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The Apple Watch was released 8 months ago and it has been met with a wide array of responses from users. The device presented a new dilemma for Apple. Instead of something like an iPhone, which while meant to be used daily, is not meant to necessarily be constantly sending you notifications, Apple Watch’s purpose is to keep you alert 24/7. As I’ve learned over the last 8 months, that has its own benefits and drawbacks.

Personally, I was never entirely sold on Apple Watch when it was announced. I wasn’t convinced that I wanted to be constantly notified of everything going on online. I was perfectly content with the idea of pulling out my iPhone when I wanted to be updated and leaving it in my pocket while trying to disconnect and enjoy those around me. Nevertheless, I ended up buying an Apple Watch on launch day and now that the aura of it being a shiny new product has worn off, I’ve come to realize that it hasn’t affected my life as significantly as Apple had hoped it would.

My original instinct of not wanting to be connected 24/7 was entirely true. I really am not a fan of receiving every notification as soon as it comes in. I use technology so often in my life that when I’m not working, I really like to disconnect and avoid Twitter and basically digital communication as a whole. This has led to me only wearing my Apple Watch a few days a week and for a device that is meant to be always attached to your wrist, I don’t think that’s what Apple intended for the use patterns of its customers to be.

I understand that I may be in the minority here. A lot of people probably love the idea of being always connected to the web and to never miss a notification, but I don’t. I’ve found that when I get too attached to technology, I get burnt out even more quickly than I do normally with technology.

While the issue goes deeper than the Apple Watch itself for me, there are things Apple could do to improve it and maybe convince me to wear it on a more regular basis. Primarily, it needs to be faster. It seems like every time I turn to my Watch to do something like check the weather or view reminders, I’m hit with the spinning loading wheel for far too long before the actual content itself appears.

One of the features Apple touted most for the Watch was Health. The idea of using the device to better yourself health-wise is a huge appeal for many users, myself included. I love using the device to track my steps and physical activity for the day, but there’s one issue. My physical activity of choice is playing basketball and the Apple Watch is not comfortable enough at all to wear while playing basketball in my experience. It’s simply too big. In Apple’s defense, there aren’t many wearables that are small enough to wear while playing basketball. But, then again, maybe I’m in the minority in thinking the Apple Watch isn’t meant for basketball.

This is a similar experience as to what Sarah experienced when she sent her Apple Watch off to get replaced. Sarah explained that while she likes her Apple Watch, it hasn’t significantly changed or altered her life. On the other hand, Ben started out as a smartwatch skeptic but has now been totally assimilated.

We reported earlier this month that Apple was planning a March event to unveil the Apple Watch 2. As we reported in June, Apple has been working on new camera, wireless, sleep tracking, and health sensor technologies for the device, but it’s unclear what exactly will make it into the second generation wearable.

The idea of already upgrading my $700 Apple Watch to a new model seems absurd to me at this point. I never thought the Watch would be something that needed to be refreshed every year. As of right now, I’m leaning towards either not upgrading or opting for the lower-end Sport variants over the stainless steel model I chose this year.

But, as always, your mileage may vary. Are you still wearing your Apple Watch everyday? If so, tell us why in the comments below. If not, what would make you change your opinion and become a more regular user?

Filed under: Apple Watch Tagged: Apple, Apple watch, Opinion, poll

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Every year during the holiday season Apple products top the wish lists of many consumers and end up being one of the top gifted items when it’s all said and done. Now, Yahoo-run analytics firm Flurry Insights has shared the gift giving trends for this holiday season, again showing that Apple devices were among the most popular items received this year.

Of all new devices activated during Christmas week Apple accounted for 49.1 percent of them. That’s down slightly from the 51.3 percent it was responsible for last year. Samsung devices accounted for 19.8 percent of new device activations, up from 17.7 percent in 2014. Samsung’s rise in sales, Flurry says, was driven by the Galaxy Grand Prime, Core Prime, and S6.

As far as device trends in general, phablets saw a huge surge in popularity this year. In 2014, phablets accounted for just 13 percent of Christmas week activations. This year, they accounted for 27 percent of activations, representing a 2x increase in sales. Small phones, with a screen size of 3.5-inches or less, accounted for just 1 percent of activations. Small tablets, such as the iPad mini, accounted for 9 percent of activations, down from 11 percent in 2014, showing that many are opting for phablets over small tablets. iPad Pro accounted for less than 1 percent of device activations.

