MacRumors

Popular note-taking app Bear received an update on Thursday across Mac and iOS that adds a number of notable features to the Evernote rival.

The biggest change to Bear is the ability to sketch on iOS. Users can now add sketches to their notes using a finger or stylus. Sketches are drawn on a separate open canvas, which includes pencil and marker tools similar to Apple Notes, with each pencil coming in three sizes and a range of colors.

Next, Bear has taken cues from the new API in iOS 10.3 that enables apps to use custom icons. Bear supports eight different themes, and now each one has an accompanying icon so that Bear's appearance on the Home screen optionally matches the selected theme.

Bear 1.2 also brings VoiceOver support, to aid blind and visually impaired notetakers. Elsewhere, a Bear Notes sticker pack has been included for use in iMessages.

Lastly, Bear has been translated for three new languages: Korean, Russian, and Brazilian Portugese. Bear 1.2 is free and offers a $1.49 monthly or $14.99 annual subscription model for Pro features. Bear is available to download on the App Store for iPad and iPhone [Direct Link], as well as on the Mac App Store [Direct Link].

The Pokémon Company has launched a new iPhone and iPad game revolving around one of the weakest Pokémon ever, Magikarp.

Magikarp Jump, available now on the App Store [Direct Link], tasks players with raising multiple generations of Magikarp by feeding and training them to increase their Jump Power and overall level. Players can then battle—try to jump higher than—other Magikarp in six leagues to increase their personal Trainer Rank.

As a player's Trainer Rank increases, additional food and training upgrades can be purchased from the Town with coins, which are awarded for various in-game tasks such as winning league battles. A higher Trainer Rank also allows players to fish for additional Magikarp with different designs.

Magikarp Jump is not nearly as sophisticated as Pokémon GO, but with a number of achievements to complete, it's a decent way to pass the time on a train ride home or a lazy Sunday afternoon. You'll also see other classic Pokémon such as Pikachu and Pidgeotto appear at times for a bit of nostalgia.

Magikarp Jump is a free download on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone and iPad.

Microsoft today announced a rebranding of its game streaming service "Beam," which will now be called "Mixer," along with the launch of a new iOS and Android app that will debut today in beta form. Called "Mixer Create," the app will include a handful of self-broadcasting features that let streamers keep in contact with their audience while on the go.

Additionally, down the line Microsoft will update Mixer Create to let creators stream live gameplay of iOS games directly from their iPhones and iPads, similar to how Mixer can stream games on PC and Xbox One. The mobile broadcasts will be viewable by users on any platform that Mixer is on, including the basic Mixer app for iOS [Direct Link] and Android, as well as on Xbox One and the web.

Although it hasn't yet explained the specifics of how the feature will work, Microsoft gave examples of streamers sharing live gameplay from their iPhone, including streaming their hunt for Pokémon in Pokémon Go.

Mixer Create Beta Launches on Mobile Devices (iOS and Android) -- Mixer Create is a new mobile app that enables self-broadcasting, and we’re kicking off the beta today. Soon thereafter, we’ll add the ability to stream live gameplay from your mobile device as well. The ability to broadcast gameplay on-the-go opens up entirely new social gaming possibilities.

In the future, you could imagine streaming “Pokémon Go” on your mobile device, through Mixer, and hunting with viewers! Once mobile gameplay streaming launches, you’ll be able to join a co-stream with friends who are broadcasting on PC, console or other mobile devices.

The rebranding announcement today includes multiple other feature reveals, mostly related to the service's website and Xbox One app. Those who stream on Mixer will now be able to co-stream with up to three other people, meaning up to four creators can combine their streams into one experience for viewers to watch. The company said the feature is aimed at co-op games where four players are playing at the same time, but it also supports each streamer playing totally different games as well.

Mixer Create should begin rolling out on the iOS App Store throughout the day, and the iOS game streaming features will be "coming soon."

As the legal dispute between Apple and Qualcomm continues, Qualcomm this week has requested an injunction to force Apple's iPhone manufacturers to keep paying royalties during the legal battle (via Axios). Last week, Qualcomm sued four of Apple's suppliers -- Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron, and Compal -- for "breaching their license agreements" by failing to pay royalties on the use of Qualcomm's technology in the assembly of Apple's devices.

