Instagram to soon start showing content out of order and based on personalized algorithms
Following in the footsteps of Facebook, Instagram today announced in a blog post that it will soon adjust the way in which content is presented in its iOS and Android apps. While content is currently shown in chronological order, Instagram will soon switch to a new personalized algorithms based on each user…
Apple: DOJ trying to ‘rewrite history’ in case of San Bernardino iPhone, request is ‘deeply offensive’
Last week the Department of Justice filed a response to Apple in the ongoing case concerning whether or not Apple should unlock the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino gunmen. At the time, Apple called the filing a “cheap shot” and said it was meant to “vilify” the company. Now, Apple has officially filed a formal response to the FBI’s submission. In the filing, Apple makes several assertions, including that the FBI is trying to “rewrite history” with its request.
Filed under: AAPL Company
Building a (sub-$1000) Hackintosh that meets the Oculus Rift hardware requirements – Part II
In part I of our Hackintosh tutorial, we discussed our choice of hardware and the reasons behind those decisions. The main goal was to create a machine that had enough power to meet the Oculus Rift hardware requirements.
In this follow-up tutorial, we’ll show you the entire software install process needed for completing the build. Watch our 18+ minute step-by-step tutorial and witness this Hackintosh come to life. more…
Filed under:
How-To Tagged: Clover, Elgato, EVGA, GeForce, Gigabyte, GTX 970, Hackintosh, how to, Intel Core i5, Mac OS X, mATX, MultiBeast, Oculus, Oculus Rift, OS X 10.11 El Capitan, Samsung EVO SSD, UniBeast
Apple launches Apple News Format for all, enabling publishers to deliver rich-media content in the News app
Apple is finally rolling out its Apple News Format to all publishers, after an initial announcement at WWDC 2015. The format lets anyone, big or small, create rich multimedia stories within the Apple News app, featuring panoramas, videos, animations and more.
Until today, Apple News Format was limited to exclusive launch partners (like Wired) whilst everyone else had to resort to basic RSS import. Publishers interested in using the format should check out the documentation on Apple’s website.
Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: apple news, apple news format, format, IAd, iOS, monetisation, News, publisher
Feature Request: How Apple could enhance Do Not Disturb and VIP to better control notifications
There’s a new display and brightness feature in iOS 9.3 called Night Shift which “automatically shifts the colors of your display to the warm end of the color spectrum after dark.” Apple even says that Night Shift “may help you get a better night’s sleep” which is mainly why I’ve been using (and enjoying) the feature during the iOS 9.3 betas. Who doesn’t want a better night’s sleep, right?
But Night Shift has me thinking about other ways iOS could be optimized to make our iPhones and iPads less distracting at night. The foundation for what I have in mind is already there: Do Not Disturb and VIP. But both of these features are currently short of where I’d like them to be to work best for me. Here’s what I’d love to see DND and VIP offer:
Filed under: Feature Request Tagged: do not disturb, iOS, Night Shift, VIP
Music Tracker’s latest iOS update improves large music library scans on older devices
Music Tracker, an app that tracks your music library’s changes, received an update today that will make it process larger music libraries more efficiently. Ben Dodson outlines in his latest blog post that instead of needing to scan through an entire music library, it could handle the library in batches. Music Tracker keeps users aware of when music that had been added to their music library may have been removed by accident or because of music licensing deals expiring.
Filed under: Apps, iOS Tagged: Apple Music, Ben Dodson, iOS, iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match, Music Tracker
Review: Synology NAS, a solid backup solution and great home media server with Plex
I’ve recently been testing the brand new Synology DS-216+ NAS ($329), a network-attached-storage product meant for consumers. Although Synology products include a variety of features, I will be focusing on two primary functions that I consider most essential and most useful to people today: Mac backup and home media management (TV shows and movies).
With Apple no longer shipping optical drives in most of their products, I think now is a great time to convert your home movie collection of DVDs and Blu-rays to digital files, which a NAS is great for storing. The Apple TV 4 was another big factor: with an app, I can now view all the TV shows and movies, stored on my NAS, from my TV.
Before I owned a NAS, I was worried about two things: whether the features would be useful and how much hassle would be necessary to get everything up and running. Hence, my review starts with an explanation of the setup steps involved …
Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices, Reviews, Tech Industry Tagged: Backups, home media server, how to, NAS, Plex, server, Synology, Time Machine
How to watch March Madness 2016 on iPhone, iPad, MacBook, or Apple TV
Every basketball fan’s favorite time of year kicks off later today with the play-in round of the NCCA March Madness tournament. After tonight, we’re looking at non-stop basketball for the rest of the month and it really doesn’t get much better than that.
Earlier this month, the NCAA announced that it would be live streaming all of the 2016 March Madness games on various platforms, and even teased an exclusive feature for Apple TV users. With games commencing this evening, it’s time to make sure you have everything setup so you’ll never run the chance of missing a game this year…
Filed under: Apple TV, Apps Tagged: Apple TV, how to, iOS, March Madness, streaming
Apple releases OS X 10.11.4 beta 7 with Messages & Notes improvements, more
In addition to releasing the seventh beta of iOS 9.3 yesterday, Apple today has released OS X 10.11.4 beta 7 to developers and public beta testers. Beta 7 comes just a week after beta 6 was released.