Christmas Day was also a huge day for app downloads. Flurry says that compared to the average daily installs for the first three weeks of December, Christmas Day saw a 2.2x increase in app downloads across the board. When you consider all the new devices activated, it makes sense for there to be such a huge increase in app sales that day as well.

Apple always sees a surge in sales during the holiday season and this year appears to be no different, even with it being an iterative year in terms of iPhone upgrades for the company with the launch of the 6s and 6s Plus. Likewise, these trends also show how Apple somewhat cannibalizes sales of its own products, like the iPhone 6 Plus/6s Plus taking some sales of the iPad mini.

Let us know in the comments if you were gifted any Apple products this year!

Filed under: iOS, iOS Devices Tagged: Apple, Christmas, Gifts, holiday, iPad, iPhone

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OpenEmu, the free Mac OS X multi-platform retro video game emulator, has received a substantial upgrade that expands both the list of supported classic game systems, and automap support for popular game controllers. Released over Christmas, version 2.0.1 now allows Mac users to seamlessly play games from the following classic systems:

• Atari 5200, 7800 and Lynx
• Bandai WonderSwan
• Coleco ColecoVision
• GCE/Milton Bradley Vectrex
• Magnavox Odyssey2/Videopac+
• Mattel Intellivision
• NEC TurboGrafx-CD/PC Engine-CD + PC-FX
• Nintendo Famicom Disk System and Nintendo 64
• Sega SG-1000 and Sega CD
• Sony PlayStation and PSP

The new app also features a redesigned user interface, increased automap button support for controllers such as SteelSeries’ Stratus XL and Nimbus controllers, realtime gameplay rewinding, and more…

In addition to the aforementioned “new” systems, OpenEmu continues to support older systems such as the Atari VCS/2600, Game Boy, NES, Genesis, and Virtual Boy, plus MAME arcade games, Sega’s Saturn, and other platforms. Virtually every major 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit system is now supported, along with many popular handhelds, though there are some exceptions.

OpenEmu’s interface beautifully represents the individual systems it supports, while making playback of supported games as easy as dragging and dropping files atop its library window. Setting up Sony PlayStation Portable button mapping with an unsupported controller such as Hori’s HoriPad Ultimate was as easy as opening a Preferences menu and tapping each HoriPad button as OpenEmu spotlighted its original location on a virtual PSP.

Though the emulator’s performance will vary based on your specific Mac’s capabilities, quick test runs with classic titles such as Namco’s Pole Position (Vectrex), Bandai/Namco’s Tekken 6 (PSP), Nintendo’s Star Fox 64 (Nintendo 64) looked and sounded nearly perfect on even several-year-old iMacs. With a pretty good computer, you can expect to see full music, voice samples, and original frame rate 3D graphics for your classic games — assuming you have the legal right to play the ROM files on your Mac.

The legality of emulators — specifically, their use of ROM files that are ripped from original cartridges and optical discs — varies from country to country. To that end, OpenEMU 2 includes access to a collection of 80 homebrew games developed to push the capabilities of classic systems, including Halo for the Atari 2600, Pac Man 4K, and the SNES remake of Donkey Kong, “Classic Kong Complete.” It’s fantastic that the latest version of OpenEMU makes it so easy to access games and platforms that were abandoned long ago.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: OpenEMU

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Welcome to the latest edition of Jeremy’s 5, my latest quick roundup of 5 interesting little things I’ve been testing over the past week. These are all items that aren’t big enough for full articles, but are worth sharing with you anyway.

This week’s edition discusses the state of Apple TV gaming as we close out 2015, a tip on how to deal with a broken Touch ID sensor, and three apps: Kimoji, Badland 2, and Real Boxing 2 CREED…

1. Rethinking Apple’s 4th-Gen Apple TV. As 2015 draws to a close, I wanted to revisit an editorial I wrote back in October, “Apple’s fourth-gen Apple TV will be worth the $149 gamble.” The editorial’s bullish recommendation was that the new device was a safe long-term bet, though it would likely have a somewhat rocky launch:

[T]he next year will be a wild ride for early adopters, though I do think the first two or three months may be somewhat chaotic as developers rush to get their hastily-completed apps and games into the Apple TV App Store.