Now, Qualcomm is trying to force the suppliers to continue to make royalty payments amid the legal scuffle with Apple. According to Qualcomm's general counsel, Don Rosenberg, the company believes that "it is only fair and equitable" that the suppliers pay for Qualcomm's licensed technology.

"We are confident that our contracts will be found valid and enforceable but in the interim it is only fair and equitable that our licensees pay for the property they are using," Qualcomm general counsel Don Rosenberg said in a statement to Axios.

In April, Apple decided to stop making royalty payments to its manufacturers in relation to Qualcomm technology, and said it would continue doing so until the conflict was resolved. Now, in an amended section of its earlier lawsuit, Qualcomm claims Apple has promised to compensate its suppliers for any monetary loss potentially faced during the lawsuit.

According to Qualcomm, this is a tactic enacted by Apple "to make litigation unbearable" and to force a settlement, because Qualcomm claims that Apple knows it would not win if the case eventually made it to court.

By withholding billions of dollars in royalties so long as Qualcomm defends itself against Apple's claims, Apple is hoping to make litigation unbearable for Qualcomm and, thereby, to extract through a forced settlement what it knows it cannot obtain through judicial process—a below-market direct license. Apple's tactics are egregious.

The lawsuit began with an FTC complaint regarding Qualcomm's anticompetitive patent licensing practices, for which Apple sued Qualcomm, accusing the company of charging unfair royalties for "technologies they have nothing to do with." The argument died down for a few months until Apple ceased royalty payments to its suppliers in April, which particularly hurt Qualcomm because the company's licensing deals are directly with iPhone suppliers and not Apple itself.

Readdle is today updating several of its apps with a unique drag and drop function that works in Split View mode on compatible iPad models.

With the drag and drop feature, files can be dragged between Readdle apps for quick file transfers between documents. Drag and drop is being added to Scanner Pro, PDF Expert, Spark, and Documents.

- Quickly attach scans and files to emails (Scanner Pro + Spark)
- Intuitively copy files from one app to another (Scanner Pro + PDF Expert)
- Easily sign and edit document attachments and send them back (Spark + PDF Expert)
- Attach multiple files to email from various sources (Spark + Documents)

In addition to introducing the drag and drop feature across its apps, Readdle is also introducing an update to its PDF reader and file manager, Documents.

Documents 6 features a redesigned interface with new quick actions, simpler import options, a new media player, and cloud-based editing options.

• Spark (Free) [Direct Link]
• Documents 6 (Free) [Direct Link]
• Scanner Pro ($3.99) [Direct Link]
• PDF Expert 6 ($9.99) [Direct Link]

Apple Maps has been recently updated with public transit information for those living in and traveling to the Netherlands. Transit directions allow users to navigate the Netherlands thanks to integration with the Intercity direct train line, various bus routes, trams, and ferries.

Transit in the Netherlands includes up-to-date advisory information with the help of data accumulated from various local transportation companies including NS, Connexxion, and GVB (via iPhoned). With the data, Apple Maps can warn users about reduced service, or a complete service shutdown, and update their transit trip directions accordingly.

Apple first added in a small amount of transit data to various Dutch cities last week, including the appearance of train, tram, and metro stations for a few areas, but had yet to turn on live schedule information for public transport. Most recently, areas including Singapore and Adelaide, Australia have received transit updates in Apple Maps.

Transit directions first launched with iOS 9 back in 2015 with just a handful of cities supported, but now Apple has kept up a consistent pace with adding new areas all over the world. In total, more than 10 countries now include transit directions, as do most major United States cities like Boston, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. It appears the rollout in the Netherlands will be ongoing since the area has yet to appear on the supported transit list on Apple's website.

Belkin today announced that its Wemo line of smart home devices will support HomeKit starting this fall with the launch of a new HomeKit-enabled Wemo Bridge.

The Wemo Bridge, which will connect to any home Wi-Fi router via an Ethernet cable, will allow current Wemo Smart Plugs and Light Switches to connect to a HomeKit setup. Wemo products will respond to Siri voice commands and will be able to interface with other HomeKit devices in Scenes when connected to the bridge.

