Canary today at CES announced a new indoor security camera called the "Canary View," which comes with a cheaper $99 price tag thanks to the removal of certain features from the original Canary device (via The Verge).
Specifically, the Canary View lacks the company's "HomeHealth" technology, which monitors a home's temperature, humidity, and overall air quality in the $169 Canary All-in-One camera. Otherwise, Canary View will perform all of the basic security camera functions, including iPhone compatibility, 1080p video capture, two-way Canary Talk, intelligent motion alerts, and more.
The device has a 147-degree wide-angle lens to capture footage, and can automatically transition to night vision when motion alerts appear in the dark. Some features on the Canary View -- including Canary Talk -- are limited to paying Canary Membership subscribers. The membership costs $9.99/month and updated last October when the company began charging for previously free features for its security cameras, citing "significant" cloud expenses.
The Canary View camera is available to purchase today on the company's website for $99.
Whirlpool today at CES 2018 announced that some of its washers, dryers, and ovens will be controllable with an Apple Watch in the near future.
The home appliance maker said it will be releasing a watchOS app in early 2018 that will enable Apple Watch users to remotely control select functions on more than 20 of its latest Wi-Fi-connected washers, dryers, and ovens.
Here are a few examples:
Washer: Control the wash options of an active cycle. Whether it be a normal wash, delicates, or brights, users can adjust an active cycle via their Apple Watch.
Dryer: Control and detect if a cycle has started, understanding how much time remains before the cycle is complete.
Oven: View the current oven status and control commands during an active cycle.
Whirlpool said the collaboration marks the first time a major home appliance maker has connected its products with the Apple Watch.
Tile today announced a few new partnerships with companies that will integrate its Bluetooth item-tracking technology into consumer products, including Bose's existing line of SoundSport Wireless and QuietControl 30 headphones. In addition to Bose, partnerships for the new "Tile Platform" also include Samsonite luggage, Boosted Boards, and Propeller Health's inhalers.
The Bose partnership will begin in late spring 2018, when the SoundSport Wireless and QuietControl 30 will be sold with Tile's technology embedded inside. Users who already own these devices will be able to add Tile support through a firmware update so purchasing an entirely new pair of headphones won't be required (via TechCrunch).
“With the Tile Platform, we’re extending the finding power of Tile and its global community to leading brands spanning audio, travel, transportation and even digital health management,” said Mike Farley, CEO and Co-Founder of Tile. “Whether it’s a pair of wireless headphones, a suitcase filled with precious memories, or a life-saving connected inhaler, we want to make sure consumers can find their items no matter where they are, whether under the couch or halfway around the world.”
The headphone tracking feature will work just like Tile's previous Bluetooth trackers, so if you ever misplace the small wireless headphones you can "ring" them if they're nearby through Tile's iOS app. If they become truly lost, Tile's community of trackers will anonymously crowdsource location data of other Tile users to pinpoint the location of the last time the headphones were seen, and show the location on a map within the app. The update brings Bose's headphones in line with the similar "Find my AirPods" feature by Apple.
The same idea will go for Samsonite's luggage, Propeller Health's connected inhalers, Boosted Boards, and Hershel's wallets, all of which confirmed Tile integration this week. Tile also announced an expansion to its technology ecosystem with access point partnerships that "increases the likelihood of finding lost items while reducing the time required to do so." Partners include Comcast, Ruckus Networks, and San Jose International Airport.
Besides Bose, Samsonite will be the other launch partner to integrate with Tile beginning this spring, and others will launch later in the year.
First Alert at CES 2018 has introduced the Onelink Safe & Sound, its latest smoke and carbon monoxide detector for smart homes.
iPhone and iPad users can control the Safe & Sound with Siri or Apple's Home app thanks to HomeKit compatibility. The two-in-one detector can also be controlled with First Alert's own Onelink Home companion app.
