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Opera Browser for Mac Gains Built-in Currency Converter

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Opera has added a built-in currency converter to its free web browser to make online international purchases a simpler experience for users (via TechCrunch).

The new feature appears in the browser's Preferences under User Interface options, and can be enabled to automatically show conversions in the foreign currency of choice whenever the user highlights a price on a page. Conversions are calculated using the daily exchange rate from the European Central Bank.

opera currency conversion

"Cross-border e-commerce is booming all around the world. According to research, within four years, 45 percent of online shoppers worldwide will purchase products from foreign online stores." Opera's Krystian Kolondra said in a blog post. "There are many countries, in which more than 50 percent of people do it already."

The option appears after updating to Opera version 42, and joins the browser's growing list of unique features, such as its built-in VPN and ad blocker.

Opera is currently selling its browser business to a Chinese consortium for $600 million and will see the company's mobile and desktop operations transferred as part of the deal. Opera will continue to own its Mediaworks ad business, apps, and games unit, as well as its TV business, after an initial $1.2 billion deal to acquire these other departments collapsed.

Opera browser is a free download for Mac from the company's website.

Tag: Opera Browser
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App Store and iTunes Store Unavailable for Some Users Amid Service Outage [Update: Fixed]

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According to Apple's System Status page, the iTunes Store, the iOS App Store, and the Mac App Store are currently unavailable for some users, making it impossible to do things like purchase new apps and download app updates.

The System Status page indicates the outage has been ongoing since approximately 12:30 pm. Pacific Time, which corresponds to many reports on Twitter and other social networks about the downtime.

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Customers have been complaining about being unable to download apps and install app updates, with some complaints being attributed to the new iOS 10.2 update. The problem is an App Store problem rather than an issue with iOS 10.2, and should be resolved shortly.

Update: Apple's System Status page says the App Store, iTunes Store, and Mac App Store outage has ended and the services are functioning as normal.

Tags: App Store, iTunes Store
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Shigeru Miyamoto: Apple and Nintendo See Eye to Eye on Simplicity

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Ahead of the launch of Super Mario Run on iOS later this week, Nintendo video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto sat down with video game site Glixel to share some thoughts on what it was like working with Apple.

According to Miyamoto, amid discussions about entering the mobile space, his team set out to build the simplest Mario game they could, doing away with a lot of the complexity that has been added over the years.

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Apple was an ideal partner because Nintendo felt development support was necessary, and the partnership has led to some heavy promotion of Super Mario Run in the App Store and at Apple retail stores. Apple also helped Nintendo settle on an ideal pricing model after Nintendo shied away from freemium pricing.

For Nintendo, we have a lot of kids that play our products. It was important for us to be able to offer Super Mario Run in a way that parents would feel assured that they could buy the game and give it to their kids without having to worry about future transactions. From early on, I thought that Apple would be a good partner so we could work on this new approach.

Miyamoto also believes that Apple and Nintendo have a lot of common ground between them, focusing on how people use products and marketing products to a wide range of people. "They put a lot of effort into the interface and making the product simple to use, and that's very consistent with Nintendo," he said, likening a story about a Super NES controller with colored buttons to Apple's colorful Apple logo.

In the early days when computers were very complicated things, computer companies were purposely presenting them in ways that made them seem very complicated. Then you had Apple who came along with their very simple and colorful logo and it all had more of a fun feel to it.

Actually, this reminds me that with the Super NES controller we put the multicolored buttons on the face of the controller, and then the US office decided not to keep that. I told that story to Apple, and how I liked the use of color in their old logo. That was like a bridge that had been built between us.

Their focus is always on simplicity. Their focus is always on really taking the user into account, making it easy to use and then having an environment that's safe and secure that people can work and play in. They're the areas where Nintendo and Apple really see eye to eye.

Super Mario Run will be available on iOS devices starting on Thursday, December 15. Exclusive demos are available in Apple retail stores around the world ahead of the game's launch.


