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Apple Store in Simi Valley Permanently Closing Later This Month [Updated]

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Apple has announced that its retail store at the Simi Valley Town Center in Simi Valley, California, located approximately 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles, will permanently close later this month.

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Apple Store at Simi Valley Town Center

Friday, September 15 is the last day the store will be open. Apple provided thanks for "over 10 great years" and advised customers to visit its retail store list to find a nearby location. Apple Simi Valley originally opened in May 2006.

Apple hasn't publicly commented on the reason for the store's closure, but multiple tipsters have informed MacRumors that the location may have suffered from low sales and customer traffic — a rarity for an Apple Store.

At a minimum, the closure doesn't appear to be related to Apple's ongoing store renovation process across the United States.

There were high hopes for Simi Valley Town Center when it opened in 2005, but the outdoor shopping mall hasn't been as bustling as envisioned. The less-than-expected customer traffic may be partially due to an expansion of The Oaks Shopping Center in nearby Thousand Oaks, California in 2008.

Apple itself has a retail store at The Oaks that opened in October 2005, and several other locations in the greater Los Angeles area.

Over the years, Simi Valley Town Center has lost several retailers, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Coach, American Eagle, Cache, Forever 21, and PacSun, according to the Simi Valley Acorn. Macy's also merged its standalone menswear store into its main location at the shopping center earlier this year.

A tipster informed us that Simi Valley Town Center may eventually be repurposed as an outlet mall, which could explain Apple's departure.

MacRumors has yet to learn whether the store's employees will be laid off or offered the opportunity to transfer to another location.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Update: In a statement provided to Quartz, Apple said it has "invested significantly in the surrounding stores" where many of the Simi Valley location's employees will be working.

We’re grateful to the millions of customers who have visited Apple Simi Valley since it opened more than 10 years ago. We’ve recently invested significantly in the surrounding stores, creating bigger spaces that feature our latest design. Apple Simi Valley will close September 15, the day before we re-open our renovated Apple Topanga. We invite our customers to visit us at Apple Topanga or at nearby Apple The Oaks, where many of their favorite Simi Valley Apple employees will be working.

Apple's nearby Westfield Topanga store in Canoga Park, California will reopen Saturday, September 16 following renovations.

Tag: Apple Store
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Jay Blahnik Discusses Success of Apple Watch's Fitness Test Lab Over Past Five Years

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Ahead of Apple's now-confirmed September 12 media event, during which it's believed to announce the newest versions of the Apple Watch, iPhone, and Apple TV, Men's Health was invited to visit Apple's secret exercise lab where activity data on its wearable device is collected. Apple invited the media to its Apple Watch lab before the launch of the original Apple Watch in early 2015, and now Jay Blahnik, Apple’s director of fitness and health technologies, said that the lab has "collected more data on activity and exercise than any other human performance study in history."

Although Apple revealed the lab in 2015, Blahnik mentioned that work in the department has been ongoing for the past five years. The lab enlists Apple employees to perform various exercises while hooked up to metabolic carts, ECG machines, and $40,000 masks that analyze calories burned, oxygen consumption, and more. Around 40 employees work out in the lab at one time, all monitored by 13 exercise physiologists and 29 nurses and medics.

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Images via Men's Health

The lab includes a studio for group fitness programs, one room with an endless pool to measure the new waterproof abilities of Apple Watch, and another trio of rooms mimicking intense temperature conditions, which Apple calls "Higher, Faster, and Stronger." In 2015, Blahnik said the lab had collected over 18,000 hours of fitness data on over 10,000 workout sessions, and now those numbers have jumped to 66,000 hours and 33,000 sessions.

“Our lab has collected more data on activity and exercise than any other human performance study in history,” says Jay Blahnik, Apple’s director of fitness for health technologies, in a rare interview. “Over the past five years, we’ve logged 33,000 sessions with over 66,000 hours of data, involving more than 10,000 unique participants.” A typical clinical trial enrolls fewer than a hundred participants.

Blahnik commented on the "game-ifying" of fitness challenges that Apple has introduced with Apple Watch and Activity Sharing, where users can follow their friends' calorie, workout, and standing data throughout the day, and encourage or taunt one another in the process. He said that Apple's goal was to make it easier for people to feel part of a workout community, even when they aren't nearby one another, providing another "fun way to stay in touch" with friends on Apple Watch.

