Google has been making great efforts lately in bringing virtual reality to anyone with a smartphone, and the latest update to its YouTube app makes finding VR content super easy. YouTube for iOS now includes a dedicated Cardboard button, which automatically transforms any video into VR mode for watching with Google Cardboard.

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Filed under: Apps Tagged: Cardboard, vr, YouTube

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: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Best Buy hands Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad Pro its first significant discount, 128GB model now $650

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro 32GB Wi-Fi in Gold, Silver & Space Gray: $640 shipped (Reg. $799)

Apple 12-inch MacBook 1.1GHz/8GB/256GB (2015): $899 shipped (Orig. $1,299)

Apple 13-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/8GB/128GB (newest model): $850 shipped (Reg. $999)

Amazon Gold Box: Eneloop Rechargeable 14 battery Power Pack – 10 AA, 4 AAA w/charger: $26 Prime shipped

iTunes $50 Gift Card for $42.50 shipped – save 15% on games, apps, subscriptions, more

App Store Free App of the Week: King Rabbit goes free for the first time (Reg. $1)

Adventure/platformer Swordigo goes free on iOS for the first time in over a year (Reg. $3)

Call of Duty iOS titles matching all-time lows: Strike Team $2 (Reg. $7), Zombies $1 (Reg. $5), more

Grand Theft Auto iOS Sale: Liberty City Stories $3, China Town Wars $3, San Andreas $4, more

Roundup: The best power strips w/ USB ports to quickly (and safely!) charge all of your devices

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

The 2016 Roku Streaming Stick receives its first discount: $40 Prime shipped (Reg. $50)

• LG 4K OLED Ultra HDTVs w/ webOS 2.0: 55-inch $1,950 (Reg. $3,000), more
• Motorola’s SURFBoard DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem (Cert. refurb) $40 (Orig. $100), more
• Full 1080p HD 27-inch Displays: LG Ultra-Thin Bezel $160 (Reg. $250+), more
• Daily Deals: CyberPower Intelligent LCD Series UPS Mini-Tower $83, more
• Smartphone Accessories: JBL Synchros Over-Ear Headphones $99 (Reg. $300), more
• Acesori 3-in-1 Smartphone Camera Lens Kit: $10 (Orig. $50)
• TarDisk adds 64GB of integrated storage to your Macbook Air: $100 (Orig. $149)
• Games/Apps: Mortal Kombat X $20, Quantum Break $40, iOS freebies, more
• LEGO Deals: City Racing Bikes + Transporter $15, Police Hovercraft $28, more
• Up to 50% Off Timberland Men’s Shoes: White Ledge Waterproof Boots $56 shipped, more

DJI Phantom 3 Advanced Quadcopter Drone w/ 2.7K HD Camera: $599 shipped (Reg. $799) wp.me/p1xTlR-Rjj https://t.co/iUWh4Z7YT4

—
9to5Toys (@9to5toys) May 16, 2016

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Get Nomad’s premium Italian leather Apple Watch Strap for just $100 shipped (Reg. $150)

Cut the cord for good w/ the AmazonBasics Ultra Thin 50-mile HD Antenna for $32 Prime shipped (Reg. $40)

