Keeping your brand new iPhone in pristine condition from day 1 to day 365 is easily the best way to ensure it holds the most value when it comes time to resell it, and Lifeproof’s popular FRĒ WaterProof series for iPhones is known to successfully protect your shiny new hardware from the elements.

And typically cases made for iPhone designs introduced in even years (2008, 2010, 2012) continue to work without exception on new models introduced in odd years (iPhone 3G to 3GS, iPhone 4 to 4S, iPhone 5 to 5s), but the stronger aluminum body and pressure sensitive touch display used on this year’s iPhone models means some close fit cases for iPhone 6 won’t be compatible with iPhone 6s.

That’s the case with the very precise FRĒ WaterProof case. To remedy the iPhone 6 version’s incompatibility on this year’s iPhone models, Lifeproof has redesigned its FRĒ WaterProof series with new dimensions that fit both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s.

Available for pre-order from $79.95 and shipping at the start of November, the updated FRĒ WaterProof iPhone 6/6s case is sold in 6 color combinations and still resistant to intrusion from water, dirt, snow, and drops. Notably, the FRĒ WaterProof iPhone 6s case is also fully compatible with the faster Touch ID sensor as well as 3D Touch.

Most users won’t recognize the tiny differences in dimensions between each version, but be sure to opt for the new version if you have or plan on using the s-series iPhone 6. Last year’s model (check out our review here) can be had from $60.33 on Amazon, but note that it will not work with the newest iPhones.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, LifeProof, waterproof

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From 9to5Google:

Synaptics has today announced the ClearPad 3700 force-sensing touchscreen controller, which the company hopes will be packed inside many a 2016 flagship Android smartphone. This comes just about a month after Apple’s September 9th event, at which the Cupertino company announced the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, both packing “3D Touch” as a headline feature…

Apple is a follower in some areas (large-screened phones being just one example), but as I mentioned last month, this technology is not one of those cases. While the Huawei Mate S was announced just barely before the iPhones 6s, it’s not likely to be until next year that most Android OEMs get on board with pressure-sensitive screens, something Synaptics says “will soon become the norm.”

Kevin Barber, the senior vice president of Synaptics’ Smart Display Division, had this to say:

This exciting next step in human interface for smartphones will soon become the norm and highlights Synaptics’ leadership in force. Early adopters of ClearForce include industry leading OEMs and LCMs seeking advanced technology that drives an enhanced and more productive user experienced.

And considering that to be the case, Synaptics’ third-generation force-sensing solution hopes to capture at least some part of the market for hardware that powers these features in next year’s Android phones. The tech will enable variable speed scrolling, new ways to zoom and pan over pictures, new contextual menus, and other features, according to Synaptics.

All of this is old news at this point for those who own an iPhone 6s, but it seems clear that there is true value to the capabilities that pressure-sensitive display panels bring. Only time will tell how Android OEMs implement the tech in their own handsets, and it will surely be interesting to see if Google implements official support in the next major version of Android.

Filed under: iOS, iOS Devices Tagged: 3D Touch, 9to5Google, Android, force touch, Google, Smartphone

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With September’s iPhone release in the rearview and the iPad Pro set for an early November launch, Apple is ready to add some new Mac hardware into its fall product line. Apple is currently planning to announce new 21.5-inch iMacs with 4K screens next week, according to multiple reliable sources. While the new computers are likely ready to begin showing up in stores as soon as Tuesday, October 13th, Apple will ramp up larger quantities for November, according to the sources, so finding one early on may be a slight challenge.

The new 4K iMacs will physically look like the current non-4K version, so the highlights of the upgrade will be the new 4096 x 2304 screen and much faster graphics cards. The machines will also likely come pre-loaded with El Capitan. As with the 5K iMac’s launch last year, the new 4K versions will come in at slightly higher price points than the non-4K variants. Apple has also been working on a new Magic Mouse 2 with Force Touch integration and a new Bluetooth Keyboard with improved battery life, but it is currently unclear if those accessories are ready to launch alongside the new Mac.

