apple, AT&T, Alphabet, Verizon, Comcast and others to crack down on unsolicited, automated, prerecorded phone calls that have become the most frequent complaint the U.S. Federal Communications Commission receives from citizens.
Is Apple Maps still the laughing stock of maps apps? [Friday Night Fights]
The release of Apple Maps with iOS 6 was so disastrous it led to the firing of Scott Forstall, former SVP of iOS, and to a rare public apology from CEO Tim Cook.
Almost four years on, Maps is in a very different place. Apple has worked hard to iron out the kinks and add new features that help the service compete with rivals like Google Maps. But is Apple Maps still the laughing stock of maps apps?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fights as we battle it out over the state of Apple Maps.
Google Docs, Sheets, Slides finally support Split View on iPad
Google’s official Docs, Sheets and Slides apps for iOS finally support Split View multitasking on iPad, giving users the ability to compose reports and edit their spreadsheets while simultaneously using a second app.
Should Apple bring iMessage to Android? [Friday Night Fights]
iMessage is the only major messaging service that’s exclusive to one platform. According to Tim Cook, that’s because iMessage helps sell Apple devices — but does anyone actually buy an iPhone for iMessage alone?
Would it really hurt Apple if its popular messaging service went cross-platform? Lots of iPhone and iPad owners also use Android devices, and bringing the service to Google’s platform would provide them with a more seamless messaging experience.
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we throw virtual hands over whether Apple should bring iMessage to Android.
Firefox will auto block unnecessary Flash for better browsing
Mozilla is to begin automatically blocking unnecessary Flash content within its Firefox browser to provide users with a better web browsing experience. The move should boost browser performance and reduce the impact Firefox has on notebook battery life.
Army special ops top brass is switching to iPhone
The U.S. Army Special Operations Command is planning to tell Android to stand down.
Charged with overseeing the Army’s elite special forces operations, the command is reportedly making a switch to iPhone because Android is unstable compared to iOS.
Pokémon Go catches all your Google data (here’s how to stop it)
Pokémon hunters that have been running around the city trying to catch ’em all are putting themselves in danger and it has nothing to do with battling a level 50 Charizard.
By signing up to play Pokémon Go through Google, many iOS users have unknowingly exposed all of their emails, chats, calendars, documents and more to the game’s developer and third-parties.
‘Leaked’ Google smartwatches look absolutely boring
The design of Google’s first-ever Nexus smartwatches may have just been revealed months ahead of schedule thanks to a new leaked image that claims to show the company’s wearable.
Google is planning to take on Apple Watch later this year with not one, but two smartwatches powered by its new Assistant technology. However, if this leak is the real deal, it doesn’t look like Apple has much to be worried about.
The first Google wearables look totally drab:
Google’s round wearable will take on Apple Watch
Alphabet-owned Google is planning to take another step toward becoming a genuine hardware company later this year with the release of its own smartwatch.
The search engine giant plans to take on Apple Watch directly, with not one, but two Android Wear smartwatches that will be deeply integrated with Google Assistant. Plus, it will pack some hardware features Apple Watch can’t match.
Google offers 4 months of free Play Music
In an effort to compete with Apple Music, Google is offering a special July 4 four-month free trial of Play Music for users who live in the United States. The offer is available only to U.S. customers who haven’t previously signed up to the service.
Spotify and Elizabeth Warren tag-team for some Apple bashing
Sen. Elizabeth Warren took shots at Apple, Google and Amazon during a speech in Washington today, claiming Silicon Valley’s big fish are making it impossible for the small fry to compete.
“The opportunity to compete must remain open for new entrants and smaller competitors,” said Warren. During her rant against Apple, the senator specifically mentioned the unfair advantages Apple Music enjoys against its competitors.
After the speech, Spotify rallied behind Warren with some Apple bashing of its own.
Google search just upped its lyrical game
Sometimes you don’t need to click on Google links to get the information you’re looking for; it’s just presented to you instantly right inside your search results. Now the same can finally be said for song lyrics — if you live in the U.S.
Is Apple behind the wheel of this mysterious high-tech van?
Apple has been busy working on its electric car project at secret facilities in Silicon Valley, but the tech that will make it totally autonomous might be hiding in plain sight throughout San Francisco.
During a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, an eagle-eyed observer spotted what could be Apple’s latest self-driving car or mapping van, a vehicle that is armed with more sensors than ever.
Google has a secret plan to take over public parking and transit
A shadowy subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, is planning to completely revolutionize public parking and transportation, according to a new report that shines a light on the ambitious initiative.
The mysterious company is Sidewalk Labs, and it has begun offering cities its high-tech services, which claim to make it easier to drive and park by creating a hybrid of public and private transportation options that utilize ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft.
New Google Earth imagery is a mixed bag for Apple fans
Google Earth is even more glorious today after being updated with stunning new imagery from the Landsat 8 satellite. It’s sharper and more detailed then ever before, and your view will no longer be spoiled by cloudy skies.
Google is finally making its own iPhone rival
Apple and Google are set to face-off as direct competitors in the smartphone wars later this year, according to a new report that claims the search-engine giant is finally preparing to make its own smartphone hardware.
Google has offered a “pure” Android experience for years with its lineup of Nexus phones made by the likes Motorola, LG and Huawei. However, it appears that the company is ready to tighten its control of the Android platform by going toe-to-toe with iPhone by making its own handset.
Chrome browser bug makes movie piracy even easier
A worrying flaw uncovered in Google Chrome makes it even easier for pirates to download movies and TV shows from the web. Google was made aware of the issue a month ago, but the company is yet to release an update that fixes it.
Boston Dynamics’ freaky new robot can clean your kitchen
Alphabet-owned Boston Dynamics robots are ready to invade your kitchen.
The company unveiled its newest robot, SpotMini, an all-electric version of its Spot robot. Taking some design cues from its bigger sibling that weighs 160 lbs, SpotMini is a simplified model that is smaller and lighter, allowing it to roam your house with more dexterity than Boston Dynamics’ previous bots.
It’s a total neat freak and can clean your house, too, thanks to an elongated neck extension:
Spotify is first music streamer to reach 100 million users
Spotify now has more active users than any other music streaming service on the planet, but when it comes to paid subscribers, it looks like growth has stalled.
The Swedish music streaming service revealed today that it now has 100 million active users — up from the 75 million it had last year — however its paid subscribers total hasn’t budged since March.
Apple loses to Facebook and Google as top talent attractor
Apple is one of the top 5 companies in the U.S. when it comes to attracting and keeping talent, but its rivals Facebook and Google are even better.
LinkedIn has come out with its first ever Top Attractors list based on insights from tracking billions of data points of its 433 million members and discovered that in the employee perks arm race, few can top Google.