• Philips Friends of Hue Bloom Wireless LED Bulb $45 shipped (Reg. $60)
• iTunes $0.99 HD Rentals (Reg. $5): Sicario, Prometheus, much more
• Sprint’s 40GB/mo Better Choice XXL plan now includes 12 free months of Amazon Prime
• GOOLOO Dual-Port Mini USB Car Charger $3 Prime shipped (Reg. $7), more
• Samsung Galaxy S7 32GB (unlocked) for $530 shipped (Reg. $695)
• Jimmy Fallon’s Blow Your Pants Off (Deluxe Version) MP3 album for free (Reg. up to $11)
• Sam’s Club One-Year Plus Membership w/ $25 Gift Card and Free Food: $45 (~ $245 value)
• GreenWorks G-MAX 40V Cordless Outdoor Tools: 14-inch Trimmer $170, Blower $86, more
• iFixit 64-Bit Screwdriver Kit lets you open phones, tablets and more: $35 (Orig. $50)
• iPad Pro (9.7-inch) Case with Auto Wake/Sleep in two colors: $8 Prime shipped (Reg. $14)
• JBL Charge Bluetooth Speaker (recertified w/ two-yr. warranty): $50 shipped (Orig. $150)
• AUKEY Bluetooth Car Kit with 3-Port USB Car Charger $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $28), more
• SanDisk SSD PLUS 480GB 2.5-inch Internal Solid-State Drive: $105 shipped (Reg. $120+)
• Nintendo announces official 2DS handheld price drop, more
• Google Play $1 MP3 albums: Goo Goo Dolls, Pantera, more (Reg. up to $10 ea)
• Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Digital Scale in Black or White (Refurb) $55 shipped (Orig. $130)
• Rotor Drone Magazine 1-yr. subscription for $12 shipped (Reg. $20)
• Save big on your next delivery of Lärabars, get a 16-pack for as little as $12 Prime shipped
• iPhone 5 16GB refurb with OtterBox Defender case: $100 shipped
• OtterBox iPhone 6/6s Plus Symmetry Series Phone Case (Various Colors): $12 shipped
• LifeProof iPhone 6/s FRĒ waterproof case (multiple colors): $40 Prime shipped (Orig. $80)
• RAVPower 3000mAh 2A MFi Battery Case for $24 Prime shipped (Reg. $36)
• Dell 27-inch 1080p Curved Monitor w/ two HDMI inputs: $220 shipped (Reg. $300+)
• A/V Receivers w/ 4K + AirPlay: Harman Kardon 7.1-Ch. $269 (Orig. $800), more
• Get a head start at work: learn-to-code learning bundle $59 (Orig. $924), more
• New LG Nexus 5, unlocked with 32GB storage down to $149 shipped (Reg. ~$280)
• New Google Express customers can grab a $40 credit for $15 with email delivery (42% savings)
• Keep your pet in the back seat w/ a 2-pack of Etekcity’s Dog Car Seat Belt for $6 (Reg. $12)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

The Tap Bluetooth wearable turns nearly any surface into a functioning Bluetooth keyboard

• The Vuze Camera brings an affordable point-and-shoot design to virtual reality
• Review: Samsung’s KS9500 65-Inch curved 4K TV is pretty amazing [Video]
• The newest Garmin Fitness Tracker delivers a ‘Suffer Score’ after each of your workouts
• The Thin Ice wearable cools your body in hopes of burning an additional 1,000 calories per day
• This Hybrid Tube Amp system for Raspberry Pi is ideal for DIY Audiophiles
• Vans and Nintendo team up for epic new line of NES-themed sneakers
• NERF’s upcoming Terrascout RC Drone Blaster is going to be a menace in your home
• Straight out of Chicago, this mid-century modern Bluetooth stereo cabinet is beautiful
• Garmin goes classy with its new smartphone-connected vívomove fitness tracker
• Moog brings its $10,000 Model 15 synth to iPad and iPhone w/ new $30 app
• Erato’s Apollo 7 is the latest Kickstarter project with a goal of completely wireless earbuds
• SeeNote puts your iPhone notifications and smart home controls on an e-ink display
• Leica’s latest $6,000 digital camera drops the built-in display for a throwback look

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

Google can’t seem to stop making social networks and messaging apps. In fairness, the just announced Spaces app is referred to as a tool for small group sharing. While similar to the Communities feature that Google+ is now built around, the new app seems like a much more focused version of group messaging that better highlights content.

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Filed under: Apps Tagged: Google, group messaging, Spaces

Apple Watch sales estimated around 1.5 million units during Q1 2016 made it the number one smartwatch, but the device continued to trail basic wearables from competitors Fitbit and Xiaomi. During the quarter both companies more than doubled Apple Watch sales, according to the latest data out today from industry watcher IDC.