"Wemo is offering this bridge to address the overwhelming request from customers to make currently installed Wemo products work with HomeKit and other HomeKit compatible products," said Brian Van Harlingen, chief technology officer at Belkin International. "We're proud to work with Apple to bring together two of the most influential Smart Home platforms. Wemo has been providing smart home devices for more than five years, and millions of people use Wemo devices every day. The Wemo Bridge will allow current and future Wemo users to experience the benefits of HomeKit, including Siri integration and interoperability with other HomeKit devices while also leveraging all the Wemo features customers enjoy."

With the addition of HomeKit support, Wemo products will work with almost all connected home solutions on the market, including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Nest Learning Thermostat (Home and Away modes), and IFTTT.

Bridge-compatible Wemo devices include the Dimmer, Mini Smart Plug, Insight Smart Plug, and Light Switch.

Belkin plans to debut the Wemo Bridge in the fall. Pricing has not yet been announced.

Chief Apple designer Jony Ive has been appointed chancellor of London's Royal College of Art (RCA), it was announced on Thursday. Ive is set to take up the role in July and will replace British engineer Sir James Dyson, who has been provost of RCA since 2011.

"I am thrilled to formalise my relationship with the RCA, given the profound influence the college has had on so many of the artists and designers that I admire," Ive said in a statement.

"Our design team includes many RCA alumni, who embody the fundamental values of the college. I look forward to advising both the college and students, hoping that my experience proves useful in their work."

In his unpaid five-year term as head of the college, Ive will preside over meetings and help to govern RCA, which in 2017 was ranked the world's best institution for art and design for the third year in a row by QS University World Rankings.

"We are delighted to welcome Sir Jony Ive as our new chancellor," said Paul Thompson, RCA's rector. "It is a great honor to be joined by the world's leading designer of his generation, who has produced consistently innovative and commercially successful technology and design."

The designer of the iMac, iPod, and iPhone received an honorary doctorate from the RCA in 2009. Ive also holds honorary doctorates from Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and has received several other accolades from leading British institutions.

Apple is in the process of transitioning App Store pricing from the U.S. dollar and euro to local currencies in nine countries. The announcement was made last week on Apple's iTunes Connect resource page, and the first reports are coming through that the price changes are equating to small savings in some countries, owing to favorable exchange rates.

App Store pricing in Romania is now showing in the country's Leu currency, which has made books, apps, and songs a little cheaper, according to iTutorial.ro. For example, an individual music track that cost 15,42 lei before the change, now costs 14,99. Small savings also extend to Apple Music and iCloud subscriptions.

Similar subscription savings have been reported by ThinkApple in Poland, where many prices have been converted at a rate of 1 euro to around 4 zloty, which is currently lower than that offered by banks. Savings in the region aren't as forthcoming in the App Store, however, with some prices actually a little higher.

As well as Poland and Romania, Apple is switching store currencies in Bulgaria (Lev), Czech Republic (Koruna), and Hungary (Forint). In addition, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, and Peru are changing to local currency from the U.S. dollar. Developer proceeds will also be paid out in local currencies as and when the transitions complete.

(Thanks, Alex!)

Last October, popular API documentation browser Dash was removed from the iOS App Store after Apple accused the app's developer, Kapeli, of fraudulent conduct involving hundreds of fake reviews.

Kapeli's Apple developer account was terminated in the controversy, and with no way to sell the app on the App Store, the Dash code was subsequently made open source.

However, according to a Wednesday blog post on Kapeli's website, open sourcing Dash for iOS led to some people submitting it to the App Store in violation of its GNU GPL License:

Quite a few "developers" have even added it to the App Store themselves, violating the GNU GPL license in the process. Apple has been very responsive in removing these apps, but the developers kept adding it back in different shapes and forms and I got tired to fill the same copyright claim forms over and over.

In an effort to stem the tide of copycat apps appearing in the App Store, Dash developer Bogdan Popescu decided to create a personal developer account with Apple and submit Dash for iOS to the App Store.

I've made a personal developer account which Apple accepted and the review for Dash for iOS went through without any issues. I hope this will somewhat stave off the pirated copies of Dash from appearing on the App Store. We'll see.

Dash was approved and is now available as a free download. [Direct Link] The macOS version of Dash continues to be sold exclusively on the developer's website.