Facebook today is rolling out a new update to its iOS app that brings a handful of new features to iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus users. As usual, the actual changelog provided in the App Store by Facebook doesn’t detail any of the changes, but rather states that Facebook periodically updates its app to add new features and performance and reliability improvements. Today’s new features come in the form of new 3D Touch capabilities for the app on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices.

The first 3D Touch enhancement comes to the homescreen icon. Now, when you 3D Touch on Facebook’s app icon, you’ll see a new “quick view” shortcut that takes you directly to your timeline. The Facebook app has had 3D Touch quick view actions shortcuts for posting updates and pictures since October, but the timeline shortcut is new (via The Verge).

Furthermore, Facebook on iOS now supports 3D Touch within the app itself. Facebook says that users can now use 3D Touch to activate peek and pop with “web links, profiles, pages, groups, events, photos, profile pictures, and cover photos.”

The downside to this update is that Facebook says it will slowly roll out to all users “over the coming months” and that only “a small group of people” will see the new 3D Touch features today. Nevertheless, you’ll want to ensure you have the latest version of the Facebook app from the App Store. With today’s update, it also seems that the Live Photos support originally announced back in December is rolling out to more users, as well.

Filed under: Apps, iOS Tagged: 3D Touch, app, Facebook, iOS, peek and pop

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Adobe first launched its creative Voice app for iPad almost two years ago, and this week version 2.0 has been released with full iPhone support for the first time. I took Adobe Voice for a test drive when it was brand new back in 2014. The app lets you easily combine photos, videos, text, voiceovers, and more to a project that you can easily share to spread your message. Stories can be shared either publicly or privately over Facebook, Twitter, email, messaging, the web, and more.

While the iPad is a great canvas for creating storytelling projects, Adobe Voice 2.0 puts the app in your pocket (and iPhones have since gotten bigger!) so it’s worth checking out if you haven’t tried Voice yet. Adobe also notes that Voice allows you to sync projects using your Adobe account, which lets you create projects on one device and finish them on another.

If you are not yet familiar with this app, Adobe Voice puts Adobe’s 30 years of animation and cinematography experience “under the hood,” allowing anyone, regardless of experience, to create compelling videos and share them instantly with the world. To get started, simply download Adobe Voice for iPhone from the App Store. If you already have the app on your iPad, all your projects will automatically sync so you can work on your videos whenever inspiration strikes.

Here’s how Adobe Voice looks on the iPhone:

Adobe Voice 2.0 for iPhone and iPad is available for free from the App Store, so there’s no upfront cost or in-app purchases to deal with unless you want Creative Cloud Storage.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: Adobe, iPad, iPhone, Multimedia, storytelling, voice

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AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson is the latest to weigh in on the issue of data encryption policy with the executive telling The Wall Street Journal that Apple CEO Tim Cook and other tech execs should leave the decision making on encryption policy up to Congress:

“I don’t think it is Silicon Valley’s decision to make about whether encryption is the right thing to do. I understand Tim Cook’s decision, but I don’t think it’s his decision to make”… I personally think that this is an issue that should be decided by the American people and Congress, not by companies,”

…The AT&T chief said his own company has been unfairly singled out in the debate over access to data. “It is silliness to say there’s some kind of conspiracy between the U.S. government and AT&T,” he said, adding that the company turns over information only when accompanied by a warrant or court order.

That statement follows a meeting among Cook, other Silicon Valley executives and White House officials last week to discuss topics related to encryption policies and government access to data.

And that’s just the latest occasion in which Apple under Tim Cook’s leadership has voiced its opinion on the issue with the company becoming increasingly vocal about its stance on encryption and sharing user data with others.

But the issue is once again in the spotlight as it becomes a topic of interest during recent presidential debates. Tech companies and government access to data was one focus at the Democratic debate this week, and just days earlier Apple and Tim Cook were mentioned by name during the Republican presidential debate with candidates asked specifically about Cook’s position on keeping user data private from government.

Recent legislation proposed in at least two states — New York and California — looks to ban iPhone sales if Apple won’t compromise on encryption, which shows you just how heated the debate has gotten.