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Filed under: Apple Watch Tagged: Apple watch, sales, Wearables

While Walmart remains among the list of stores stubbornly resisting Apple Pay, the retail giant is slowly pushing forward with its own mobile payment service called Walmart Pay. An update to Walmart’s mobile app added support for the digital wallet last month, and today the retailer announced that over 500 stores across two states now support Walmart Pay at checkout.

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Filed under: Apple Pay Tagged: Apple pay, Walmart Pay

Tim Cook, who is currently in Beijing, is headed on to India tomorrow, reports Reuters. Sources say that he is due to meet with Prime Minister Modi, who he last met in September back in the US (above).

Apple chief executive Tim Cook will visit India this week and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the second leg of his Asian tour, two sources familiar with the matter said, as the company seeks to revive sluggish iPhone sales.

One item on the agenda is likely to be India’s reported rejection of Apple’s request to sell used iPhones in the country …

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Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS Devices Tagged: India, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tim Cook

Warren Buffett’s hedge fund Berkshire Hathaway has purchased more than a billion dollars worth of AAPL stock. An SEC filing (via CNBC) revealed that the fund had purchased 9,811,747 shares worth a total of $1.069B as at the end of the first quarter.

It’s believed that Berkshire Hathaway owned few AAPL shares prior to this move. Warren Buffett said way back in 2011 that the fund ‘held very few in the past and we’re likely to hold very few in the future’ as the company’s long-term prospects were too difficult to predict …

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Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: AAPL, Berkshire Hathaway, Carl Icahn, Warren Buffett

With most reports now agreeing that Apple will switch to OLED displays in iPhones in either 2017 or 2018 (but no consensus yet on which of the two years), UBI Research has now added fuel to the idea that not all models will benefit from the new screen technology.

The Korea Herald reports the firm’s president and chief analyst suggesting numbers that indicate a gradual rollout across models.

Lee Choong-hoon predicted an OLED iPhone with a curved screen would debut in 2018, saying OLED models would make up 30 percent or 100 million units of total iPhone shipments in the year and the figure could surge to 80 percent by 2020.

While the 30% figure could be explained by Apple launching its new iPhones late in the year, the ‘80% by 2020’ number would mean Apple continuing to manufacture some new models with the older IPS LCD screen tech for some time to come …

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Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: iPhone, iPhone 8, iPhone displays, japan display, lg, OLED, Samsung, Sharp

As reported earlier, Apple CEO Tim Cook is visiting Beijing, China this week. The earlier Reuters report suggested Cook was intending to talk with government officials about company matters amidst increasing tensions between the country and Apple, following trademark disputes and the ban on iTunes Movies and iBooks content.

On Monday, though, Cook met with Chinese app developers at an Apple Store. The talk was hosted by Jean Lui, president of taxi company Didi Chuxing, of which Apple has invested $1 billion dollars. A plethora of Chinese app publishers were in attendance, including a Groupon-esque clone ‘Meituan’,  photo app MeituPic, news provider Toutia.com, cooking app DayDayCook and game developer Tap4Fun (via CNBC).

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Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices Tagged: Apple Car, car, china, Government, iPhone, sales, taxi, Tim Cook, Trademark

The iPhone can shoot 4K video, and now even the iPad can shoot 4K video. Yet, there are times when you need the flexibility and power provided by a standalone camera.

Standalone cameras have inherent advantages over smartphone cameras, despite the major strides made by iPhone photography over the last few years. Even with amazing third-party apps like FiLMiC Pro, which lets you adjust things like ISO and shutter speed, you’re still stuck with a constant aperture and fixed lens.

While smartphones have replaced point and shoot cameras for a vast amount of people, standalone cameras, especially ones with interchangeable lenses like the recently-released 24MP Sony a6300, still have their place.
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Filed under: Reviews Tagged: Camera, Opinion, photography, review, Sony, Sony a6300, videography