Filed under: AAPL Company

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The Rock Jaw Alfa Genus V2 headphones ($49.90) are not especially meant as a replacement for EarPods, but that’s how I see them. Apple’s bundled EarPods have a lot of positives. They are ‘cheap’, lightweight and small. You can chuck them in a bag or pocket without worrying too much. This is in stark contrast to Beats on-ear and over-ear headphones, for example, which are expensive, bulky and heavy. However, EarPods leave much to be desired in regard to sound quality.

It turns out the Rock Jaw Alfa’s fill this gap nicely. They have the same portability as EarPods but with a focus on also providing great sound to listen to. They aren’t perfect but they are pretty great value earbuds. Read on for our full review …

Let’s get this out of the way. The reason high-end headphones tend towards the over-the-ear can design is because bigger drivers will always produce better sound. However, they have huge downsides in weight and size. Cans are clunky and if you start getting into noise-cancelling ones, they have to be independently charged. The Rock Jaws strike a balance between good sound, price, portability and convenience. If you want the best sound possible, do not buy the Rock Jaws and look at headphones in the hundreds of dollars range.

That being said, the Rock Jaws do have impressive audio quality way beyond their price class. The high range is particularly impressive. There is a night and day difference between the Rock Jaws and EarPods. I’m not a music buff but I appreciate the better sound for podcast host voices and gaming. The best bit about these headphones is that you can actually swap out the filters, each offering a different sound.

Included in the box is three different tuning filters; white ‘bass’, gold ‘natural’ and black ‘treble’. They live up to their names. You can hear distinctly different noises with each of the respective filters. The bass filters really do enhance the bass with a nice deep ‘rumbling’. These levels are nowhere to be seen (heard?) when using EarPods. The mid-range sound is lost somewhat though but luckily you can always replace the Bass filter with either of the other two. The black ‘treble’ filters are good at treble but lose out in other areas — often resulting in a tinny sound. I’m sure these are specialised for a certain use case but they didn’t work for me. Still, high praise for two out of three options (given most headphones offer no choice at all) is really good.

I like the neutral filter which is great for vocal-heavy podcasts and TV shows. I think most people will pick these. Matching the moniker, these are the most balanced of all three and will work well for any type of content. As I explain below, you don’t really want to be swapping these out that often so the versatility of the neutral filter is appreciated.

On raw volume terms, the Rock Jaws max out far higher than EarPods do. I like listening to music at a relatively quiet level, so I turn my iPhone volume below 30% when using these to compensate for the loudness. If you prefer high volume, the Rock Jaws do not disappoint: there is no distortion even on 100%.

I think part of this comes down to the ‘strange’ elongated design of the earbud canisters. Strange as in unusual, not bad. The driver housing is aluminium, so it’s almost as light as plastic but with a much nicer feeling to the touch than plasticky EarPods. They are mostly black with silver accents so it fits in discreetly to your lifestyle. If you are looking for something more outspoken fashion-wise, consider the wide array of choices that put appearance before anything else. In regard to comfort, the Alfa’s feel nice in the ear but are prone to slipping out and coming loose if you don’t get a good fit.

The quality of the materials certainly reflects the quality of the overall build too. The earbuds cord is thicker than most standard headphones cables, which is reassuring. Unless you cut it with some scissors, this cable is not going to break. It does thin out a bit at the point where the cable splits into two, one for each ear, but even then it’s still good.

At the jack end, there’s a 90-degree ending which adds another level of sturdiness and strength. As this is normally where cables fail, due to strain unplugging and replugging, the Rock Jaws reinforce this part further with more plastic for additional protection. It isn’t bulky either, so it will comfortably plug into almost any iPhone or iPad case.  However, I’m very confident that these will outlive the average life of EarPods many times over.

One element of these earbuds that doesn’t feel as resilient is the interchangeable tuners. Swapping these out is a fiddly, manual affair. There’s a lot of screwing and twisting without audible clicks as confirmation that the pieces are firmly connected. You have to trust you’ve done it right and — in my experience at least — it’s easy to do it wrong. With fear of breaking them (which I don’t think is actually possible) I hesitantly placed the new filter on and replaced the plastic covers.

