Apple is rolling out a way to see if an app in the App Store also has an Apple TV version. From this morning, App Store listings have included ‘SF.UniversalAppleTV’ labels. If present, it means that the app in question also has a universal Apple TV app available in the tvOS App Store.

Evidently, the feature is not fully baked and is in the process of rolling out. The label is clearly an internal identifier not meant to seen by the public. When the feature is fully rolled out, expect it the left column to simply say ‘Apple TV’ which matches the language used for Apple Watch compatibility.

Apple has been slowly adding features for the tvOS app experience over time, adding Top Charts and additional Categories as the app library grew. Eddy Cue recently announced over 2000 tvOS apps are available. Apple also updated tvOS this week to version 9.1 with support for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV Remote app.

Check out our list of the best tvOS apps here.

Filed under: Apple TV, Apps, iOS Devices Tagged: App Store, Apple TV, iOS, tvOS, Universal

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Earlier this month I broke down all of the gifts you should get for the Apple lover in your life that loves entertainment. Items in that guide ranged from speakers to game controllers to headphones to TVs and more. In this guide, however, I’m going to breakdown some of my personal favorites on the market right now that I use everyday, as well as some items that are on my own wish list this year. These items are all gifts that any tech lover in your life would love to receive this holiday season…

The prices of items in this guide range from perfect for the those shopping on a budget to those wanting to spoil that special someone in their life with something a big more expensive…

Sonos Play:5

As a huge music fan, the idea of being able to set up a house-wide wireless system for playing music is incredibly appealing. Sure, you can use things like an AirPort Express to make a standard speaker wireless, but there’s no way to play through multiple AirPort Express speakers at once from iOS (only from iTunes). Sonos, however, allows you to create a completely wireless full-home set up, albeit it for a steep price.

Zac took an in-depth look at the Sonos Play:5 earlier this month and praised the sound quality and ease of use that the platform offers. At $499 a unit, however, setting up a full-home system adds up quickly. You can however, pair the the more affordable Play:1 ($199) and Play:3 ($299) with the Play:5 for a multi-room setup. Or, if you went surely with the Play:1 models, you could get a three-room setup for $600, although it would be less powerful than a setup with the Play:3 or Play:5 models.

As for Apple Music support, it launches in beta for Sonos users on December 15th with a public rollout sometime in 2015. You may have to wait a little while before you can stream Apple Music to your Sonos, but having a whole-home wireless setup makes it worth it.

“Hoverboard”

Image via @EBTDBoards

One of the biggest crazes of 2015 has been the release a variety of electric “hoverboards.” While these aren’t the hoverboards that Back to the Future told us we would see by 2015, they’re pretty cool nonetheless. A variety of different models exist across various price points. Some have features like built-in speakers, allowing you to connect your phone and play music through the board itself.

On Amazon, a model with Bluetooth runs $449.99. You’ll get a max speed of around 10mph and battery life of 10 to 15 miles depending on your weight and riding speed. A model without Bluetooth on Amazon runs $388.88 with delivery by Christmas. This model features a max speed of 8mph and a distance of 9.5 miles on single charge.

These boards are definitely pricey investments, but make no mistake, they are incredibly fun to ride. It seems trivial at first, but once you actually ride one, you realize how fun it can be. I was insanely skeptical before I tried one myself, but now I think they’re well worth the money if you’re looking for fun.

Eltrochome Archer Vinyl Record Player

Vinyl has made an odd comeback over recent years. Many modern acts are still releasing their music on vinyl and affordable record players have become an insanely popular holiday gift. Personally, I have the Electrohome Archer Vinyl record player ($99.99). It features a beautiful gray and black design inspired by models released in the 1960s. It can play 7, 10, and 12-inch records at 331/3, 45, and 78 RPM.

The Electrohome player features a nice combination of the classic record player technology with some modern features, as well. There’s a USB port for playing MP3s, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack for connecting your iPhone or iPad or a pair of headphones.

If you’re buying someone a record player this holiday season, you might as well throw in a few records too.  You can’t go wrong with the classic Abbey Road album by The Beatles ($18.96 on vinyl). Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd ($27.99 on vinyl) is one of the best albums of all time, especially on vinyl. As for more modern artists, Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness by Andrew McMahon ($16.99 on vinyl) is a beautiful album. You also can’t go wrong with A Head Full Of Dreams by Coldplay ($32.38 on vinyl) or 25 by Adele ($22.99 on vinyl).

