Earlier this year at CES, Seth and I had the opportunity to test drive the new Chevy Volt hybrid (okay, I actually just held the camera in the back seat) which has one of the best CarPlay screen we’ve seen yet. Check out our hands-on experience with the Volt’s very nice display from our test drive below …

You can read more about the second-gen Chevy Volt at Electrek, but the takeaway for the purpose of this piece is that the quality of the display in the car can really make or break the CarPlay experience.

The Volt uses an 8-inch capacitive touch display, which is only slightly larger than an iPad mini and bigger than either of my aftermarket CarPlay displays. The bottom line is that bigger is better, and avoid resistive touch screens at all cost if possible when looking into CarPlay for yourself.

Check out our hands-on video with CarPlay in the new Chevy Volt below:

If you’re not in the market for a new Chevy Volt but want the best aftermarket CarPlay screen money can buy, I personally use and enjoy Pioneer’s AVIC-8100NEX ($1,199, reg. $1400) which features a 7-inch capacitive touch screen that also works with Android Auto if you pick up a hitchhiker.

Pioneer’s AppRadio 4 SPH-DA120 ($424, reg. $600) has a 6-inch capacitive touch screen, still features Bluetooth for non-CarPlay use, and is a better bargain if CarPlay is all you want. Alpine’s ILX-007 (new from $550) goes even further by dropping Bluetooth support to focus only on CarPlay, but personally I recommend opting for Bluetooth too as I use it when more convenient.

The CarPlay experience is mostly the same from display to display as it relies on projecting apps from the connected iPhone, but the way it looks and feels to use really does depend on the quality of in-dash display.

CarPlay itself is set to receive a welcomed upgrade when iOS 9.3 for iPhone comes out of beta. The new version brings the full Apple Music experience to the car with For You and New playlist and album recommendations as well as a more robust Maps app thanks to the added Nearby feature. See both in action in our hands-on video with that below:

You can read my initial review of CarPlay, what changed with CarPlay in iOS 9, and our running list of CarPlay apps here. And head over to Electrek to read more about the new Chevy Volt and see our test drive in action.

Filed under: CarPlay Tagged: CarPlay, chevy volt

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Users of the Bing app for iPhone are getting some welcomed improvements today with the latest update bringing a new barcode scanner with price comparison functionality and a new deal finder feature.

With the barcode scanner, Bing notes on its blog that it will use scanned barcodes to automatically search its database and “return prices and customer ratings from major retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, Target, and others.”

For iPhone 6s and 6s+ users, the barcode scanner can quickly be accessed using new 3D Touch quick actions with a firm press of Bing app icon. Also available in quick actions is access to search and voice search (as pictured below). 

For everyone else, it will be under the new Deals section that aggregates coupons and other discounts from around the web:

In addition to showing deals directly in search results (like when you search for a restaurant), we now make it easier to browse deals directly from the homepage of the Bing App for iPhone. This is a great companion when you’re shopping at a mall, or making dinner plans. We’ll automatically find the deals near you, and all you have to do is follow the instructions for how to redeem it from the deal/coupon provider.

And also included with version 6.3 of the Bing app, you’ll start to see weather data appearing in the “Today” feed, nearby gas stations including prices courtesy of GasBuddy, and popular dishes from participating restaurants.

Lastly, the update brings the ability to “pin your frequent and favorite bookmarks to the Today feed,” as Bing notes, “so you can navigate to your favorite sites faster.”

The updated Bing Search app for iPhone is available on the App Store now.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: Amazon, barcode scanner, Bing, coupons, deal finder, discounts, iPhone, price comparison, Shopping, update

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A list of App Store and iTunes services are currently down preventing users from processing downloads, making purchases or in some cases even streaming their music from iTunes in the Cloud. Apple’s system status currently (as of 10:52AM EST) lists App Store, Apple TV, iBooks Store, iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match, iTunes Store, Mac App Store, and the Volume Purchase Program as potentially being unavailable for some users.

The detailed timeline listed at the bottom of the page describes that in regards to all store services, some users are affected and have been since a little before 10AM EST. It also appears that multiple iCloud services also had some outage late last evening. We’ll continue to monitor the issue and update when they appear to be resolved. If you are experiencing any other issue not noted by the App Store being down, you may reach out to Apple through their support.

Filed under: General, iOS, iOS Devices, Mac Tagged: App Store, App Store down, iOS, iOS App Store, Mac App Store, outage

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Apple has been talking about the post-PC era ever since the original iPad launch in 2010, with Steve Jobs suggesting that PCs would be the ‘trucks’ of the computing world while most people would be happy with ‘cars’ aka iPads.

