Welcome to My Blog

From 9to5Toys.com:

Believe it or not, we’re only a little over two weeks away from Black Friday. Over at 9to5Toys we’ve been tracking a steady stream of Black Friday ad leaks, reveals, and news since last month. While we haven’t seen every retailers’ deals yet, we have seen enough to get a good idea of what types of discounts top Apple products will be getting this holiday season:

There’s no shortage of iPad Air 2 deals. Most notably, Staples will be offering the 16GB Wi-Fi model for $374, while Sam’s Club is taking $175 off 64GB/128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular models. Target is going the free gift card route: $150 with iPad Air 2, $100 with iPad mini 4, $80 with iPad mini 2, and $100 with iPad Air. iPad mini 4 will be $299 at Staples (Reg. $400).

Those of you looking for a deal on Apple Watch will want to shop at Target. Every model of Apple’s smartwatch will come with a free $100 gift card. On the 38mm Apple Watch Sport that’s an effective savings of nearly 30%.

iPhone 6s/Plus are also set to be discounted. Sam’s Club will take $100 off both models when purchased on a 2-year contract or include a free $200 gift card on an installment plan. Target offers a $50 discount on contract pricing or a free $250 gift card for installment plans. Don’t feel like dealing with Black Friday crowds? T-Mobile has iPhone 6s/Plus available right now for $100 below retail.

We haven’t seen any MacBook deals yet, but that should change once we get ahold of Best Buy and MacMall’s Black Friday ads.

Follow 9to5Toys to keep up with all of this year’s best Black Friday deals: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Apple watch, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Deals, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6s, iphone 6s plus, Sam’s Club, Staples, target

Continue reading more about Tips and Tricks, Apple watch, and 9to5Toys at 9to5Mac.

What do you think? Discuss “Early Black Friday ads from Target, Staples, Sam’s Club & others reveal heavy discounts on top Apple products” with our community.

A new feature in Facebook Messenger is now rolling out that scans photos added to your camera roll in search of your Facebook friends, and suggests that you send them to the people it finds. It’s a pretty nifty feature, if you feel comfortable with Facebook looking at every single photo you take on your device and constantly processing data on the friends you’re hanging out with…

When you first enable the feature, Messenger will go searching for a recent photo on your phone that contains a Facebook friend to show you how it works. After this, you’ll notice that a notification will pop up on your phone within seconds of taking a photo telling you to send it to friends that Facebook sees within. In the current version for Android, you can send the photo right from the notification itself.

via TechCrunch

While it sounds like yet another encroachment on privacy by Facebook, product manager Lexy Franklin said that the company “really built the entire Photo Magic experience so you’re in full control.” You can head into Facebook’s privacy settings and completely turn off facial recognition for yourself if you want, and you can of course disable notifications as well if you’d like.

Facebook says that the feature is rolling out on Android in Australia right now (with iOS coming soon), and will surely make its way to other markets soon.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: Android, app, App Update, Apps, Facebook, iOS, Messenger, photo magic

Check out 9to5Mac for more breaking coverage of Apps, iOS, and Android.

What do you think? Discuss “Facebook Messenger’s new ‘Photo Magic’ feature automates sharing shots of your friends instantly” with our community.

When the iPad Pro goes on sale later this week, Apple won’t be the only retailer carrying the massive new tablet. Ordering from Apple.com may be the most convenient way to ensure your new iPad is delivered on day one, but Apple Stores and authorized resellers including select carriers will be selling the iPad Pro as well. Here’s what we know so far:

While we haven’t heard from every major US carrier just yet, two major carriers have already confirmed that they will be offering the iPad Pro when it goes on sale later this week.

Unlike the iPad mini 4 and iPad Air 2, only the highest storage capacity model of the iPad Pro will be available with built-in cellular connectivity. iPad Pro 32GB ($799) is only offered with Wi-Fi and the middle option iPad Pro 128GB ($949) is also only Wi-Fi.

The only model with cellular connectivity built-in is the iPad Pro 128GB + Cellular ($1079), $250 more than the iPad Air 2 128GB + Cellular, so carrier financing options may be appealing to some customers.

In the United States, both AT&T and T-Mobile have confirmed that they will be offering the cellular iPad Pro later this week.

More details are expected once the larger iPad goes on sale, but T-Mobile says it will offer the iPad Pro 128GB + Cellular through its Jump On Demand leasing program. T-Mobile only recently added iPad mini 4 and iPad Air 2 to Jump On Demand.

Pricing and availability details from AT&T haven’t been shared yet, but the carrier currently offers the $829 iPad Air 2 128GB + Cellular for $200 off on a 2-year contract or $41.50/month for 20 months with zero down on AT&T Next. iPad Pro 128GB + Cellular goes for $1079.

Although availability details aren’t up yet, BestBuy.com lists each new iPad Pro model as coming soon on its website including space gray, silver, and gold in 32GB, 128GB, and 128GB + Cellular models at Apple’s retail prices. Best Buy also lists Apple’s $169 Smart Keyboard cover for iPad Pro and $99 Apple Pencil as coming soon.

