Apple said to be behind decision to remove proposed rifle and pistol shooting emoji from standard

Apple has apparently hit the delete button on a proposed rifle emoji that was previously accepted. Unicode, the group behind the character standard, ultimately decided to pull the rifle character from the next emoji set in Unicode 9. Buzzfeed reports, however, that Apple (which has voting rights within the group) largely led the opposition to the rifle emoji:

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Filed under: AAPL Company, Tech Industry Tagged: emoji

Hands-on: New features in macOS Sierra [Video]

Although it hasn’t garnered the same level of excitement as iOS 10’s unveiling, there are quite a few compelling additions to be found in macOS Sierra. Along with a rebranded and more modern naming convention, macOS Sierra adds Siri, a Universal Clipboard for sharing clipboard contents between iOS and macOS, and many more underlying features. more…

Filed under: iOS Devices, Mac Tagged: First Impressions, hands-on, Mac, MacOs, macOS 10.12, macOS Sierra, Sierra, video

9to5Toys Lunch Break: 13-inch MacBook Air $830, 32GB Flash Drive w/ Lightning $36, Aukey 5-port Charger $15, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

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Apple’s latest 13-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/8GB/128GB drops to $830 shipped (Reg. $999)

Save nearly 20% on Apple’s latest 13-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/8GB/256GB: $970 (Reg. $1,199)

hootoo-usb-flash-drive

This flash drive adds another 32GB to your iPhone or iPad thanks to Lightning + USB 3.0 connectivity: $36 (Reg. $50)

Ditch that ugly plastic flash drive for an all-metal USB 3.0 Samsung from $7 Prime shipped (up to 60% off)

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Smartphone Accessories: Aukey 50W/10A 5-Port USB Desktop Charging Station $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $19), more

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Sling TV offers new users a 32GB Apple TV for $89 when you pre-pay for 3 mos. of service ($209 value)

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Best Buy is taking up to $200 off Apple Watch Stainless Steel: 38mm from $349, 42mm starts at $399

Pebble Steel Smartwatch for iOS and Android $80 shipped, Apple Watches up to $200 off, more

Start your week with a $100 discount on iPad mini 4 & Air 2, priced from $300 shipped

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App Store Free App of the Week: TextGrabber + Translator goes free for the very first time (Reg. $5+)

Yoga Studio: one of the best iOS yoga apps out there just went free for the first time in a year (Reg. $4)

All the iOS Grand Theft Auto titles just went on sale up to 60% off: Liberty City Stories $3 (Reg. $7), more

Rovio’s Bad Piggies for iPhone/iPad goes free for the first time in years (Reg. $1)

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Giotto’s $10 Rocket Air Blaster is the best way to keep your Mac clean for the money

Review: At just $24, this Leather Loop Band for Apple Watch looks great and won’t break the bank [Gallery]

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

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Bring a 40-inch Roku-enabled Smart 1080p HDTV to your bedroom or office for just $200 shipped

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

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The 3rd Gen. Nest Thermostat hits $199 shipped (Reg. $250) just in time for the summer heat wave

free-mags

3 digital magazines for FREE on Amazon, no strings attached

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Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, Aukey, Best Buy, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, HooToo, MacBook Air, video games

Concept brings rumored MacBook OLED fn key row to Apple’s wireless keyboard for all Macs

What if Apple brought the OLED display function key row that is rumored for upcoming MacBooks to its Apple keyboard too? Completely disregarding what it might require technically to integrate and drive such a display in the keyboard, this concept from Curved imagines bringing that feature to iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini and other Mac users via a new version of Apple’s wireless keyboard.

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Filed under: Mac Tagged: Apple, Display, function keys, MacBook Pro, OLED, row, wireless keyboard

Opinion: Does integrated VoIP support in iOS 10 signal the beginning of the end for voice plans?

The first true mobile phones back in the 1980s did exactly one thing: phone calls. It wasn’t until 1994 that carriers introduced what was then a revolutionary idea – using mobile phones to send text messages. I’m old enough to remember when only geeks did it, and it took several years before it really took off as a mass-market thing.

Fast-forward to today and, for many of us, the very least-frequent thing we do with our phones is use them to make phone calls. When I do make a voice call, I’m as likely to use a VoIP app like FaceTime or Skype as I am the actual phone app on my iPhone.

With iOS 10, Apple makes that behaviour likely for even more people. The VoIP API effectively allows apps like Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, Facebook calling and others to be integrated into the iPhone every bit as deeply as the phone app itself …

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Filed under: Opinion

Bizarre Beijing ruling says iPhone 6 copies Chinese phone, Apple must halt sales

Bloomberg reports a Beijing Intellectual Property Office ruling that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus violate the design patent of a Chinese phone, and that Apple must cease sales of both models within the city.

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus infringe on Shenzhen Baili’s patent rights because of similarities to its 100C phone, the Beijing Intellectual Property Office wrote in its decision. Apple, whose iconic gadgets helped define the modern smartphone industry, didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Bizarre intellectual property rulings are not unusual in China – witness Apple losing the exclusive right to the iPhone trademark there last month – but this one does appear to set a new record, as the iPhone 6 looks nothing like the Baili 100C …

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Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Baili 100C, Beijing Intellectual Property Office, china, iPhone 6, Lawsuit

Report says Facebook video could be next in line for T-Mobile’s Binge On free data streaming

If there’s one thing guaranteed to eat your data plan’s allowance at an alarming rate, it’s streaming video. T-Mobile has been gradually adding more services to its Binge On program – which allows customers to stream lower-quality video from specific services without using up any of their data – and Re/code reports that Facebook video may be next in line.

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Filed under: Tech Industry Tagged: binge on, Facebook, Facebook video, T-Mobile