Tim Cook picked up the post-PC baton the following year, and has more recently presented himself as proof of the idea and argued the point more aggressively following the launch of the iPad Pro.

I think if you’re looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one? Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people. They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones.

It’s a stance I agree with … to some extent …

I’ve noted on several occasions that when non-tech friends ask for my advice on which laptop to buy, it’s not unusual for me to ask them what they want to do with it then end up recommending an iPad with keyboard. If all you want to do is email, web, video call and chat, an iPad is a perfectly capable device that offers a lot of advantages over a laptop.

An iPad is even easier to use than a Mac, is ultra-portable, offers a genuine 10-hour battery-life, provides the option of built-in mobile data – and the flexibility of switching between laptop mode with a keyboard and tablet mode without.

I’ve also argued that the old idea that iPads are for content consumption while Macs are for creation is outdated. A lot of us use iPads to create content. But that’s not the same as viewing it as a laptop replacement.

Cook wasn’t claiming that an iPad – Pro or not – can replace a laptop for everyone, and he even stopped short of using the words ‘most people.’ My own conclusion when I tried the iPad Pro was that it does push further into laptop territory than other iPads, but it’s still not a complete substitute.

Powerful as the iPad Pro is, there are still a number of tasks that need the additional power offered by a Mac. Video, audio and photo editing are obvious examples: you can do them on an iPad, but it would be a poor choice of primary device. Software developers, too, need Macs.

But even if you need neither the power nor the specialist apps of a Mac, there’s still one area where I think the iPad falls down when comparing it to a Mac: the lack of a user-accessible file-system.

Steve Jobs, of course, argued that a file-system was an outdated concept. Why should a user have to either know or care where their files were stored? They simply open the app and do whatever it is they need to do.

That works fine for simple tasks, but not for complex ones involving multiple apps. If you’re remodelling your home, for example, you’ll probably have photos that you’ve collected as inspiration. Web pages with products and ideas. Contractor quotes supplied in every file format imaginable. Costing spreadsheets. You may have created sketches in one app and floor plans in another. The various documents are likely to span at least half a dozen different apps, perhaps many more.

If you don’t have access to a file-system, this creates two problems. First, the pain of having to figure out which app contains the document you’re looking for. Did that quote from the electrician arrive as a Word document or a PDF? Did you save that cool idea for understair lighting as a photo or a webpage? Having to open up multiple apps in search of the one thing you need is very far removed indeed from a system that Just Works.

But there’s also the notion of the project being organized on our device the same way we think of it in our head. If you are tackling the project one room at a time, you may have a top-level folder called Home Remodelling and second-level folders for each room: Living-room, Kitchen, Bathroom and so on.

Alternatively, if you are approaching the project in several phases, your second-level folders might be Phase 1 Teardown, Phase 2 Construction, Phase 3 Decoration and so on. The ‘physical’ map of the project on your device should mirror your mental model of the project – and that requires a visible file-system.

I do completely understand that iOS was designed around the KISS principle. If a user doesn’t need to see something, keep it hidden. For a great many things I do on my iPhone and iPad, that approach is perfect.

When I open up the Photos app to show to a friend that photo I took yesterday, I don’t need to know where on my device that photo is stored: I can just open the app and tap on the photo. If it was a while ago, the tags created by the app mostly do the job.

But it’s less easy to find that photo I took in Hong Kong ten years ago. And I’m not going to use an iPad for any kind of project – even one as simple as planning a vacation – and a large part of the reason is the lack of a visible file-system. If Apple really wants to present the iPad as a true alternative to a PC, it needs to finally allow iOS to have one.

That needn’t mean making the existing iOS UI any more complex than it is today. I don’t need access to a System folder or Library folder. I don’t need folders to be front-and-center on the homescreen. I’d be completely fine with Apple tucking a visible folder structure away inside an iOS Finder app. But, in my view, an iPad isn’t ever going to replace a Mac without it.

Do you agree? Or are you happy to tackle even complex projects without a visible file-system? Please take our poll, and share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Photos: The Verge; Apple; WSJ.

Filed under: Opinion Tagged: Apple Inc, file system, iPad Pro, iPad v MacBook, iPad versus MacBook, iPad vs MacBook, Steve Jobs

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Apple has today listed 20 new Flyover locations on its iOS 9 feature availability page, five of them in the USA, the rest overseas. The latest U.S. locations are:

• Columbus, Ohio
• Louisville, Kentucky
• South Bend, Indiana
• Springfield, Missouri
• Tucson, Arizona …

The new international locations are:

• Adelaide, Australia
• Amiens, France
• Berne, Switzerland
• Bremen, Germany
• Dresden, Germany
• Eindhoven, Netherlands
• Johannesburg, South Africa
• La Rochelle, France
• Middlesbrough, UK
• Nantes, France
• Salzburg, Austria
• Taormina, Italy
• Toulouse, France
• Toyama, Japan
• Virgin Islands

This brings the worldwide total to 240 places.