While other retailers and carriers are still mum on iPad Pro availability ahead of Wednesday orders and retail availability later this week, 9to5Toys today shares two Black Friday deals for iPad Air 2 + Cellular ($175 off) from Sam’s Club and iPad mini 4 from $300/iPad Air 2 from $374 at Staples.

We’ve also seen MacMall already start selling iPad Pro models with a modest $12 savings for pre-order, although availability has slipped to mid-November. If you’re upgrading to iPad Pro from an older (smaller) iPad, we compiled a list of trade-in services and prices in September for turning your old iPad into cash or credit; prices haven’t fluctuated much, but generally do after the latest tablet officially launches. You can also get a quote easily at trade-in.9to5Mac.com.

Stay tuned here for more iPad Pro availability details as we discover more launch plans from carriers and authorized resellers for Apple’s new iPad Pro.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: AT&T, availability, Best Buy, iPad, iPad Pro, Sam’s Club, Sprint, Staples, T-Mobile, Verizon

For more news on iOS Devices, iPad, and AT&T continue reading at 9to5Mac.

What do you think? Discuss “Where to buy Apple’s new, larger iPad Pro this week” with our community.

For whatever reason, accessory companies commonly send out review samples of solar-powered Apple accessories late in the year — rarely if ever in July, when the sun is at its peak pretty much everywhere in the United States. So even though I’m a fan of solar power, my ability to make the most of these accessories is naturally limited by the modest sunshine available for testing. The wisest solar-powered accessories I’ve tested hedge their bets by storing energy in batteries that can be used (and wall-recharged) even when the sun’s not out. Others become worthless when the sun goes away.

Anker’s 21W PowerPort Solar Charger ($55) and RAVPower’s 15W Solar Charger ($50) are portable solar panels connected to USB ports. They’re extremely similar to one another, each hiding two USB ports in a pocket to the right of three solar panels. Unlike Solartab (reviewed here), neither has a built-in battery, so you can only use them when the sun’s out — and optimally, directly overhead. One strikes me as a slightly better pick than the other, but unless you live in a frequently sunny climate and have hours to spare under the sun, or plan to travel somewhere with sunshine and no wall outlets, there are better-priced and more practical ways to keep your devices fueled up…

Anker’s and RAVPower’s designs are so similar that they could have come from the same factory — each is a black canvas folio held closed with one strip of Velcro, measuring roughly an inch thick when folded. Four metal-reinforced holes in each charger’s corners let you attach carabiner hooks to mount the opened panel, most likely on the outside of a large camping/hiking backpack; RAVPower includes lightweight green and silver metal hooks, while Anker lets you supply them yourself if you need them, packing in a micro-USB cable.

Aesthetic differences between the units are modest. PowerPort Solar is taller and narrower, with around a 6″ by 11″ footprint when folded and an 11″ by 26″ footprint unfolded, while the 15W Solar Charger is 8.5″ by 10″ folded and 10″ by 32″ unfolded. Anker’s twin USB ports are in a single box that’s permanently attached to the inside of PowerPort Solar’s pocket, while RAVPower’s two ports dangle separately from cables within its pocket. Both companies expect that you’ll supply your own Lightning cables for use with Apple devices, and suggest that you tuck your device into the pocket to avoid exposing it to direct sunlight while charging; the pockets are unfortunately only large enough for an iPhone (or similarly-sized battery pack) at best, not an iPad.

Each product makes a disclosure that you’ll need bright sunlight to make it work, but Anker’s is a little more telling, with a smiley face next to a full sun, a “neutral” face next to a clouded sun, and a frowning face next to a raining cloud. RAVPower skips faces in favor of check marks and X’s, giving checks to both sunny and partially cloudy, and an X next to the raining cloud. My personal impression is that both companies are overly optimistic about their chargers’ ability to perform in partial sunlight.

As their wattages indicate, there are power output differences between the accessories. PowerPort Solar promises 2.4A output on either port, capped at 3.0A total with both ports, while RAVPower’s ports are 2A and 1A. This won’t matter for most iPhones or iPads, but if you’re using an old, power hungry iPad 3/4 or a new iPhone 6/6s Plus, you’ll find that power is compromised when two devices are charging at once. In either case, most iPad and iPhone users should expect that a single device will — under optimal sunlight — recharge in the same amount of time as with Apple’s wall chargers, which is to say 2 to 5 hours.

Unfortunately, my testing of both accessories was at best inconclusive. Used outdoors during what iOS’s Weather app called “mostly sunny” conditions, notably with brand new Apple and Anker MFi Lightning cables, each solar panel generated “this accessory may not be compatible” warnings — and didn’t charge its connected test iPad. Support pages suggest that this warning sometimes comes up when the cables are damaged or non-MFi, which wasn’t the case here. My impression is that “mostly sunny” (at least by local standards) actually falls into the frowning face or “X” category, contrary to both products’ somewhat more optimistic labeling. On a chilly November day, expecting the sun to recharge your iPhone probably just isn’t realistic.