Filed under: Developers, Mac
9to5Toys Lunch Break: Dell 24″ 4K Monitor $390, Guitar Hero Live iOS $50, VIZIO Sound Stand $150, 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: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:
4K Displays: Dell 24″ $390 (Reg. $600), Dell 27″ $500 (Reg. $700), Acer 28″ refurb $240 (Reg. $500), more
Games/Apps: Guitar Hero Live iOS $50, Battlefield Hardline from $20, GTA Trilogy for Mac $6, freebies, more
Home Theater Audio: VIZIO 25-inch Sound Stand $150 shipped (Reg. $200), JBL Soundbar (Refurb) $70 (Orig. $200)
Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB $1,200 shipped (Reg. $1,499)
Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro 2.7GHz/8GB/128GB: $1,049 shipped (Reg. $1,299)
Fresh iPad Pro discounts: 32GB Wi-Fi $650, 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular $890, all other models $100 off
Apple iPhone 6s/Plus Factory Unlocked up to $100 off, 16GB just $579 shipped (Reg. $649)
Apple TV Deals: 4th Gen 64GB $175 (Reg. $200), 3rd Gen $49 (Reg. $69), more
App Store Free App of the Week: oneSafe Premium Password Manager on iOS goes free for the first time (Reg. $5)
App Store Indie Game Sale 50% off: The Room Three, BADLAND 2, Mutant Mudds, more
Grab the Hitman GO & Hitman Sniper iOS bundle for just $1 (up to $10 value)
The Room Three mystery-puzzler for iOS gets its very first price drop: $2 (Reg. $5)
BADLAND 2 for iOS gets its very first price drop: $2 (Reg. $5)
TomTom for iPhone goes free for first 50 miles per month w/ new “GO Mobile” app
MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:
End the madness – stop renting your cable modem with these refurb Motorola deals from $35 shipped (Orig. up to $130)
- Splashtop 2 Remote Desktop for iPhone/iPod goes free for the first time in months (Reg. $3)
- Daily Deals: Kensington Keycover Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad Mini $8
- Fill out your wardrobe with Tommy Hilfiger belts, wallets & ties for $20 or less
- Green Deals: GreenWorks 20-inch Extendable Electric Hedge Trimmer w/ Battery $109
MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:
Apple Watch 42mm Space Gray Milanese Loop Band + Aluminum Dock: $26 Prime shipped (Reg. $34)
How-to: Use your car and an inexpensive inverter to replace the need for a home generator
- Storage: QNAP 2-Bay NAS w/ AirPlay + HDMI $289 (Reg. $349), more
- Add 1800mAh of juice to your iPhone USB power block w/ NomadPlus for $15 (Orig. $40)
- JBL OnBeat Rumble Boombox Bluetooth Speaker w/ Lightning Dock $125 (Orig. $400)
- Hit the streets with Razor’s A Kick Scooter for $20 shipped (Reg. $30)
- DJI Phantom 3 Standard Drone w/ 2.7K HD Camera: $439 shipped (Reg. $500+)
- Pioneer’s Andrew Jones Speakers: Center Channel $70, Floor $91, Subwoofer $110, more
- Certified refurb Mohu Leaf HDTV antenna deals from $10 Prime shipped
- Green Deals: X-Dragon Solar USB-Chargers from $28, Tires $100 off $400, more
- Smartphone Accessories: Kmashi 15,000mAh Power Bank $13, more
- Lenovo 11-inch Chromebook 2.16GHz/2GB/16GB SSD: $129 shipped (Reg. $149)
- Holmes Smart WeMo appliances: Air Purifier $150, X-Large Heater $100
- Surround Sound 5.1-Ch. Systems: Logitech Z506 $54 (Orig. $100), more
- StrimLIGHT bulb offers clear LED lighting and crisp Bluetooth audio: $30 (Orig. $80)
- Green Deals: Best-Selling Peel N’ Stick Solar Lights $9 Prime shipped
- Get Two Free Large Pizzas when you buy a $25 eGift Card at Papa John’s
- Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories for iOS drops to $4 (Reg. $7)
- Sennheiser HD 600 Headphones + $150 Amazon gift card: $400 shipped ($550 value)
- Get a pair of Fandango movie tickets for just $16 (up to $26 value)
- Green Deals: GRDE 10000mAh Solar Dual-USB Power Bank $13, more
- Download 5 rare Paul McCartney songs in MP3 format for free
- Get racing with Anki’s OVERDRIVE starter kit for $120 shipped (Reg. $150)
- LEGO project on your iPhone w/ these Belkin cases, deals from $27
- Console Wars Kindle e-Book details the battle between Sega and Nintendo for $2 (Reg. $15)
- The Blue Fairy Book Children’s Novel as a free Kindle eBook (Reg. $9)
- Solartab: Powerful Solar Panel/13,000mAh dual USB battery: $94 shipped ($35 off)
NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:
Philips introduces new ambient Hue Lights that automatically simulates the sun
WD’s new internal hard drive for Raspberry Pi brings 314GB of additional storage
- LG releases a new line of 4K Super UHDTVs with HDR capabilities and big price tags
- Rule this summer’s BBQ with Mark Dredge’s new Cooking with Beer guide
- Canon’s best-selling DSLR steps aside for the new Wi-Fi-enabled Rebel T6
- popSLATE’s second generation iPhone 6/s/Plus e-ink case drops the bulk for a slender design
- LittleBits’ latest creation focuses on robotic kits and STEAM education
- The new DODOcase Virtual Reality kit for iPhone and Android hits Indiegogo
- Amazon launches more affordable Echo Dot and Amazon Tap Bluetooth speaker
- New Normal blends style and PowerBeats-like design for a new take on wireless earbuds
Filed under: Tips and Tricks