By contrast, my colleague Chance Miller was bearish, opining two weeks after the Apple TV’s release that the price and app quality made it a “risky upgrade from the prior model.” Chance recommended sticking with the older $69 version until apps improved and/or an Apple cable TV streaming service launched.

Although I use the new Apple TV every day, I’ve thought about Chance’s take quite a few times, because our Apple TV 4 is used mostly like our prior Apple TV 3: for playing videos. Ever since the Apple TV App Store opened, I’ve been actively hunting for “great” apps, but apart from new video channels — too many of which are locked behind cable subscriptions — I’ve found very few non-gaming downloads worth keeping on the device. Another way to put this is that if you’re not a gamer, the Apple TV 4 is certainly not a must-buy right now.

Games are a different story. As of today, there are a handful of compelling Apple TV games, including Geometry Wars 3, Oceanhorn, and Lumino City, while the accessory-required Guitar Hero Live is also remarkably popular. For better or worse, virtually all of them are ports of existing iPhone and iPad games. There are two huge positives to this: you can instantly pick up on your Apple TV where you left off on your smaller device, and your iOS purchase gives you immediate (free) access to the Apple TV version. But thus far, you have little incentive — apart from seeing games on a larger screen — to play heavily on the Apple TV itself, and unless you have a Bluetooth game controller, you probably won’t want to use the Siri Remote for gaming. It stinks.

My nightstand is currently loaded with Apple TV accessories: a Bluetooth game controller, a pair of wireless headphones for quiet listening, a headphone stand, and a charging dock that alternates between refueling my Siri Remote and iPhone. Right now, it’s comforting that all of these accessories can also be used with my iPad and iPhone. I remain optimistic that the Apple TV will soon be making equally good use of them, as well.

2. Has Your Touch ID Sensor Failed? Don’t Use iTunes To Update iOS! I’ve been pretty lucky with iPhones over the years — partial or complete hardware failures have thankfully been rare. But I ran into a new situation this past week that shows how one small (and arguably trivial) broken piece can completely destroy your ability to use a recent iPhone or iPad.

Just after my wife’s iPhone 6 warranty ran out, her Touch ID sensor stopped working — it started reading slowly, then stopped reading entirely, erased her stored fingerprints, and refused to store new ones. She wasn’t thrilled to lose Apple Pay access, but willing to live with the issue until her next iPhone upgrade. Over the course of the next few weeks, however, we learned that a failure of the Touch ID sensor actually creates bigger issues for an iOS device than just removing fingerprint scanning.

When iOS 9.2 came out, we discovered that she couldn’t do an over-the-air iOS software update on her phone; it repeatedly failed without explanation. Then, we made the mistake of trying to use iTunes to update the iPhone. iTunes got 50% of the way through the “verifying” stage before failing, and completely bricking the phone, which at that point couldn’t be revived or moved past the “Connect to iTunes” screen. An “Error 53” in iTunes identified the issue as Touch ID-specific, without providing any fix. At that point, your only real alternative is to pay to have the iPhone (or iPad, if that’s your Touch ID device) replaced.

People who have tried to replace their Touch ID sensors using third-party repair services have discovered that it’s not easy — each Touch ID sensor is tied to the specific CPU inside an iPhone, so if Touch ID fails, and you want to keep upgrading your iPhone, you’ll need to replace the entire logic board, a prohibitively costly option. (I would imagine that attorneys are already working on the class action lawsuit for this, if it hasn’t been filed already.) Your other replacement alternative is AppleCare+, which isn’t cheap. But if you want to just keep using your phone without Touch ID, my advice is simple: avoid using iTunes to update iOS.

3. Kimoji Seriously May Be The Start Of Something Bigger. Building on emoji — the little smiley face, heart, unicorn, pizza, and taco icons found in iOS’s alternate picture keyboard — Kim Kardashian’s latest app, Kimoji ($2), raced to the top of the App Store’s “Top Paid Apps” charts the day it was released. Kim claimed that she broke the App Store, and Apple, uncharacteristically, responded with a denial. Today, Kimoji is the App Store’s #4 paid app, behind Minecraft, Minecraft: Story Mode, and a party game called Heads Up! — it’s also the only non-game app in the top 10. Is there a reason for its success, apart from Kardashian’s popularity?

Yes. I give Kim and developer Whalerock Digital Media credit for capitalizing on something that’s become apparent over the past year: people love new emoji. Believe it or not, readers have shown more interest in new emoji additions to iOS than pretty much any other individual feature Apple has added over the past year or two. By including some racy content, Kimoji goes further than other new emoji apps for iPhones and iPads, which are comparatively tame.