That having been said, user reviews of both solar panels have been a lot more positive when strong sunlight is available, while reaching similar conclusions to mine when the sun’s impeded. A solution, of sorts, is to attach a battery pack to the solar panels rather than your device, so that any energy that’s captured from the panels gets stored somewhere. Additionally, while some people have suggested that both of the panels fall a little short of the peak output claims — each reaches around 2.8A rather than 3.0A under optimal sunlight conditions — that’s not surprising given similar fluctuations in even non-solar charging accessories.

While it’s hard for me to personally endorse any purely solar-powered solution given the realities of the climate I live in, I can understand the appeal of portable solar chargers for two key types of users — backpackers who need a way to keep their devices fueled during extended camping or hiking trips, and people who live in generally sunny climates. If I was picking between these options, I’d likely go with the Anker version based on its superior power output, and pair it with an affordable, high-capacity USB battery rather than keeping my iPhone or iPad attached to it for hours. Anker also makes a 15W version of PowerPort Solar that’s priced the same as RAVPower’s 15W version, if you want to save $5.

More From This Author

Check out more of my editorials, How-To guides, and reviews for 9to5Mac here! I’ve covered a lot of different topics of interest to Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and Apple Watch users. In addition to my popular guide to the best Apple Watch docks and stands, I’ve recently discussed how to safely prepare and wipe your iPhone for resale or trade-in, and how to get the best iPhone trade-in price to help buy an iPhone 6s, amongst many other topics.

Filed under: Apple Watch, General, iOS Devices, Reviews Tagged: 2.4A, 2A, 3A, Anker, ravpower, Solar Charger, Solar power

Check out 9to5Mac for more breaking coverage of iOS Devices, Apple Watch, and Reviews.

What do you think? Discuss “Review: Anker’s + RAVPower’s Solar Chargers refuel iPads and iPhones, so long as the sun’s very bright” with our community.

Although Apple has yet to confirm the existence of “Project Titan,” it seems like every week brings a new clue that the company is indeed working on an electric car. We learned that Sixty Eight Research, a sketchy firm widely believe to be a front for Apple’s effort in the automotive business, recently attended the 17th Global Car Body Benchmarking Conference in Germany.

The list of participants included almost every major automotive company from GM to Honda, as well as a lot of important part suppliers like Magna and Alcoa. Earlier this year, reports came out that BMW, a manufacturer presenting at the event, was in talks with Apple to license some technology. Noteworthy, Tesla Motors was one of the rare car body manufacturers not on the list.The conference was organized by the Automotive Circle International, an industry group connecting manufacturers and suppliers with a focus on car body manufacturing, painting and assembly. The annual event was held from October 20 to 22 in Bad Nauheim, Germany.

There has been plenty of speculation about the level of involvement Apple would have with the manufacturing of a vehicle under Project Titan. Some say they could outsource most of it to an established manufacturer in order for the company to only handle the branding, connectivity and overall user experience.

Others speculate that the Cupertino company could use a “Designed in California – Assembled in China” (or elsewhere) strategy similar to its consumer electronic products, while also manufacturing some key components in-house.

The truth is likely somewhere in the spectrum between those two extremes, but if the company is attending conferences about body-in-white, it could be an encouraging sign that Apple will be involved in the design and manufacturing of the steel-bending and fundamental components of the vehicle.

Earlier this year, we learned that Apple added 1,200 employees to the development team of Project Titan. Also, last week we reported on a recent hire hinting at a digital license plate system for the company’s electric car project.

Mark Gurman contributed to this report.

Filed under: AAPL Company, Apple Car Tagged: Apple, Apple Car, Apple Inc, body car, conference, Project Titan

Visit 9to5Mac to find more special coverage of AAPL Company, Apple, and Apple Inc.

What do you think? Discuss “Apple’s ‘car front’ recently attended a global car body conference” with our community.

We first reported and Apple today announced that iPad Pro will go on sale starting Wednesday with a retail launch later this week, and Apple executives are taking the 12.9-inch tablet on a media tour to hype it up. Apple CEO Tim Cook is traveling around London today, visiting Touchpress and chatting with The Independent, while CNN Money has shared its interview with Eddy Cue showing off the massive iPad.

In his pitch, Cook described the iPad Pro with Apple Pencil as a potential replacement for the sketch pad, something past iPads have attempted but struggled to do. Cook went as far as to say that the Apple Pencil isn’t actually a stylus but something else entirely.

“Well, we didn’t really do a stylus, we did a Pencil. The traditional stylus is fat, it has really bad latency so you’re sketching here and it’s filling the line in somewhere behind. You can’t sketch with something like that, you need something that mimics the look and feel of the pencil itself or you’re not going to replace it. We’re not trying to replace finger touch, we’re complementing it with the Pencil.”

When asked about Apple’s strategy to introduce a more expensive iPad and not a more budget-friendly version, Cook declared that “there are no good £50 tablets” while adding that he believes the iPad Pro will attract PC users and non-Apple customers as well as existing iPad customers in need of an upgrade.

iPad Pro is sold at $799 and up in the United States; The Independent says it will go from £679 in the UK.

Cook also described the Smart Keyboard accessory as benefiting from being made by the same company as the iPad, adding that he’s traveling with just his iPad Pro and iPhone (well and Apple Watch but sorry Mac fans): “I’m travelling with the iPad Pro and other than the iPhone it’s the only product I’ve got.” 