Half an hour later, I pull them out my ears and the pieces immediately scattered over the floor. Evidently, I hadn’t applied enough force. This may seem like user error but knowing when to stop isn’t clear — there’s no confirming ‘click’ or anything. In another instance, I overcompensated in the other direction and managed to get the tuning filter stuck inside the plastic. I had to use pliers to unstick them.

The option to swap out filters to suit your own music preferences is nice, but it seems like it is meant to be a one-time thing where you choose what you want and stick with it. I wouldn’t advise changing them regularly. The same is true for the three set of alternated plastic buds that come in the box. I ended up using the smaller size buds with the standard tuning filter that comes preinstalled.

The headphones do include a mic (and play/pause button on the left cord) but the sound quality of any recording is average. It’s good enough for an average Skype call and comparable to the EarPods mic.

Overall, these are really great value headphones, I’m a big fan. They offer high-quality audio at consumer-level price points. These are my new default go-to earbuds and they probably will continue to be for the foreseeable future until Apple starts shipping in-box headphones with substantially better sound.  You can buy the Rock Jaw Alfa Genus V2 headphones right now for $49.90.

Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices, Reviews, Tech Industry Tagged: Accessories, earbuds, EarPods, headphones, rock jaw, rock jaw alfa genus v2

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Apple has pushed out the fourth beta version of the iOS 9.1 mobile OS update. The software is designed to fix bugs that appeared in the public build of 9.1 and introduce a few new features, like a larger emoji set and an option to disable contact photos in the Messages app.

The most recent beta introduced four new wallpapers. The latest build is available to both developers and public beta testers.

A new build of tvOS has also been published for users on pre-release hardware.

Both operating systems can be downloaded from their respective over-the-air update screens or through the Apple Developer Center.

We’ll keep this post updated with any new changes we find.

Filed under: Apple TV, iOS Tagged: beta, iOS 9.1, tvOS

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Microsoft comparing its new Surface Book laptop/tablet combo with Apple’s MacBook Pro

At Microsoft’s event today it unveiled a huge array of ambitious and interesting tech which should be enough to make Apple stand up and take notice. The once-giant of the consumer electronics world has had to reinvent itself over the past couple of years, and judging from today’s event, it’s doing enough to get people interested again at the very least. At best, it could transform the way we see technology and computing.

Microsoft Band

Microsoft is going all-out on fitness monitoring tech with its newest Band. Apart from the obvious difference in form factor, the Microsoft Band is in every way a direct competitor to Apple Watch. The Band is redesigned to be a little more svelte than your typical fitness band, with a metallic frame around the display. It’s designed for people who work, but “also like to work out”. In other words, it can turn around your wrist.

Feature-wise, it’s very competitive. It has built-in GPS, UV monitoring, sleep and calorie tracking and smart notifications as well as the usual heart-rate monitor. What’s more, it has a barometer built in so that it can measure elevation and can even track your golf swing. If that wasn’t enough, it supports apps like Uber, RunKeeper, Starbucks, Subway and Twitter and also has Cortana integrated for voice-controlled actions. As fitness trackers go, it’s a true all-rounder, and Microsoft’s built a brand new health app to help you monitor all your activities with precision.

The latest Microsoft Band is cross-platform and compatible with Windows 10, iOS and Android, so you don’t even need to buy a Lumia to make use of it. If there’s a downside, it’s price. The Microsoft Band is available to pre-order from today for $249. Still, when compared to the prices Apple is charging for its own wearable with similar features, it’s pretty cheap.

Lumia 950 and 950 XL

These two new smartphones are Microsoft’s newest flagship phones and — spec wise — they may not be too much of a threat to the traditional champions of the smartphone market like the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. But, they do have a secret weapon which has the potential to complete change how some consumers do computing.

The 950 and 950 XL have 5.2-inch and 5.7-inch WQHD resolution OLED displays respectively. The larger of the two is powered by Snapdragons octa-core 810 chip, while the smaller uses the Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor. Both sport 20MP cameras with 4K video recording and OIS paired with a triple-LED RGB natural flash. They also both have 32GB inbuilt storage, and full USB Type-C support which will give the user a 50-percent charge in 30 minutes. They also both happen to be liquid-cooled. You read that right: A liquid-cooled smartphone. It’s not just fancy cooling for fancy cooling’s sake though, both the 950 and 950 XL support Continuum.

