011: New HomePod details, Apple’s top investigator departs, DJI Mavic Air leak | 9to5Mac Daily
Today we’ve got new details on Apple’s upcoming HomePod smart speaker, Apple’s Director of Worldwide Investigations leaving the company for Facebook, Apple supporting the Malala Fund, and DroneDJ’s scoop on the upcoming DJI Mavic Air.
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Apple creates activity rings-themed watch band for second internal wellness challenge
Apple is kicking off its second-ever internal activity challenge company wide next month, and this year the competition includes a new prize. Employees who finish the challenge with gold will earn a special nylon Apple Watch band themed after the activity rings that isn’t sold in stores.
Feature Request: How Activity Sharing for Apple Watch could improve
Apple Watch Activity Sharing is a great way to share your fitness progress with friends and stay motivated. The feature lets you easily share completed workouts, achievements, and more with your Apple Watch friends.
Activity Sharing has its limitations, however, and I’m hoping watchOS 5 and iOS 12 can address them with a few changes.
T-Mobile tops OpenSignal network tests as AT&T launches new range extender
This morning OpenSignal has published its annual report on the four major U.S. carriers. In 2017, the two largest U.S carriers, AT&T and Verizon, unleashed their unlimited data plans, which means all four major carriers now offer an unlimited data plan in some form. But the major two networks are seeing some challenges.
Apple’s top leak investigator departs for Facebook, Jessica Kirscheraun fills position
Apple’s top investigator Lee Freedman has departed the company for a new role at Facebook. Freedman previously served as the Director of Worldwide Investigations at Apple.
iTunes mishap allowed some users to snatch ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ a month early
The iTunes page for ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ says that the film will be available on 20 February. However, due to a mishap, a small amount of users were able to snatch the film nearly a month early, according to TorrentFreak.
‘Apple Music for Artists’ debuts as a new analytics dashboard for musicians
Apple has released a new dashboard specifically for musicians called Apple Music for Artists. The new dashboard has been created to give “deep analytical insight” about fans’ buying and listening habits.
HomePod settings interface, volume controls, more shown off in new images from internal testers
Leading up to the much-anticipated launch of HomePod, Apple’s first entry into the smart speaker space, many details about the device have continued to trickle out. Today, new images from employees testing the HomePod in France reveal how you’ll manage the speaker’s settings.
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Gboard for iOS adds built-in GIF creator tool featuring Motion Stills integration
Over the weekend, Google’s Gboard for iOS began rolling out a handy tool for creating GIFs right from the keyboard. Based on Motion Stills, users can create animations with a variety of effects, with quick access to them in the future.