Review: The Soundcast VG1 packs a lot of punch into a compact, waterproof speaker
Bluetooth speakers are so ubiquitous that, to be honest, my eyes have a tendency to glaze over at the mention of yet another one. The Soundcast VG1, however, caught my attention because its earlier – and more expensive – Melody speaker got rave reviews.
The VG1 looked, on paper, to be the holy grail of highly-portable outdoor speakers, claiming good sound quality, decent volume, long battery-life and true IP67 waterproofing at a relatively affordable $150. The question was: could it deliver in practice … ?
Filed under: Apple
Apple announces WWDC 2017: June 5th – 9th, held at San Jose McEnery Convention Center
Apple has announced it is holding WWDC 2017 from June 5th to June 9th, with a big change from previous years: the conference will be held in San Jose, at the McEnery Convention Center.
This marks a big shift in location but it seems the logistics of the conference will otherwise be the same. Tickets will go on sale ‘this spring’.
Filed under: Apple
Apple reportedly testing a new Apple TV with 4K output, may launch later this year
Apple is testing a new version of the Apple TV set-top box for release ‘as soon as this year’, according to Bloomberg. The box is apparently codenamed ‘J105’ and would be an incremental upgrade over the current fourth-generation box with new internals to support outputting at ultra-high definition 4K resolution.
The report also details many of Apple’s internal attempts to revolutionize the living room, which are yet to see the light of day. Bloomberg says Apple considered building an MFI game controller with the Apple TV, for example …
Filed under: Apple
Apple patents describe auto-detecting cracked screens and charging your Watch by winding it
If there’s one thing worse than damaging your iPhone or iPad by dropping it, it’s when that damage is a cracked screen. While you might be able to ignore a scuff to the casing, you’re going to see cracks in the screen every time you use the device.
Apple appears to be aiming to make screens more resistant to cracking by exploring a method of automatically detecting cracks, asking users to confirm them and then sending diagnostic data to the company to help it understand the type of impacts that cause them …
Filed under: Apple
Now Facebook allows you to find and apply for jobs in iOS app & on web
Facebook is rolling out a new Jobs feature that allows you to search for jobs and even apply for them within the app or website. To make the application process as quick and easy as possible, applications will be pre-populated with information from your Facebook profile – though you’ll be able to edit it before sending.
Filed under: Apple
Ticketmaster for iOS adds Apple Music integration for easily tracking upcoming concerts
Ticketmaster for iOS was today updated with Apple Music integration, allowing users to more easily find upcoming concerts based on what’s in their Apple Music library.
The update pushes the app 1.10.2 and makes it significantly easier to quickly know when an artist you love is touring.
Filed under: Apple
Latest Gartner data shows Apple edge out Samsung in market share during Q4 2016
Gartner today is out with its latest report concerning the smartphone industry during the fourth quarter of 2016. According to the data, global sales of smartphones to users totaled 432 million units during the quarter, an increase of 7 percent compared to the year before.
Perhaps most notably, Q4 2016 saw Apple leapfrog Samsung to become the number 1 global smartphone vendor….
Filed under: Apple
KGI: iPhone 8 to feature new ‘function area’ in place of Touch ID, 5.15-inch usable screen space
According to a new investor note from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8 will adopt a new “function area” at the bottom the display. This feature is possible due to the near bezel-less design of the iPhone 8 and subsequent bump in screen size to 5.8-inch.
Filed under: Apple
How to remove duplicate songs in iTunes with macOS and third-party apps
As it becomes more common to use a subscription music service like Apple Music or Spotify, song duplicates are less and less of an issue. However, many of us still maintain a music library that consists of content from various sources and still have to wrestle with the issue from time to time. Let’s take a look at a few free options and a couple paid apps that can help…
Filed under: Apple
Just how expensive is a HomeKit house? Here’s my estimation
Smart home accessories are priced at a premium over basic appliances which makes HomeKit an expensive hobby. Homebuilders are offering HomeKit accessory packages for new home buyers with a $4,000 starting price so that’s one ballpark estimate, but how much would it cost to retrofit your existing home with HomeKit hardware?
Filed under: Apple