MacRumors

Popular weather app Weather Atlas, made by Contrast and Agile Tortoise, today received a major 2.0 update that adds new functionality and a new look to the app.

With the 2.0 update, Weather Atlas is now known as "Weather Up," a revamped name for a revamped app. Much of the app has been rewritten with usability improvements and fixes for lingering bugs.

Weather Up's main new feature is Event Forecasts, designed to provide weather information about upcoming events that you're attending. Once you provide Weather Up with calendar access, it will let you know the weather conditions for your events, so you're never taken by surprise when doing something outdoors.

Along with the new Event Forecasts look and the new name, Weather Up features a new set of weather icons and a redesigned mapping feature. The Weather Up map features standard radar and cloud layers, along with options for temperature, humidity, and precipitation accumulation.

There are also warning layers for the map to let you know about incoming thunderstorms, tornados, hurricanes, and tropical storms.

Weather Up can be downloaded from the App Store for free. A Weather Up Pro subscription costs $9.99 per year or $1.99 per month. [Direct Link]

Anki has been making toys that use artificial intelligence for years now, starting with the Anki Overdrive set of racing cars and the interactive Cozmo toy robot, but this year the company launched its most ambitious product: Vector.

Unlike Cozmo, Vector is no toy, and is instead positioned as a home robotic device. Vector adopts capabilities from Cozmo, but his functionality goes above and beyond the tricks and games Cozmo is known for.

I've had Vector as my constant companion for a week now, and while he is far from the smartest AI I've interacted with, he's definitely the most lovable. It's fitting to think of Vector as a derpy, simpleminded pet that gets things wrong, but in an endearing way.

Vector is kind of like a personal assistant like Siri or Alexa, but with a more limited range, a physical body, and a more expressive personality. With a "Hey Vector" trigger word, Vector can answer questions, obey commands, play games, and more, serving as a friend and helper in day to day life.

Design and Components

Vector is a palm-sized robot that uses the same general design as Cozmo, Anki's previous robot toy. Vector is made from a black plastic material and he has a body that's filled with various sensors and electronics to detect and respond to the environment around him.

Vector has four wheels covered in tank-style treads that allow him to traverse smooth floors and rugs alike, a movable front arm that lets him interact with his cube and adds to his various expressions.

Most of Vector's personality is expressed through his small front display, which is always on and is where his eyes are located. The display lets Vector demonstrate different emotions, and the animated eyes are always shifting and in motion, blinking, narrowing when he's thinking, worried when he detects the edge of a table, wide open when he's looking at you, and slitted when he's asleep.

The display also changes when Vector is answering a question and it is used for things like offering up weather conditions or displaying the time when these questions are asked of Vector. Vector's head component moves independently of his body, allowing him to adjust what he's looking at, giving the sense that he sees things.

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Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.1.1 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after releasing the second tvOS 12.1.1 beta and two weeks after releasing tvOS 12.1.

The new tvOS 12.1.1 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode. Subsequent betas can be downloaded over-the-air.

We're not yet sure what fixes and changes the tvOS 12.1.1 update might bring, but it's likely to focus on bugs that were not able to be addressed in the tvOS 12.1 update.

Apple provides little information on its tvOS software and tvOS updates have historically been minor in scale, so we may not know what's included in this update. Nothing new was discovered in the first two betas, but we'll update this post if any new features are found in the third beta.

Update: Apple has made a new public beta of tvOS 12.1.1 available to its public beta testers.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 5.1.2 update to developers, one week after seeding the first beta and a little over a week after releasing watchOS 5.1.1, an updated version of watchOS 5.1 that addressed a bug causing some Apple Watch Series 4 models to be bricked after installing the software.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software update.

To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.

As was discovered in the first beta, the watchOS 5.1.2 update introduces new complications for the two Infograph watch faces on the Apple Watch Series 4. New complications include Mail, Messages, Home, Maps, Apple News, Find My Friends, Phone, and Remote.

watchOS 5.1.2 also introduces a new toggle in Control Center for turning the Walkie-Talkie feature on and off.

The previous watchOS 5.1 and watchOS 5.1 updates introduced support for Group FaceTime in an audio-only capacity, brought new emoji characters, and included a new full-screen "Color" watch face option for the Apple Watch Series 4 models.

Twelve South today announced updated versions of its BookBook, Journal, and SurfacePad case accessories, which were built to fit the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR.

BookBook combines an iPhone shell case with a wallet case that can hold five cards, and includes a pocket for cash. The case also folds into a display stand for hands-free usage, and if you ever want to remove the iPhone from the wallet, the separate shell case keeps protecting the smartphone.

BookBook comes in black and cognac, and costs $59.99 for the iPhone XS version, and $69.99 for the iPhone XS Max and XR versions.