It sometimes takes a little time for Flyover updates to roll out to everyone. You’ll know it’s available when you search for a location and see the Flyover bar with its Start button.

Filed under: iOS Tagged: Apple Maps, Apple Maps 3D flyover, Apple Maps Flyover, flyover

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Bloomberg reports today that Apple’s mobile payments solution Apple Pay is now supported at 2 million locations around the world. In addition to revealing that 2 million locations now support the service, the report also says that Chick-Fil-A, Crate & Barrel, and Au Bon Pain will also start rolling out support for the service soon.

In the past, Chick-Fil-A has experimented with a QR-based solution for mobile payments, but that effort has ultimately flopped according to employees. The company also recently revamped its app, but it’s unclear if the app too will gain support for Apple Pay, or if the rollout is limited to physical locations.

Likewise, online retailer Zappos will soon be adding Apple Pay support to its iOS app. This means that users will soon be able to pay with Apple Pay when shopping with the Zappos app, as opposed to having to enter their card information directly into the Zappos app itself. The update is expected to rollout to the Zappos iOS app soon.

Last year, it was announced that Starbucks would expand Apple Pay support to all stores sometime in 2016 after starting an initial rollout last year. Furthermore, fast-food chain KFC and sit-down chain Chili’s are also expected to support Apple Pay this year. Finally, Dominos and Cinnabon are also rolling out Apple Pay support to their physical locations, as well.

Some retailers, however, have questioned the uptake of Apple Pay, but as the company continues to expand the service to prominent chains like Chick-Fil-A, it’s likely that the adoption rate among users will grow as they realize the service is supported in more and more locations.

Filed under: Apple Pay Tagged: Apple pay, Chick-Fil-A, retail, Zappos

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The team at Bloom Built has today released the latest version of its journaling app Day One. Five since its original debut, with 40 free releases since then, Day One 2 sets the precedent for the direction of the new app. Albeit awkwardly titled, version 2 of Day One includes new overall features for both the iOS and Mac versions. Having been built from the ground up with data reliabilty and security in mind, Day One 2 lays the foundation for exciting new features to come in later versions.

General

Day One 2 comes with two major features for both the iOS and Mac: the ability to have multiple journals (up to ten with unique colors and names) and multiple photos (up to ten per journal entry). Allowing users to create multiple journals sets the stage for better journal organization. Each journal can be configured with a unique color, from a multitude of colors to select from. Multiple photos per journal entry ensures that each person can further capture their day or adventures all in one entry.

Organization

Users can navigate through past journal entires in Day One 2 using the List, Photo, Map, and Calendar views. The Map view, new on iOS, shows users all their past entries nearby to their current location. This feature alone is something I’ll be excited to use whenever I travel. Being able to return to a location within a few years, and then read back on my previous thoughts will be quite interesting. On both platforms, but new to the Mac, the Photo view allows users to scroll through a visual layout of all their journal entries.

Adding on to that, Day One 2 provides a multitude of filters that gives users further methods to quickly find previous journal entries. All of these entries can be easily tagged, deleted, and reorganized in bulk.

Day One Sync

Noting that it was “not the majority of user experience” but that they had “too many cases of data loss and duplication”, Day One 2 puts a heavy focus on syncing and data reliability. For users currently using the original Day One (now renamed to Day One Classic) their data is compatible with Day One 2 when used in conjunction with Day One Sync. Day One Sync is the only supported sync service in Day One 2. For users who still want other methods, they are able to back up and export data locally or to other shared cloud services like Dropbox. Bloom states that Day One Sync is fast, free, and security-wise is comparable to iCloud and Dropbox. Bloom’s most important security point here is that private-key encryption is to be expected in the next point release of Day One 2. For more info on Day One Sync, be sure to check out the official page available from Bloom.

With a roadmap laying out multiple other features (Audio Recording, an Activity Feed, and Night Mode amongst them), Day One 2 raises the bar for improving upon the journal writing experience.

Day One 2 is on sale at 50% off for the first week of its debut. For iOS it is currently on sale for $4.99 and is compatible with iPhones, iPads, and the Apple Watch. Day One 2 is also available for the Mac at the sale price of $19.99 and is compatible with El Capitan and higher. (If the links don’t work immediately, give it sometime as it propagates throughout the App Stores.)