Eddy Cue, Apple’s head of iTunes and iCloud, has also been promoting the new, larger iPad. Cue brought out an iPad Pro last week at Dropbox’s enterprise-focused event, and today CNN Money has shared new footage from their recent interview with Cue.

While the Pro name in the larger iPad suggests it’s geared toward professionals, Cue hints on something that others will likely agree on: the iPad Pro is also better for consuming content, not just creating it. Cue discusses the immersive experience of web browsing and reading emails on the larger iPad, something you can do simultaneously in full-size now. You can also see CNN’s iPad app running on the iPad Pro in the clip.

Four separate speakers and a 12.9-inch Retina display should make the iPad Pro a nice portable screen for watching movies and TV shows, assuming that’s not the only reason you buy the $800 tablet.

iPad Pro goes on sale this Wednesday online with inventory hitting Apple Stores, carrier stores, and authorized resellers later in the week in 40 countries.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple Pencil, Eddy Cue, iPad Pro, Smart Keyboard, Tim Cook

Continue reading more about iOS Devices, Tim Cook, and Eddy Cue at 9to5Mac.

What do you think? Discuss “Tim Cook says Apple Pencil is more than a stylus, Eddy Cue calls iPad Pro great for consumption” with our community.

Just days after its initial release, Apple has already prepared a software update for the new Apple TV. tvOS 9.0.1 is now available for the fourth-gen Apple TV as an over-the-air update through the Settings app. Most Apple TV users will have automatic updates enabled, but you can manually download the update by going to Settings, System, and Software Updates.

Once you’ve downloaded the new software update to tvOS, Apple TV allows you to choose to install the update now or wait later. While Apple TV can connect to iTunes over USB-C for restoring the software, updating Apple TV over the wire is not supported and restoring loses all data.

While tvOS 9.0.1 is the first software update for the new device, Apple also recently released the first tvOS beta of version 9.1 to registered developers.

Through the Apple TV interface, tvOS 9.0.1 is unlabeled, only referred to as a software update, and includes no release notes. Checking the tvOS version number of About in the Settings app confirms the version number as 9.0.1 with build (13T402).

The release is likely focused on performance improvements and bug fixes rather than including any new features or significant changes. Support for Bluetooth keyboards and Apple’s Remote app, for instance, is still absent.

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

Check out 9to5Mac for more breaking coverage of Apple TV, Apple TV, and tvOS.

What do you think? Discuss “Apple releases first tvOS software update for the 4th-gen Apple TV” with our community.

Adobe is one company patiently waiting for the launch of the new iPad Pro as the firm in recent months has prepared for what it expects to be a big user base of professionals interested in its various creative mobile apps on the device. Sharing in the excitement for the launch scheduled for later this week, Adobe just released the video above showing off some of the possibilities of its apps on the new iPad and giving us one our first looks at hands-on impressions with the iPad ahead of product reviews going live.

In addition to offering some previews of upcoming mobile app improvements at its Max conference earlier this year, the company has worked hard to optimize several of its apps that are bound to be popular on the new larger iPad. Apps ready to go for the launch include Photoshop Fix, Photoshop Sketch, Photoshop Mix and Comp CC.

Apple confirmed earlier today that the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro will go on sale Wednesday, November 11th in 40 countries, while the device will hit Apple retail stores sometime later this week. In Apple’s press release, Adobe’s vice president of Products Scott Belsky called the company’s work on software for the device an “industry-advancing collaboration that millions of Adobe and Apple customers will benefit from.”

“iPad Pro enables new forms of mobile creativity that will help transform how creatives work,” said Scott Belsky, vice president of Products at Adobe. “With the larger iPad Pro screen and lightning-fast performance, creatives will be able to take full advantage of Adobe’s family of Creative Cloud mobile apps. For example, the ability to manipulate a 50-megapixel image right on iPad Pro in Photoshop Fix and then send that image to Photoshop CC on a desktop, for further refinement, is the kind of industry-advancing collaboration that millions of Adobe and Apple customers will benefit from.”

While there haven’t been many hands-on videos since Apple first unveiled the device at its press event in September, we did get a look at Disney and Pixar animators playing with the device and offering their first impressions last month.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: 12.9-inch, Adobe, App Store, hands-on, iPad Pro, november 11, photoshop mix, review, reviews

For more news on Apps, App Store, and review continue reading at 9to5Mac.

What do you think? Discuss “Adobe creative professionals offer first hands-on impressions using iPad Pro [Video]” with our community.