What makes the Safe & Sound interesting is that it doubles as a ceiling-mounted virtual assistant, with built-in speakers and noice-canceling microphones and support for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
First Alert said the speakers will support Apple's upcoming AirPlay 2 protocol when available, enabling multi-room audio and Siri control for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users, all through Apple's Home app.
AirPlay 2 support means that a homeowner could install a few Safe & Sound smoke detectors around the house and eventually use Siri to play or pause Apple Music or other audio on a room-by-room basis.
The smoke detector is designed to be hardwired with existing receptacles, with no battery-powered version set to be available.
First Alert did not reveal pricing and availability information in its press release, but AppleInsider says the Safe & Sound is expected to ship in April for a suggested retail price of $249 in the United States.
One year after being announced during CES 2017, faucet brand Moen is back at CES this year with a new announcement for its "U by Moen" cloud-based, Wi-Fi enabled shower system (via CNET). The company this week revealed that the smart shower will add support for Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa AI assistants in the first half of 2018, letting you control water temperature and more with voice commands on connected smartphones and speakers.
For the HomeKit integration, you'll be able to speak to your iOS devices and begin your shower ahead of time, like saying, "Hey Siri, start my shower." If you have saved water temperature presets within the Moen app, the shower will then begin to reach your desired temperature and notify you when it's ready. Siri will only work with Moen's next-generation smart shower controllers, so anyone who purchased last year's device will have to buy the new system if they want Siri controls.
This is because the new U by Moen includes a specific MFi chip for HomeKit compatibility, despite Apple last summer updating its HomeKit specifications so that compatible smart products no longer have to include a hardware authentication chip. A Moen representative told CNET: "We are launching with the Apple Authentication Coprocessor (MFI chip) in the controller to meet the current Apple HomeKit protocol that still requires the chip."
Besides Siri voice control, U by Moen's new system is visually similar to the first and connects to an iPhone app so you can set up to 12 customized settings for a shower. The in-shower "digital valve" includes a five-inch LCD screen and various buttons for manual temperature control, and still requires professional installation.
There are two different versions of the next-generation U by Moen shower system, including a two-outlet model for $1,160 and a four-outlet model for $2,200.
Camera and drone maker DJI today announced two new camera stabilizers ahead of the first official day of CES 2018, which begins tomorrow, January 9. DJI's reveal centered upon the Osmo Mobile 2 and Ronin-S, a pair of stabilizers made for smartphones and DSLRs, respectively, that allow users to take videos without having to worry about shaky cam disrupting the footage.
The Osmo Mobile 2 is the newest model in DJI's line of camera stabilizers for smartphones, introducing simpler controls with cinematic zoom and a longer battery life. Like the previous device, the Osmo Mobile 2 is compatible with iPhone and includes three-axis gimbal technology to cancel out movement in three directions, allowing footage to remain steady even when the user's hands shake.
The gimbal technology combines with DJI's SmoothTrack technology to detect and compensate for the user's movement of the camera and "ensure a smooth cinematic shot every time." Users can shoot in both landscape and portrait orientation, and a 1/4" universal screw mount makes the Osmo Mobile 2 compatible with most photography accessories.
"With the introduction of these two stabilizers, DJI now offers gimbal technology to help unlock the creative storyteller in everyone no matter what camera they're using," said Paul Pan, Senior Product Manager at DJI. "Osmo Mobile 2 offers the best in smartphone stabilization at an affordable price, and Ronin-S brings the quality of DJI's professional gimbal technology to a new form factor that is perfect for run-and-gun filming using your favorite DSLR or mirrorless camera system."
In terms of the major new additions, DJI said the new device's battery system is "more powerful" than its predecessor and allows for filming for up to 15 hours, which is three times longer than the original. There's also a new USB port to enable smartphone charging while the Osmo Mobile 2 is being used, and even lets the Osmo act as a power bank for charging other devices when not in use.