Super Mario Run will be free to download and try, but unlocking full gameplay will require users to pay $9.99. As was discovered last week, an always-on internet connection will be required for security purposes.

Miyamoto's full interview, which covers topics like his role on Nintendo's creative team, his hobbies, and his inspiration, can be read over at Glixel.

Tags: App Store, Nintendo, Super Mario Run
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Lemmings and Pac-Man Shown Off on MacBook Pro's Touch Bar

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Since the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar was released, developers have been finding increasingly clever, if impractical, things to do with the tiny LCD screen built into the MacBook Pro's keyboard.

It's been turned into a piano and used to run Doom, and now two new games have been shown off on the Touch Bar -- Pac-Man and Lemmings.

Pac-Bar, a version of Namco's popular Pac-Man game, was designed for the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar by 15-year-old developer Henry Franks. The game, written in Swift and available on Github, features Pac-Man gameplay on a horizontal line using the arrow keys for controls. Mashable's Raymond Wong has a video of Pac-Bar in action:


Over the weekend, Developer Erik Olsson wrote a Lemmings game for the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar, which can be seen running in a video he posted on Twitter.

Lemmings for Touch Bar, based on 1991 puzzle-platform game Lemmings, features lemmings walking back and forth on the display and reacting to touch. Olsson shared the source code for Lemmings on Github.


Apple does not approve of games running on the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar, based on its strict Developer Guidelines. According to Apple, the Touch Bar should be used as an extension of the keyboard and trackpad, delivering contextual controls for apps, instead of as a display.

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Instagram Expands Live Video to All U.S. Users

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Instagram today announced that Live Video in Instagram Stories is rolling out to all of its users in the United States starting this morning.

Introduced in November, Live Video is an Instagram Stories option that allows Instagram users to broadcast live video for up to an hour.

Live video content is discovered through notifications that are sent out when a friend starts broadcasting, and through the Explore Tab. Live videos can be created by swiping over to the Stories camera and then choosing "Live" mode.

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In the Explore Tab, users can also now see trending and popular live video content from a range of different sources. Like Instagram Stories content, live videos disappear when the video stream ends.

Previously, live videos were limited to a select group of test users, but as of today, live videos are rolling out to all U.S. users. Access will be available over the next few days. Outside of the U.S., Instagram users can view live videos but are not able to create live video content.

Instagram can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Instagram
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Apple Has Discussed Investing Up to $1 Billion in SoftBank's Global Technology Fund

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Apple has held talks with SoftBank about investing up to $1 billion in the Japanese telecommunication giant's global technology fund, according to The Wall Street Journal. A deal has not been finalized, while the current status of the talks could not be determined, according to the report.

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President-elect Donald Trump and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son (Image: LA Times)

The so-called "SoftBank Vision Fund," expected to launch next year, will be valued at up to $100 billion, which will be invested into emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and connected internet devices. SoftBank itself will invest at least $25 billion in the fund, while the Saudi Arabian government will pledge up to $45 billion.

Apple's own investment would allow it to gain insight on emerging technologies, according to the report.

Such a move also would reflect a shift in Apple’s investment strategy, which until recently focused on small stakes in young technology companies. Earlier this year, Apple invested $1 billion in Didi Chuxing Technology Co., China’s homegrown ride-sharing competitor to Uber Technologies Inc. SoftBank is also an investor in Didi.

Last week, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said he would invest $50 billion of the fund in the United States and create 50,000 new jobs in the country following a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump. SoftBank is the parent company of U.S. carrier Sprint, which employs about 30,000 people.

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: Softbank, Wall Street Journal
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Pokémon Go for iOS Gains New Pokémon, Including Special Edition Holiday Pikachu

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Popular augmented reality app Pokémon Go was today updated to add brand new Pokémon, introducing Togepi, Pichu, and other select Pokémon that were originally found in Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver.