For a variety of reasons, third-party “emoji” apps need to rely on a hack: they include images that you paste into text entry fields, and send just like picture messages. But as Kimoji demonstrates, having handy access to more images can actually be fun, particularly if you want to exchange those images with friends or family who appreciate icons such as suggestive fruits, fancy cars, and rainbow hearts. In 2016, I would be surprised if we didn’t see other celebrities, particularly musicians (say, Snoop Dogg), follow in Kim’s footsteps.

4. Badland 2. For years, Apple has been encouraging iOS developers to release games that are beautiful and easy to control using a touchscreen. That’s why the side-scrolling adventure game Badland won an Apple Design Award two years ago; it was gorgeous and simple. Using only two buttons — “left” and “right” — you could maneuver a furry, flying little ball through a variety of comically deadly environments. All of the characters and obstacles were rendered in highly detailed but jet black silhouettes, contrasting with rich, colorful backgrounds.

The just-released sequel Badland 2 ($5) preserves the original game’s formula, but quickly ups the ante with new elemental hazards such as liquids, flames, frost, and light, all including improved special effects. Developer Frogmind has also included crazier level designs, as well as 3D Touch support for the latest iPhones, helping to make your character’s wing-flapping a little more precise. While many of the core gameplay elements feel familiar, they’ve been made more fun (and random) by cranking up the number of objects on screen at once: it’s common to take control of dozens of clones simultaneously, only to see (most of them) shredded in the gears of machines, or squashed between compacting walls; if only one survives, it gets to continue on. Badland 2 is worth seeing if you appreciate simple controls, dark humor, and rugged, industrial art.

5. Real Boxing 2 CREED. The original Real Boxing was the best-looking and -playing boxing game released for iOS. But the sequel, featuring improved graphics and tie-ins from the latest Rocky movie, is even better. Released in November and recently updated with new bosses and gifts, Real Boxing 2 CREED (Free) still lets you completely custom-create a boxer from scratch and take him through a series of training sessions and “career mode” fights. The major change this time is the option to play through the career of Adonis “Creed” Johnson, son of legendary Rocky opponent Apollo Creed; Sylvester Stallone himself shows up as Rocky in training sequences.

If you’re not a boxing fan, the biggest reason to download Real Boxing 2 is to see just what your iOS device is capable of doing. Powered by the console game-building Unreal Engine 4, it features some of the most detailed 3D characters, backgrounds, skin textures and special effects that iPads and iPhones can handle, and the controls are easy to learn, too. While the career mode can get repetitive, online multiplayer modes and one-off challenges are available to keep the game interesting from day to day. Based on the longevity of the original Real Boxing, you can expect lots and lots of new features to be added over the game’s lifetime.

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: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple TV, BADLAND, BADLAND 2, emoji, iPad, iPhone, Kimoji, Real Boxing 2, Touch ID

Continue reading more about iOS Devices, iPhone, and iPad at 9to5Mac.

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When Apple Music launched earlier this year in June, one of the major features of the package that differed from other streaming services was a real streaming radio station called Beats 1 hosted by actual DJs including Zane Lowe.

The Beats 1 station is free and doesn’t actually require an Apple Music subscription, but Apple has used celebrity-hosted radio shows by Dr. Dre, Pharrell, Jaden Smith and others on the streaming station to attract people to the subscription service.

Now a new report from French site Cosnomac (via MacRumors) says Apple has applied for trademarks in the US for use of Beats 2-5.

Many have wondered if Apple might eventually go beyond Beats 1 and offer multiple live streaming radio stations through Apple Music. Early criticism of Beats 1 focused on the single station, which leans heavy on pop and hip-hop, needing to cater to various music tastes, although I’ve personally found it to be a useful music discovery tool that satisfied my wider music taste.

A report earlier this year claimed that Apple had the rights to launch as many as five additional radio stations like Beats 1, which requires music label deals, although Beats 1 host Zane Lowe said only time will tell if Apple Music needs Beats 1.

It seems possible Apple is requesting these trademarks to preserve their names and prevent others from using a similar name. That scenario seems more likely than Apple planning four additional radio stations anytime soon, although additional stations in more languages than English could address a wider audience. Apple Music, after all, is offered in over 100 countries around the world.

