MacRumors

AT&T this week announced that it plans to launch its "5G Evolution" network in parts of Minneapolis over the next few months, intending to provide next-generation cellular coverage to customers at Super Bowl LII. AT&T didn't mention which specific areas of Minneapolis would be covered by February 4, 2018, but confirmed "areas near the host stadium" will have 5G at the time.

Minneapolis is the next leg in AT&T's 5G rollout, and one of 20 markets where the carrier is planning to bring 5G Evolution by the end of 2017. The technology is already available in parts of Austin and Indianapolis, and allows customers access to much faster speeds on compatible devices, which as of now does not yet include any iPhone model.

“We’re excited about launching this new wireless network in Minneapolis in the coming months as we move towards standards-based mobile 5G,” said Marachel Knight, senior vice president, Wireless Network Architecture and Design. “The upgrades we’re making today in Minneapolis are the foundation for the future of next generation connectivity in this city.”

“Minnesota is in a great position to welcome 5G Evolution wireless technology, with a climate that encourages the deployment of small cells – an integral building block for 5G,” said State Senator Bobby Joe Champion. “Good public policy can help put Minnesota on the map and attract investment that will prepare our state for the next generation wireless economy.”

In addition to the upgraded network in and around Minneapolis, AT&T will also upgrade the Distributed Antenna System (DAS) at the U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis, where Super Bowl LII will be held. The company said this means the stadium will be "overloaded...with wireless capacity and boosted LTE capacity" by an increase of 150 percent compared to last year, thanks to more than 800 antennas.

AT&T mentioned that Minneapolis is a "major step" on its journey to make 5G a standard for mobile networks "as soon as late 2018." In total, the locations focused on AT&T's 5G rollout will result in "smarter cities," according to the company, as well as support for higher quality augmented and virtual reality experiences on smartphones.

Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon have also announced interest in 5G networks, with Sprint saying its own wide-scale 5G network will launch by 2019, and T-Mobile aiming for nationwide 5G coverage by 2020. Of course, all of this progress hinges on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project first completing the 5G Release 15 standard. According to AT&T, once Release 15 is out then 5G-supported "commercial equipment" will be available within six months.

Earlier this year, Apple submitted an application to the FCC for an experimental license to test next-generation 5G wireless technologies, which it was then granted in July. While the exact purpose of Apple's tests remains unclear, the company could be looking to prepare future models of its iPhone and iPad devices to take advantage of 5G network speeds.

Nokia has announced that its Steel HR hybrid smartwatch will ship in time for the holiday season, almost a year after it was supposed to launch under the Withings moniker.

The watch was first announced in September 2016, but its scheduled launch the following month never happened as Nokia began negotiating its takeover of Withings, which was eventually finalized in June.

Shortly thereafter, Nokia relaunched several Withings products under the Nokia brand, including the Nokia GO and Nokia Steel watches, as well as Nokia BPM+ and Nokia Body+ connected devices.

The Steel HR finally joins the existing line-up and will be available in 36mm and 40mm case sizes. It features a simple and stylish analog watch face with unobtrusive digital meters for tracking heart rate and movement over the course of the day. In addition, the watch features automatic and learned activity tracking for over 10 activities, a comprehensive sleep monitor, and text, call and event alerts.

Nokia says it has also made some software improvements to the smartwatch since its Withings iteration, including an improved heart rate algorithm to ensure more accurate tracking. A design change has also been made that replaces the face with sapphire glass to guarantee up to 50 meter waterproofing.

The Steel HR syncs with the Nokia Health Mate iOS app, costs $179.99, and is available to pre-order from the Nokia website in either black or white.

Apple has agreed to help the Indian government develop an anti-spam app for iOS devices, after initially refusing to do so because of privacy concerns, according to Reuters.

In early September we reported that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) attempted to get its Do Not Disturb (DND) software on the App Store. The app lets users share spam call and text message logs with the agency, which then sends the data to mobile operators for them to block the spammers.

Apple originally told regulators that the DND app violates its privacy policy, however today's report suggests the tech giant has had a change of heart.

Facing public criticism from the regulator, Apple executives flew to New Delhi last month and told officials the company would help develop the app, but only with limited capabilities, according to a government official aware of the matter.

Apple's executives have told India that its current iOS platform might not allow for some of the government's requests, such as making call logs available within the app that would allow users to report them as spam, the official said.