UDI Quadcopter

A piece of technology that really intrigues me are drones. It’s such a cool concept to be able to fly a drone with a camera above an area and receive recordings back. I’m not fully familiar with drones, but the UDI U818A ($109.99) seems like a popular option that would be a good way to get my feet wet in the drone category.

The UDI U818 offers 7-9 minutes of flight and remote distance of up to 30 meters. It features a camera, albeit rather low quality, as well as 360 eversion for doing cool flips and rolls, although I envision myself running it into a wall immediately after takeoff.

Higher-end drone options do exist, such as the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Elite ($302.99), but the UDI U818 seems like the best option for a beginner like me.

Desk Accessories

When I use my 12-inch MacBook on my desk, which I’ll admit is not incredibly often, I always put it on the Rain Design mStand360 ($53.89). This is an all-aluminum stand that really blends in great on a desk full of aluminum Apple gear. The stand is tilted forward, making it easy to see the display and has a swivel base, allowing you to rotate it a full 360 degrees.

The stand also has a hole in the back of it to allow for clean cable management, helping keep your desk even further clutter free. The aluminum build acts as a heat sink as well, preventing your MacBook from overheating. The mStand 360 is compatible with all recent MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models.

Another Mac accessory I love is the Sabrent 4 Port USB 3.0 Hub ($14.99). Made out of aluminum, this accessory also looks great with your aluminum Mac gear and goes well with the Mac mini since the USB ports on it are located on the back of the computer, making them hard to access.

For docking my iPhone 6s Plus, I love the HiRise Deluxe in black ($59.99). It’s pricey but it is built really nice and you can tell that it’s worth the price. I don’t usually dock my iPad Pro at my desk, but rather use this Anker stand ($9.99). With an aluminum look, it again blends in nicely with the other Apple gear on my desk. Finally, keeping with the aluminum look trend, I use the Spigen Apple Watch stand ($15.99) for docking and charging my Apple Watch.

iPad Pro Accessories

So far, I’ve only invested in a few iPad Pro accessories. For my case of choice, I switch between the Logitech CREATE ($79.99) and official Apple Smart Case, both of which are decent options. Personally, however, I don’t like using any case with iPad Pro. In my opinion, putting a case on it makes it slightly too heavy for relaxing use. Instead, I’m a fan of the Joli leather sleeve, which I reviewed in detail here.

Another practical case option, which Jeremy reviewed here, is the Urban Armor Gear’s new Composite Case for iPad Pro ($80). The Composite Case includes an aluminum, 3-angle stand for video viewing and typing, plus an Apple Pencil holder.

I’ve yet to get my hands on an Apple Pencil, but it’s at the top of my wish list this holiday season. Zac was lucky enough to get one around launch and praised it. I really think it will make the iPad Pro stand apart from the competition and be a differentiator from the iPad Air 2.

iPhone Accessories

Zac did an excellent job of breaking down a handful of accessories that unlock the full potential of the iPhone. He mentioned things like the Phillips Hue Starter Kit ($229.99) and the iHome Control SmartPlug ($36.76), which allows you to turn on and off home appliances using Siri, the app, and automation. The latter of the two really intrigues me personally. It seems like a great way to introduce yourself or a loved one to the potential of HomeKit. It’s definitely something that’s near the top of my wish list.

As far as iPhone cases go, my personal favorite is the official Apple Leather Case ($49). I feel like it offers the best combination of protection and maintaining of the iPhone’s sleek design. Another option, however, for more extreme users is the LifeProof Fre ($79.55), which is water, snow, dust, and shock proof. It can really help protect that hefty investment you made when purchasing your iPhone.

For headphones, my personal favorites are the Beats Studio Wireless ($249.95). I have them in the titanium color option, which really matches the space gray color of my iPad, iPhone, and MacBook. Another option for when you don’t feel like using over-the-ear headphones are the urBeats Earbuds ($89.90), although the JayBird BlueBuds X ($134.49) are another great pair of earbuds and are wireless, as well.