DJI said the "simpler controls" include ways for users to use their smartphone's camera similar to a professional camera, thanks to integrated settings for ISO, shutter speed, and more. A new button for a zoom slider on the Osmo Mobile 2's handle lets users operate their smartphone camera without needing to touch the screen, and the controls also allow for the production of a dolly zoom, which DJI said is "a visual effect usually created only on professional film sets."
The Osmo Mobile 2 will cost $209 AUD (about $163 USD) and will launch exclusively on Apple.com, with pre-orders beginning January 23. In early February, the new Osmo will then debut on DJI's own website, as well as in DJI stores and authorized resellers. Later in February the device will be available to purchase in Apple's retail stores too. The Ronin-S will launch in Q2 2018.
Apple should do more to reduce growing smartphone addiction among children, said two major investors on Monday (via USA Today). In an open letter to the tech giant, New York-based Jana Partners LLC and the California State Teachers' Retirement System wrote of their increasing concern about the effects of mobile devices and social media on youngsters, urging Apple to offer more tools and choices to help prevent harm.
"There is a developing consensus around the world including Silicon Valley that the potential long-term consequences of new technologies need to be factored in at the outset, and no company can outsource that responsibility to an app designer, or more accurately to hundreds of app designers."
The letter cited several studies revealing the negative effects of smartphones and social media on children's mental and physical health. For example, one study found that 67 percent of over 2,300 teachers surveyed believe that the number of students who are negatively distracted by gadgets in the classroom is growing, while 75 percent say students' ability to focus on educational tasks has decreased.
In another study, eighth graders who are heavy users of social media were shown to have a 27 percent higher risk of depression, compared to children who exceed the average time spent playing sports, socializing with friends, or doing homework, all of whom have a much lower risk.
To counter the threat, the investors – who collectively control $2 billion worth of Apple shares – suggested that Apple set up an expert committee including child development specialists and make its information more available to researchers. The letter also proposed enhancing iOS and associated apps to give parents and guardians more resources to protect their children's wellbeing.
This is a complex issue and we hope that this is the start of a constructive and well-informed dialogue," said the partners. "As one of the most innovative companies in the history of technology, Apple can play a defining role in signaling to the industry that paying special attention to the health and development of the next generation is both good business and the right thing to do."
Update: In a statement provided to The Wall Street Journal, Apple said that iOS devices offer extensive parental controls that allow parents to oversee the content and apps being used by children.
"We think deeply about how our products are used and the impact they have on users and the people around them. We take this responsibility very seriously and we are committed to meeting and exceeding our customers' expectations, especially when it comes to protecting kids."
Apple also said that it makes sure the App Store is free from offensive material like pornography with clearly labeled apps that allow parents to find age-appropriate content. Apple also said that it is "constantly looking" for ways to improve its device and said new "even more robust" parental controls will come in the future.
Speck today announced that it has teamed up with Scosche to create a new Presidio Mount iPhone case that is designed to work with Scosche's lineup of MagicMount magnetic mounts.
Scosche's magnetic mounts typically require iPhone users to attach metal mounting plates to their iPhones or iPhone cases using adhesive, but the Presidio Mount includes two steel plates that are embedded between the layers of the case.
Speck says the metal plates are invisible because they're mounted inside the case, and they've been positioned so they won't interfere with wireless charging.
Like Speck's other Presidio cases, the Presidio Mount includes two-layer protection that can keep an iPhone from getting damaged from drops up to 10 feet high. The inner layer is made from an impact absorbing rubber Speck calls Impactium, while the outer layer is made from a polycarbonate designed to disperse shock.
The Presidio Mount is compatible with all cradle-free Scosche MagicMounts and it will be available for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and later, including the iPhone X. Speck plans to make the Presidio Mount available for purchasein February of 2018 and it will be priced starting at $44.95.
Customers who own Wemo home automation products have been eagerly awaiting the debut of the Wemo Bridge, which Belkin first unveiled earlier this year. It was meant to launch in the fall of 2017, a target that was missed, but it will be available for purchase starting tomorrow.
Details about the bridge have already been added into the Wemo app, so some customers may have already noticed its imminent availability.
