MacRumors

Wisconsin resident Xai Thao and her home insurance provider State Farm have jointly sued Apple for over $75,000 this week, claiming the company sold Thao a defective and dangerous iPhone 4s that started a fire in her home last year.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. district court, alleges the house fire was the direct result of the iPhone's battery short-circuiting and heating up. Thao nor anyone else ever changed the battery in the iPhone, according to the complaint.

On or about April 1, 2016, the iPhone failed, starting a fire in Thao's home. Preliminary investigations show evidence of a significant and localized heating event in the battery area of the iPhone as well as remnants of internal shorting, indicating that an internal failure of the iPhone's battery caused the fire.

The complaint reiterates that the design, manufacture, and sale of the iPhone 4s created a "dangerous, unsafe, and defective" condition.

If designed improperly, lithium-ion batteries do have the potential of short-circuiting and catching fire, as Samsung learned the hard way with its recalled Galaxy Note7 last year. But, that hasn't been a widespread issue with the iPhone 4s since it launched in 2011, so this is certainly an isolated incident.

Thao and State Farm are seeking at least $75,000 in damages from Apple, but the exact amount is to be determined if and when the case is heard.

Mozilla has released Firefox 8.0 for iOS with several notable new features including a Night Mode, a built-in QR code reader, and a redesigned tab experience.

Changes to the web browser's tabs mean users now see recently visited sites whenever they open up a new one, combined with highlights from previous web visits. Mozilla says this change in particular will be rolled out to users gradually over the next few weeks.

As for the new Night Mode, this refers to a web page brightness dimming feature for easier reading in dark environments, rather than a darkened interface as such.

Version 8.0 of the browser also introduces Feature Recommendations, which are basically hints and time-saving tips to help users improve their Firefox experience. In addition, it's also now possible to send a web page or tab to another Firefox-synced device, across both desktop and mobile devices.

Other smaller tweaks to the app include yMail as one of the supported email clients, the password manager now has improved login page detection, and when users copy a link Firefox will now prompt them to open it, rather than having to paste it in manually.

Firefox 8.0 web browser is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

LG Chemical will be the sole supplier of batteries for Apple's "iPhone 9" next year, according to The Korea Economic Daily. If the report is accurate, the South Korean firm has scored a big win, since Apple usually takes a multi-vendor approach when it comes to sourcing batteries for its iPhones.

Citing industry insiders, the newspaper said LG has made a sizable investment to bolster the capability of its facilities and that production of the batteries would begin in 2018.

"LG has invested hundred of billions of Korean won for related facilities and plans to start mass production from early next year," the Korean-language report quoted a source in the chemical industry as saying.

The report added that the battery LG will produce for the so-called "iPhone 9" is L-shaped, a design that's also previously been tipped for this year's OLED "iPhone 8" and should allow for better battery life.

The L-shape, which is bent at the bottom, represents an increase in size over current rectangular iPhone batteries and depends on the PCB mainboard being more compact to make space for it. Today's report also claims the altered shape is expected to result in faster charging speeds.

A report in May claimed the iPhone 9 will launch in two 5.28-inch and 6.46-inch OLED variants, with Samsung expected to be the supplier for the OLED displays.

(Via CNBC.)

The Computer & Communications Industry Association, a lobbying group that represents Google, eBay, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Netflix, Intel, Samsung, and other tech companies today asked the United States International Trade Commission to reject Qualcomm's request for an import ban on select iPhone and iPad models.

According to the CCIA, preventing Apple from importing iPhones made abroad would result in harm to consumers by enabling Qualcomm's anti-competitive behavior. CCIA President & CEO Ed Black gave the following statement on the issue:

"Qualcomm is already using its dominant position to pressure competitors and tax competing products. If the ITC were to grant this exclusion order, it would help Qualcomm use its monopoly power for further leverage against Apple, and allow them to drive up prices on consumer devices.

"What's at stake here is certainly the availability of iPhones and other smartphones at better prices. But even more critical is the principle of open competition that has been historically important to US economic success. The ITC has a choice whether to further reward anti-competitive behavior - or to reject this anti-free market, anti-consumer request."

In its ongoing legal battle with Apple, Qualcomm in early July asked the U.S. ITC to block imports of select iPhone and iPad models that use Intel modem chips instead of Qualcomm chips.

