MacRumors

Verizon Communications is gearing up to enter the ever-growing online streaming TV market, alongside competitors like DirecTV Now, Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, as well as soon-to-launch bundles from Hulu and YouTube. Verizon is currently securing streaming rights from TV networks ahead of a nationwide launch of its cord-cutting service, which is said to show up for customers as soon as this summer, according to people familiar with the company's plans (via Bloomberg).

"Dozens" of channels will be on offer, and the service will act as a separate entity from Verizon's own teen-based go90 video app and FiOS Home TV offering. In terms of cost, the sources said that Verizon will enter the market with a bundle that runs somewhere between Sling TV's basic $20/month package and DirecTV Now's $35/month starting price. Specific channel offerings, and the amount that will be available, were not divulged.

Verizon’s preparations highlight the growing pressure to provide a cheaper, smaller package of TV networks to viewers who are turned off by a glut of programming available on traditional cable packages. Dish Network Corp. introduced a similar service, Sling TV, two years ago, and AT&T Inc.’s DirecTV Now came out late last year. Sling’s basic package costs $20 a month, while DirecTV Now starts at $35 for 60 channels. Verizon’s will probably be similarly priced, the people said.

It's expected for Verizon's bundle to follow the usual availability on platforms like iOS, Apple TV, and other set-top streaming boxes including Roku devices. According to the people familiar with Verizon's plans, it's currently "unclear" whether or not customers will have to be tied into Verizon's phone services to access the TV bundle. AT&T's DirecTV Now doesn't have such a restriction, but customers do get a discount if they sign up for both phone and TV services.

Although there are already plenty of cord-cutting options for users to choose from at present, more are coming down the line this year, including an anticipated launch this spring of Hulu's online TV service. At one point Apple was hoping to become a competitor in the live-streaming service field with its own dedicated cord-cutting bundle, but rumors of that service died down after news came out that the company was "frustrated" by its repeated inability to reach mutually beneficial terms with network programmers.

Apple has officially opened its new App Accelerator in Bangalore as part of an effort to support engineering talent and boost growth in India's iOS developer community (via Mashable).

At the center, experts will lead briefings and provide one-to-one app reviews for developers. Apple is calling the facility "the first of its kind" in the country, and says it will provide specialized support to developers as well as tools to help them push the boundaries.

"We are impressed by the great entrepreneurial spirit in India, and are excited to provide a platform for these developers to share their innovations with customers around the world," said Philip Schiller, senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing at Apple. 

"In just the first few weeks, we've already seen some incredible developers here at the App Accelerator Bengaluru, including Practo and Reliance Games, create innovative apps that can meet the needs of customers in India and around the world."

Apple first announced its plans for the App Accelerator back in May 2016, during CEO Tim Cook's high profile visit to India, when he met with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Since then, the company has been steadily ramping up its presence in the country, negotiating terms with Modi regarding manufacturing and development, seeking tax concessions for locally manufactured iPhones, and setting up a local distribution center.

Apple is currently offering popular minimalist puzzler Blyss as its Free App of the Week on the App Store.

Blyss combines a unique puzzle mechanic with serene and calming aesthetics, some of which have a Monument Valley-style vibe. The game itself involves white blocks laid in a formation against varied backgrounds and themes, with each block presenting a certain number of dots.

These dots indicate how many times they must be covered with a swipe along the game field, and all of the squares must be eliminated to complete the puzzle, but a danger lurks in removing a square that is vital to completing the level. The App Store Editor's notes are as follows.

Some dots take one swipe, some take two. But one thing's for certain: If you want to clear every puzzle, you have to think through your moves. Failure's inevitable in the high-stakes Endless mode – but trust us – you won't mind restarting.

Blyss launched in July 2016 as Apple Editor's Choice on the App Store in 78 countries. According to MacRumors sister site TouchArcade, "Blyss appears to achieve that sweet spot of being complex and in-depth, while still having a zen-like vibe".

Usually $1.99, the game can be downloaded for free on iPad and iPhone over on the App Store. [Direct Link]

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) today issued a determination that again denies authorization for the major banks in the country to work together to negotiate with Apple to gain access to the NFC chip within iOS devices.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corporation, National Australia Bank, and Bendigo and Adelaide bank had asked for permission to collectively bargain with Apple and boycott Apple Pay. According to the ACCC, the request was denied because the potential benefits do not outweigh the detriments, and there were concerns that the collective bargaining could reduce or distort competition in a number of markets.

The Australian banks have been aiming to get access to the NFC chip in the iPhone, which would allow their own payments services to work on iOS devices alongside Apple Pay. Apple does not allow third-party access to the NFC chip because of security concerns, leading Apple to urge the ACCC to deny the request.

The banks argued that access to the NFC chip in the iPhone would allow them to offer competing wallets, which would lead to increased competition and consumer choice in digital wallets and increased innovation and investment in digital wallets.

"This is currently a finely balanced decision. The ACCC is not currently satisfied that the likely benefits from the proposed conduct outweigh the likely detriments," ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said.

With the request for collective negotiations shut down, Australian banks that are holding out against Apple Pay will each need to negotiate individually with Apple. Following the ACCC's statement, the banks released a joint statement calling the decision disappointing.

Thus far, the banks involved in the dispute have resisted implementing Apple Pay, and it's not clear if today's decision will result in a meaningful change. While Apple Pay has been available in Australia for quite some time through partnerships with American Express and ANZ, the many Australians who bank with the three major banks involved in the dispute do not have access to Apple Pay.