The Wemo Bridge is designed to connect to any home Wi-Fi router via an Ethernet cable to add HomeKit connectivity to current Wemo Smart Plugs and Light Switches. With the addition of the bridge, selected Wemo accessories can be controlled via the dedicated Home app or through Siri, and they can interact with other HomeKit products using Scenes, Schedules, and Timers.
"We've had an overwhelming positive response from customers when we announced last spring that we would make the Wemo Bridge compatible with HomeKit support, said Kara Alexander, Wemo senior product manager. "We have made it a top priority working with Apple to ensure an incredible experience for both Wemo and HomeKit users. Bringing together two of the most influential Smart Home platforms will enable millions of current and future Wemo users to experience the benefits of HomeKit, including the Apple Home app, Siri integration and interoperability with other HomeKit devices."
The HomeKit-connected Wemo Bridge will be available for purchase starting on Monday, January 8 from Belkin, Amazon, Apple, and Best Buy for $39.99.
At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Elgato is adding to its HomeKit accessory lineup with two new Bluetooth HomeKit-enabled devices, which include an upgraded Eve Room and a new Eve Button.
The second-generation Eve Room, a followup to the original released in 2015, uses the latest sensor technology from Sensirion to track air quality, temperature, and humidity. Eve Room has a new aluminum enclosure, an update over the original plastic enclosure.
A new e-ink display allows you to see the Eve Room measurements when a smartphone isn't available, and it now features a built-in battery that can be charged using any USB power source.
Like the original, the updated Eve Room is able to determine indoor air quality by measuring volatile organic compounds (VOC), plus it tracks the humidity and temperature of an indoor room. While the data can be read on the e-ink display, it's also available in the Eve app, Apple's dedicated Home app, and from Siri thanks to HomeKit integration.
Eve Button, Elgato's first remote-style device, is designed to allow users to activate up to three HomeKit scenes without the need for a smartphone. Eve Button fits right in with the Eve lineup, with a sleek aluminum enclosure and a single button.
A single press, a double press, and a long press are each able to trigger a different HomeKit scene. Comparatively, the Eve Button isn't offering as many physical buttons as some other options, but it is a simple, standalone device that's works with all other HomeKit products and is priced affordably at $49.95.
Eve Room will be available in March of 2018 for $99.95, while Eve Button will be available starting later this month from the Elgato website and from Apple Stores.
Elgato is adding to its Thunderbolt 3 dock lineup with a new Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock, which comes equipped with HDMI, DisplayPort, USB 3 and Gigabit Ethernet ports with up to 40Gb/s throughput for full performance for every port.
A built-in Thunderbolt 3 cable powers the Mini Dock, and when not in use, the cable tucks away to make the Mini Dock easy to transport.
"Thunderbolt 3 is the only standard that offers full performance and stability when simultaneously running 4K video and high bandwidth data signals over a single port," said Markus Fest, General Manager, Elgato Systems. "With Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock, building sure-fire setups becomes possible whenever and wherever you work."
"Thunderbolt3 delivers unrivaled single-cable docking solutions", said Jason Ziller, General Manager, Client Connectivity Division at Intel(R), "the Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock introduces a whole new category by packing Thunderbolt 3 performance into a sleek, portable design."
Elgato plans to release the Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock in the spring of 2018, and pricing has not yet been announced.
OWC this week is announcing the newest member of its family of "extreme performance drives," the ThunderBlade V4. The ThunderBlade V4 is an external drive targeted at professional users who need the fastest possible speeds, and it packs four M.2 solid state drive blades into a single enclosure that runs over Thunderbolt 3, with total capacities ranging from 1 TB to 8 TB. The result is what OWC says is the "fastest SSD ever made," with read speeds topping out at 2800 MB/s and write speeds up to 2450 MB/s.