While Apple wants to keep OS X and iOS separate — relying instead on Continuity to move from platform to platform — Microsoft is building an OS that works on devices of any size and function. Continuum will essentially let Lumia 950 and 950 XL users turn their phones in to PCs by wirelessly connecting Bluetooth keyboards, mice and monitors. It even adapts the mobile in to one that looks and works like the fully-fledged Windows 10 for PC. To compliment the Conituum feature, Microsoft built a Display Dock which makes it super-easy to get the Lumia phones hooked up to an external monitor. The dock has three USB ports, one HDMI and one DisplayPort and charges the phone while it’s connected.

We’ve seen manufacturers try the mobile-to-PC conversion in the past. Motorola tried it with Android, but ultimately it failed to catch on. It’ll be interesting to see if Microsoft fairs any better. Windows 10 is a much more universal platform than Android was a few years ago when Motorola launched the Atrix 4G with the dock. To make Continuum work as well as Microsoft wants it to though, developers do need to make their apps compatible. What do you think: Is Microsoft’s or Apple’s the better approach here?

The Lumia 950 XL goes on sale next month for $649, while the Lumia 950 will cost $100 less.

HoloLens

While Apple is yet to step in to the world of head-worn virtual reality of any kind, Google launched both Glass and Cardboard. HTC and Samsung have both created VR solutions, and Microsoft is about to release HoloLens. Today, the company showed off its wearable holographic headset and wants to promote it as a business and entertainment tool. What makes it different to most VR solutions, however, is that it doesn’t need to be tethered to anything. It doesn’t require cables or even a remote PC connection to work.

The headset has been shown off by the company in the past, and resembles a very futuristic — albeit bulky — pair of sunglasses. You wouldn’t be surprised to see someone wearing these in a Sci-Fi movie. HoloLens uses its sensors to measure the space any user is in, and uses surfaces like walls and tables and project 3D images, videos and content on to them.

At its event today it showed off a game called ‘Project X-Ray’ which uses the device’s spatial mapping technology to simulate enemies jumping out from the walls of your living room. Apple is betting on the upcoming Apple TV 4 to fill this space. But it can be used for anything, from gaming to conference calling. The possibilities are only limited to what developers can imagine, or create. That is, if they’re willing to pay up the eye-watering amount required to get access to the HoleLens Developer Kit. From today, developers can apply for the privilege to cough up a cool $3,000 to get hold of the development edition.

Microsoft Surface Pro 4

With Apple having just unveiled the iPad Pro — with two Surface-inspired accessories: Apple Pen and Keyboard Case — there’s a clear feeling among tech manufacturers that the market needs big tablet/laptop crossovers. Truth is, however, that Microsoft’s been doing this for years with the Surface lineup. Today, Microsoft arguably announced the most compelling solutions so far.

At the very least, it’s released the product that iPad Pro is most directly competing with, although Microsoft used some stage time to take shots at the MacBook Air once again this year.

The Surface Pro 4 has a 12.3-inch “PixelSense” display, with a pixel density of 267ppi (5 million pixels on screen) and is coated by a ludicrously thin 0.4mm sheet of Gorilla Glass. It has a new G5 chipset designed by Microsoft and comes alongside a new Surface Pen which has 1,024 levels of pressure. This newly redesigned stylus also has a tail eraser and a full year of battery life. As a kicker, the pen can be stored magnetically on the Surface Pro 4. The new Surface Pen comes in silver, gold, red, blue, and black and the pen tips are interchangeable. Microsoft also took a swipe at Apple’s Pencil by suggesting that launching a pencil without a tail-end eraser was daft.

Specs include up to 1TB of storage and 16GB RAM, and Microsoft claims it’s 30 percent faster than the Surface Pro 3. Like other tablet-PC crossovers, the Surface Pro 4 comes with the option of a magnetically-attaching slim keyboard (in colors to match the Surface Pen). It has a bigger trackpad than previous versions, and keyboard is backlit. Prices start from $899 when the product goes on sale at the end of this month.