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:

Apple iPod Touch 5th gen 16-64GB sizes, multiple colors: $149-$199 shipped

Aukey iPhone accessories: 3.3-ft MFi Lightning Cables 2 for $8, 50W 6-Ports USB Wall Charger $10

ULAK Cases for iPhone 6/s, iPad mini, iPod Touch and Android devices from $3 shipped (Reg. $10+)

T-Mobile is discounting iPhone 6s/Plus by $100 when bought on an installment plan or outright

Implosion – Never Lose Hope for iOS goes free for the first time as IGN’s Game of the Month ($10 value)

GameStop Black Friday ad leak: PS4/Xbox One bundles $300, new Nintendo 3DS XL $180, tons of games

Staples Black Friday Ad Revealed: iPad Air 2 from $374, mini 4 $300, Kindle $49, more

Sam’s Club Black Friday ad leak: iPad Air 2 Cellular $175 off, Google Play $100 Gift Card $80, more

Kohl’s Black Friday ad leak: more PS4/Xbox One $300 bundles, home goods, clothing, much more

Sam’s Club One-Day Sale: iPhone 6s/Plus $100 off, iPad Air 2 64GB/128GB $150 off, PlayStation 4 $300, more

Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business

eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year

The best GoPro HERO4 action camera accessories, mounts, storage, more

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Beats by Dre. Powerbeats2 Wireless active collection drops to $130 after debuting less than 2 months ago for $200

• Samsung D3 Station 5TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive $110 shipped (Orig. $150)
• Fashion: PUMA 30% off sitewide, 70% off Kenneth Cole/Calvin Klein Wool Coats
• Games/Apps: Bloodborne $27, Nathan Drake PS4 w/ Fallout 4 & charger $350
• Daily Deals: Aliph Jawbone JAMBOX $100, Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker $30, more
• Best-selling Canon T5 DSLR + 18-55mm lens kit (refurb): $210 (Orig. $549)
• ASUS Chromebook Flip 10.1-Inch 2 in 1 Touchscreen (2GB :$219, 4GB: $239 shipped)
• TP-Link AV1200 Gigabit Passthrough Powerline Starter Kit w/4K support: $53 shipped

Twelve South HiRise dock for iPhone/iPad mini: $26 Prime shipped (Reg. $35) – lowest ever! http://ift.tt/1723Mxk https://t.co/Qm0xV5HmQd

—
9to5Toys (@9to5toys) November 09, 2015

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Huge savings on pre-owned Apple Watches, deals from as low as $261 shipped

Apple Magic Mouse 2 (open-box): $68 shipped (Reg. $80)

Review: How Amazon Echo changed my life + $130 special price ($50 off) for Amazon card holder

• Apple iPad Mini 2, space gray or silver: $199 shipped ($70 off)
• MacMall already has iPad Pros on sale with modest $12 savings, more!
• App Store Free App of the Week: Rayman Fiesta Run (Reg. $3)
• Bluetooth Earbuds: Powerbeats2 (open-box) $80 (Reg. $150+), QY8 Sweatproof $19, more
• Bluetooth Speakers: Inateck Aluminum $30 (Reg. $43), SOL Republic Deck $40 (Reg. $50+)
• Car accessories: windshield mount $4 (Reg. $10), air vent mount $6 (Reg. $9), more
• Displays: LG 34″ UltraWide $570 (Reg. $699+), Acer 34″ Curved QHD $866, more
• Jawbone Big Jambox Bluetooth Speaker (Open Box) $115 shipped (Orig. $300)
• iPhone 6/s dual-layer case in Space Gray, Silver or Gold: $3 Prime shipped (Reg. $12)
• Foscam Plug and Play HD Wireless/Wired Pan/Tilt IP Camera $75 shipped (Reg. $100)
• Seagate 4TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive w/ 200GB of Cloud Storage: $130 (Reg. $150)
• VIZIO 5.1-ch. Soundbar w/ Wireless Subwoofer $198 (Reg. $298+), more
• Magic Color Changing LED Light Bulb with Remote Control $9 (Reg. $33)
• USB-C 4-port hubs for new Macbooks by Aukey: $20 Prime shipped (Orig. $30)
• USB Power Deals: Lumsing 3-port Car Charger + Lightning Cable $8, more
• TP-LINK 802.11n pocket wireless router: $10 shipped (Orig. $40)
• SoundBot Bluetooth 4.0 Sports-Active Headphones $10 Prime shipped (Reg. $15)
• Fashion: 20% off at Amazon – Kenneth Cole Down Jacket $90 (Reg. $113),more
• Sling TV is giving away a 2nd gen Chromecast when you pre-pay three months

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Is Luma’s surround Wi-Fi system the router we’ve been waiting for?

Don’t Panic’s latest iPad Air 2 case is an astute all-in-one solution for every angle

• New Fallout 4 launch trailer hits with a fresh look at gameplay and more
• Unboxing and Review: Halo 5 Xbox One Limited Edition Console Bundle [Video]
• Bosch made a robo-farmer that looks straight out of a galaxy far, far away
• The Room Three releases today, now available for download on the App Store
• Mellow Boards makes any skateboard electric and looks good doing it
• Pre-order Fallout 4 to receive Fallout 3 via Xbox One Backwards Compatibility
• PlayStation Now adds 105 titles as it aims to pick up more subscribers
• Mogees iPhone-connected sensor turns any object into a playable instrument
• Amazon to offer midnight deliveries for Call of Duty: Black Ops III via Prime Now

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Active Collection, Amazon Prime, Beats, Beats by Dr. Dre, Black Friday, Black Friday ad leak, coupon codes, Cyber Monday, Daily Deals, Deals, eBay Daily Deals, free shipping, GameStop, iPhone 6s, iPhones 6s Plus, IPod Touch, MFi Lightning cables, New Toy of the Day, Powerbeats2 Wireless, Sam’s Club

For more news on Tips and Tricks, 9to5Toys, and Daily Deals continue reading at 9to5Mac.