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With watchOS 4, Apple Watch devices will also be gaining the ability to provide more nuanced insight into each user's daily goals, and give them little prompts towards the end of the day regarding how close they might be to closing an Activity Ring. The company has put together corporate fitness challenges around all of these activity features in the past, which Blahnik said has catalyzed healthy lifestyles that many employees continue to maintain.

This year Apple held its own global monthlong corporate health challenge, with tens of thousands of participants in teams of four, using the Lose It! Challenges app. Closing the watches’ tricolored rings was part of the game. It seeded health streaks that many at the company are still maintaining. “You noticed it on campus and in our retail stores,” says Blahnik. “Everyone was more active and engaged in their health. There was a lot of back and forth to encourage and motivate your team members to close their rings.”

The third-generation Apple Watch -- expected to be called "Series 3" -- is rumored to include cellular connectivity, further untethering Apple Watch from iPhone and allowing users to send messages and stream Apple Music solely on the wearable device. The Apple Watch Series 3 was originally rumored to see a major design overhaul, but more recent reports have said that added LTE connectivity will be the third generation's big selling point and a form factor change will be held for a future device.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Tag: WatchOS 4
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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Apple Acknowledges Siri Leadership Has Officially Moved From Eddy Cue to Craig Federighi

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Apple has updated its executive leadership page to acknowledge that software engineering chief Craig Federighi now officially oversees development of Siri. The responsibility previously belonged to Apple's services chief Eddy Cue.

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Craig Federighi is Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, reporting to CEO Tim Cook. Craig oversees the development of iOS, macOS, and Siri. His teams are responsible for delivering the software at the heart of Apple’s innovative products, including the user interface, applications and frameworks.

Apple's leadership page is only now reflecting Federighi's role as head of Siri, but the transition has been apparent for several months, based on recent interviews and stage appearances at Apple's keynotes.

At WWDC 2016, for example, Federighi and Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller joined Daring Fireball's John Gruber to discuss how Apple was opening Siri up to third-party developers with SiriKit later that year.

At WWDC 2017, Federighi was on stage to discuss improvements to Siri in iOS 11, including more natural voice, built-in translation capabilities, and advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Cue continues to oversee the iTunes Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, Apple Maps, iCloud, and the iWork and iLife suites of apps, and handing off Siri should allow him to focus more on Apple's push into original content.

Apple's updated leadership page also now lists profiles for recently promoted employees Deirdre O'Brien, Vice President of People, and Isabel Ge Mahe, Vice President and Managing Director of Greater China.

Tags: Craig Federighi, Eddy Cue, Siri Guide
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Judge Rules That Yahoo Data Breach Victims Have Right to Sue Company

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Several months after Yahoo warned users of a third data breach that occurred between 2015 and 2016, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California has said that breach victims now have the right to sue the company, allowing them to pursue breach of contract and unfair competition claims (via Reuters). Previously, Yahoo argued that these individuals lacked grounds to sue the company, but Koh has now rejected that claim.

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This leaves "well over 1 billion users" open to sue the company, all of whom were affected by one of three total data breaches that began to gain notoriety in September 2016, when the company disclosed that "at least" 500 million Yahoo accounts were compromised in a late 2014 cyber attack. A second attack was disclosed in December 2016, regarding a user information leak that happened in August 2013, and then the third and presumably last warning about a previous attack came in February 2017.

This outlined a period of data breaches that began in 2013 and lasted until 2016, with Yahoo waiting more than three years to reveal information about any of the attacks. Breached info related to names, email addresses, telephone numbers, birth dates, hashed passwords, and both encrypted and unencrypted security questions and answers.

Because each affected user now faces the risk of identity theft, Koh ruled in a 93-page decision that plaintiffs can now amend previously dismissed complaints to gain new legal ground against Yahoo.

“All plaintiffs have alleged a risk of future identity theft, in addition to loss of value of their personal identification information,” the judge wrote. Koh said some plaintiffs also alleged they had spent money to thwart future identity theft or that fraudsters had misused their data. Others, meanwhile, could have changed passwords or canceled their accounts to stem losses had Yahoo not delayed disclosing the breaches, the judge said.