Filed under: AAPL Company, Tech Industry Tagged: AT&T, Congress, Encryption, privacy, Randall Stephenson, Security, Tim Cook

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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:

Daily Deals: Brother Monochrome Laser Printer $45, Epson Pro WXGA 3LCD Projector $400, more

Anker USB Power: 9-ft. MFi Apple-Certified Lightning Cable $6 (Reg. $12), 13,400mAh Power Bank $27 (Reg. $40), more

iPhone 6/s Plus Benuo Leather Folio credit card case, various colors: $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $30)

1Password for Mac keeps your accounts and information safe, now $25 (Reg. $50)

Use your iPad as an additional screen for your Mac or PC w/ Duet Display, now just $8 (Reg. $16)

Astropad turns your iPad into a professional Mac drawing tablet, download it now for $10 (Reg. $20)

Deliveries package tracker for iOS hits its lowest price yet: $2 (Reg. $5)

Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro w/ Force Touch (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB $1,250 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

Apple 12″ Retina MacBook 1.2Ghz/8GB/512GB: $1,290 shipped (Reg. $1,599)

iTunes Gift Cards 20% off w/ free shipping: $100 for $80, $50 for $40 — Save on apps, music, movies, more

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Exploding Kittens: the “most-funded game in Kickstarter history” comes to iOS w/ special launch offer

• Games/Apps: Mortal Kombat XL pre-order (Prime only) $48, Animal Crossing HHD $34
• Mpow Grip Air Vent Magnetic Car iPhone Mount $5 Prime shipped (Reg. $7)
• GoPro HERO3 White bundle for $159 shipped (Orig. $300 value)
• Contigo 16 oz Stainless Travel Mug: $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $25)
• Download Ashley Monroe’s Grammy nominated album The Blade for free (Reg. $10)

Samsung 850 EVO 1TB 2.5-inch Internal Solid-State Drive: $290 shipped (Reg. $330+) wp.me/p1xTlR-MzV https://t.co/8fNMM4APxk

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MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

QNAP TS-231 2-Bay Personal Cloud NAS w/ AirPlay Streaming $136 shipped (Reg. $176)

Throw one hell of a Super Bowl party w/ this Samsung 60″ Smart 3D 4K UHDTV: $998 shipped (Orig. $1,800)

• Apple iPad Air Wi-Fi 16GB in Silver or Space Gray: $299 shipped (Reg. $399)
• Upgrade your old speakers with this Mpow Bluetooth dongle: $8 (Reg. $10+)
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• Liger Handlebar Mount for iPhone 6s/Android devices $6 Prime shipped (Orig. $25)
• Bluetooth Speakers: Sony SRSX2 w/ NFC $60 (Reg. $80+), Aukey Rugged $15 (Reg. $25)
• OtterBox Defender Series iPhone 6 Plus Case: $24 Prime shipped (Orig. $60)
• Kingston V300 240GB 2.5-inch Internal Solid-State Drive: $62 shipped (Reg. $80+)
• Multi-year/bundle magazine subs from $2/yr: Wine Enthusiast, Wired, more
• Speck CandyShell iPhone 6/6s Case: $12 or two for $14 Prime shipped (Reg. $35 each)
• iOrange MFi Lightning Cables: 6-ft. $7 (Reg. $14), 10-ft. $9 (Reg. $15), more
• Pioneer AV Receiver w/ Bluetooth and Wi-Fi: $250 shipped (Reg. $400)
• Belkin MFi Lightning iPad Keyboard w/ Stand: $40 shipped (Reg. $70)
• Monopoly 80th Anniversary Game $11 w/ in-store pick-up (Orig. $22)
• PSA: Xbox Live Gold Members can enjoy a free trial for EA Access this week
• Amazon’s best-selling snow blower hits all-time: $99 shipped (Reg. $135+)
• Mackie CR4 speakers (pair) + Audio-Technica headphones $170 ($249 value)
• The Martian Blu-ray/Digital HD for $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $23)
• Sony 7.2-ch. 4K AV Receiver w/ AirPlay and Bluetooth: $298 shipped (Reg. $400)
• The Trace Murder Mystery Game for iOS hits its lowest price yet: $1 (Reg. $4)
• A Dark Room for iOS goes free as IGN’s Game of the Month (Reg. $1)
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• Get to racing on your Android with Need for Speed Most Wanted: $0.10 (Reg. $5)

Game pre-orders for Amazon Prime members – Final Fantasy XV, more: $48 ea (Reg. $60)

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Leica’s new X-U action camera makes your GoPro look like a child’s toy

The first Amazon Dash Replenishment devices are now available for order

• Grovemade’s new entryway collection brings handcrafted charm to your home
• Blipcast uses your Wi-Fi to beam HDTV audio to multiple iOS or Android devices
• This Nintendo-inspired Bluetooth speaker is just about perfect in every way
• Netflix Announces Premiere Dates for 10 Original Shows including House of Cards, more
• The new ‘Where to Eat Pizza’ coffee table book takes a look at the best slices worldwide
• Phāz takes note of iPhone 7 rumors with new Lightning-connected headphones
• Review: EasyACC 3 USB-port/2 AC-port surge protector is perfect for bedside, desk or travel

Filed under: Tips and Tricks

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Welcome to the latest edition of Jeremy’s 5, my latest quick roundup of 5 interesting little things that aren’t big enough for full articles, but are still worth sharing with you.