What do you think? Discuss “9to5Toys Lunch Break: iPod Touch (5th gen) from $149, 2-pack MFi Lightning cables $8, iPhone 6 cases from $3, more” with our community.

When I wrote last week’s opinion piece on five hardware lessons Apple could learn from Android manufacturers, a few of you wondered why I hadn’t added wireless charging to the list.

Those who know me might be especially surprised. I hate cables, and indeed went to the trouble of having a bespoke desk made so that cables could be rendered almost invisible. I’ve also been known to favor hi-tech approaches over low-tech ones just because I’m a gadget guy, so why wasn’t I calling on Apple to introduce wireless charging … ? 

It’s not because I don’t want wireless charging. I do. If I could remove all visible wires from my home, nobody would be happier than me. I look on the idea of having to tether a MacBook to power in much the same way most people would look at having to plug in an Ethernet cable to get Internet access.

But today’s wireless charging systems don’t get rid of wires. They replace a power cable running directly to a device with a power cable running to a charging mat. Either way, we get the cable.

There is of course one advantage to wireless charging: we don’t have to plug in the device, we can just put it down on the pad. I’ll admit that’s slightly more convenient. But only slightly. One of the things I love about MagSafe is there is no fiddling around with power cables, just hold it vaguely in the right area and it snaps neatly into place. Lightning doesn’t do that, but it’s at least much less fiddly that the old-style 30-pin connector.

A few manufacturers, like IKEA, are now building wireless charging pads into furniture. That is a vast improvement on standalone pads, enabling us to tuck the wires out of sight, but as yet, there are very limited options. I don’t want to be stuck with the few pieces of furniture that include it.

Realistically, we’re never going to get today’s wireless charging technology built into all the furniture we actually want to buy. The whole approach is no more than a stopgap, a dead-end. The very minimum we need is inductive charging capable of working through a thick desk or kitchen worktop, so the charging pads can be hidden away out of sight.

But what I really want is true wireless power. The kind of wireless power that enables a device to be genuinely liberated from power outlets. Where I can just use any portable device – be it an iPhone, iPad or MacBook – without having to worry about where it gets its power from.

There are two potential ways we could get that …

The first technology is fuel cells, which turn hydrogen into electricity. Using the same space taken up by today’s laptop batteries, fuel cells would power a laptop for several weeks.

Sure, we’d have to top up our devices from time to time, but a MacBook would become like a Kindle or a Bluetooth keyboard – something we have to charge maybe once a month. That’s well into ‘good enough’ territory for me.

The only downside is that when charging becomes that infrequent, it’s easy to forget about it completely. About the only device I use that I let go flat these days is the Brydge keyboard I use with my iPad, because it only need to be charged every 5-6 weeks and I have no routine for it. But that’s just about developing new habits.

Fuel cell technology is nothing new. It was first invented in 1838! NASA uses it to power satellites, and larger fuel cell systems are used in a number of industrial applications. But for some reason, it hasn’t yet made it into portable electronic devices – despite more than a decade of articles promising we’d have fuel cell-powered laptops any day now.

But I’m not giving up yet. Apple has a patent on using fuel cells in portable electronic devices, and has reportedly been working on it for some time. Intelligent Energy has even managed to squeeze fuel cells into the same space as an iPhone 6 battery and use them to power an iPhone for a week. This stuff works.

But the holy grail of wireless power is wide-area wireless charging. Many attempts have been made at this, most of them requiring huge amounts of power to charge even small devices – and also pumping out a great deal of electromagnetic energy, something which has health and safety implications.

But there’s one approach out there that has neither drawback: MagMIMO, a technology developed by MIT. This works in a similar way to advanced Wi-Fi routers: you blanket a room in signal, then when the router detects that a device is connected to it, it boosts power to the right directional antennas to reach that device.

MagMIMO does the same thing, but using magnetic fields instead of radio waves. An array of wire coils generates a magnetic field and when a phone disrupts that field, MagMIMO senses it and focuses on the phone by creating a slightly different field with each coil. The magnetic fields reinforce each other so as to maximise the strength of the overall field reaching the phone.

MagMIMO uses no more power than conventional charging, and the focused magnetic fields have no effect on human tissue.

MIT’s proof of concept operated over 30cm, but a company called WattUp has already demonstrated a range of 20 feet using exactly this type of focused-energy approach. The end goal is to have a network of power transmitters throughout a home so that any device can be remotely powered from anywhere inside the building.

This is what I want: not a wireless charging pad, but a wireless charging home. All our devices being charged all the time. No visible wires, no need to connect a device to anything or put it down anywhere in particular, just power constantly available to any device anywhere in the home.