The new Pokémon can only be found in eggs, which can be obtained from PokéStops. Eggs are hatched by walking a set distance with the iPhone. Niantic and The Pokémon Company are keeping some of the new Pokémon a secret, and have only announced Togepi and Pichu.


From December 12 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time to December 29 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Pokémon Go players have a chance to catch a special holiday-themed Pikachu, who is wearing a festive hat for the holiday season. Niantic says the new Pikachu will "appear in large quantities.
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"Fans around the world fell in love with Pokémon GO for the opportunity to encounter Pokémon--beloved pop-culture and gaming icons for 20 years--in the real world. Matched with the innovative technology and development of the mobile game by Niantic, hundreds of millions of players have filled their Pokédexes with over 100 available Pokémon in Pokémon GO while exploring the world around them," said J.C. Smith, senior director of consumer marketing at The Pokémon Company International. "The opportunity to hatch select Pokémon originally discovered in the Johto region is just the beginning of how more Pokémon will be added to the game for Trainers to continue their Pokémon GO adventures."

Niantic has also established partnerships with companies like Sprint, which will see 10,500 Sprint, Boost Mobile, and Sprint at RadioShack locations turned into PokéStops and Gyms.

Pokémon Go can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tags: Pok, Pokémon GO
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Apple Releases watchOS 3.1.1 With Bug Fixes, Performance Improvements and New Emoji

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Apple today released a new software update for the Apple Watch, upgrading watchOS 3.1 to watchOS 3.1.1. The watchOS 3.1.1 update comes more than two months after thewatchOS 3 was provided to the public in September and marks the second update to the operating system. watchOS 3.1.1 has been in testing since October 31.

watchOS 3.1.1 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General -> Software Update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone. An iPhone running iOS 10 or later is required to download the new software, but it is available for all Apple Watch models.

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No major outward-facing changes were discovered in watchOS 3.1.1 during the beta testing period, suggesting it focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements. watchOS 3.1.1 does support the new Unicode 9 emoji that have been introduced in iOS 10.2 and it includes a new feature for changing the skin tone of emoji. A full list of bug fixes is below:


- Fixes an issue that could prevent contact names from appearing in the Messages app and notifications
- Fixes an issue that could impact ability to respond to notifications
- Resolves an issue where the Stocks complication may not update on the watch face
- Fixes an issue that may prevent the Activity rings from displaying on the Activity watch faces
- Fixes an issue that prevented the dials on an analog watch face from appearing after changing the temperature unit in the Weather app
- Resolves an issue that could cause the Maps app to stay launched after navigation has ended
- Resolves an issue where the incorrect date could be displayed in the Calendar app month view

watchOS 3 completely overhauls the interface on the Apple Watch, introducing a dedicated app dock, instant launch apps, new watch faces, and new complication options. There are new Activity sharing features, a "Breathe" app guides users through deep breathing sessions, and an SOS feature can automatically call emergency service.

For more details on what's new in watchOS 3, make sure to check out our watchOS 3 roundup.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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Apple Releases tvOS 10.1 With New TV App

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Apple today released tvOS 10.1, marking the first major update to the tvOS 10 operating system that was first released in September. tvOS 10.1 has been in testing since October 31, and Apple seeded four betas to developers before its public release.

The tvOS 10.1 update can be downloaded on the fourth-generation Apple TV using the Settings app. Go to System --> Software Update to install. For those who have automatic software updates turned on, the Apple TV will be upgraded to tvOS 10.1 automatically.

Apple has also released an 8.4.2 update for third-generation Apple TV owners, which is available alongside tvOS 10.1.

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tvOS 10.1 introduces a brand new "TV" app, which is designed to make it easier for users to discover new content across the dozens of television and movie apps that are available.

It serves as a sort of Apple-designed television guide, giving customers a way to find and watch TV and movies across multiple devices. It features a dedicated store, recommended content, and cross-device syncing.