This week, I’m looking at the next wave of emoji, T-Mobile’s 4G LTE CellSpot, Google Photos, iCloud/iTunes Account Merging, and battery drain from the latest iOS beta…

1. Take A Sneak Peek At The Next 70+ Emoji. As I’ve said in prior columns, readers seem to be more excited about new emoji than pretty much any other feature Apple adds to iOS. Apple doesn’t create the emoji characters — it implements the Unicode standard, which has standardized hundreds of icons over a dozen different revisions since 1991. The next revision, Unicode 9.0, is currently being finalized and should be released this year, possibly in time for iOS 10.

Want a preview of over 70 new emoji candidates that may be headed to iOS? Visit Emojipedia, which is showing off all of the possibilities. Potential new emoji include Face Palm, nauseated face, clown face, shark, eagle, and a collection of food items: shrimp, squid, tumbler glass, potato, carrot, cucumber, bacon, peanuts, baguette bread, kiwi fruit, pancakes, a glass of milk, stuffed flatbread, green salad, egg, and clinking champagne glasses. Until iOS 10 comes out, you can find versions of some of the icons in third-party emoji apps such as Kimoji.

2. T-Mobile cell booster. T-Mobile’s prices are great, but its 4G/LTE towers really benefit from neighborhood-level assistance. To that end, my colleague Cam Bunton first reported on T-Mobile’s 4G LTE CellSpot Signal Booster two months ago, but actual CellSpot hardware has been in short supply, and my review unit only showed up last week. I’ve been testing it since then, and my impressions are mostly positive. The unit (shown above, right) is larger than a last-gen Apple AirPort Extreme router, and also larger than T-Mobile’s 4G LTE Signal Booster, which I was previously using. It needs to be connected to your broadband router, and optionally attached to a (fairly long) included GPS cable to help determine your location. (Hopefully your router’s near a window for GPS signal acquisition — mine isn’t.)

After an entirely automated but up-to-2-hour setup process where the CellSpot downloads unspecified content as an ‘update,’ it just starts working, creating a 5-dot LTE signal immediately around itself, in a 1- to 2-room radius. The signal’s certainly strong for phone calling within its immediate radius: borrowing your router’s broadband access, it creates what callers described as “excellent” (if not quite Wi-Fi-calling-clarity) voice quality, but it’s nothing special for data; you’ll see faster speeds over Wi-Fi. Notably, the 5-dot signal falls down to 4 or 3 dots when you move to the second floor or other side of a larger house, assuming CellSpot’s not centrally located.

Given the choice between CellSpot and the prior 4G LTE Signal Booster I was using before, I prefer the CellSpot’s performance, but with reservations. CellSpot requires only one power outlet versus the Signal Booster’s two, is guaranteed to create a strong voice signal even where the Signal Booster may struggle, and sells for the same price — a refundable deposit of $25 with T-Mobile. However, CellSpot’s router dependence, small peak power radius, and limited data benefits mean that it’s not a cure-all — just a better calling experience for signal-starved T-Mobile users. That alone makes it worth considering.

3. Google Photos. Last year, I wrote articles discussing the choice I was trying to make between using the free Google Photos service — syncing hi-res but not archival versions of my photos — or paying for 1TB ($10/month) of Apple’s iCloud Photo Library storage. Since then, some readers have asked which service I decided to go with.

After a lot of consideration and a couple of test runs, I opted for Google Photos, and I’m more satisfied with it for “free” than I would be paying for iCloud Photo Library. The uploading process remains painfully slow with a large photo library, but at least I’m not paying for the uploading time, which was necessary with iCloud. Overall, it works as expected, and for people like me with large photo libraries, it’s a much better option than paying $120 per year to Apple.

4. iTunes & iCloud Account Merging. It’s been almost four and a half years since Apple (Tim Cook’s office, specifically) said it was working on letting people merge two iTunes or iCloud accounts together. The merging tool still hasn’t launched, and for those of us who have separate accounts that we’d really like to merge for one reason or another, the wait has been agonizing. Any chance we could see this at WWDC 2016, Apple? Family Sharing can be a mess of its own and doesn’t count.