Fit the same systems to offices, coffee shops, hotels, airport lounges and so on, and we’d never need to carry a charger ever again. That’s my idea of wireless power. And that’s why I remain entirely unexcited by charging pads.

Filed under: Opinion Tagged: iPad, iPhone, MacBook, wireless charger, wireless power

For more news on iPhone, iPad, and MacBook continue reading at 9to5Mac.

What do you think? Discuss “Opinion: Why I hate cables but don’t have wireless charging on my iPhone 7 hit list” with our community.

Last week on our sister-site Electrek, we reported on Faraday Future (FF), a well-funded California-based startup looking to invest $1 billion to build an electric vehicle factory in the US. Due to the company refusing to disclose its CEO or investors, some media outlets have been reporting that it could be a front for Apple’s Project Titan.

But it isn’t likely for Apple to have any involvement with the company since everything points to it being backed by the Chinese technology company LeTV.

A few weeks ago, we wrote a profile of the company based on their recent hires, especially from Tesla Motors. Through our research for the profile, we found out that the company named Chaoying Deng as CEO on documents filed for incorporation in the state of California. Deng is listed on her LinkedIn profile as a Director at Le Vision Pictures, which is a subsidiary of LeTV.

Earlier this summer, Tesla officials said that LeTV is providing financing to Faraday, but at the time LeTV said it was only “speculation”.

LeTV is known as the “Chinese Netflix” and for making its founder, Jia Yueting, a very rich man. Earlier this year, Yueting sold $1.61 billion worth LeTV’s shares, $1.2 billion of which he loaned right back to the company to finance the several projects they are working on, including electric cars.

LeTV is leading its own effort to build an electric supercar appropriately named “Le Supercar” and they also invested in Atieva, another California-based startup full of former Tesla employees working toward making an electric vehicle.

Now everything points toward Faraday Future being the company’s third effort in the electric car market. It isn’t likely for Apple to have any involvement with FF, unless they have an undisclosed partnership with LeTV, which would be surprising at this point.

Nonetheless, Faraday should be interesting to follow considering they are well-staffed and well-funded, which is often the main problem in a capital-intensive industry like the automotive industry.

We’ll be following FF and most electric vehicle projects on our sister-site Electrek, make sure to follow us on your favorite social media to get our latest articles: Twitter, Facebook or Google+

Picture: Rear view teaser from Faraday Future.

Filed under: AAPL Company, Apple Car Tagged: Apple, Apple Car, Electric car, faraday future, FF, LeTV

For more news on AAPL Company, Apple, and Apple Car continue reading at 9to5Mac.

What do you think? Discuss “Apple isn’t likely involved with the “mysterious” Faraday Future” with our community.

Expanding its suite of outstanding photo editing apps, Macphun today announced Aurora HDR, a powerful but easy-to-use tool for creating High Dynamic Range images. Co-developed by leading HDR photographer Trey Ratcliff, Aurora HDR automatically combines several exposures of the same image, bringing out bright colors and shadow detail that are lost by a single exposure.

Unlike typical HDR compositing, which yields a finished image that’s hard to meaningfully edit, Aurora HDR includes nearly 40 one-click presets to change the look of the image, including Signature Pro presets developed by Ratcliff. The app can be used in standalone or plug-in modes, and incorporates a large collection of detail, noise, and intensity adjustment tools borrowed from Macphun’s Creative Kit 2016 (reviewed here), notably including selective adjustment brushes.

Aurora HDR will be available in standard ($50) and Pro ($100) versions on November 19, with discounted $90 Pro pre-orders starting today from Macphun’s web site. Additional screenshots and details are below…

“Aurora HDR is like no software I’ve ever used and I think it’s gonna blow people’s minds,” commented Trey Ratcliff, founder of StuckInCustoms.com. “Over the past 10 years I’ve been trying to find the ultimate HDR software, and it wasn’t until Macphun came along in this amazing partnership that I was able to finally build my own. You can go from mild to extreme HDR, add special glow, use layers, and — even better — you don’t even need Lightroom or Photoshop!”

The Key Benefits of Aurora HDR

• Revolutionary HDR algorithms make possible the entire spectrum of HDR looks, from natural to highly stylized.
• Total HDR editing experience with the most complete set of tools available.
• Powerful one­click presets, including Signature Pro presets by Trey Ratcliff, yieldfantastic results instantly.
• Layers, masking and brushes provide the ultimate in selective editing.
• Unique Radiance controls and custom texture blending for creative versatility.
• Detail enhancement to increase drama in images.
• Extensive color and toning controls for vibrant color combinations.
• Approachable user interface makes for a comfortable, understandable experience.
• Built­in sharing supports popular photo communities and social networks.

• RAW, JPG, TIFF and other popular files support for the greatest flexibility.
• Workflow tailored to any style with support for using as a standalone app or as a plug­in to popular host applications.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: Aurora HDR, HDR, Macphun, Photo editing, photography, Trey Ratcliff

For more news on Apps, photography, and Photo editing continue reading at 9to5Mac.

What do you think? Discuss “Macphun announces Aurora HDR, Mac photo editing developed with HDR expert Trey Ratcliff” with our community.