Filed under: Apple Music Tagged: Apple Music, Beats 1

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This may not be widely known, but it’s an interesting piece of history that’s now confirmed: Steve Jobs personally tried to recruit Kevin Lynch to Apple after the big Flash debate in 2010. Lynch, of course, was Adobe’s chief technology officer at the time and had just went head-to-head with Apple CEO Steve Jobs over Flash and iOS.

Apple later hired Lynch away from Adobe in 2013, giving him the title VP of Technology and a project that would later become the Apple Watch, a hire that was widely seen as a bizarre move. Tim Cook’s Apple hired the guy that Steve Jobs basically destroyed…

Kevin Lynch has since enjoyed lengthy amounts of stage time during recent Apple keynotes. In September 2014, Lynch demoed the Apple Watch to the world for the first time months before it was available to purchase. Then in June at Apple’s annual WWDC event, Lynch demoed the watchOS 2 software update on stage to developers and the world.

While it hasn’t been widely discussed that Jobs had tried (and failed) to recruit the Adobe CTO in 2010, Lynch confirmed the detail in a recent commencement address delivered to University of Illinois at Chicago’s mid-year graduating class:

I’ve been through a number of challenging situations. One of these was getting into a disagreement several years ago with Steve before I was with Apple — it was not easy and I didn’t win the argument, but something surprising happened. Steve got to know me better and asked me to work with him. I felt I couldn’t join at the time, but he left the door open. Later, he tragically passed away. I couldn’t stop thinking of our conversations and am so happy I did join Apple, and have been giving my all since.

I did this with a leap of faith, not knowing exactly what we would build, but that I’d be working with the truly amazing team at Apple. My first day I learned the mission was to create the Apple Watch, and that we had a lot of work to do. It has been a series of incredible engineering and design challenges since.

I say this tidbit was confirmed and not discovered because while it felt fresh upon hearing, the detail was somewhere back in my head but not easily available in print. I racked my brain and sourced it back to an episode of John Gruber’s podcast (~1 hour 14 minutes in) from April where he said a Cupertino “birdie” in a position to know (my guess on this one is Schiller) said that Jobs had tried to recruit Lynch after the Flash episode, but Lynch worried leaving then would look bad for Adobe.

Three years later, Lynch made the jump to Tim Cook’s Apple and began his contribution to the Apple Watch. Jony Ive told Bloomberg Businessweek last year that the Apple Watch project began shortly after Jobs’ death in 2011 (although that’s recently been curiously disputed), so I wonder what role Jobs initially had in mind for Lynch.

In 2013, Lynch reported to Bob Mansfield, then Apple’s SVP of Technology, who retired and had duties go to Dan Riccio, SVP of Hardware Engineering, and Jeff Williams, then SVP of Operations who recently got promoted to Chief Operating Officer.

More thinking out loud: will Lynch eventually be promoted to SVP of Technology and earn a profile on Apple’s leadership page like Mansfield had? Technically key VPs have profiles now too but Lynch isn’t included. Maybe this is related to how well Apple Watch 2 does this spring.

At any rate, Lynch’s history with Apple starts long before he joined the company and has got to be one of the most interesting hires (that Lynch was potentially a bad hire was hard to argue against in 2013). Kevin Lynch, Apple VP of Technology, despite Jobs’ Thoughts on Flash essay (Flash, of course, is now walking dead) and the somewhat hard-to-find, goofy Mythbusters-style video where Lynch destroys an iPhone, now with the Steve Jobs stamp of approval.

Filed under: AAPL Company, Apple Watch Tagged: Adobe, Apple watch, Bob Mansfield, Flash, KEvin Lynch, Steve Jobs, Tim Cook

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TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

$100 iTunes Physical Gift Card for $80 shipped (20% off): save on apps, music, movies, more!

Apple iPad Air 2 Smart Cover $18 (Reg. $35), Smart Case $35 (Reg. $70), more

Beats Headphones: Solo2 On-Ear $100 (Reg. $200), Powerbeats2 In-Ear $85 (Reg. $150)

Write-Off Week™: Last chance to write off biz expenses w/ best deals on office equipment, tech, supplies, more

iTunes is hosting a rare sale on HD movies, including $5 titles + heavily discounted bundles

Hundreds of iOS/Mac games & apps are on sale for the holidays, these are the best ones you can’t afford to miss

Starbucks $15 gift card for $10: save 30% on your favorite drinks!