We've spent a bit of time with the ThunderBlade V4, and it's definitely an impressive piece of technology, although its pricing that starts at $1200 and rises significantly from there will limit the potential market. This is an accessory for demanding professionals who need to squeeze every bit of performance out of their external drives and is undoubtedly overkill for consumers simply looking to back up their computers.
Design
The ThunderBlade V4 comes in a hefty aluminum enclosure covered in large fins to help with heat dissipation, as this drive can get fairly warm when you're reading and writing a lot of data. There is no active cooling in the drive, which helps with the ThunderBlade V4's ruggedness as there are no moving parts.
The ThunderBlade V4 measures just under 5 inches wide, a little over 7.5 inches deep, and just over an inch high. It weighs a little under two pounds, which gives it a solid feel and good stability on a desk. A separate power adapter also adds some bulk to deal with elsewhere.
The only feature on the front of the ThunderBlade V4 is a thin three-inch long LED that shines white when connected to power (and also when connected to a sleeping computer) and blue when the drive has an active connection to a computer. While the LED appears to be a single thin indicator, it's actually made up of four distinct segments, one for each M.2 drive in the ThunderBlade.
Each segment will blink blue when data is being written to or read from the corresponding drive. With the speed of the drive and the four onboard SSDs, you'll see a sort of flickering ripple effect across the LED as data is moved.
An ambient light sensor on the rear of the ThunderBlade V4 dims the front LED in dark environments.
In addition to the light sensor, the rear of the ThunderBlade includes a port for the power adapter connection and a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports. One Thunderbolt 3 port is used to connect the ThunderBlade to your computer using the included 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 cable, while the second is available for daisy chaining a display or other peripherals.
The Thunderbolt 3 ports are capable of supplying 15 watts of power each, but that won't be enough to power a MacBook Pro. This isn't intended as a true docking station, however, so it's not surprising that the power output is limited and primarily intended to drive downstream peripherals rather than host computers.
Speed Tests
We ran some QuickBench disk speed tests on the ThunderBlade V4, and while we didn't quite hit OWC's top numbers, the drive still showed some seriously fast performance. Connecting directly to a 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro, we saw read and write performance in the range of 2400 MB/s in extended testing mode with transfer sizes in the 20–100 MB range.
Similar speed tests using Blackmagic with larger transfer sizes of 5 GB yielded slightly lower speeds of over 1900 MB/s read and 2100 MB/s write, although it is difficult to directly compare the two different methodologies. Even that performance allowed the ThunderBlade to ace Blackmagic's "Will it Work?" rating system that determines whether a drive is fast enough to handle video in various combinations of formats, resolutions, and frame rates.
Results were similar in various configurations even when other peripherals up to and including a pair of LG UltraFine 5K displays were connected to the MacBook Pro's other Thunderbolt 3 ports.
With an LG UltraFine 5K connected to the downstream Thunderbolt 3 port on the ThunderBlade, we obviously saw lower speeds as some of the bandwidth was being dedicated to the display. Write speeds were impacted most significantly, dropping to around 800 MB/s, while read speeds dipped slightly to around 2050 MB/s.
RAID
The four SSDs inside the ThunderBlade V4 come preconfigured in RAID 0 format to offer the full stated capacity of the drive. A license for OWC's SoftRAID XT (formerly SoftRAID Lite) is included with the ThunderBlade, and the software can be used to reformat in RAID 1 to provide mirrored redundancy.
While RAID 0 and 1 give you the option to prioritize storage capacity or data redundancy, it would be nice if some of the higher RAID modes were available on the ThunderBlade to offer more flexibility.
With the downstream Thunderbolt 3 port on the ThunderBlade V4, you can daisy chain multiple units together for even more storage, although you're of course limited by the total bandwidth of the single Thunderbolt 3 connection they're all running over. You can even set up two ThunderBlade V4 units as a single RAID array.
PC Compatibility
While OWC is focused on Macs and the ThunderBlade V4 comes formatted for Mac as a RAID 0 Journaled HFS+ volume, it can also be used with PCs once the drives have been reformatted and reconfigured. Unlike on Mac, however, booting from the ThunderBlade is not supported on Windows.