A survey in which Siri, Google Now and Cortana users were asked to rate their satisfaction with their respective intelligent assistants found that Siri got the highest scores, with 81% of users declaring themselves satisfied compared to 68% for Google Now and just 57% for Cortana.

Survey participants were also asked to try out seven different requests and report on how well their service performed, as well as to note how many times they were asked follow-up questions. Siri had the lowest percentage of incorrect answers, and also asked fewer follow-up questions before it was able to carry out the task or answer the question.

Siri is definitely a feature that polarises users – some (like me) extremely satisfied with it, while I know others who report getting better results with Google Now. Microsoft is allowing a small number of iOS users to try out a beta version of Cortana for the iPhone.

Siri got the highest satisfaction score for setting an appointment, and the lowest for the question ‘When does Kung Fu Panda 3 come out?’.

You can see full details at the Experts Exchange site.

Siri’s latest trick is speaking Arabic, following the Apple Store openings in the UAE.

Filed under: iOS Tagged: Artificial Intelligence, Cortana, Google Now, Siri

Visit 9to5Mac to find more special coverage of iOS, Siri, and Google Now.

What do you think? Discuss “Siri beats out Google Now and Cortana in survey, with 81% user satisfaction rating” with our community.

As we reported last week, Apple has announced that the iPad Pro will go on sale in 40 countries on Wednesday, November 11th. The ‘epic’ 12.9 inch device will also be available in Apple Retail Stores later in the week.

The iPad Pro costs $799 for the 32 GB base model and maxes out at $1079 for the WiFi + Cellular 128 GB version. The iPad Pro will be available to buy in 40 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, China and Japan …

The iPad Pro accessories, such as the Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil stylus accessory, will also be available from Wednesday, November 11th. In a statement, Apple SVP marketing Phillip Schiller says early response to iPad Pro has been “incredible”.

“The early response to iPad Pro from app developers and our customers has been incredible, and we’re excited to get iPad Pro into the hands of customers around the world this week,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPad Pro is the most powerful iPad we’ve ever made, giving users the ability to be even more creative and more productive with the epic 12.9-inch Retina display, powerful 64-bit A9X chip and groundbreaking Apple Pencil and new Smart Keyboard. We can’t wait to see what they do with iPad Pro.”

The iPad Pro features a gigantic 12.9 inch Retina Display with 5.6 million pixels, a super-fast A9X processor whilst still providing all day battery life. The iPad Pro is specifically targeted at business, education and creative professionals thanks to the high-resolution pressure sensitive Apple Pencil stylus (optional accessory).

The Apple Smart Keyboard is Apple’s own interpretation of the myriad third-party iPad keyboard cases already available to buy for current iPads. As the iPad Pro is so large, however, it will be the first iPad keyboard case to offer a full size set of keys. The Smart Keyboard charges/pairs to the iPad via a new Smart Connector positioned at the bottom of the iPad Pro.

Expect many app updates from developers in the coming days as software is tailored to the additional screen real-estate offered by the iPad Pro Retina Display and the additional capabilities of the Apple Pencil stylus. Apple is currently promoting Paper, Adobe’s suite of Photoshop apps, Procreate 3 and UMake as examples of great iPad Pro apps.

The full list of countries for iPad Pro availability is Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greenland, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, UAE, US, UK, Uruguay and the Virgin Islands.

Filed under: iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: Apple Pencil, apple smart pencil, iPad Pro, keyboard case

For more information about iOS Devices, Tech Industry, and iOS continue reading at 9to5Mac.

What do you think? Discuss “Apple’s 12.9 inch iPad Pro goes on sale Wednesday in 40 countries, available at retail stores later in the week” with our community.

Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer has announced that its Android Wear-based Carrera Connected smartwatch, launching today in New York, will have “almost the same functions as an Apple Watch.”

TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver told Le Matin Dimanche that he didn’t want to reveal too much ahead of today’s official unveiling, which takes place at 11am ET … 

Our watch will have almost the same features as an Apple Watch, but I don’t want to say too much.

The watch, which is based on the company’s traditional Carrera watch (above right), is made from titanium and will offer a choice of six, brightly-colored wristbands. The company has so far revealed few details.

One interesting question will be whether the Carrera Connected can be called ‘Swiss made’: the law says that 50% of the components must be made within Switzerland to qualify, and TAG Heuer is buying in the smartwatch components from the USA.

Biver has previously suggested that the Apple Watch may get younger people used to wearing a watch and that they would then want “a real watch.” The company may have to work hard on its sales efforts after Apple last year poached its VP of Sales and Retail, but TAG Heuer seems to be aiming small, stating that just 1,000 units will go on sale in New York before the European launch later this week.

You’ll be able to watch a livestream of the event on YouTube.

Filed under: Apple Watch Tagged: TAG Heuer, TAG Heuer Carrera, TAG Heuer Carrera Connected, TAG Heuer smartwatch

Visit 9to5Mac to find more special coverage of Apple Watch, TAG Heuer, and TAG Heuer smartwatch.

What do you think? Discuss “TAG Heuer launching $1500 smartwatch today, claims “almost same features as an Apple Watch”” with our community.