I’m also a huge fan of Apple’s CarPlay system. I got the Pioneer AppRadio 4 ($489.99) installed in my car and could not be happier with it. CarPlay is certainly in its early stages of development, but as time progresses and it becomes more prevalent, it will definiltey improve. The AppRadio 4 is my personal favorite headunit for CarPlay because of its reasonable price and capcitive touchscreen. One thing I noticed in shopping for a headunit was the number of screens that still use resistive touchscreens. Going from a capacitive touchscreen device (like your iPhone) to a resistive touchscreen is not something I would recommend in the slightest.

Apple Watch Accessories

While my Apple Watch isn’t my most used Apple device, there are still some third-party accessories that greatly improve the device. My personal favorite band for the Apple Watch is the Pad&Quill Classic Band in the Whiskey color option ($99.95). The leather Pad&Quill uses is far superior to the leather Apple uses in its own Apple Watch bands. My Pad&Quill band gets the most compliments of any band I wear, followed by Apple’s Milanese Loop ($149).

A variety of affordable watch bands are available, as well, although the quality may very depending on the manufacturer. It’s important to keep in mind that you get what you pay for, so don’t expect a $50 steel band to compare to Apple’s $500 steel band. Nevertheless, the Jelly Comb Stainless Steel Band ($34.99) is a popular alternative to Apple’s steel offering.

Another popular gift you could give an Apple Watch lover is getting their Watch plated in gold. WatchPlate is one of the more popular offerings for doing this. It will plate an Apple Watch in yellow gold or rose gold for $349. Read Zac’s experience on the process here.

Wrap Up

The holiday shopping season is quickly wrapping up, so be sure to check out our other gift guides for more picks in iPhone, iPad, Mac, photography, entertainment, audio, hot tech, stocking stuffers, and HomeKit, as well as Benjamin’s personal guide.

Filed under: Buying Guides Tagged: Beats, buying guide, Holiday Gift Guide, iPad, iPhone, Mac

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A few weeks ago Google unveiled a new space saver feature for its Photos app on Android, and this week the best feature 16GB iPhones and iPads could wish for is now available on iOS. Google Photos has also added Shared Albums across iOS, Android, and the web, which makes sending pictures and videos you capture to friends and family super easy.

Google Photos already lets you upload high-resolution versions of your personal photo library to the cloud at absolutely no cost, or full-resolution versions with 15GB of cloud storage or upgraded paid storage. And Google Photos lets you access your photo library through apps on Android, iOS, and the web without taking up all your local storage. But a new feature now available in the iOS version lets you actively tell Google Photos when you’re running low on storage or just want to free up some space by pressing a button that offloads the photos already uploaded to the cloud from your device and only keeping ones downloaded that still need to upload. The button is located within the settings section of the app.

Apple’s paid iCloud Photo Library similarly offers an option for optimizing free storage which is useful on devices of any capacity especially 16GB and 32GB models with large libraries, but Apple only gives away 5GB for free then requires 99¢ to $9.99 for 50GB to 1TB of cloud storage. Apple’s version also works automatically in the background, but this creates a more ambiguous experience as you could still have a large library taken up with local photos that only the system can decide to offload.

The latest version of Google Photos on iOS also includes a feature unveiled in September that was promised to roll out by the end of the year: Shared Albums. This feature allows you to invite friends and family to view and optionally contribute to albums you create in Google Photos. Shared Albums can be created right from collections you already create for yourself in Google Photos, and inviting people to join works across platforms including iOS, Android, and the web. Once an invited contact accepts your offer to join, you can even allow them to add their own shots to the Shared Album and new alerts let everyone know when new photos and videos are added.

Apple’s free iCloud Photo Sharing feature works similar by letting you and others share photos and videos between iOS devices and Macs, and albums can be viewed on the web as well, but Google Photos works across Android as well and integrates right with the standard album system.

Update to the latest version of Google Photos for iOS from the App Store to take advantage of the new space saver feature and Shared Albums. Shared Albums also came to Android and the web with the latest update this week.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: free, google+ photos, space saver

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AT&T is offering a buy one, get one free deal currently on many of its popular smartphones, and while it’s not listed likely due to Apple, we’ve learned that iPhone 6s is actually eligible.

You won’t find any mention of iPhones in AT&T’s advertising for the deal— in fact, it’s promoting the Samsung Galaxy S6 as the standout device for the deal— but we’ve confirmed with AT&T reps that iPhone 6s is also included and eligible for customers to include in the offer.