Pricing and Availability
As should be expected for a product with large storage capacities using the fastest SSD designs and Thunderbolt 3, the ThunderBlade V4 isn't cheap. The 1 TB model is priced at $1199.99, with the 2 TB model at $1799.99, the 4 TB model at $2799.99, and the 8 TB model at $4999.00.
But for professional users who need the absolute fastest external storage, the ThunderBlade V4 looks like a solid option that takes maximum advantage of the bandwidth offered by Thunderbolt 3. All models come with a rugged case, a three-year warranty, and one year of complimentary Level 1 data recovery coverage. All four models will be available from OWC starting January 8.
Note: OWC provided the ThunderBlade V4 to MacRumors for the purposes of this review, and it will be returned to OWC. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with OWC and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.
myCharge, known for its range of external battery packs for charging Macs and iOS devices, is introducing a new 20,000 mAh myCharge All Powerful battery pack, which is capable of charging a wide range of Apple products.
The All Powerful isn't as portable as the average battery pack, but it features a USB-A port, a USB-C port, and an AC outlet, which means it can power just about anything. It even comes equipped with Qi-based wireless charging to charge the iPhone X, 8, and iPhone 8 Plus cord-free.
According to myCharge, the 65-watt AC outlet built into the All Powerful can run a 32-inch TV, power most laptops, or operate a camping fan or light. The USB-A and USB-C ports can charge all of your iOS devices, and the Qi charging supports 10W fast charge.
Along with the All Powerful, myCharge also offers several other rugged chargers that are part of its adventure series, including the Adventure Mini (3,350 mAh), Adventure Plus (6,700 mAh), Adventure Max (10,050 mAh), Adventure Ultra (13,400 mAh), Adventure Xtreme (20,000 mAh), and the Adventure Jump Start (6,600 mAh), which can power up a dead vehicle battery.
Several new myCharge battery packs are being introduced at CES, including an updated Razor line with options ranging from 2,000 mAh to 20,100 mAh, the 7,000 mAh for powering portable game systems, the 3,000 mAh Solar Wallet, and the Unplugged series of Qi wireless chargers.
myCharge Unplugged 8K
The All Powerful will be available available for purchase starting in April 2018, and it will be priced at $199.99. The other Adventure series battery packs are available now at prices ranging from $30 to $100, while the rest of myCharge's new products will debut at CES or in the spring.
myCharge Razor Mini
Additional information about all of myCharge's new products can be found on the myCharge website. myCharge will be officially showing off its new hardware at ShowStoppers at CES.
Apple today launched its annual Back to University promotion in Australia and New Zealand, offering the choice of a free pair of Beats Solo3, BeatsX, or Powerbeats3 headphones to qualifying students, teachers, lecturers, and educational staff members who purchase an eligible Mac for a limited time.
Eligible models include any MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, iMac Pro, or Mac Pro, including custom configurations. As usual, the Mac mini and refurbished Macs are excluded from the promotion.
The promotion also offers free BeatsX wireless headphones with the purchase of any 10.5-inch or 12.9-inch iPad Pro, or students can pay AU$59/NZ$70 extra for Powerbeats3 Wireless or AU$200/NZ$230 extra for Solo3 Wireless headphones. Apple's lower-cost 9.7-inch iPad and iPad mini 4 models do not qualify.
The promotion is available at Apple's retail stores in Australia, and through Apple's online store in both countries, and is in addition to Apple's regular educational discount. Alternatively, customers can call 133-622 in Australia or 0800-692-7753 in New Zealand to take advantage of the deal by phone.
Apple's Back to University promotion starts today and ends March 15, 2018 in Australia and New Zealand. Apple's terms and conditions [AU/NZ] outline the complete eligibility requirements for the promotion in those countries.