5. iOS 9.3 + watchOS 2.2 Beta Battery Drain. A quick word of advice if you’re thinking of testing the latest iOS 9.3 or watchOS 2.2 betas but unsure of the impact on battery life or stability: the iOS beta seems both stable and pretty battery safe on iPhones and iPads, but the Apple Watch is another story. My colleague Zac Hall has already warned that the watchOS beta is a battery killer, which kept me from installing watchOS 2.2. Even so, the day after installing iOS 9.3 on the connected iPhone, my Apple Watch died mid-day — something that hasn’t happened since I used the watchOS 2.0 betas last year, and thankfully hasn’t happened since. So if you’re an Apple Watch user, you may want to steer clear of Apple’s betas.

More From This Author

Check out more of my reviews, How-To guides and editorials for 9to5Mac here! I’ve published a lot of different topics of interest to Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and Apple Watch users, as well as a personal gift guide for Apple fans, a great gift guide for iPhone users, a detailed gift guide for Mac users, and a separate gift guide for Apple photographers.

Filed under: Opinion, Tech Industry Tagged: battery life, betas, emoji, google+ photos, iOS, iTunes, T-Mobile

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This comparison of the differences between Microsoft Office on Mac, Windows, and iOS devices was put together by Kurt Schmucker who (disclaimer) works for Parallels — that company that makes slick virtual machine apps for running Windows and other operating systems on Mac — but he also happens to know a thing or two about the subject after his previous role as Senior Mac Evangelist at Microsoft on the Office team. So what exactly is missing on Mac and iOS devices compared to Windows when it comes to the Office suite?

In the charts below, Schmucker breaks down feature-by-feature exactly what you get (and don’t get) in each of the different versions of the productivity suite including Office 2016 and 2013 for Windows, Office 2016 and 2011 for Mac, and Office for iPad.

The full charts (below) show suite-wide differences between the versions such as missing apps, lack of support for Visual Basic and ActiveX, right-to-left language support, accessibility features, AppleScript and much more. Other charts in the study show feature variations for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, with the majority of the features listed unavailable for iPad users and a mixed bag for the other versions. 

And Schmucker points out two things regarding the iPad specifically. One positive is support for right-to-left languages, which he notes is something that Mac users have bene asking for but have yet to receive, while a negative for the iPad is lack of multiple selection support in PowerPoint, something Schmucker notes is a pretty basic but crucial function for the app.

In the end, he concludes that a mix of the various Office suites is the best approach but admits that his main, go-to version is MacOffice 2011 (apart from using the latest version of Outlook due to enhanced performance):

“I worked for the MacOffice team at Microsoft for several years, and at that time I also worked closely with colleagues on the WinOffice teams. Because of this background, I am often able to pick just the right Office app that will make a given task the easiest to do. One task might be particularly well suited to MacWord 2011 because Publishing Layout View— a feature only in that one Word version— will make this task easy. Another task might be suited to WinPPT because of the Animation Painter, which is not in any MacPPT version. Yet another task might be best suited to WInPPT 2013 because it needs an Office extension not available in other Office suites.”

And this is what Schmucker’s setup looks like with various versions of Office installed on Mac and using virtual machines:

Click the charts below to view them in full size:

If accessing Windows-only or version specific features on your Mac is the goal, Schmucker notes that with Parallels you can easily run different versions of Windows and Office on one Mac using Parallels Desktop for Mac and a subscription to Office 365 Home (which will give you five installs of the Office suites of your choice). That’s how he accomplishes the setup above using various virtual machines. 

Filed under: Apps, iOS, iOS Devices, Mac, Tech Industry Tagged: iOS, iPad, Mac, Microsoft, Office, Parallels, PC, Productivity, Windows

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Microsoft is out with a nice update to its Office for iOS suite today, adding 3D Touch quick actions to Word, PowerPoint, and Excel for iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users as well as promised Apple Pencil integration on the iPad Pro. The latest versions of the Office suite also changes how fonts are handled and improves document search on iOS.

Word, PowerPoint, and Excel each now feature 3D Touch shortcuts from the app icon on the Home screen when deep pressing with the latest iPhones. This lets you quickly create a new document, presentation, or spreadsheet as soon as you launch the app. If you’ve already got files saved with Office, you’ll also notice quick access to recently used files here as well.

Office for iOS is also taking advantage of iOS 9’s new Spotlight search feature, which lets you pull down or swipe to the left of your Home screen and search for files saved in Office. For example, you could quickly open a document called ‘School Report’ saved in Word when searching Spotlight now without having to first open Word.

