Google’s Gboard keyboard for iPhone adds more languages, GIF suggestions, dark mode & custom backgrounds
Following a launch of its new Gboard keyboard for iPhone back in May, Google today announced it’s making the app available to users and languages internationally while adding some other new features. The app allows users to send GIFs, emojis, Google searches and more and works like all third-party keyboards on iOS via an App Store download.
Filed under: Apple
Apple’s Olympics ad features poet Dr. Maya Angelou reading ‘Human Family’ as part of ‘Shot on iPhone’ campaign
Gwyneth Paltrow and Gary Vaynerchuk sign on to Apple’s ‘Planet of the Apps’ reality TV show
Apple’s ‘Planet of the Apps’ reality TV show is set to receive some real star power, Variety reports. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is expected to “serve as a mentor to contestants” on the upcoming reality series. Additionally, Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary V) has signed on to be an adviser to the show. Musician will.i.am will also serve as an adviser which suggests his role will be more limited than previously expected.
Filed under: Apple
Opinion: It’s time to consign passwords to history, and Apple should take the lead
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: passwords are a horribly outdated and clunky approach to security, and it’s time to consign them to history. That view has been underlined by the Federal Trade Commission’s chief technologist Lorrie Cranor, who this week told a security conference that official government advice to change passwords regularly can actually make things worse.
Her argument is based on something I’ve not only seen myself, but done myself – when I worked for a large company which required monthly password changes. When you force people to change their passwords regularly, they will use a predictable pattern – often nothing more than incrementing a number (something001, something002 and so on). This not only makes it easier to crack existing passwords, but also to predict what a future password will be …
Filed under: Apple
111 designers including Dieter Rams & Calvin Klein back Apple in Supreme Court patent case against Samsung
The United States Supreme Court is set to take on Samsung’s appeal over Apple’s design patent case in two months, and today Apple has submitted an amicus brief with support from 111 famed designers ahead of the trial. Prominent names featured in the amicus brief supporting Apple include Dieter Rams, Calvin Klein, and Lord Norman Foster who is the designer behind Apple’s Campus 2 project. The Supreme Court is scheduled to take on Samsung’s appeal of the ruling in favor of Apple on October 11th.
Filed under: Apple
New iPhone 7 photos claim to be the real thing; earlier blue ‘mockup’ too
We’ve seen so many convincing-looking Chinese mockups of the iPhone 7 that anything with the appearance of the finished product has to be assumed to be fake unless proved otherwise. That isn’t stopping one Chinese team claiming that what it has photographed is the real thing (larger versions below), reports French site NWE.
To add to the fun, Forbes’ Gordon Kelly is claiming that the blue model Beosound was using to promote its headphones is also real …
Filed under: Apple
Apple ID hackers using Find My iPhone lock message to demand ransom
Ransomware is not uncommon on Windows machines, but has so far only been seen once on Macs and not at all on non-jailbroken iOS devices. However, Dutch site AppleTips reports that hackers are trying to fool people into thinking their devices have been compromised after gaining access to an Apple ID.
Filed under: Apple
Strava app adds Find Friends-style Beacon feature for Premium users [Video]
If you’re one of those people concerned that you may end up in a ditch with a broken leg while running or cycling, Strava has a new peace-of-mind feature for you. Known as Beacon, it effectively offers Find Friends type functionality to allow family or friends to track your location as you exercise.
Filed under: Apple
Apple’s billion dollar investment in Didi was key to Uber giving up in China – Reuters
Reuters sources have said that Apple’s billion dollar investment in Chinese ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing was one of the key factors that led to Uber ceasing independent operation in the country. It was announced earlier this week that Didi had acquired UberChina in return for a 20% shareholding.
Apple invested $1B in Didi back in May, the same month that the company began actively seeking to acquire UberChina. Together with investments with Chinese tech companies Alibaba and Tencent, it was this which led Uber to conclude that it was being out-spent and would ultimately lose the expensive battle for market domination …
Filed under: Apple
Apple scores another win as Britney Spears’ new album ‘Glory’ to be Apple Music exclusive
Just after it was revealed that Frank Ocean’s highly-anticapted album “Boys Don’t Cry” would be coming exclusively to Apple Music, another high-ticket exclusive has been revealed. Britney Spears today announced that her new album, her first in three years, will be coming exclusively to Apple Music on August 26th.
Filed under: Apple