In Australia, qualified purchasers are defined as lecturers, teachers, staff members, and full-time or part-time students aged 18 or over, with a current student union card or student identification card, at an accredited Australian university or an other Apple-approved institution within the country.
In New Zealand, qualified purchasers are defined as any employee of a public or private K–12 institution; students, faculty, and staff members of higher education institutions, and parents purchasing on behalf of their children who are attending or accepted into a higher education institution in the country.
As is usually the case, Apple's Back to University promotion in Australia and New Zealand is exactly the same as its Back to School promotion was in the United States, Canada, and across Europe last year.
Not a student or looking for even better deals? Visit our Apple Deals roundup for other discounts on Apple products and accessories.
Ahead of this year's Consumer Electronics Show, which is set to kick off next week, popular accessory maker Belkin has announced several new wireless charging products designed for Apple's latest iPhones.
The Belkin Boost Up Bold Wireless Charging Pad is similar to the existing Belkin Boost Up Charging Pad available from Apple, but it comes in several different colors, like black, white, pink, and navy. It offers up to 10W output for fast charging on all Qi-enabled devices.
The Belkin Boost Up Wireless Charging Stand features the same circular design and the same colors as the Bold, but its charging surface is propped up by a frame that allows the iPhone to be charged while in landscape or portrait mode rather than when laying flat on a table. It works with all Qi-enabled devices and offers 10W output for fast wireless charging.
Belkin's Boost Up Wireless Car Charging Mount is designed to offer in-car wireless charging for Qi-compatible devices like the iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus. It can be mounted on a dash or window, adjusted to fit different phone sizes, and it features an extra USB port for charging other devices. It offers 10W fast charging for all Qi-enabled devices.
The Boost Up Dual Wireless Charging Pad is designed to charge two Qi-enabled smartphones at once, side by side. Each charging pad offers 10W fast charging, and it works with all Qi-enabled devices.
For commercial applications, Belkin is introducing a Boost Up Wireless Charging System, which will be able to be installed in conference rooms, offices, user desktops, restaurants, retail stores, hotels, and more. Top-mount, flush-mount, and sub-surface mounting options are all available.
All of Belkin's new wireless charging products will be available in the spring or summer of 2018, with pricing unavailable at this time.
Apple has inked a deal for yet another television show, this time a docuseries called "Home," reports Variety.
The series will offer a "never-before-seen look inside the world's most extraordinary homes" while also delving into the imaginations of the visionaries who dreamed them up and built them. Based on the show's description, it sounds a little bit like MTV's "Cribs" but with more of a design and architecture focus.
Apple has ordered 10 one-hour episodes of the "Home" docuseries, which is produced by Matt Tynauer and Corey Reese of Altimeter Films.
"Home" is the first documentary-style series that Apple has ordered thus far under the leadership of Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, two former Sony executives Apple brought on last June to run a new video content division within the company.
Apple is working on several other shows in addition to "Home," including a revival of 1985 Steven Spielberg sci-fi series "Amazing Stories," an untitled space drama developed by Ronald D. Moore, known for "Battlestar Galactica," an untitled "morning show drama" starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, and "Are You Sleeping," a psychological thriller starring Octavia Spencer that focuses on a podcast that reopens a murder case.
It's not yet clear when the first of Apple's original TV shows will premiere, but it's possible at least one series will debut later in 2018.
For this week's giveaway, we've once again teamed up with BlackPods to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a pair of AirPods that have been custom-painted black or space gray to better match darker devices.
We've given away black AirPods in the past, but this time around, BlackPods has an all new BlackPods Aero in a metallic space gray finish that's a nice alternative to the standard white AirPods that Apple offers.
If you haven't seen BlackPods before, the company takes a standard pair of Apple's AirPods and then paints them using a proprietary coating system.
There's a three-phase finishing process for a high-quality coating of paint that's designed not to chip, fade, scuff, or wear off during usage. Each pair of BlackPods is completed by hand and then given a rigorous inspection to make sure the finish is flawless.