“We believe it to be a significant victory for consumers, and will address the deficiencies the court pointed out,” John Yanchunis, a lawyer for the plaintiffs who chairs an executive committee overseeing the case, said in an interview. “It’s the biggest data breach in the history of the world.”

Yahoo's disclosure of the security breaches came in the midst of its acquisition by Verizon, and ended up affecting the carrier's offer. After an initial offer of $4.83 billion, Verizon ended up purchasing Yahoo's core business assets for $4.48 billion in order to limit potential liability. The deal closed this past summer and at the same time, Verizon announced plans to lay off about 2,100 Yahoo employees.

Tag: Yahoo
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Apple Eyes Lease at The Culver Studios, Bidding on Drama Starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon

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Apple is reportedly seeking to move its original content division to an iconic California studio where movies like Gone With The Wind and The Matrix were shot, in order to serve as a base for its big push into Hollywood production.

According to the Financial Times, Apple is interested in leasing space at The Culver Studios, which was built by silent movie pioneer Thomas Ince and counts RKO, Howard Hughes and Cecil B DeMille among its former owners. The studio is close to Sony Pictures' studio lot in Culver City, as well as Beats, the audio group Apple bought two years ago.

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Image via Wikipedia

Leasing at The Culver Studios would give Apple room to expand, as it hires top Hollywood talent, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The site has 13 soundstages up to 32,000 sq ft in size that can accommodate TV show shoots and full-length feature film work. But Apple is mainly looking for office space, albeit in an iconic location that signals their ambitions to become a big player in Hollywood.

Apple and The Culver Studios declined to comment on the report, but the move makes sense given that Apple recently set aside $1 billion to acquire and produce original television content over the next year to compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon.

That budget is said to be controlled by Hollywood veterans Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, who were hired by Apple in June from Sony to oversee content acquisition and video strategy. Apple also recently hired former WGN America President Matt Cherniss to oversee development of the company's worldwide video unit. Erlicht and Van Amberg oversaw the production of hit shows like Breaking Bad and The Crown, while Cherniss previously worked with the two to bring the Sony shows Underground and Outsiders to WGN.

One of the first acquisitions Apple is said to be vying for is a "high-profile drama" starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, set on a morning TV chat show, according to FT. The company is reportedly bidding against Netflix and others for rights to the drama, according to people familiar with the discussions, indicating that Apple is looking to procure premium productions similar to those found on HBO.

At the same time, Apple is struggling to catch up with its rivals in the original content space and is still looking to get at least one hit under its belt, with recent video efforts "Planet of the Apps" and "Carpool Karaoke" released on Apple Music generally failing to excite audiences. Meanwhile, the company's Apple TV set top box has lost market share to rivals like Roku, Amazon's Fire TV, and Google's Chromecast due to its high price and lack of 4K content.

Despite challenges, the scale of Apple's new budget and hiring efforts are said to be making some in Hollywood believe that this time the company is more committed to breaking into the film and TV industry. Apple is also rumored to be releasing a new Apple TV with support for 4K content and HDR video output at its upcoming media event on September 12.

Tag: Apple TV Plus Guide
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Apple CEO Tim Cook and Other Leaders Sign Letter Asking Trump to Protect DACA Program

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Hundreds of chief executive officers, chief operating officers, chairmen, presidents, and other business leaders have added their signatures to an open letter asking President Trump to preserve the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

The program protects young adults brought illegally into the U.S. -- called "Dreamers" -- and grants them the "basic opportunity to work and study without the threat of deportation," through the opportunity of gaining legal work permits (via Recode).

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Signatories include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Emerson Collective President Laurene Powell Jobs, and many more.

Trump is expected to announce a policy change today in regards to DACA, where it's believed that under the new policy the government will cease granting work permits to new Dreamers entering the U.S. Current Dreamers will reportedly be able to stay in the country until their permits run out, but would then find themselves unable to renew their work authorizations.

That would allow the nearly 800,000 individuals currently protected under DACA to remain in the U.S. for around two years, but the new letter implores Trump and the U.S. government to preserve DACA entirely.

Unless we act now to preserve the DACA program, all 780,000 hardworking young people will lose their ability to work legally in this country, and every one of them will be at immediate risk of deportation. Our economy would lose $460.3 billion from the national GDP and $24.6 billion in Social Security and Medicare tax contributions.
Dreamers are vital to the future of our companies and our economy. With them, we grow and create jobs. They are part of why we will continue to have a global competitive advantage.