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Macbook Air 11.6″ Core i5 4GB/128GB w/.edu: $750 shipped ($250 off, $700 without .edu or less)

Apple 12-inch MacBook w/ Retina display 1.2GHz/8GB/512GB: $1,440 shipped (Reg. $1,599)

• Media: Burn Notice Complete Series $48 (Reg. $80), more
• Games/Apps: The Witcher 3 (digital) $25, Borderlands Handsome $29, more
• TRENDnet 802.11n Travel Router w/ USB: $7 shipped (Orig. $53)
• Daily Deals: Jabra Solemate Bluetooth Speaker $45, more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Apple-certified Lightning 3600mAh Aukey Portable Battery Pack + MFi cable: $10 shipped

B&H: $70 off Apple Watch Stainless PLUS $100 Gift card (Tax only in NY) starting at $379 effective

iPad mini 3 Wi-Fi: 16GB $250 (Orig. $399), 128GB $425 (Orig. $599)

Best Buy Apple sale: iPad Air 2 $125 off, iPad Air $100 off, iPad mini 4 $100 off, much more!

Apple TV 32GB (4th generation) w/ Siri remote + 6-ft HDMI cable: $126 shipped (~$155 value)

• No setup or batteries required! Belkin MFi Lightning iPad Keyboard: $34 (Reg. $60)
• Google Chromecast v1: $20 shipped (Orig. $35)
• Save 75% on any movie rental from Amazon, watch Marvel’s Ant-Man for just $1.50
• Year-End Android Game Deals: NBA Jam $.10, Goat Simulator $.99, more
• 1Password for Mac drops to $32 for the holiday season (Reg. $50)
• DuckTales: Remastered for iOS goes on sale for the very first time: $1 (Reg. $10)
• Grab the entire Infinity Blade Trilogy on iOS for just $1 each ($20 value)
• Get 12 months of Adobe’s Creative Cloud plan with Photoshop for $96 (20% savings)
• Digits, the calculator for humans on iOS drops to just $1 (Reg. $4)
• Xbox Store Digital Sale: Save on games, DLCs, more + free trials for streaming services
• Fashion: 25% off at Amazon, 40% off Timex Watches, more
• Logitech Harmony Ultimate Touchscreen Remote: $195 shipped (Reg. $250+)
• Google Play Discounts: Save 75% on a movie rental or 50% off one music album
• Headphones: Philips Over-Ears w/ Lightning Connector $199 (Reg. $240+)
• Grab the Hitman GO & Hitman Sniper iOS bundle for just $1 ($8 value)
• VIZIO Bluetooth Soundbar system w/ wireless subwoofer: $300 (Reg. $500)
• Chromecast users can grab a two month free trial of Sling’s Best of Live TV package
• Google is offering a free $20 Best Buy Gift Card when you use Android Pay

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

ShiftWear sneakers use flexible displays to showcase custom artwork on your shoes

The new iOS-connected Hamwells e-Shower recycles your water with eyes on saving energy

• Hult blends copper and concrete in a stunning modern take on the Bluetooth speaker
• Get Canary’s all-in-one home security system + air quality sensor for $179 (Reg. $200)
• Netflix Preview for 2016: Chelsea Does, Fuller House, Marvel’s Luke Cage, more
• Tiny Arcade puts those 80’s gaming cabinets in the palm of your hand
• The FLUXO Smart Lamp lets iOS and Android users paint their walls with light
• YoCam tops GoPro’s tiny action camera in features, but does it matter?
• This limited edition Rolls Royce cocktail kit is a must see for car and James Bond fans alike

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, Beats Solo 2, Best Buy, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, iPad Air 2 Smart Cover, iTunes, video games

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While Hyundai was one of the first major car brands to promise CarPlay in its vehicles as a selling point nearly two years ago, the automaker so far hasn’t actually shipped the update to add the feature it promised to customers. Compare that to Pioneer’s CarPlay support announced around the same time which brought the iPhone-based infotainment feature to all cars through aftermarket displays in 2014.

There may be some good news for Hyundai fans still waiting to test drive CarPlay, however, as USA Today reports that Hyundai is committing to rolling out an update to add the feature early next year.

Hyundai Sonata owners should expect a software update to be released during the first quarter of 2016 that will enable the CarPlay feature on supported models with a connected iPhone. Select models of Hyundai’s 2015 and 2016 Sonatas with in-dash displays will support the feature. CarPlay requires iPhone 5 or later.

