MacRumors

For this week's giveaway, we've once again teamed up with Fuse to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Side Winder cable wrangler, designed to let you quickly and easily wind up your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro's charger cord.

When traveling with a traditional Power Adapter and cable setup in a bag or backpack, winding the cord and the extension cable is an exercise in futility because it constantly comes unwrapped, leading to a messy, knotted tangle of cable. That cable tangle is the problem the Side Winder solves.

Side Winder works by enclosing the Power Adapter of your MacBook with a reel that holds the cable. When you need to wind extra cable, a simple twist of the top piece pulls it in. When more cable is needed while the MacBook is in use, you can pull out as much cable as you need to reach a power outlet.

Fuse says that it takes less than six seconds to fully wind a cable using the Side Winder, and the design of the device provides protection against cable damage and fraying by preventing stress at weak points.

Side Winder is compatible with all 45W, 60W, 61W, 85W, and 87W MacBook Pro and Air chargers, with both MagSafe 1 and 2 and USB-C versions available. The MagSafe versions are available for $29.99, while the USB-C version is $33.99. The USB-C model includes a USB-C cord, but neither model includes a power adapter or extension cable.

In addition to offering Side Winders to MacRumors readers in our giveaway, Fuse is also providing a 20 percent discount on all Side Winder purchases. To buy one at a discount, just use this link.

We have 20 Side Winders to give away to MacRumors readers. To enter to win our giveaway, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

Apple's HomePod Siri-enabled smart speaker expanded to an additional two countries today, with the device now available for purchase in Spain and Mexico.

In Spain the HomePod is priced at 349 euros, and in Mexico, it can be purchased for 7,999 pesos. The HomePod is more expensive in Mexico and Spain than in the U.S. due to value added taxes in both countries.

With the HomePod's expansion to Spain and Mexico, the speaker is now available in a total of eight countries. When HomePod first launched in February, it was available in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia before expanding to Canada, France, and Germany in June.

Rumors suggest the HomePod could expand to Italy in the near future, with Apple employees testing an Italian language version of the device.

It's now been just over four months since AT&T completed its acquisition of Time Warner, and today AT&T has made a move to streamline WarnerMedia assets with the discontinuation of classic film streaming service FilmStruck. The service is now warning visitors to its website that it will be shutting down on November 29, 2018, and as of today is no longer enrolling new subscribers (via Variety).

FilmStruck was available on iOS and tvOS, but it appears that the app has been removed from both App Stores. On iOS, a search for "FilmStruck" guides users to TCM's new streaming app Watch TCM.

All current FilmStruck subscribers will receive an email with more details, including potential refunds, and the company put together a list of FAQs for more information. FilmStruck will remain in operation for the next month, and in a tweet the company said, "It has been our pleasure bringing FilmStruck to you and we thank you for your support."

FilmStruck debuted in November 2016, offering a lineup of nearly 2,000 classic, indie, foreign, and cult films, as well as acting as the streaming home to the Criterion Collection. Subscribers paid $6.99/month for the service, or $10.99/month for the service with access to the Criterion Collection. Films available on FilmStruck include the original "A Star is Born", "Casablanca", "The Music Man," and many more.

According to a statement provided by Turner and WB Digital Networks, FilmStruck remained a niche service for its entire lifetime, leading to the discontinuation.

“We’re incredibly proud of the creativity and innovations produced by the talented and dedicated teams who worked on FilmStruck over the past two years. While FilmStruck has a very loyal fanbase, it remains largely a niche service. We plan to take key learnings from FilmStruck to help shape future business decisions in the direct-to-consumer space and redirect this investment back into our collective portfolios.”

A few other WarnerMedia digital services have been shut down following the AT&T acquisition, including the Korean drama-focused DramaFever and digital content TV studio Super Deluxe. According to a source familiar with AT&T's strategy, "They felt Time Warner overall had too many initiatives," leading to the pruning of services that lack broad appeal.

Turner Classic Movies offers an alternative for Apple TV owners with the recently launched "Watch TCM" tvOS app. Unlike FilmStruck's separate monthly streaming service cost, Watch TCM is an app that users can connect to their cable subscriptions to watch "nearly every title playing on TCM."

Before FilmStruck goes away for good, the Criterion Collection promises that it will keep subscribers informed about the programming they can watch on the service before it shuts down in late November. Looking forward, the company will be trying to find ways to "bring our library and original content back to the digital space as soon as possible."

Blizzard this week introduced an all-new Apple TV app that will allow fans to stream content from BlizzCon 2018 on their 4th or 5th generation Apple TV. For those who can't make it to the Anaheim, California event in person, Blizzard has always provided numerous ways for users to watch panels and videos live (on mobile and BlizzCon.com), but this marks the first year the company has built an app specifically for Apple TV.