Immigration and work-visa programs have been a hot topic between technology companies and the new Trump administration throughout 2017. The new letter ends with a call on Congress to pass legislation that "provides these young people raised in our country the permanent solution they deserve." You can read the full letter right here.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: Donald Trump, Tim Cook
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New Star Wars Toys Added to Apple's Online Store, Including R2-D2 and BB-9E Droids

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A collection of Star Wars toys, including Sphero's new R2-D2 and BB-9E droids, are now available to purchase from Apple's online store.

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R2-D2 and BB-9E can be controlled with an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. More details can be found in our earlier coverage of the droids.

Apple's new Star Wars accessories page also has a trio of Star Wars quadcopter drones by Propel, and a kit for creating your own Star Wars droid.

Apple is also hosting free Star Wars–themed sessions at many of its retail stores starting today through Saturday, September 9.

The new Star Wars toys and sessions are in celebration of Force Friday II, which begins today and runs through this weekend. It's all to promote Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which debuts in theaters December 15.

Tags: Apple Store, Star Wars
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Netatmo Rolls Out HomeKit-Compatible Smart Radiator Valves in the U.K.

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Netatmo yesterday announced the availability of its new Apple HomeKit-compatible smart radiator valves in the U.K. The smart home company claims Netatmo Smart Valves allow users to control their heating on a room-by-room basis and use on average 37 percent less energy to heat their home without compromising on comfort.

The Smart Valves can be used in houses with both individual heating and collective heating systems by fitting them on hot-water radiators, where they work to regulate the temperature of each room as part of a heating schedule and adapt to the habits and movements of residents.

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For example, the bathroom is heated to 21°C during the morning, but not for the rest of the day when it is not being used; the parents' bedroom remains at 16°C during the day when it is empty, and the children's room is heated to 19°C from 5PM on weekdays when they come back from school.

In addition to dynamic temperature regulation, the valves can detect when a window is open and stop heating the room so as not to waste energy. And by utilizing smart regulation, the valves analyze external elements in real time – the weather, insulation of the house – and adjust the heating of the room to save as much energy as possible.

The user can also temporarily increase the temperature of a room at any time by manually turning the Valve or adjusting it directly from the Netatmo app, as well as via HomeKit and Google Home.

Netatmo Smart Radiator Valves are compatible with Apple Homekit, enabling users to control their heating with their voice. By simply asking Siri to change the temperature in the house, they improve their comfort at home without lifting a finger. With Apple Homekit, users can also create customised scenarios and interactions to connect smart devices together according to different combinations.

Netatmo Smart Radiator Valves join the existing Netatmo Smart Thermostat (£149) and are available in the U.K. today. They will retail for £70 each and can be found at John Lewis, Cefco, Maplin, ShopUK, Amazon.co.uk and Netatmo.com, as well as retailers for professionals Plumb Center, CEF, and Graham.

Tag: Netatmo
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Alexa Virtual Assistant Coming to Bragi Dash Wireless Earbuds in October

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Bragi has announced that Alexa is set to become a new feature of its Bragi Dash wireless headphones later this year. The company revealed at the IFA trade show today that a software update coming in October will allow Dash and Dash Pro owners to talk to Amazon's virtual assistant in both English and German languages (via The Verge).

Bragi dash pro 2
After the forthcoming 3.1 update is installed, to activate Alexa users will need to either tap an earbud or use the Dash's "4D menu", which relies on motion sensing to enable users to turn their head left or right and select from a virtual menu.

While Dash (and Dash Pro) users can already use their earbuds to activate Siri and Google, today's news means Bragi Dash are likely to become the first truly wireless earbuds to offer Alexa support, allowing wearers to, say, order a ride from Uber or a coffee from Starbucks.


MacRumors reviewed the Bragi Dash Pro ($330) wireless earbuds back in July and found that the gesture controls impress, but some UI and design frustrations remain. You can read the full review here.

Tags: Alexa, Bragi Dash
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Apple Files Trademark Application for Apple Pay Cash Peer-to-Peer Payments Service in European Union

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Apple has filed a trademark application in the European Union for Apple Pay Cash, the company's new iMessage-based peer-to-peer payments service coming with iOS 11.