While there’s still no set date for the software update’s release, the 3-month time frame is the most specific Hyundai has been yet. The automaker has heavily demoed CarPlay in its Sonatas for well over a year now, although it has missed past deadlines for bringing the feature to consumers.

The report also notes that Hyundai told customers the software update would be available for free but instead will require an SD Card for updating the head unit. You can pick up an SD Card for a few bucks though if you want to DIY the update, and I suspect dealers will be reasonable about updating head units for customers once the software update is out.

While aftermarket displays like Pioneer’s and Alpine’s have offered CarPlay on select units for a while now, new cars including models from Volkswagen have been driving off the lot with CarPlay built-in lately.

You can check out our initial review of CarPlay and our update to what changed with CarPlay after one year if you want to learn more about the feature. We also went hands-on with CarPlay in Hyundai’s Sonata at CES last year. And expect these iPhone apps to work with CarPlay.

As a CarPlay user myself, I’m personally happy with the experience of adding the feature to my existing car through an aftermarket display like Pioneer’s, and if I was in the market for a new car now I’d highly consider waiting to see what car makers do with Apple’s new wireless CarPlay feature that shipped with iOS 9 but hasn’t shown up in cars yet. This is something I’m hoping to see pop up at CES next week.

Filed under: iOS Tagged: CarPlay, Hyundai, iOS, iPhone, Sonata

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Ever since I upgraded from an 11″ MacBook Air to a 13″ Retina MacBook Pro, I’ve been hunting for the perfect hybrid computer and camera bag — a compact backpack that could hold my laptop, DSLR, lenses, and accessories at the same time. Six months ago, I covered several MacBook/camera bags from Incase, including the DSLR Sling Pack I’ve loved for years, and larger “Pro” options for bigger laptops. Each hybrid bag makes different compromises: for my needs, the Sling Pack’s too small, and the Pro bags are too large. But users of 11″ MacBooks might find the Sling Pack “just right.”

Seeing potential in a new alternative, I jumped at the opportunity to test Booq’s upcoming Slimpack ($195), a MacBook-sized evolution of its earlier iPad/DSLR backpack $145 Python Slimpack. Booq makes excellent bags, but apart from offering a multipurpose camera/headphone compartment in Boa Flow, it hasn’t taken a deep dive into the camera-laptop hybrid category. While the new Slimpack’s laptop compartment is just a hint too small for the 13″ MacBook Pro and iPad Pro I’m currently using, it’s right-sized for 12″ or smaller MacBooks, as well as 10″ or smaller tablets, any of which can be paired with a full-sized DSLR, three or four lenses, and accessories. Bundled with a rain shield and Booq’s standard Terralinq loss recovery protection system, it’s a very nice bag, and one I would certainly use if I switch to a 12″ MacBook next year…

Hybrid DSLR and computer bags always consist of the same two concepts: a fairly deep, segmented compartment that manages lenses, camera bodies and related accessories, alongside a considerably thinner, padded area designed to hold a laptop or tablet. A well-designed bag makes it easy to grab your camera as needed without fully disassembling the bag, provides comfortable padded straps for your body, and offers enough room to accommodate your choice of computers.

Slimpack is indeed a well-designed bag, and follows Booq’s tradition of handsome execution. Gray in color with silver and black metallic accents, it looks almost light gray under bright light, while its mid-gray tones and darker accents stand out when viewed from other angles. Unlike its predecessor Python Slimpack, which was made with ballistic nylon, the new model is made with Bionic fabric — a weave of 47% recycled PET and 53% cotton that’s weatherproof, with a texture that’s somewhere between waxed canvas and denim. The look and feel are professional, while giving no clues as to what’s specifically inside the compartments.

Slimpack also has two sturdy padded mesh shoulder straps with optional chest and waist buckles for added reinforcement, notably redesigned from Python Slimpack to eliminate what was previously a passive (but small) iPhone-holding compartment on one strap. While there’s a double zipper that runs in a U shape across the back, opening the bag to fully reveal separate computer and camera compartments, there’s also a padlock-friendly double zipper on the top that can provide quick (or secured) access to your camera with an attached lens. All of the external zippers have nice leatherette pulls held together with metallic Booq logos.