According to Indian officials, Apple has offered to help develop an app that can solve the regulator's requirements "to an extent".

Meanwhile, an Apple spokesman has confirmed that the new iOS features to combat spam text messages would help the government build the app, but he didn't comment on the app's potential inability to access call logs for reporting spam. The spokesman also underlined the fact that Apple had not changed its stance on privacy.

Marketing cold calls and unsolicited commercial text messages have become a big problem in India. Mobile users have the option to register themselves under a "do not disturb" service to block marketers, but businesses have gamed the system by using multiple phone numbers for promotions, according to Reuters. TRAI's Do Not Disturb app has been available on Android since last year and has been downloaded more than 100,000 times.

Before the app launches, it asks the user to allow it access to contacts and view text messages. Users can then start reporting numbers as spam. This kind of access has evidently concerned Apple. "The app can peep into logs, Apple had conveyed that their (privacy) policy does not allow this," said a cited industry source familiar with the matter. Those concerns prompted Apple to ask for talks with state regulators, but the proposal has apparently frustrated officials.

"The whole exercise in organizing the proposed meeting would be a waste of resources ... please share concrete solutions that have a likelihood of addressing the issues we have been discussing over the past one year," the regulator wrote in September.

Later the same month, Apple told TRAI it had identified potential solutions, but that it would need to have further discussions with the regulator's technical staff. Those discussions are said to have taken place in October, with Apple subsequently confirming that it would help develop the first version of the app with limited features.

Apple has been in talks with the Indian government to open retail stores and to gain permission to sell used iPhones imported into the country. The company is also seeking economic concessions including tax breaks as it sets up local manufacturing plants there, but those efforts could have been negatively impacted by Apple's refusal to approve the anti-spam software.

Augmented reality gaming company Reach Robotics today announced that its MekaMon gaming robot is coming to Apple Stores throughout the US and UK starting on November 16.

Priced at $299.99, MekaMon is a real-life robot that melds real-world gameplay with augmented reality. MekaMon, a four-legged spider-shaped robot that measures in at 11.8in x 11.8in x 5.9in, is designed to let players battle their robots in both the physical and virtual worlds using iOS devices.

With the built-in augmented reality support, gamers can choose to play with their MekaMon robots either in the real world or using augmented reality. Once a battle is engaged, MekaMon is able to move and use objects in the room like tables, chairs, and more to block attackers.

Each MekaMon robot can be customized by adding weapons or shields to make the robot more aggressive, defensive, or technically inclined, and the MekaMon robots are compatible with Swift Playgrounds, so users can control their robots using Swift code.

MekaMon can be used as a code learning tool with users able to implement "fundamental coding concepts" to control MekaMon's movements, reactions, and startup and shutdown features.

"We've created an entirely new video gaming platform," said Silas Adekunle, CEO of Reach Robotics. "MekaMon straddles both the real and virtual worlds while taking the gaming experience beyond a player's screen and turning their sitting room into a limitless robotic battle zone. MekaMon represents a quantum leap forward in the leveraging of augmented reality. Players can whip out their smartphone to battle their multi-functional, connected battlebots in the physical and virtual worlds at the same time."

MekaMon can be purchased from Apple.com or MekaMon.com for $299 starting today. It will be in Apple retail stores tomorrow.

With a little over one week until Black Friday -- the popular shopping holiday in the United States -- most of the major retailers have shared the deals you can expect to see when you're out shopping or online next Friday, November 24. Because we're so close to some of the best deals of the year on multiple Apple products and accessories, as usual it's worth being aware that you may want to hold off on making purchases or taking advantages of sales in the days leading up to Black Friday.

Thanks to deal leaks and official announcements, our Black Friday Roundup already has a pretty good idea of the sales you can expect on Apple products next week from places like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. Below we've rounded up some of the best sales that have been announced for each retailer, along with the times you can expect to show up at each store. Note that many deals overlap, so it'll come down to personal preference and location for which retailer you choose to purchase from.

Best Buy

Like many other retailers, Best Buy's Black Friday sale actually starts on Thursday, kicking off at 5:00 p.m. local time on Thanksgiving, November 23. Stores will then close at 1:00 a.m. local time before opening up again at 8:00 a.m. local time on Black Friday. One of this year's most notable sales (across most retailers) is for the 2017 9.7-inch iPad Pro with 32GB of storage, at just $250 for the Wi-Fi only model.