Not surprisingly, the deal will require AT&T Next, it’s monthly financing plan, and you’ll need to keep service with AT&T on the devices for at least 30 months to get the free device via bill credits that kick in after three months. The fine print:

“When you buy both on AT&T Next with qual. svc. (min. $70/mo.). Free after up to $650 in 30 monthly bill credits. (Credits start within 3 bills). Tax due at sale… Free device req’s new line on AT&T Next 24 with 30-mo. 0% APR agmt (up to $21.67/mo.). Pay up to $65.01 on free device before credits start. If svc. canceled on 1, that device balance (up to $950) is due. Activ./upgrade & other fees, monthly & other charges & restr. apply. Void in CT, RI & Miami-Dade.

But if you already plan on staying on AT&T Next for a while, and you’re looking to upgrade some iPhones or buy an iPhone 6s and an eligible Android device, the deal will get you two units at a price you’ll be hard-pressed to beat elsewhere.

And while it looks like you can’t take advantage of the deal online, we’ve been assured that you can indeed use it for the iPhone 6s if you call in over the phone or head to an AT&T store in person.

The deal will end December 31st, so you have a couple more weeks to take advantage of the BOGO offer.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: AT&T, BOGO, buy one get one, deal, free, iPhone, iPhone 6s, promo

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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:

App Store Free App of the Week: Cut the Rope 2 goes free for the first time ($1 value)

Mophie’s iPhone 6/s Juice Pack Air is smarter than Apple’s Smart Battery Case at $75 (Reg. $100)

Smart 4K 60Hz UHDTVs: Samsung 55-inch $700 (Reg. $900+), more

Best Buy’s latest Apple sale is your best chance to score iPad, Mac, & Watch deals before Christmas: iPad Air 2 $125 off, iPad Air $100 off, iPad mini 4 $100 off, much more!

Best Buy makes a splash with the lowest Apple Watch prices ever, deals start at just $249

$100 iTunes Physical Gift Card for $80 w/ free shipping (20% off)

Giveaway: SanDisk USB flash drives for iPhone, iPad, and Android mobile devices

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Home Designer 3D for iOS/Mac goes free for the first time, GOLD version $1 (Reg. up to $10)

• GoPro HERO4 Session Action Camera: $161 shipped (Reg. $200)
• HooToo’s Travel Router & 6,000mAh External Battery $23 (Reg. $37)
• Daily Deals: RAVPower Car Jump Starter $50, HP Printer w/ AirPrint $70, more
• Games/Apps: Fallout 4 $45, Xbox One bundle + 40″ Samsung HDTV $500, more
• Android users can grab a $5 Amazon credit by downloading one of these free apps
• Download Josh Groban’s latest album Stages for free ($11 value)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Save 25% on any book from Amazon — Humans of New York: Stories $12 Prime shipped (Reg. $16)

Affinity Photo is Apple’s Mac App of the Year, download it now for $40 (Reg. $50)

The Room puzzle-mystery game for iOS goes free for the first time in two years (Reg. $1), more

Algoriddim’s djay 2 for iPhone is now available for free (Reg. $3)

• iPad Air/2 Accessories: Kensington KeyFolio X3 Keyboard Case $30 (Orig. $60)
• USB Chargers: Lumsing 6,000mAh power bank + MFi Lightning Cable $15, more
• Home Recording: PreSonus AudioBox Studio bundle $150 shipped (Reg. $200+)
• Sports/Fitness: SKLZ Mini Basketball Hoop w/ Ball $15 (Reg. $25), more
• Portable 5200mAh battery w/2 charging ports: $7 Prime shipped
• ChugPlug adds 4 hours of battery life to your Macbook: $25 (Orig. $130)
• Mpow Grip Magic Air Vent iPhone 6/s Car Mount $5 Prime shipped
• SoundPEATS Sport Bluetooth Earbuds $17 shipped (Reg. $30), more
• Anker USB Power: 20,000mAh Dual-USB Battery $28 (Reg. $40), more
• Twelve South blowout: iPad mini leather case $25 Prime shipped (Reg. $70)
• iPad mini 2 Wi-Fi 32GB $269, iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi 128GB $600
• Home Recording: ATH-M40x headphones + Blue Yeti USB mic $130, more
• Sling Media Slingbox 350 (refurb) $55 shipped (Orig. $180)
• Star Wars LEGO Sets: Kylo Ren’s Shuttle $99 (Reg. $120), more
• Bluetooth Speakers: URGE SOUNDBRICK PLUS $17 (Reg. $30), more
• Apple’s latest freebie is Afterlight image editing app for iPhone and iPad ($1 value)
• GoPro HERO bundles starting at $140, cases from $10, headgear from $7, more
• PlayStation Now drops to $100/yr (55% off)
• Grab Nomad’s gorgeous aluminum Apple Watch Stand: $41 shipped (Reg. $60)
• iPhone 6 (refurb) and one year of unlimited talk/text: $550 shipped
• Amazon is giving away a year of unlimited cloud storage
• Fashion 50% off sales: The North Face, PUMA, Patagonia, more
• Free MP3 Christmas albums from Mariah Carey, Blake Shelton