Unearthed by tech blog LetsGoDigital, the application was filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on Thursday and is classified as "computer software for use in connection with electronic payment and funds transfers".

apple pay cash
By integrating with iMessage in iOS 11, Apple Pay Cash will enable users to make person to person payments right from within chat threads. To send a cash payment, the user authenticates it with Touch ID (or perhaps via facial authentication on the upcoming "iPhone 8") on their iOS device or Apple Watch.

Money received using the service goes on to an auto-generated virtual Apple Pay cash card, similar to a gift card, that gets stored in the Wallet app. The cash card can then be used to make regular Apple Pay purchases at retail stores and on the web. Alternatively, users will be able to transfer the money to an allocated bank account.

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Apple has yet to offer further details on how Apple Pay Cash will work, but Brazilian tech blog iHelp BR has uncovered code references in the Apple Pay framework that suggest users will need to authenticate the service with a driver's license or Photo ID before they can send any money through iMessage. This may be done by holding the ID in front of the camera, similar to when adding a bank card to Apple Pay.

While yesterday's trademark application has yet to be granted by the EUIPO, the fact that it has been filed already may mean Apple Pay Cash will go live across EU countries soon after the initial U.S.-only rollout.

Hopefully we'll know more on September 12, when Apple is expected to launch iOS 11 in tandem with new iPhones, new Apple Watches, and possibly a new 4K Apple TV at its fall event, set to take place at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Related Forums: Apple Music, Apple Pay/Card, iCloud, Fitness+, iOS 11
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Popular Game 'Prison Architect' Comes to Mac App Store

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Popular Steam game Prison Architect, which was originally released in October as part of Steam's Early Access program, is making its way to the Mac App Store today through a partnership between developer Introversion Software and MacPlay.


Prison Architect is a top-down simulation game where the goal is to build and run a successful prison. Players are tasked with building cells, recruiting prisoners, hiring staff, establishing utilities, developing prisoner schedules, managing entertainment and reform programs, and keeping prisoners from escaping.

Prison Architect features two game modes -- story and escape. In story mode, the player follows the story of Edward, a man who is facing the electric chair for committing a crime of passion, while in escape mode, the player takes on the role of a prisoner attempting to escape from the prison.

On the Mac, Prison Architect requires 4GB RAM, a Core2 Duo processor or better, and 300MB hard drive space.

In addition to being available in the Mac App Store, Prison Architect can also be played on the iPad, as an iOS version of the game was released earlier this year.

The Mac App Store version of Prison Architect is priced at $29.99. [Direct Link]

Tag: Mac App Store
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'8mm Vintage Camera' Available for Free as Apple's App of the Week

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Each week, Apple chooses an "App of the Week" to highlight in the App Store, making it free to download for seven days. This week's pick is a camera app called 8mm Vintage Camera, which is normally priced at $1.99 on the iPhone and iPad.

8mm Vintage Camera is a photo editing app that's been around for awhile, but this is the first time that it's been made available for free since its 2010 launch.

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The app is designed to capture the "beauty and magic" of old school vintage movies using a selection of virtual lenses and films that include 1920, Noir, 60s, 70s, Sakura, XPro, Siena, Pela, Indigo, Tuscan and Two-Color. Apple's App Store editors had this to say about the app:

Shooting movies on film may be a dying art, but just because we live in the digital age doesn't mean we have to abandon our analog past. We get warm, nostalgic fuzzies from 8mm Vintage Camera's grainy, flickery film filters and lens effects, conjuring up memories of vacation travelogues screened in wood-paneled basements. It's not just about old-school kicks, though--this powerful suite of tools can give any video an authentic period look.

When capturing video with 8mm Vintage Camera, you can see the live effect displayed right in the app. It supports up to 1080p HD video recording and includes features like a jitter button to imitate frame shakes and a sound switch to add a projector sound.

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8mm Vintage Camera can be downloaded for free for the next seven days, and after that, a new App of the Week will be chosen. There are separate versions for iPad and iPhone. [Direct Link: iPhone] [Direct Link: iPad]

Tag: App of the Week
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Instagram Stories Expand to the Web

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Instagram Stories, the feature that allows users to upload ephemeral photos and videos to a special daily timeline, is expanding to the web on both desktop and mobile devices, the company announced today.