Back at Mobile World Congress in February, Apple and enterprise application software company SAP, which first teamed up in 2016 announced plans to launch the SAP Cloud Platform SDK for iOS in March, and as of today, the SAP Cloud Platform SDK for iOS has been made available.

The platform features a toolset that is designed to help developers quickly and effortlessly build "enterprise-grade" apps for iOS devices. It uses Apple's Swift programming language to present developers and designers with a collection of pre-built UI components and easy access iPhone features for accelerated app development.

Apple announced the launch of the SAP Cloud Platform SDK for iOS on its developer website.

Apple and SAP are working together to make it easier than ever to reinvent business processes and workflows everywhere. With the new SAP Cloud Platform SDK for iOS, you can build powerful native iOS apps that integrate seamlessly with the SAP Cloud Platform.

Apple's dedicated SAP page better explains the partnership between the two companies and the benefits of the SAP Cloud Platform SDK for iOS for enterprise customers.

Popular automation platform IFTTT today announced a few new iOS-focused toolsets that will integrate Apple's Calendar and App Store into new applets, allowing users to streamline certain workflows related to each of Apple's applications.

With Calendar Applets, users can get important information funneled right into their daily agenda. This includes automation flows that add in weather reports to the calendar at certain times of the day, track Foursquare checkins and work hours, or get daily email summaries of every new Calendar event.

The company said that App Store Applets will keep a user's device "full of the newest and best apps" that Apple's store has to offer. With the new IFTTT feature, users can get notified when a certain app gets a price drop or receives an update, or even when a new game enters into popularity in the top ten free apps list.

Services that work with your smartphone or tablet have been an important part of IFTTT since the very beginning. Today we’re excited to announce two brand new ways to do more with your iOS devices: the iOS Calendar and App Store services.

In total there are a collection of IFTTT applets for iOS users surrounding first-party Apple apps like Contacts, Reminders, Photos, and the Safari Reading List. The company has listed a few examples of these on its website here.

Twitter today announced that usernames such as @MacRumors will no longer count towards the 140-character limit for tweets.

Now, the usernames of anyone who a user is replying to will appear above the tweet rather than within the tweet itself, so that users have more characters to have conversations. Twitter said users will be able to tap on "Replying to…" to see and change which users are part of the conversation.

Twitter already stopped counting photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and Quote Tweets towards the 140-character limit for tweets last September, and it removed the 140-character limit from Direct Messages in August 2015.

Twitter said this update is rolling out now on the web as well as in the Twitter app for iOS [Direct Link] and Android.

Facebook today announced that it will begin allowing its users to generate their own crowdfunding campaigns directly within the social network's mobile app, meant as a way "to raise money for themselves, a friend, or someone or something not on Facebook, for example a pet." Any user 18 or older will be able to set up a personal fundraiser, which Facebook hopes will be a way for people to more easily reach potential project backers like close friends and family members.

The catch is that fundraisers will be locked into six specific categories: education, medical, pet medical, crisis relief, personal emergency, and funeral and loss. Every fundraiser will also face a 24-hour review process by Facebook to ensure that the project's creator and its goals are legitimate. The company broke down the six categories in today's press release:

• Education: such as tuition, books or classroom supplies
• Medical: such as medical procedures, treatments or injuries
• Pet Medical: such as veterinary procedures, treatments or injuries
• Crisis Relief: such as public crises or natural disasters
• Personal Emergency: such as a house fire, theft or car accident
• Funeral and Loss: such as burial expenses or living costs after losing a loved one

On the donator side of things, friends and family will be able to support a user's fundraiser in a few taps and without leaving the Facebook app. The company said that all payments are secure and that donators will have more peace of mind thanks to Facebook's use of real profile information for the person raising the funds, and the person or cause the money will go to.

Personal fundraisers allow people to reach friends where they already are to quickly build momentum for their cause. Friends can donate in a few taps with secure payments, without leaving Facebook. Since you can see real profiles on Facebook, donors will see how they are connected to the person who created the fundraiser, the person benefiting and others who are supporting the fundraiser.

The update is also bringing donate buttons to Facebook Live streams of verified pages, which the company said will give "public figures, brands, businesses and organizations new ways to fundraise on Facebook for the nonprofits they support." With a simple tap, watchers of live streams can donate to a specified cause that the page is supporting.

Facebook said that personal fundraisers will be entering a beta over the next few weeks, and should face a wider launch sometime after that.

Uber today is beginning to roll out a new "pickup corrections" feature in its iOS app, which will allow riders to change their pickup location after it's been entered and a ride has been requested. With the new addition, riders who accidentally enter a wrong pickup location can tap "edit" next to it, enter the new address, confirm it, and send it to the driver, who is updated on-the-fly about the new location.

The pickup is a core part of the Uber experience and we’re always looking for ways to make it as painless as possible for both riders and drivers. This simple fix gives riders more control over their pickup experience and saves everyone time and avoidable headaches.

The new update also comes with a collection of driver-side support tweaks, which "give drivers more of a say on concerns and complaints that affect their bottom line." This includes ways for Uber to validate a driver corresponds correctly to their in-app profile to satisfy riders, an adjustment to the scale of the rider complaint system, changes to how disputes are handled on fare adjustments, and more.

The new pickup corrections update will begin rolling out today to users in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, and should take a few weeks to get to everyone. Uber this week also published a humorous post that looks at the most common items lost on trips, the most forgetful cities, and the most common days of the week during which riders forget items.