BlackPods Classic are priced at $279, while the BlackPods Stealth and the BlackPods Aero Space Gray are priced at $299. That's a $120 to $140 premium over Apple's standard AirPods, but BlackPods is offering one of the only methods to get a unique black or gray finish for your AirPods.
In addition to selling completed sets of painted AirPods, BlackPods also has a service that allows customers to send in their previously purchased AirPods for customization at a lower price. The process costs between $99 and $119 and it takes approximately 10 days to complete. The service includes the painting of both AirPods and the AirPods charging case.
Since BlackPods are simply re-painted AirPods, the full AirPods functionality remains intact, with a W1 chip for simple paring with all of your devices, a long battery life, an accelerometer for ear detection, and gesture support.
We have a set of BlackPods to give away to a MacRumors reader, with the winner able to choose a Stealth, Classic, or Aero finish. To enter to win, 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, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook 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.
The contest will run from today (January 5) at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on January 12. The winners will be chosen randomly on January 12 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.
Apple now faces over two dozen lawsuits around the world that either accuse the company of intentionally slowing down older iPhones, or at least of failing to disclose power management changes it made starting in iOS 10.2.1.
The lawsuits include 24 class action complaints in the United States, with the latest two filed on Thursday by Marc Honigman and Lauri Sullivan-Stefanou in New York and Ohio respectively, according to electronic court records reviewed by MacRumors. Apple is also being sued in Israel and France.
An excerpt from Sullivan-Stefanou's complaint:
Unbeknownst to iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone 6s owners, Apple inserted code into iOS 10.2.1 that deliberately slowed down the processing performance of these phones by linking each phone's processing performance with its battery health. Absent the code inserted by Apple, the reduced battery capacity of these phones would not have negatively affected processing performance.
Many of the lawsuits demand Apple compensate all iPhone users who have experienced slowdowns, offer free battery replacements, refund customers who purchased brand new iPhones to regain maximum performance, and add info to iOS explaining how replacing an iPhone's battery can prevent slowdowns.
The legal action comes after Apple's revelation it may at times dynamically manage the maximum performance of some older iPhone models with chemically aged batteries in order to prevent the devices from unexpectedly shutting down, an issue that can be made worse by cold temperatures or a low charge.
Apple never mentioned the power management changes, which it calls a feature, when it released iOS 10.2.1 nearly a year ago. A month after the software update became available, Apple still only vaguely mentioned that it made "improvements" that resulted in a significant reduction in unexpected shutdowns.
Apple only revealed exactly what the so-called "improvements" were after Primate Labs founder John Poole visualized that some iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 devices suddenly had lower benchmark scores starting with iOS 10.2.1 and iOS 11.2 respectively despite operating at maximum performance on previous versions.
Poole's analysis was in response to a Reddit user who claimed his iPhone 6s was significantly faster after replacing the device's battery. The discussion generated over 1,000 comments, and reinforced an opinion held by some that Apple purposefully slows down older iPhones so customers buy newer ones.
Honigman's complaint, edited very slightly for clarity, echoes this opinion:
Apple's intentional degradation of the iPhone's performance through the release of iOS impacted the usability of the device. Effectively, Apple has forced the obsolescence of iPhones by secretly diminishing their performance. Thus, Apple's admission has confirmed what iPhone users have long suspected – i.e., that Apple deliberately degrades the performance of older iPhone models through iOS updates to encourage users to buy new iPhones.
Keep in mind that Apple is not permanently or persistently slowing down older iPhones. Even if your iPhone is affected, the performance limitations only happen intermittently, and only when the device is completing demanding tasks.
The gimbal technology combines with DJI's SmoothTrack technology to detect and compensate for the user's movement of the camera and "ensure a smooth cinematic shot every time." Users can shoot in both landscape and portrait orientation, and a 1/4" universal screw mount makes the Osmo Mobile 2 compatible with most photography accessories.
Apple has inked a deal for yet another television show, this time a docuseries called "Home," reports 