As with Instagram Stories in the mobile app, on the web, Stories will be featured at the top of the page. Clicking or tapping into a story will allow it to be viewed. For now, Instagram Stories is view only, but in the future, Instagram plans to allow Stories uploads from the web on mobile devices.

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Instagram launched Stories just over a year ago in August of 2016 to compete with Snapchat, and the feature has been highly popular with Instagram users. As of April, Instagram Stories has more daily active users than Snapchat.

The feature allows users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Like Snapchat, it includes filters, stickers, emoji, and other image enhancement tools. Today's update also includes new weather-related filters that can be applied to photos.

According to Instagram, Stories on the web is rolling out starting today, but it will take a few weeks for the feature to show up to all users. Posting from the mobile web will be implemented in the coming months.

Tag: Instagram
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DJI Debuts New Mavic Pro Platinum and Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian Drones

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At the IFA trade show in Berlin, popular drone manufacturer DJI announced two new drones, which are upgraded versions of its popular Mavic Pro and Phantom 4 drone lineup.

The Mavic Pro Platinum is identical to the Mavic Pro, but it comes in a new platinum color and it features both an 11 percent gain in flight time and a 60 percent reduction in noise. With the flight time improvements, the Mavic Pro Platinum's battery will last for 30 minutes before needing to be recharged.

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To enable the longer battery life and quieter operation, DJI is using new electronic speed controllers and new propellers, with the propellers compatible with existing Mavic Pro models.

The Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian, part of the Pro line designed for professionals, features a matte-gray shell color and a magnesium electroplated gimbal that has an anti-fingerprint coating.

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DJI also plans to introduce new firmware for its smallest drone, the Spark, introducing a panoramic photo with a fisheye lens effect that can be shared to social media sites. The new firmware will be available in the upcoming DJI Go 4 mobile app.

DJI's new Mavic Pro Platinum is available for pre-order immediately from the DJI website, and it will begin shipping in September. It's priced at $1,099, a $100 premium over the standard Mavic Pro.

The Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian will retail for $1,499. It will be available for purchase in September from the DJI website.

Tag: DJI
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Netatmo to Add HomeKit Support to 'Presence' and 'Welcome' Cameras

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netatmohomekitNetatmo today announced plans to add HomeKit support to its existing Welcome and Presence home security cameras.

Both cameras will gain HomeKit compatibility through an upcoming software update that will enable HomeKit for both new devices and those that customers have already purchased.

"Having both our security cameras compatible with Apple HomeKit through a software upgrade demonstrates our ability to constantly provide our existing and new users with the most advanced technologies. All our cameras will benefit from the HomeKit transition, no matter when they were commercialised. Netatmo products are long lasting capital goods. Through regular software updates, we ensure they offer the best services to our clients" explains Fred Potter, Founder and CEO of Netatmo.

Presence is Netatmo's outdoor security camera that's able to detect people, cars, and animals outside of the home and send activity notifications to users. Presence features 1080p videos with a 100 degree field of view and a 65 foot detection range, making it ideal for keeping an eye on the outside of your home.

Welcome is Netatmo's indoor home security camera with a 120 degree field of view, a live video feed with audio, facial recognition, and night vision support.

When HomeKit support is added, both the Presence and the Welcome will be accessible in the Home app and will be able to respond to Siri voice commands. In addition to viewing a camera feed, Siri commands can be used to adjust the accompanying light on the Presence outdoor camera.

Netatmo plans to add HomeKit connectivity to Presence in the fall, while HomeKit compatibility will be added to Welcome in early 2018.

Tags: HomeKit Guide, Netatmo
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Sphero Reveals New iPhone-Controlled R2-D2 and BB-9E Droids

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Sphero today unveiled all-new iPhone-controlled Star Wars toys, including R2-D2 and a new character from Star Wars: The Last Jedi called BB-9E (via TechCrunch). This latter droid is described as originating from the same astromech series as BB-8, but is instead associated with the villainous First Order.

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Similar to Sphero's BB-8 droid from 2015, BB-9E (priced at $149) comes with a set of pre-programmed moves and voice lines, but users can also manually control the droid from their iOS device. BB-9E's head is equipped with LED lights and is magnetically attached to the droid's body, so it can roll around similar to the character within the upcoming movie.