Qualcomm requested the partial ban as part of a patent lawsuit that claims Apple devices infringe on six Qualcomm patents related to carrier aggregation and technologies designed to allow iPhones to save battery life while charging.

The lawsuit and import ban request were both filed in retaliation for an ongoing royalty dispute between the two companies, which saw Apple sue Qualcomm back in January for charging unfair royalties and refusing to pay quarterly rebates. Since that date, the legal fight between the two companies has continued to escalate.

Puzzle game Yankai's Triangle was named Apple's App of the Week, making it free to download for the next seven days. This is the first time the game has been made available for free since it was released in November of 2016.

Yankai's Triangle is, as the name suggests, a puzzle game based on triangles. The idea is to tap on different colored triangles to rotate them into a triangle shape to solve puzzles. From the App Store Editors:

This deceptively simple puzzle game is pure Pythagorean pleasure. Rotating multicolored triangular puzzle pieces to snap them together with their mates is dead simple at first, but when layer after layer of triangles are in the mix, we truly come to respect the power of three. Bright hues and funny sound effects help seal the deal--you might even say it's very acute.

Yankai's Triangle features leaderboards, achievements, an option for colorblind players, a time-based scoring system, and no in-app purchases.

Yankai's Triangle can be downloaded from the App Store for free for the next seven days, after which a new App of the Week will be chosen. [Direct Link]

Google's music subscription service, Google Play Music, now has a dedicated CarPlay app available, according to comments shared on reddit. That means Google Play Music users who own a vehicle equipped with CarPlay can access their music directly through the CarPlay interface when an iPhone is connected to the car.

The Google Play Music CarPlay app is sectioned off into Home, Recents, Music Library, and Stations, giving subscribers access to recommendations, their own custom playlists, radio selections, and more.

Google Play Music is the first Google-made app to be available for CarPlay, and it joins music apps from services like Pandora, Amazon, and Spotify.

Google Play Music allows users to store up to 50,000 songs and listen to ad-supported radio stations for free. With a premium account, priced at $9.99 per month, users can listen to more than 40 million on-demand streaming songs without advertisements.

Google Play Music can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple today announced that it will feature a live global performance of popular Canadian indie band Arcade Fire on Friday, July 27 at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

Arcade Fire is promoting its upcoming album, Everything Now, which is set to be released on July 28, a day after the live Apple performance.

Several songs from the new album have already been released and are available on Apple Music, including the popular Everything Now single, which came out in June.

Outside of the annual Apple Music Festival, Apple has not featured many exclusive live concert performances, but the company has been pursuing exclusive content aggressively since launch.

Apple has purchased the rights to several documentaries that are exclusive to Apple Music, including Can't Stop Won't Stop featuring Sean Combs, and Kygo: Stole the Show, and it has had several exclusive album releases with artists like Frank Ocean, Drake, and Taylor Swift.

Best Buy today opened up its Black Friday in July sale for My Best Buy members only, with early access ending tonight at 11:59 p.m. CT. As usual, the sale includes a handful of Apple and Apple-related products with notable markdowns, like the 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, iPad mini 4, MacBook Air, BeatsX, and more.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy and may earn commissions on purchases made through these links.

There are nearly two dozen 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models discounted by up to $200 in Best Buy's new sale, including 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB models in all colorways. The iPad mini 4 has only three models on sale, all covering the 128GB tier with savings of $125 on the small-screened iPad. Each iPad offer comes with a free six-month subscription to Kaspersky Internet Security for three devices.

Those looking for a 13-inch MacBook Air can choose from two models on sale, including the 128GB and 256GB flash storage tiers with savings of $300 and $350, respectively. Both MacBook Air models include a fifth-generation Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of memory, as well as a free six-month subscription to Trend Micro Internet Security for three devices.

Best Buy is also running a separate Apple Sale Event that includes offers like up to $200 off an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus with the purchase and activation of a monthly installment plan, $70 off the Apple Watch Series 2, and up to $400 off various iMac models. There's also a markdown on the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, with savings of up to $350 depending on the specs and each user's qualifications for a student discount.