Surface Book

Apple has its MacBook Pro, and now Microsoft has made its very first laptop, the Surface Book which Microsoft says is better than a MacBook Pro. And it’s a little weird. The hinge looks more like links on a watch strap than a traditional notebook hinge. If Apple thought it could take on the Surface Pro with its iPad Pro, Microsoft clearly thinks it can take on the powerhouse laptops built in Cupertino.

Like the Surface Pro 4, the Surface Book has a 267PPI PixelSense touch sensitive display, but over 13.5-inches rather than 12.3-inches. It’s also bonded to the glass to make the content look like it’s on the surface of the display, rather than behind it. It has a backlit keyboard with 1.6mm travel, which Microsoft claims is “perfect” and is almost silent when used. Unlike a MacBook Pro, the screen can be detached from the keyboard. The laptop/tablet is built from machined magnesium, has a 12-hour battery life and a large, precise glass trackpad with support for 5-point multi-touch.

Inside, the Surface Book uses the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, and an NVIDIA GeForce GPU with GDDR5 memory. All these internal components make the Surface Book “the fastest 12-inch laptop ever made anywhere on the planet”, according to the company who made it. It’ll be on sale on October 26 with prices from $1,499.

Does anything Microsoft announced today grab your attention, or should Apple pay attention and learn from anything Microsoft is doing here? Let us know what you think.

Filed under: Apple Watch, iOS Devices, Mac, Tech Industry Tagged: Continuum, hololens, iOS, iPad Pro, Microsoft, PC, Surface Book, Surface Pro 4, Windows 10

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Tweetbot for Mac has been updated with several new features and fixes that bring parity with the recently-released update for its iOS counterpart. A few additional Mac-specific tweaks have been made to provide a better tweeting experience.

First off, the all-new Activity view has been added to the Mac client. Like in the iOS version, you’ll find all of the recent favorites, retweets, and other interactions you’ve received in this tab. Quoted tweets also show in the mentions tab to help improve conversation flow.

Support for in-app viewing of videos from Twitter, Instagram, and Vine has been added, and Twitter’s native video hosting service has been added as an upload option. Images now appear in direct message threads, and the image viewer supports pinch-to-zoom. Another popular gesture, swiping back in profiles views, is also supported.

A few extra functional changes have been made for added convenience. Searching for other users when composing a tweet will now show better, more accurate results. The tweet detail view allows you to select text, and the “retweets” button on that view will now pull up a list of everyone who retweeted a specific post. Finally, a “scroll to last read” option in the View menu will let you quickly jump back to your previous position if you’ve scrolled away from it.

As usual, bugs have been squashed and performance improvements have been made. You can download Tweetbot 2.1 as a free update from the Mac App Store. New buyers will need to pay $12.99.

What’s New in Version 2.1

– New Activity View.

– Quoted tweets now show up in mentions.

– Play Twitter, Instagram, and Vine video within the app.

– Pinch to zoom images or resize the image view window.

– Support for uploading Twitter hosted videos.

– Retweets button in the status detail now shows who retweeted.

– Swipe-back gesture now works in the profile view.

– People search popover has been simplified and should return more relevant results.

– Direct message images are now displayed.

– Added “View > Scroll To Last Read” to easily return to last read tweet.

– Fixed the issue where you weren’t able to see all list members.

– Fixed the issue where you wouldn’t see “Subscribed Lists” in the timeline list picker or column button in bottom left of main window.

– Fixed the issue where you could keep clicking on media and get many loading views.

– Fixed the issues with the selected tweet not being fully visible while navigating using the up/down arrow or page up/down keys.

– If the search field is visible in a column titlebar and you press “esc” when search field not active it will now be dismissed.

– When viewing a status detail view, you can select words, control-click, and look up the word in the dictionary.

– Improved memory management.