The TV app works hand-in-hand with Single Sign-On, a long-promised tvOS 10 feature that was introduced last week. Single Sign-On lets users sign in with their cable credentials one time to access all live cable content they're entitled to across multiple apps.

Single Sign-On is currently available for CenturyLink Prism, DirecTV, Dish, GVTC, GTA, Hawaiian Telcom, Hotwire, Metrocast, Service Electric, and Sling TV.

tvOS 10, for those unfamiliar with the operating system, brings features like improved search, expanded Siri capabilities, a dark mode, a Continuity option for using the iPhone for text input, automatic app downloads, quicker access to live TV, and more. For more details on tvOS 10 and tvOS 10.1, make sure to check out our dedicated roundup.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater
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Apple Releases iOS 10.2 With New TV App, New Emoji, and More

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Apple today released iOS 10.2 to the public, marking the launch of the second major update to the iOS 10 operating system since it launched on September 13. iOS 10.2 has been in testing since October 31, with seven betas seeded to developers and public beta testers.

The iOS 10.2 update is available as a free-over-the-air update for all iOS 10 users, and it can also be downloaded via iTunes.

As a major 10.x update, iOS 10.2 introduces new features and design tweaks to iOS 10. It includes a new "TV" app, which is designed to serve as an Apple-designed TV guide that aims to simplfy the television-watching experience and help users discover new TV shows and movies to watch.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

Along with the TV app, Apple recently debuted the long-awaited Single Sign-On feature, allowing cable subscribers to sign in once with their cable credentials to access all live cable content available within various apps. Single Sign-On is currently available for CenturyLink Prism, DirecTV, Dish, GVTC, GTA, Hawaiian Telcom, Hotwire, Metrocast, Service Electric, and Sling TV. Both Single Sign-On and the TV app are available across multiple devices, including the Apple TV.

A range of new emoji are included in the update, like clown face, face palm, selfie, fox face, owl, bacon, avocado, croissant, and more. There are more than a hundred new emoji, including several profession emoji available in both male and female genders. Apple has also redesigned many existing emoji, adding more detail to make them look more realistic.


iOS 10.2 also includes new wallpaper, revamped sorting options and some design tweaks to the Repeat and Shuffle buttons in the Music app, new "Celebrate" and "Send With Love" Screen Effects, an option for preserving camera settings, a new "Saved" stories section in News, a TV widget, and new TV settings.

Multiple Photos improvements have been included, such as improved stabilization and faster frame rates for Live Photos. The accuracy of groupings of similar photos of the same person has been improved in the People album, and an issue causing Photos to generate memories using screenshots, whiteboards, or receipts has been fixed.

To see all of the changes that were introduced throughout the beta testing period, make sure to check out our beta videos: Beta 1, Beta 2, Beta 3. For more information on iOS 10, visit our iOS 10 roundup or read the full release notes below:

➜ Click here to read rest of article...

Related Forum: iOS 10
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Apple Looks to Open New Stores in Washington D.C. and Scottsdale, AZ

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Apple is one of a number of retailers looking at opening a store at Scottsdale Fashion Square, in a 100,000-square-foot wing formerly occupied by Barney's department store, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.

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Former Barney's store at Scottsdale Fashion Square (Photo: Phoenix New Times)

Barney's department store closed its Fashion Square store earlier this year, providing Apple with an opportunity to secure a large space in the largest shopping mall in the Phoenix area, according to the report. The mall has the second-highest profit per square foot of any U.S. malls, according to owner Macerich.

Scottsdale, an eastern suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, has one existing Apple retail store at Scottsdale Quarter. Apple has four other retail stores in the greater area, including locations at Biltmore in Phoenix, Chandler Fashion Center in Chandler, SanTan Village in Gilbert, and Arrowhead in Glendale.

Meanwhile, Apple has reached an agreement to proceed with opening a flagship store at the historic Carnegie Library in Washington D.C. as previously rumored, according to the Washington Business Journal.