• 32GB 9.7-inch iPad (2017) will be available for $249.99, a discount of $80 off of the regular price of the device.
• 10.5-inch iPad Pro models will also be available for up to $150 off.
• The 128GB iPad mini 4 will be available for $274.99, a discount of $125 off of the regular price.
• Select MacBook Pro models will be discounted by as much as $250 off.
• 15 percent off Apple-branded iPhone Cases
• Up to $30 off Apple Watch bands
• Buy one get one 30 percent off iTunes Gift Cards

Target

Target will open its doors slightly later than Best Buy, at 6:00 p.m local time on Thursday, November 23. However, the store will close at midnight and then re-open a bit earlier than Best Buy on Friday, November 24 at 6:00 a.m. If you're looking for an Apple Watch, and are okay with investing in an older generation model, Target will have one of the best discounts running this Black Friday with Series 1 models at just $180.

• Apple Watch Series 1 models at prices that start at $179.99, a discount of $70 off of the regular starting price of $249.99.
• Get a free $250 Target Gift Card with the purchase of an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus on an installment plan from Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T.
• The 10.5-inch iPad Pro will start at $529.99, a discount of $120 over the regular starting price of $649.99.
• The 32GB 9.7-inch iPad (2017) will also be available for $249.99, $80 off the regular price of $329.99 (matching Best Buy).
• Buy one get one 30 percent off iTunes Gift Cards
• Beats Studio Wireless Headphones for $159.99, down from $379.99

Walmart

Walmart's Black Friday sales will kick off at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 23 in Walmart stores. Deals will be available all day online.

• Get a $300 Walmart Gift Card with the purchase of an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus on AT&T Next or a Verizon Device Payment plan (limited to in-store)
• Straight Talk Wireless 32GB iPhone 6 available for $129, a $70 discount off of the regular price.
• Walmart plans to offer the 32GB 9.7-inch iPad (2017) for $249, down from the regular price of $329.

Of course, there are many other announced sales coming next week, including some at eBay, Newegg, Staples, Macy's, and more. Be sure to check out our Black Friday Roundup to keep an eye on any discounts you're looking for this year, which will also include hundreds of popular apps for iOS and macOS as the shopping event gets closer.

The Bento Stack, a new project being funded on Indiegogo, takes the concept of a Bento lunch box and applies it to iPhone and iPad accessories.

Available in three colors (silver, space gray, and rose gold) for $38, the Bento Stack is a container that offers up several sections that can hold a variety of accessories like cables, Apple Watch bands, an Apple Pencil, and more. I was able to go hands-on with the Bento Stack, and I thought it was a nifty organizational tool, if a bit bulky.

I have the Bento Stack in gray, and it seems to match well with Apple's space gray devices. It's covered in a soft, rubbery material that's nice to touch, and it has a slight sheen to it, making it visually appealing for a simple plastic organization box.

Bento Stack measures in at 7.48 inches long, 3.35 inches tall, and 3.22 inches deep, so it's not really going to fit well in a smaller purse or bag.

Aside from some customizations like an Apple Pencil holder and a place to store Apple Watch bands, the Bento Stack isn't much different from the Bento lunch boxes. It has four storage components, a lid, and a silicone strap to hold it all together.

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The latest TV streaming service, Philo, will provide subscribers with a cost that undercuts the price of competing "over the top" services by excluding sports-related content (via Business Insider). This means Philo starts at $16/month for access to 37 entertainment networks, which you can watch on your iPhone, MacBook, connected TV, Roku, and soon the Apple TV.

Philo started by providing programming to college students on campuses across the United States, and is led by CEO Andrew McCollum, who was a founding member of Facebook. The company gained strategic investments totaling $25 million from five programming partners, including A+E, AMC, Discovery, Scripps, and Viacom. Every channel in the basic $16/month tier is listed below:

For $20/month you can watch everything listed above, with the following channels added:

- American Heroes Channel
- BET Her
- Cooking Channel
- Destination America
- Discovery Family
- Discovery Life
- Logo
- MTV Live
- Nicktoons

Because TV providers sell content in bundles, Philo's lack of sports programming also hinders some of its entertainment offerings, including any channels owned by Disney and Fox. There also won't be any content from CBS or NBCUniversal. Still, Philo comes in quite low when compared to starting prices of other services like Hulu Live TV ($40/month) and YouTube TV ($35/month), and is more competitive with Sling TV's low-tier offerings ($20/month).