– Many minor bug fixes.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: Tweetbot

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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: Pantum Wireless Mono Laser Printer $25, EnerPlex Solar Case for iPhone 5/5s $15, more

USB Power Deals: KMASHI 15,000mAh USB $14 (Reg. $20), Aukey 2A Wall Charger $8 (Reg. $16), more

PS4 Destiny Taken King Limited Edition Bundle $350, Xbox One Gears of War bundle + 40″ HDTV $470 w/ .EDU, more

13″ Retina MacBook Pro 2.7GHz/8GB/128GB (MF839LL/A): $1,080 shipped (Reg. $1,299)

13″ MacBook Air 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (MJVE2LL/A): $800 shipped (Reg. $999)

Roku’s new streaming media player supports 4K and finds your remote control for you

Giveaway: Trinity Delta aluminum earbuds feature a unique design and top-notch sound ($135 value), 20% discount

More new gear from today:

Games/Apps: Launch Center Pro $3 (Reg. $5), Sony PS4 DualShock 4 Wireless Controller $40 (Reg. $60), iOS freebies, more

• Beyerdynamic A200p Portable DAC Headphone Amp for iPhone/Android $160 shipped (Reg. $200)
• Bluetooth Speakers w/ Prime Shipping: OontZ Splashproof $25 (Reg. $35), Aukey $13 (Reg. $20)

More deals still alive:

Philips hue Lux LED Starter Kit $60 shipped (Orig. $80), 750-Lumen 9W LED Light Bulb $15 (Orig. $35)

JayBird BlueBuds X Sport Bluetooth Sweat Proof Headphones $90 shipped (Reg. $130), more

• Add Bluetooth/mic to any Aux speaker or headphones for $10 Prime shipped
• TiVO Roamio OTA HD DVR w/ Lifetime service for a one-time $300 fee
• VIZIO 49-inch 120Hz M-Series LED Smart 4K Ultra HDTV: $580 shipped (Reg. $720)
• Logitech Harmony Touch 15-Device Universal Remote: $100 shipped (Reg. $140)
• Apple iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi: 16GB $380 shipped (Reg. $499), 64GB $490 shipped (Reg. $599)
• The Executive for iOS goes free for the first time as IGN’s Game of the Month ($5 value)
• Get a no-contract iPhone 6s from Boost Mobile for just $450 shipped (Orig. $649)
• Media: Blu-ray & DVDs from $3 –Taken 2, RoboCop & others, Jurassic World pre-order, more
• TP-LINK DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem $50, TP-LINK AC Gigabit Router $40, more
• GoPro HERO4 Session Action Camera: $249 shipped (Reg. $299)
• M-Audio Vocal Recording Bundle: USB Condenser mic w/ stand, more $79 shipped (Reg. $100)
• Garmin nüvi 6-inch GPS w/ Bluetooth (Refurb) $140 shipped (Orig. $270)
• Lenmar MAVEN iPhone 6 MFi 3,000mAh Battery Case $29 shipped (Orig. $100), more
• App Store Gorgeous Games for $1 Sale: Tengami, Superbrothers, KAMI, Icebreaker, Out There, more
• App Store Free App of the Week: Combo Quest RPG goes free for the first time ($1 value)
• UE ROLL 360 Bluetooth Speaker (all colors): $90 shipped (Reg. $100)
• Jawbone BIG JAMBOX Bluetooth Speaker (dented box) $120 shipped (Reg. $180)
• Freebies: Kindle Edition Kids books + Google Play music sampler + Monument Valley for Android + More!
• Kindle First Books for Oct: Infinity Lost, The Mentor, The Concealed, This Is the Night, more
• D-Link DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem: $59 shipped (Reg. $73)
• Free Xbox Live Gold Games for October: Valiant Hearts, The Walking Dead, more
• Free PS Plus Games for October: Super Meat Boy, Broken Age, Kickbeat, more
• iStumbler for $12.49 (50% off)
• Learn to hack a Raspberry Pi: $115 (Orig. $804, CA Tax Only)
• First Generation Lytro 16GB Digital Camera $80 (Orig. $199)
• Loot Crate: 3-Month Subscription: $49 Shipped (Orig. $58, CA Tax Only)

32-inch TCL HDTV with built-in Roku: $180 shipped from Amazon http://ift.tt/1L4KbNv http://t.co/ikwXoIP2Tf

—
9to5Toys (@9to5toys) October 05, 2015

New products & more:

Mattel’s retro-rebooted $30 VR View-Master is now available for iOS and Android

Review: Rock Band 4 makes an old favorite come alive with refreshed gameplay, new songs & updated hardware