While the app and some of its content are free, to get the most out of BlizzCon TV [Direct Link] you'll need to purchase a $49.99 "Virtual Ticket" from Blizzard. This allows you to unlock all of the content to stream on BlizzCon TV, including original BlizzCon video content, a Community Night, the BlizzCon 2017 video archive, and live panel coverage. The Virtual Ticket also unlocks access to in-game items for Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, StarCraft II, StarCraft: Remastered, Heroes of the Storm, and Diablo III.

The BlizzCon TV home screen on Apple TV shows upcoming events, live and on-demand videos, content broken down by various Blizzard games, and more. There's a dedicated e-sports tab, which has already kicked off with content for Heroes of the Storm and StarCraft II, and will see World of Warcraft and Overwatch tournaments begin next week. Blizzard has the full BlizzCon 2018 schedule on its website, and viewers can prepare for opening ceremony events to kick off on Friday, November 2.

Besides the introduction of an Apple TV app, Blizzard is supporting AirPlay and Chromecast streaming from the BlizzCon mobile app to compatible devices for the first time in 2018. Fans will also be able to watch portions of the show live through the Blizzard Battle.net desktop app, so they can chat with friends as the event happens. There's also a BlizzCon TV app for Amazon Fire TV users.

This marks the first Apple TV app developed by Blizzard. The company has created plenty of iOS apps, including a port for Hearthstone, a companion app for World of Warcraft, and an app for the Overwatch League. In 2017, there were numerous rumors surrounding the potential launch of Overwatch on macOS, but they were tenuous and it's now been nearly a year since one of Blizzard's engineers said there are "no plans" for the launch.

You can download BlizzCon TV for Apple TV today by searching for the app on the tvOS App Store, or using the Siri Remote.

WhatsApp is about to introduce support for stickers in the massively popular chat app, an official blog post revealed today.

Stickers have been available on rival messaging platforms including Apple's iMessages and Telegram for some time, so today's announcement isn't a surprise as WhatsApp tries to cement its position as the most popular messenger app globally.

To begin with, WhatsApp is launching sticker packs created by its own in-house designers, along with a selection of stickers from other artists.

However, users can also expect third-party sticker packs further down the line, as WhatsApp is also releasing a set of APIs and interfaces that will allow anyone "minimal development or coding experience" to build their own sticker packs and publish them on the App Store.

WhatsApp users can post stickers in chat threads via a new sticker button, and add new sticker packs by tapping the plus icon, once they become available on iOS and Android over the coming weeks.

Anker announced several new hardware devices at an event in New York City today. Best known for its quality mobile charging accessories, the company continued its push into other consumer electronics markets by unveiling a pocket cinema, a premium smart speaker, and a new line of minuscule USB-C wall chargers.

Starting with the chargers, the PowerPort Atom PD 1 is the smallest 27-watt USB-C power plug that Anker has come up with to date. It's about the size of the 5-watt charger that comes with an iPhone, but pumps out enough juice to power larger devices like a 12-inch MacBook, a Chromebook, and a Nintendo Switch.

Anker says it has used Gallium Nitride components in the charger instead of silicon, which has allowed the company to maximize efficiency while minimizing size. The PowerPort Atom PD 1 weighs 2.2 ounces and fits in the palm of the hand, measuring in at 1.61 x 1.37 x 1.49 inches The PD 1 is just the first in the Atom line, with a 60-watt two USB-C port PD 2 charger and a 100-watt four-port (2x USB-C, 2x USB-A) PD 4 charger also on the way.

The Anker PowerPort Atom PD 1 will be available exclusively on the Amazon website from the end of November for $30.

Meanwhile, Anker announced the Soundcore Model Zero+, a new Bluetooth and Wi-Fi smart speaker that sports a unique radial purse-like design with a built-in handle. It's the first portable speaker from Anker to feature integrated Dolby Audio, and includes drivers designed by Scan-Speak for optimal audio performance.

The Model Zero+ speaker comes with Google Assistant and also supports Google Chromecast, for streaming playing media directly from mobile devices and computers. The unit offers 10 hours of battery life when streaming over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and will cost $250.

A more affordable $200 version of the speaker called the Model Zero was also announced that has fewer features but better battery life. Both units will be available at select retailers from the end of next month.

Anker also unveiled the Nebula Capsule II, a next generation pocket cinema with Android TV built in. The soda can-sized cylindrical unit projects a 1280 x 720 resolution screen onto walls, auto-focuses in about one second.