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

De’Longhi launches new PrimaDonna Elite coffeemaker w/ iOS connectivity

Top 10 holiday movies you can stream right now on Netflix

Skip the holiday blues with these practical stocking stuffers

Justin’s Holiday Gift Guide: speakers, Lightning mics, storage, pocket synths & more to up your home recording set-up

• Pine64 aims to knock off Raspberry Pi with its low-price 4K-capable microcomputer
• Amazon names the best-selling books of 2015, snag one as a surefire holiday gift
• The future is (almost) here with Moley’s robotic kitchen
• The latest Omate smartwatch for iOS/Android hits Indiegogo w/ instant success
• Amazon launches New Kindle Fire HD 8 ‘Reader’s Edition’
• Razor details its new Hovertrax Smart Scooter ahead of release
• Anova Culinary updates its sous vide Precision Cooker w/ Wi-Fi
• Host a Christmas party that doesn’t suck with these rowdy adult board games

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, App of the Week, Apple watch, battery case, Best Buy, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, iPhone 6/s Juice Pack Air, Mophie, Samsung, UHDTV, video games

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Bloomberg has updated its Bloomberg Professional app for iOS with new iOS 9 optimizations including Split Screen mode and Picture-in-Picture support on the latest iPads. Bloomberg Professional is also optimized for the new 12.9″ iPad Pro display with native resolution to show more content on the screen, which the company says helps “deliver real-time data, comprehensive news, technical graphs, portfolio tracking and Instant Bloomberg (IB) to Bloomberg customers.”

Apple Pencil users can also take advantage of the new iPad Pro digital stylus with features that let you “annotate charts, notes and research documents and then share with individuals and teams through the message function MSG<GO>.”

The app requires a Bloomberg Anywhere account to access and unlock it, but includes a mobile version of Bloomberg’s terminal features for news rooms, investors, and other professionals, now at desktop-like size with the iPad Pro. Non-Bloomberg Anywhere subscribers can still use the free Bloomberg Business app for iPad.

Check out the full change log below:

What’s New in Version 2.1511.1
Multitasking (iOS 9 – iPad Only)
– Support for iOS 9 split view that allows multitasking between Bloomberg and other applications on the device
– The ability to have two Bloomberg functions running simultaneously within their own panel in the application. This can be done by:
* Touching and holding any item from the launcher menu
* Touching and holding a security row in a grid to open a detail view of that security

Message
– Synchronisation of your draft messages with terminal

Research
– Improvements to search, filtering and downloading of documents

Bloomberg Professional for iOS is available on the App Store.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: Bloomberg Anywhere, Bloomberg Professional, iPad Pro, Terminal

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Just barely in time for Christmas, Tesla updated its online store to add new apparel and accessories, including new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus leather cases/wallets.  If you have a Tesla enthusiast on your Christmas list, this might be your best last-minute shot for a holiday gift.

Like most luxury automakers, Tesla offers accessories made from automotive-grade leather leftover from making the interior of its vehicles, which is an interesting way for the manufacturer to promote its brand while reducing upholstery losses. The company rarely updates its collection since launching it last year with travel bags, gloves and purses – making the new iPhone cases the first significant addition to the ‘Tesla Design Collection’.

You can get a Tesla designed iPhone 6 or 6 Plus case for $45. For $5 more, Tesla can add 2 (or 3 for the 6 Plus) credit card slots stitched to the back of the case for a smartphone case/wallet amalgam.