For Beats products, shoppers can get the Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones for $134.99 ($65 savings), Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones for $219.99 ($80 savings), and BeatsX Earphones for $99.99 ($50 savings). iTunes gift cards have been marked down as well, including 10 percent off $100, $50, $30, and $25 cards.

Similar to devices like Eero and Google Wi-Fi, Luma is a Wi-Fi mesh system that launched in 2015, providing users with whole home Wi-Fi, parental controls, and network security scanning. Today, the company announced a new optional subscription model is coming to its mesh router, called "Luma Guardian," and it introduces a privacy VPN, antivirus software, ISP speed monitoring, and priority tech support for $5 per month.

According to Luma CEO Paul Judge, who spoke with TechCrunch, the reason behind the subscription service is related to all of the security issues that Luma discovered within its customers' networks over the years. Luma Guardian is a way for the company to dedicate time and resources to addressing those issues for the "thousands and thousands" of homes with its mesh Wi-Fi system.

It was also one of the earlier home networking devices to bake IoT security into its system, and as a result, the company spotted security problems in around two-thirds of the “thousands and thousands” of homes that currently sport a Luma.

“We’d been blocking them, and the next step was, how do we go to their devices and clean them up?” Judge tells TechCrunch. “How do we install antivirus and clean up the infections on those devices? For 15 years, we built networking and security equipment for companies. You can have the best equipment in the world, but at the end of the day, they had a team to manage it all. Having someone there who pays attention is key.”

Luma's system already comes with a few security measures, including anti-malware, IoT cyber security, and new device alerts that block potentially untrustworthy devices from connecting to your personal Wi-Fi, and Luma Guardian expands upon those features. This includes a "Stealth Mode" that's enabled through a virtual private network (VPN), allowing users to browse the web privately thanks to encrypted and anonymized web traffic sent between the Luma system, the cloud, and third-party websites.

Antivirus protection is allowed for up to three devices in the new subscription model, through a partnership with Webroot and its SecureAnywhere software, which performs regular scans of the devices to block viruses, malware, ransomware, and any suspicious files. Users will also be able to monitor the speed being granted to them by their internet service provider, with monthly reports in the iOS app to make sure they're getting the speeds they pay for.

Also within the app, users can directly chat with Luma's support staff for any tech-related questions they have about the router or its software. Luma Guardian subscribers also receive a priority support phone number so they can be moved to the front of the line when it comes to getting help from the company's United States-based tech experts on the phone.

Luma owners can sign up for Luma Guardian through the Luma iOS app [Direct Link], and there's a 30 day free trial offer for new subscribers. The Luma router itself is sold on the company's website in a one pack ($149), a two pack ($249), and a three pack ($349). Luma describes the subscription service price as an "introductory" offer of $5/month for the first year, but the company didn't detail how much it might increase by after that period.

Apple has expanded mobile phone billing to Denmark, Hong Kong, and Sweden, according to an updated support document on its website.

The feature is now supported by the carrier Three in each of the countries, in addition to SmarTone in Hong Kong and Telenor in Sweden.

The payment method enables customers to pay for iTunes Store content, App Store apps, iBooks, and Apple Music subscriptions without needing a debit or credit card, or even a bank account. Instead, purchases are added to a customer's mobile phone bill and paid off at the end of the month.

Mobile phone billing is already available to customers of select carriers in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Apple's support document explains how to set up mobile phone billing in the iTunes Store on both iPhone and iPad and Mac and PC.

Microsoft today released an update for SwiftKey that includes a handful of new features including emoji prediction and enhancements to 3D Touch gestures.

Users who tap on the emoji key will now see a new prediction panel that automatically suggests up to 18 relevant emoji depending on what they type, saving them the trouble of searching through the entire list.

The update also includes eight new "Oxygen" themes adding up to a spectrum of vibrant colors for SwiftKey keyboards. The new hues can be found in the Design section of the app and include Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Light Blue, Blue, Purple, and Pink.

In addition, Microsoft said it had made substantial improvements to the responsiveness of 3D Touch gestures in SwiftKey on supporting iPhones, including those that trigger cursor control and cursor movement. Haptic feedback has also been implemented for some keyboard actions, such as opening the emoji panel.

Lastly, SwiftKey added support for 15 new languages including Egyptian Arabic, Tanglish, Bambara, Wolof, Mossi, Greenlandic, and Northern Sami. See here for the full list.

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