Anker says the Nebule Capsule II will offer up to three hours of video playtime or 30 hours of Bluetooth audio output on a single charge. It also supports Google Assistant, and can be charged in around two and a half hours using the included USB-C charger.

The Nebula Capsule II is launching as a Kickstarter campaign and will be available for early adopters, with plans to ship early 2019. Super Early Bird supporters can order the pocket cinema for $349, with other tiers costing $369 or $399.

Lastly, Anker today announced a home security camera under its Eufy branding. The wireless camera offers one year of battery life and features face recognition, base station battery backup, free local storage. Pricing and release date have yet to be announced.

Apple's latest Apple Pay promotion, which is Halloween-themed, offers Apple Pay users three free bonus credits when making a purchase of $10 or more in the TouchTunes jukebox app on iOS devices.

TouchTunes is designed to let users play the jukebox at more than 65,000 bars and restaurants across the United States. To get the credit, users will need to download TouchTunes and make a $10+ credits purchase to receive the free credits. Credits within TouchTunes are used to play songs at local jukeboxes.

According to the fine print of the deal, it will last from October 24 to 11:59 Pacific Time on October 31 in the United States and Canada. Only one reward is available per person and per Apple Pay account.

Apple's promotional email also highlights several other apps designed for party planning, including Party City, Pizza Hut, and Walgreens, along with Lyft, Postmates, and Uber for avoiding Halloween traffic.

In an upcoming update, popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go will gain support for the Apple Health app, developer Niantic announced today.

Adventure Sync, a new feature, will use walking distances pulled from Apple Health to let you earn candy and hatch eggs even when the Pokémon Go app isn't running.

Niantic says Adventure Sync will also provide Pokémon Go users with a weekly summary on incubator and candy progress right alongside activity statistics.

Through the trainer profile, Pokémon Go users will be able to see the number of kilometers walked each week, and rewards will be available for each milestones that's reached.

Adventure Sync is "coming soon" and alongside Apple Health on iPhones, it will work with Google Fit on Android devices.

Pokémon Go can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

At IFA Berlin in August, ZENS revealed three new Qi-compatible wireless chargers, including a Single Aluminum Wireless Charger, Dual Aluminum Wireless Charger, and Dual + Watch Wireless Charger. ZENS sent me the MFi certified Dual + Watch charger for the purpose of this review, and I've been using it as my main iPhone X and Apple Watch charging dock for the past week.

The charger has a mat with support for up to two Qi-enabled smartphones, including the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, and later devices. Each section of the mat has a max total output of 10W, so the Dual + Watch Charger does support Apple's 7.5W fast charging feature for the iPhone. Sitting above the mat is a perch for Apple Watch with a built-in inductive charging puck, which supports all models of Apple Watch.

Daily Use

In my testing, the ZENS Dual + Watch dock has performed just as well as other wireless chargers I've owned over the past few months from Belkin, RAVPower, and Mophie, with a few pros in comparison to those brands, and some cons. To start with pros, I've found the ZENS stand to be quite lenient in regards to positioning of my iPhone on the mat.

Of course, a nice symmetrical position over the designated power logos is ideal, but even when I threw my iPhone on the stand off-kilter a charge was registered. I mostly use Belkin's Boost UP wireless charger, which is one of the more finicky Qi mats and requires a very specific iPhone position for charging, so I was happy that ZENS allowed for a bit of a messier approach.

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Nearly one year after Apple announced its acquisition of music recognition service Shazam, and one month since the acquisition was completed, Shazam has now begun informing users of Apple's plans with their data (via iGeneration). You can see the new splash screen if you have a Shazam account and open up the app.

If you've created a Shazam account in the past, which allows you to share Shazams between devices, this data will now move to Apple and fall under the protection of Apple's Privacy Policy. This has been expected since Apple completed the acquisition, but now we're one step closer to Apple's overhaul of Shazam, which will remove all ads from the app.

Shazam explains that if you don't want your data to be automatically transferred, you can delete your Shazam account within the app. This will erase all personal data associated with Shazam, including your email address and connected Facebook account. Shazams will remain in the app but they will no longer sync between devices and they will be gone if you delete and reinstall Shazam.

The company points out that analytics logs and how you used Shazam won't be erased even if you delete your account, but the logs will no longer be personally identifiable at that time. If you never created a Shazam account and continue to use Shazam under Apple's ownership, any Shazams recorded will not be associated with you.

At the time of the acquisition announcement, Apple said that it was "thrilled" for the Shazam team to be joining Apple. Down the line, the company hinted that users can expect more integration with Apple Music and Shazam: "Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion for music discovery and delivering great music experiences to our users. We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of today's agreement."