The camera compartment begins in a seven-compartment grid that will most likely need to be customized to your particular needs. My long zoom lens, for instance, required me to turn two small compartments into one by removing a central Velcro-tipped divider, and keeping a lens attached to my DSLR’s body required opening another compartment, cutting the initial 7 spaces down to five. But that’s more than enough space for all of my normal gear, leaving one space for a travel or computer accessory such as a multi-port USB charger. The interior of the bag is nicely padded and lined with a plush soft fabric.

On the computer side, Booq uses a Velcro-secured, padded laptop sleeve that’s almost as large as the bag’s full footprint — this is the other major difference versus the earlier Python Slimpack. The new model’s sleeve has expanded from iPad-sized to include enough space for an 11″ MacBook Air or 12″ MacBook. As the photos show, the sleeve is a little wider than the 11″ MacBook Air, and needn’t stretch to accommodate Apple’s smallest, thinnest laptops.

Unfortunately, the compartment is literally only millimeters shy of wide enough to hold a 13″ MacBook Pro, which is a real shame given that a fairly straightforward modification would have expanded Slimpack’s compatibility to include the 13″ MacBook Air, 13″ MacBook Pro, and 12.9″ iPad Pro. That said, devices that do fit inside the sleeve are nicely padded on all sides against damage, and the bag’s footprint is manageable.

Rather than hiding your accessories in nooks within the camera compartment, like Incase largely does with the DSLR Sling Pack, Booq instead places two large side pockets on Slimpack’s outer edges, opening to reveal similar but not identical flaps. Each has a zippered long mesh pocket capable of holding pretty much anything smaller than an iPad mini. One arrives with a rain poncho and Terralinq (use a serial number to find a lost, not stolen bag) registration card inside, while the smaller pockets alternate between pen/pencil holders and passive flash card/spare battery/accessory compartments. You’ll also find a detachable keychain and an elastic strip inside.

If you want to carry a tripod, Booq provides a somewhat secured option. Unlike Incase, which uses side-mounted straps to passively attach a tripod to the DSLR Sling Pack, Booq includes a thick nylon pull on the bag’s front. You can tug it down to reveal a pocket near Slimpack’s bottom, which holds the tripod’s bottom while a hideaway buckle is supposed to pop out near the upper center of the bag, under the Booq logo, holding the tripod’s top. The single issue I had with Slimpack was that the hideaway buckle was missing on my review unit, which otherwise arrived fully appointed.

Considered in totality, Slimpack is basically a direct competitor to Incase’s DSLR Sling Pack, with certain advantages and disadvantages that may swing you towards one choice or the other. Both bags have roughly the same laptop/tablet and camera capacity, but the DSLR Sling Pack is better for users who prefer single-strap, across-the-chest access to their gear, and Slimpack is better for users who need the additional body support that twin straps can provide, the rain poncho, and/or a secured quick-pull camera compartment. There’s a fairly significant price difference between the bags, favoring Incase’s options, but if you like the look and feel of Booq’s designs, Slimpack will be right up your alley when it hits stores on January 4. The slightly smaller Python Slimpack remains available for iPad users.

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 last-minute holiday gift guide for Apple fans, a great holiday gift guide for iPhone users, a detailed holiday gift guide for Mac users, and a separate holiday gift guide for Apple photographers.

Filed under: General, Mac, Reviews Tagged: Backpack, Booq, Camera, camera bag, dslr, ipad air, iPad mini, Laptop, MacBook

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As it does every year, Apple has officially kicked off its iTunes Boxing Week sale with discounts on select albums for this week only.

The sale, which both UK and Canadian users will find under a special section in the iTunes store on both iOS and Mac, will likely remain available through the end of the week. While “Boxing Day” is officially recognized in Canada and elsewhere on the 26th, retailers usually offer a Black Friday-type event for Boxing Day with most sales lasting the entire week following Dec. 25.

For Boxing Day this year, Apple is offering a long-list of popular albums, normally $9.99, starting at just $6.99 in Canada. There are other albums on offer for $7.99 as well. On the UK iTunes store Apple doesn’t use the “Boxing Day” branding, but it is also offering popular albums from £3.99 in a special section on iTunes starting this week.

Check out the iTunes Boxing Day sale in Canada and the UK sale now. And you might want to grab some discounted iTunes gift cards first.

Filed under: iOS, Mac Tagged: albums, Boxing Day, Boxing Week, Canada, discount, iTunes, sale, UK

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