The team at Bloom has also provided us with promo codes for 9to5Mac readers:

iOS

• http://tokn.co/rmzmjg9t
• http://tokn.co/ea3xe8mc
• http://tokn.co/z7g2rmzx

Mac

• http://tokn.co/jsrk897y
• http://tokn.co/m2q7m64g
• http://tokn.co/9fmazk6r

Filed under: Apps, iOS, Mac Tagged: Bloom Built, Day One, Day One 2, Day One App, Day One Classic, Day One Sync, Dropbox, icloud, journal, launch, private-key encryption, promo codes, release

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Apple has some good news for all of the Apple Music users on Android. The company has just released an update to Apple Music in the Google Play Store that allows users to download songs to an SD card so that they may store even more music for offline listening.

Showcasing one of Android’s greatest strengths in the storage space is definitely an interesting move by Apple. This potentially allows users to hold more music than the current iPhones’ maximum storage size of 128GB. With the prices of microSD cards coming down so quickly, it’s a great opportunity to take more music with you offline.

Today’s update also adds in functionality for viewing the full schedule for Beats 1 shows, and allows users to browse through their music using the Composer and Compilations sorting.

WHAT’S NEW

This update adds downloading songs to an SD card, so you can now keep more music offline. You can also:

• See the full schedule of Beats 1 shows, making it easy to tune in to your favorite ones.

• Browse My Music by Composers and Compilations, which help you find music your classical albums or movie soundtracks.

Apple Music is currently available for free as a beta in the Google Play Store and includes a free three-month trial period.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Android, Apple Music, Beats 1, Google Play

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Following the release of its Q4 earnings earlier this week, Alphabet saw it stock prices surge to upwards of $800, increasing by 8 percent thanks to its strong earnings report. This jump on Alphabet’s part caused the company’s market capitalization to increase as well, rising to over $540 billion. This increase meant that Alphabet surpassed Apple to become the world’s most valuable company. Two days later, however, Alphabet’s stock has fallen back down, giving the crown of the world’s most valuable company back to Apple.

At close today, Alphabet was trading at $726.95, a decrease of 4.93 percent compared to yesterday, giving it a market capitalization of $499.94 billion. Apple, on the other hand, increased by 1.98 percent and was trading at $96.35 at close, giving it a market capitalization of $534.22 billion.

Apple originally became the world’s most valuable company back in 2011 when it passed up Exonn Mobile.

Alphabet’s drop today can somewhat be attributed to an overall rough day for the tech sector. Tesla, Yahoo, Netflix, Amazon, and Alphabet all closed down compared to their previous day’s performance.

This likely won’t be the last time we see Apple and Alphabet flip-flop between carrying the title of the “world’s most valuable company,” but with earnings having already been reported for the most recent quarter and investors settling in, it could be a while before Alphabet is able to capture the title back. Things could vary, however, depending on how investors react to Apple’s announcements during its upcoming March event for the iPhone 5se, iPad Air 3, and new Apple Watch bands. 

(Image: AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: alphabet, Apple, Google, stock

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Last month, it was reported that patent troll VirnetX is seeking $532 million in damages from Apple, claiming that the company has taken its intellectual property without permission. The suit focused on a variety of VirnetX patents relating to technology used in creating Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs. VirnetX said that Apple’s own VPN technology, as well as its iMessage and FaceTime services, infringe on its patents. After another week of hearing, the East Texas Federal District Court has now unanimously ruled that Apple owes VirnetX $625 million in damages.

All the way back in 2012, VirnetX was awarded $368.2 million in damages from Apple, but an appeals court threw out that ruling and ordered a new trial. VirnetX then went into the new trial requesting $532 million from Apple. Accounting for willful infringement and royalty calculations however, the court ruled that Apple actually owes VirnetX $625 million.

The ruling was unanimous by the East Texas Federal District, with it ruling that Apple’s VPN on Demand feature, FaceTime, and iMessage all infringed on a handful of different VirnetX patents, coming out to the grand total of $625 million (via AI). The location of the court is notable as East Texas district tends to favor the patent owner in patent-related suits.

At the beginning of the trial, VirnetX explained that Apple had “not played fair” when it came to licensing intellectual property, while Apple argued that it believes in fairness and protecting IP, but that VirnetX kept “moving the boundary, asking for more and more.”

Apple has yet to comment on the ruling, but it will likely seek an appeal. This isn’t the first time Apple has fallen victim to a patent troll, though. In 2015, it was ordered to pay $532.9 million for infringing on gaming patents of SmartFlash LLC. Not satisfied with that amount, SmartFlash then came back again looking for more, saying Apple had released products too late to be included in the initial trial. In 2014, Apple voiced its displeasure with patent trolls, saying that it is the subject of more patent-related lawsuits than any other company.

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple, FaceTime, iMessage, intellectual property, patents, VirnetX, VPN

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