In terms of features, Philo lets you watch any channel live or save an episode of any show onto a DVR with storage that lasts for 30 days. You can also stream in HD on up to three devices at once. Although not appearing at launch, Philo also plans to debut a "Social TV" aspect in the future, with subscribers able to see which episodes their friends are on in a TV show, see a friends list of users actively watching something, and synchronize viewing of an on-demand show with a friend. Social TV features are expected to launch in 2018.

More information on Philo can be found on the company's website here, including a seven day free trial.

During Disney's latest quarterly earnings call, company chairman and CEO Bob Iger mentioned that its upcoming, exclusive streaming service will have a monthly subscription cost at an amount that's "substantially below" the price of rival Netflix (via Seeking Alpha). Disney has been dropping tidbits about its upcoming 2019 streaming service over the past few weeks, but had not yet hinted at how much the service will cost subscribers.

Iger still hasn't provided the specific price point viewers can expect to pay to watch Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars films and TV shows on the unnamed service, but we now at least know Disney intends to undercut Netflix on pricing. Currently, Netflix's $9.99/month standard tier (with streaming on two screens at once) is set to begin increasing to $10.99/month for subscribers this fall and winter.

I can say that our plan on the Disney side is to price this substantially below where Netflix is. That is in part reflective of the fact that it will have substantially less volume. It'll have a lot of high quality because of the brands and the franchises that will be on it that we've talked about. But it'll simply launch with less volume, and the price will reflect that.

There's a gigantic potential Disney customer base out there that we're going to seek to attract with pricing that is commensurate with or that balances the quality of the brands and franchises that are in there, but also takes into account the volume. And that will give us an opportunity to grow in volume and to have the pricing over time reflect the added volume as this product ages.

After announcing the direct-to-consumer streaming service in August, speculation spread concerning whether or not Marvel and Star Wars would be getting their own unique streaming platforms. Disney eventually confirmed those two franchises would be integrated into the main service. In the new earnings call, the company mentioned some of the content will include four to five exclusive feature films each year and multiple original TV shows. The first set of shows will be a live action series based in the Star Wars universe, a High School Musical series, and a Monsters, Inc. series.

A report last week also mentioned Disney's interest in purchasing cable and movie assets owned by 21st Century Fox, which would include Fox's 30 percent stake in Hulu. With Disney's current 30 percent stake, the company would become a majority shareholder and gain another area to expand it streaming capabilities to consumers. While the two companies are said to not currently be talking, neither has given up on the idea of making a deal and "pencils aren't down."

With the launch of the Disney service, the company will be removing all of its films and most of its TV shows from Netflix. It's still unclear when that will begin happening, but it might begin sometime in 2018, ahead of the new service's launch in 2019. Currently, subscribers to Netflix can watch Disney movies including Moana, Finding Dory, Doctor Strange, and much more, which will all disappear by 2019.

Ten One Design is today introducing the Mountie+, a new version of its popular Mountie device that allows an iPad or iPhone to be attached to the display of a Mac laptop for use as a second screen.

The Mountie+ mount for the iPad has been designed with larger devices in mind. Mountie+ uses a two-clip system to attach an iPhone or iPad to a MacBook, and it works with all iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad mini tablets. It's also compatible with all MacBooks and "every other laptop," according to Ten One Design. The standard Mountie, which is also still available, works well with smaller tablets and the iPhone.

Mountie+ also incorporates a new feature that allows an iPad to be charged while it's attached to a MacBook, by tucking the iPad's charging cable around the back where it can then be plugged in to an adapter. It's designed to make it quick and easy to snap an iPad on and off of the MacBook.

When attached to a MacBook via Mountie+, there's only 4mm of space between the iPad and the MacBook screen, making it easy to see both displays at once. Mountie+ lets the iPad be mounted in either landscape or portrait mode.

"Remote working and co-working is growing; we can see that trend as our customers look to use their iPads and other portable devices as second or even third screens," said Peter Skinner, founder of Ten One Design. "Even if it's just for watching Stranger Things. We don't judge."

The Mountie+ can be pre-ordered from the Ten One Design website for $34.95. It will begin shipping out in December.