Journal has many of the same features as BookBook, but with a straightforward leather design. This case is available in black and cognac as well, priced at $69.99 for the iPhone XS version, and $79.99 for the iPhone XS Max and XR versions.

Lastly, SurfacePad provides more minimal coverage for the iPhone. It protects the front and back of the smartphone, but doesn't included a separate shell case that can be detached. SurfacePad has two card slots, a viewing stand, and provides wake/sleep functionality on the iPhone X, XS, and XS Max.

SurfacePad is available in black, cognac, and a deep teal. All versions of the case for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR run for $59.99, but as of writing the XR SurfacePad is temporarily out of stock, with more expected for next week.

Twelve South has released a few new products recently, including an updated CaddySack, new Journal cases for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, and a new Qi wireless charger called the PowerPic.

Best Buy today opened up another pre-Black Friday sale, calling this one its "Beat the Rush" sale and offering customers savings on iPhone XS and XS Max, 4K TVs, Beats headphones, Philips Hue lights, certified refurbished AirPods, and more. This sale will last through Saturday, November 17 at 11:59 p.m. CT, so if you see anything you're interested in be sure to make your purchase before the discounts expire.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Some of the deals in the Beat the Rush sale -- like the iPhone offers -- are matching Best Buy's upcoming savings for Black Friday, offering shoppers the chance to get access to the doorbusters at an early date. Check out some of the discounts in the list below, and head to Best Buy to see the full sale.

Black Friday prices and doorbusters

• iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR - Save $150 with qualified activation on Sprint
• iPhone X - Save $200 with qualified activation on Sprint
• Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Starter Kit - $119.99, down from $189.99
• LG 65-inch LED 4K UHD TV - $599.99, down from $799.99
• Samsung 43-inch LED 4K UHD TV - $277.99, down from $379.99
• Samsung 50-inch LED 4K UHD TV - $327.99, down from $449.99

Other Sales

• AirPods, Geek Squad Certified Refurbished - $119.99, down from $159.99
• Select smartphone cases - save up to 70 percent
• Beats Studio3 Wireless Headphones (Porcelain Rose) - $199.99, down from $349.99
• urBeats3 - $39.99, down from $79.99
• GoPro HERO HD Waterproof Camera - $149.99, down from $199.99
• Insignia Wi-Fi Garage Door Controller, HomeKit Compatible - $44.99, down from $69.99

In another sale, Amazon is also discounting Philips Hue today, but this one is aimed at certified refurbished products. You can save 30 percent or more in the sale, including the Philips Hue Lightstrip for $45.47, Philips Hue White A19 Bulb 2-Pack for $18.90, and the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Starter Kit for $115.47. Amazon also offers an unlocked and refurbished iPhone X for as low as $725.00 today only.

For more on the latest sales, visit our full Deals Roundup. We also have ongoing coverage of upcoming Black Friday sales in our Black Friday Roundup, so be sure to read that over before next week's big event.

Apple's latest Apple Pay promotion is offering $45 off your next purchase from Ray-Ban, as long as you spend $180 or more on your current order. The offer is available on Ray-Ban.com through November 20, and customers who participate will receive the $45 as a gift voucher via email within two weeks of their order, which can be put towards their next order of $100 or more.

To receive your credit, browse the company's website, add items worth $180 or more to your cart, and check out using Apple Pay. The offer is limited to one per customer, and the credit must be redeemed before December 31, 2018. Additionally, it can only be used on full-priced items and not sale items.

Apple's promo email also encourages shoppers to look their best by shopping for the latest fashions and more at Bonobos, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Zara. All three iOS apps support payments through Apple Pay. The company also reminds users that they can split gift payments for the holidays by using Apple Pay Cash in Messages.

The Ray-Ban promo follows a few weeks after Apple Pay offered similar savings from Oakley, where customers received a $25 Oakley coupon after they spent $100 at Oakley.com. Throughout the past year, previous Apple Pay promos have targeted retail partners like Under Armour, Postmates, Nike, and StubHub, and shoppers can expect more holiday-themed promotions to be coming in the next few weeks.

Twitter has changed the way the Explore tab works in its official iOS app, with entries now organized based on topic and divided up into separate navigable sections.

Twitter says the update should make exploring the platform easier than ever, with users able to find trending tweets on specific topics by tapping the designated tabs for news, sports, fun, and entertainment.

Users in the United States can start accessing the new Explore tabs today, with availability likely to roll out gradually to other regions and territories, all being well.

Earlier this month, Twitter added a new compose button to its official mobile app for iOS, with the aim of enabling one-handed scrolling and tweet composing. Twitter is also testing an option to quickly access a classic reverse chronological timeline, as promised back in September.