And just as Microsoft promised last fall, the Office for iOS apps have been updated to fully take advantage of Apple Pencil input on the iPad Pro (or any touch input method on other iPads) with a new ‘annotate with ink’ feature baked in: “With the tools on the new Draw tab, use your pen, finger, or Apple Pencil to write, draw, and highlight.”

Finally, the new versions of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel all take advantage of the cloud now when handling fonts by allowing you to download additional fonts as needed versus taking up additional local storage. In addition to the shared features like Apple Pencil support, Spotlight search, and 3D Touch, PowerPoint also gains another new trick: the ability to apply the morph transition to multiple objects.

You can find the latest versions of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel for iPhone and iPad on the App Store for free. Office 365 is required to fully unlock features including creating and editing documents on the iPad Pro. A free Microsoft account grants you read-only access to files.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: 3D Touch, Apple Pencil, Excel, iPad Pro, iPhone 6s, Microsoft, Office, PowerPoint, Word

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The Ottawa Business Journal is reporting that Apple has leased a 22,000 ft space in Kanata, Ontario. Notably, the location is in close proximity to the BlackBerry QNX offices. Whether Apple is interested in attracting QNX employees for itself is not clear. It is definitely possible that the geography is coincidental. However, QNX is known to be working on autonomous driving and Apple may want to take some of this engineering talent for its own Apple Car research.

The area in question, suite 300, is currently listed as empty on the building property website.

KRP describes the property as a “full-floor office suite with executive boardroom, meeting rooms, several offices, server room, lunchroom, showers, private balconies and lab space.” The building’s director of leasing did not respond to a request for comment.

Companies often buy offices near their competition to try and attract engineers. Employees are more likely to move if they do not have to relocate. It is possible Apple is interested in QNX automotive talent, especially as it relates to self-driving cars. Apple is reportedly exploring self-driving elements for its electric car project although it is unclear to what extent autonomy will play a role in Apple’s first products. Nevertheless, it faces pressure from the rest of the industry (and Google) regarding self-driving features so stocking up on talent is probably a wise move. That being said, it is also possible that Apple has other plans for the facility.

Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: Apple Car, BlackBerry, QNX, rumors

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California is now presenting a new bill that, if passed into law, would stop Apple from selling iPhones on its home turf, via ZDNet. The bill requires smartphone manufacturers to sell devices that have backdoors to allow them to be decrypted. Naturally, this affects iPhones which use high-strength security methods and make it practically impossible for anyone including Apple to gain access without the passcode. If this proposed bill sounds familiar, there’s a reason for that. A nearly identical proposition was made in New York state earlier in the month.

Although the bill is only being proposed and isn’t law at this time, it poses a big issue for Apple which is facing pressure from politicians across the US to relax its stance on privacy in favor of security. The California case is especially problematic given the location of Apple’s HQ. It would be very awkward if Apple was barred from selling iPhones in the state where they’re designed.

If the bill came into effect as written, anyone caught buying an iPhone as it exists today would be fined $2,500 per device. In fact, the bill actually backdates to sales made since July 2015.

Tim Cook and Apple has repeatedly taken a hard-line stance on privacy. Most recently, Cook met with White House officials to encourage them to back Apple. Cook wants government to plainly state that there should be a ‘no backdoors’ ruling regarding consumer electronics. These proposed bills in California and New York fly in the face of that policy.

Along similar lines, the UK is also considering anti-encryption legislation. The Investigatory Powers Bill would require Apple to make ways for iOS devices to be unlockable, letting governments freely access user data with a warrant. For now, the conflict between technology companies and government oversight continues.

Filed under: iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: Encryption, policy, Security, Tim Cook

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iPhone manufacturer Foxconn has posted a $5.3 billion bid to buy Sharp, the Japanese display manufacturer who has faced financial difficulties in recent years. iPhone displays are currently manufactured by Sharp, Samsung and LG and assembled at Foxconn’s plant. A successful Sharp purchase puts Foxconn in the position to make iPhone display components, going beyond assembly.

Another possibility is that Foxconn will start producing its own branded electronics products, although competition with Apple is unlikely given their relationship. Foxconn is certainly being aggressive with its offer.

Foxconn has promised to retain current Sharp management, in an effort to woo skeptics of foreign takeover. It is also willing to take on Sharp’s debts to secure the deal. Outlook for iPhone is unclear however, as rumors continue to suggest Apple will adopt OLED screen technology in the next couple of years. Apple is not expected to use OLED in the iPhone 7, with most rumors pointing to 2017 and 2018 time periods. The capacity for Sharp to make OLED panels is unknown.

Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: displays, Foxconn, Sharp

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