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The company said that BB-9E will interact with its other Star Wars iPhone-controlled droids, as well as react to Star Wars films when users watch with the droid nearby. Sphero said that BB-9E will receive consistent updates, including new voice lines, particularly as the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi draws closer.

Additionally, Sphero revealed an iPhone-controlled R2-D2 droid (priced at $179), which includes all of the same features as the other Star Wars products from Sphero. R2-D2 can patrol on its own and includes fully-functioning LED lights and an integrated speaker that produces the droid's recognizable sounds.

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Both BB-9E and R2-D2 use the same app that Sphero launched with BB-8 two years ago, so users can simply keep adding new droids to play around with, without needing to download a separate app for each. Both of the new droids will support a few augmented reality experiences in the connected app, where fans can view iconic Star Wars settings and characters through their iOS device, with the Sphero characters interacting in the same space.


AR games will also be available to play, and BB-9E is shipping with an "augmented reality platform," which users can place to keep the droid still in order to play AR games around it. BB-8 Sphero droids will be shipped with the same platforms starting today as well.

Force Friday II begins tomorrow, September 1, and previous reports have stated that Apple Stores will be getting a few Star Wars-themed items to participate in the toy release celebrations. Since BB-8 originally went on sale in Apple Stores for Force Friday back in 2015, it's expected for the same thing to happen this year for BB-9E and R2-D2, but many details regarding the shopping event are still under wraps with information about specific toy releases just beginning to emerge today.

If customers do stop in at an Apple Store this weekend, they'll be able to participate in a few Star Wars-themed sessions where they'll learn how to build a Star Wars trailer in iMovie, program a droid, and more.

Tags: Sphero, Star Wars
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Apple Seeds Ninth Beta of Upcoming tvOS 11 Update to Developers [Update: Public Beta Available]

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Apple today seeded the ninth beta of an upcoming tvOS 11 update designed for the fourth-generation TV, just a few days after seeding the eighth beta and more than two months after releasing the first beta during the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Registered developers can download the tvOS 11 update by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software using iTunes.

tvos 11 beta
tvOS 11 didn't receive a lot of attention at the Worldwide Developers Conference because it's a modest update, but according to Apple's release notes, it does introduce a few new features to the operating system.

tvOS 11 brings automatic switching between light/dark mode based on local time, Home screen syncing options that keep multiple Apple TVs in a household in sync, new background modes and notification support, Focus API improvements, custom sound support, network-based pairing and development support, improvements to Mobile Device Management, and more.

The ninth beta of tvOS 11 most likely focuses primarily on bug fixes and other small refinements, as the first eight betas did. Apple's new tvOS 11 update is available for both registered developers and public beta testers and will see a public release this fall.

Update: Apple has also made a new public beta of tvOS 11 available for public beta testers.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater
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Apple Seeds Ninth Beta of iOS 11 to Developers [Update: Public Beta Available]

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Apple today seeded the ninth beta of iOS 11 to developers for testing purposes, just a few days after releasing the eighth beta and more than two months after introducing the new update at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 11 beta from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed.

ios 11 beta
iOS 11 brings several new design changes like a customizable Control Center and a new Lock screen that's been merged with the Notification Center. Peer-to-peer Apple Pay payments are coming in the Messages app, which is also gaining a new App Drawer, and there's a Do Not Disturb While Driving feature that's meant to help drivers stay focused on the road. Siri, Photos, the Camera app, and more are also gaining new features and refinements.

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ARKit for developers will bring a range of new augmented reality apps and games to iOS devices, and a new Core ML SDK will let developers build smarter apps. iOS 11 is also the biggest update ever for the iPad, with a new Dock that introduces much improved multitasking, a Files app for better managing files, improved Apple Pencil support, a revamped App Switcher, and a system-wide drag and drop feature.


iOS 11 is available for both registered developers and public beta testers and be released to the public in September alongside new iPhones. We are getting closer to the end of the beta testing process and should see a golden master release candidate soon.

For complete details on all of the new features included in iOS 11, make sure to check out our extensive iOS 11 roundup.

Update: Apple has also made a new public beta of iOS 11 available for public beta testers.

Related Forum: iOS 11
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