Tesla says that its wallet-case option is RFID blocking, which can be reassuring if you see RFID skimming as a security risk.

Tesla also offers $100 touchscreen-friendly leather gloves to match your new iPhone case.

If you plan on matching those accessories with the ultimate Tesla product, the Model S, make sure to use Seth’s referral code to get a $1,000 discount on your purchase (valid until December 31).

Also, if you want more Tesla Motors and electric vehicle news, make sure to follow our sister-site Electrek on Twitter,Facebook or Google+ to get our latest articles.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: iPhone case, Tesla iphone case, tesla iphone leather wallet, Tesla Motors

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With the Mediterranean refugee crisis as much a hot-button issue in Europe as it is in the U.S., famous graffiti artist Banksy has used Steve Jobs as a subtle reminder of the benefits immigrants can offer to a country. Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant.

The artwork appears at a refugee camp in Calais, where many Syrian refugees are among those hoping to enter Banksy’s home country, the UK. The image depicts him carrying a bag with one hand and a Macintosh (sadly with very inaccurate proportions) in the other.

Earlier in the crisis, more than 15,000 people retweeted a photo posted by tech entrepreneur David Galbraith with the caption ‘A Syrian migrants’ child.’

A Syrian migrants' child. http://t.co/sjBxuInpEp

—
David Galbraith (@daveg) September 02, 2015

Back in September, Apple supported humanitarian aid efforts by making its own ‘substantial’ donation to relief agencies, inviting iTunes users to donate to the Red Cross, and by offering to match employee donations. Earlier this week, Tim Cook mentioned the refugee crisis in a speech to the RFK Center.

Banksy hits the jungle in Calais – with a reminder of the benefits of migration from Syria #SteveJobs #c4news https://t.co/WSMvKANQ0s

—
Krishnan Guru-Murthy (@krishgm) December 11, 2015

Filed under: General Tagged: Apple Inc, Banksy, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, iTunes, Refugee crisis, Refugees, Steve Jobs

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After years of featuring the same, arguably stale design, Apple has redesigned the Apple ID web portal with a friendlier, modern look.

The updated website now features product imagery including a girl wearing an Apple Watch Sport while using an iPhone and a MacBook can be seen with the logo illuminated in the background. The previous landing page featured app icons for iCloud, the App Store, iBooks, and other services that use Apple IDs, which were updated from iOS 6 to iOS 7 while the layout remained the same.

The new layout is definitely a shakeup from the prior version used for years too. The landing page looks like the same style as the rest of Apple.com which has recently seen its store unified with product pages. And when you log in, you can easily view and edit your primary address, birthday, and which emails you’re “reachable at” which is new language for alternative emails. Two-step verification is also located near the top, described as a way to “Add an extra layer of security to your account.”

Some users have noted that the redesign is also the first time it’s been possible to edit payment information, which previously required using iOS or iTunes on a Mac or PC. You can check out the new version at appleid.apple.com, and see the last landing page below:

Via Reddit

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple ID, Apple ID portal

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A memo from Mercedes-Benz USA to its dealer network has revealed the car company’s plans for supporting CarPlay. The memo was leaked to C450 AMG and contains a mix of good news and bad.

The good news is that it will be available for quite a range of models, starting from those produced this month, and will be automatically included at no extra cost for many models equipped with the company’s COMAND Navigation system. The bad news is that it will be an extra cost option for CLA, GLA and B-Class models; the necessary COMAND packages on other models aren’t cheap; and – very disappointingly – it won’t play nicely with COMAND.

The customer will not be able to use the Mercedes-Benz headunit functions at the same time as CarPlay. For example, use of the Spotify app cannot be done simultaneously with COMAND Navigation.

Details of the deals for the full range of supported models can be found below …

The initial apps supported will include Spotify, At Bat, Audible, Pandora, Stitcher, Rdio, Overcast, CBS Radio and iHeartRadio. See our running list of CarPlay apps here.

To access CarPlay, you’ll need to plug your iPhone into a specially-marked USB socket in the car.

The latest car to get CarPlay support just a few days ago was the Volvo XC90.

Via MR

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple Inc, CarPlay, iPhone, Mercedes, Mercedes CarPlay, Mercedes-Benz

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