• Robo Wunderkind uses iOS connectivity and LEGO-like blocks to teach coding
• The Sondors eBike is loaded with features and surprisingly affordable
• EA’s new free-to-play Need for Speed No Limits is now available on iOS and Android
• These Bluetooth earbuds use your iPhone’s Lightning port to charge
• BRO Ball combines Bluetooth audio and pigskin for the ultimate tailgate companion
• TiVo makes the DVR sexy with 4K content, AirPlay and one-click commercial skipping
• Bose’s latest connected speaker lowers the entry price into the SoundTouch family
• Keurig’s new KOLD brewer lets you make Coca-Cola at home but it’s going to cost you
• Amazon snags exclusive streaming rights for Back to The Future trilogy

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 4K UHDTV, 9to5Toys, Amazon Prime, apple deals, coupon codes, Daily Deals, Deals, eBay Daily Deals, Fashion, free shipping, Freebies, Gold Box, homes, KMASHI, Laser Printer, Lunch Break, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, playstation 4, PS4, Roku 4, TiVo, video games, vizio, wireless printer

For more information about Tips and Tricks, 9to5Toys, and Daily Deals continue reading at 9to5Mac.

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Following the official release of the Apple Watch Hermès yesterday, unboxing videos are beginning to appear online, showing the premium Watch version’s custom packaging and watch faces. This YouTube video depicts the Single Tour model, and shows some of the customizations unique to the Hermès watches, including:

• A special orange cardboard box outside the standard white plastic Apple Watch box, with a matching orange post-purchase carrying bag.
• A Hermès embossing on the microfiber lining of the plastic Apple Watch inner box.
• Hermès-branded papers, including both instructions and their cardboard sheathe.
• The Watch itself, with the premium leather Single Tour band attached.
• An orange-accented pairing pattern for the iPhone’s Apple Watch app.
• Customizable Hermès watch faces, including optional complications and the ability to reduce the hour numbers on the display.

Apple Watch Hermès ranges from $1100 to $1500 and is available now in select Apple and Hermès stores.

Video credit: Grate

Filed under: Apple Watch Tagged: Apple watch, Apple Watch Hermès, unboxing, video

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Cookies have a bad rap, with assorted non-techies describing them as ‘tracking your web activities,’ as if they somehow enabled someone to sit and watch what you do. The reality, of course, is that the most they can ever do in the way of tracking is note that you saw an ad on one website and later visited the online store to buy the product. Mostly what cookies do is simply recognize who we are when we return to a website – and they are easy to block if we really want to.

But the mainstream media got carried away, politicians got involved and it became law in Europe that any website using cookies had to inform visitors with a message that had to be actively dismissed. Most U.S. sites erred on the side of caution by following suit, subjecting almost all of us to pointless and annoying notices.

Cookie Cookie is an iOS app that does one thing and one thing only: does its level best to hide all cookie notices. You’ll only ever need to interact with it once. Open the app, then go into Settings > Safari > Content Blockers to allow it to run – and you’re done.

It can’t work perfectly, as there is no 100% reliable method for detecting cookies, so the app searches for them by name. More precisely, it uses CSS queries to look for HTML elements containing the most commonly-used names: cookie-notice, cPolicy, cconsent and so on. When it finds one of these, it hides the HTML element. The result is a web largely free from annoying messages you have to dismiss to get on with your day. In a few days of using it, I’ve found it blocked almost all of them.

So long as the app is open in the background, it will sit there silently doing its job on both iPhone and iPad. Cookie Cookie costs $0.99 from iTunes, but we have a few giveaway codes you can use – when you use one, please paste the code you used into comments afterwards so people can see it’s gone.

NFMEAW37TJLX
TH34PPJTE6WA
T37R3MXYFNNA
KYYYRYNJ9PNW
HL4RJE6RN6HA
HRLW9A3LR3T4
3M4T3KE6L9FA
HPLYJPFPH69M
PH9T7TE6JLMN

Filed under: Apps, Reviews Tagged: Cookie blockers, Cookie notices, cookies, iOS content blockers

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