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Carnegie Library (Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri)

Carnegie Library property management Events DC has reportedly proposed a 10-year lease term, with the option for two 5-year extensions. Apple will pay market rent and will give Events DC a payment of "between $1 million and $2 million to offset any losses at the building," the report added.

Carnegie Library is a 113-year-old building located across the street from the Washington Convention Center in Mount Vernon Square. Apple will work with Foster + Partners as it often does to redesign the 63,000-square-foot space, which will be similar to its flagship stores in San Francisco and London.

Washington D.C.'s historical preservation panel would have to approve Apple as a tenant due to the building's historical legacy and importance to the city.

Tag: Apple Store
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Samsung to Cap Note7 Battery Charging at 30% in UK as Verizon Pushes Back Against Bricking in the US

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Following the announcement that all Galaxy Note7 devices in the United States will essentially be bricked through an upcoming software update, Samsung recently gave details on how it plans to address the exploding Note7 situation for users in the United Kingdom. The company won't go so far as to completely eliminate the ability to charge the Note7 in the U.K., but instead limit maximum battery charging capacity to 30 percent (via TechCrunch).

The update for users in the U.K. will hit December 15, four days before the update that will come to U.S. Note7 smartphones. Samsung said that it's "designed to further minimize customer risk and reinforce to customers to replace their device...as soon as possible." In the U.S., more than 93 percent of recalled Note7 devices have been returned, but worldwide there are still quite a handful of potentially harmful Note7 smartphones out in the wild, which has lead Samsung to take drastic measures with these software updates.

galaxy-note7
After the announcement of the U.S. software update last Friday, Verizon confirmed that it won't push the update to its Note7 customers "because of the added risk this could pose to Galaxy Note7 users that do not have another device to switch to." The carrier believes that while solving one problem, rendering the remaining Note7 smartphones useless could lead to even more emergency situations where the users are left without a way to contact help. Verizon also cited the need to keep in touch with family during the holidays as another reason it won't issue the update.

Today, Samsung announced an update to the Galaxy Note7 that would stop the smartphone from charging, rendering it useless unless attached to a power charger. Verizon will not be taking part in this update because of the added risk this could pose to Galaxy Note7 users that do not have another device to switch to. We will not push a software upgrade that will eliminate the ability for the Note7 to work as a mobile device in the heart of the holiday travel season. We do not want to make it impossible to contact family, first responders or medical professionals in an emergency situation.

Every other major U.S. carrier will support the December 19 update from Samsung, including Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile. The carriers will be rolling out the software update at different times, with T-Mobile on December 27, AT&T on January 5, and Sprint on January 8.

Tags: Galaxy Note 7, Samsung
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Microsoft Says 'Disappointment' of New MacBook Pro Has More People Switching to Surface Than Ever Before

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Microsoft has announced November was its best month ever for consumer Surface sales. In a blog post, the company said more people are switching from Macs to Surface devices than ever before following the "disappointment" of the new MacBook Pro, particularly among professional users.

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More people are switching from Macs to Surface than ever before. Our trade-in program for MacBooks was our best ever, and the combination of excitement for the innovation of Surface coupled with the disappointment of the new MacBook Pro – especially among professionals – is leading more and more people to make the switch to Surface, like this. It seems like a new review recommending Surface over MacBook comes out daily. This makes our team so proud, because it means we’re doing good work.

Shortly after the new MacBook Pro launched, Microsoft launched a trade-in promotion offering MacBook Pro and MacBook Air owners up to $650 credit towards a new Surface Book or Surface Pro 4. Microsoft also unveiled the Surface Studio in October, and the all-in-one desktop has been met with positive reviews.

Microsoft's Surface Book starts at $1,499, the same price as Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a standard row of function keys. Touch Bar-equipped models start at $1,799 for 13-inch models and $2,399 for 15-inch models.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tags: Microsoft, Microsoft Surface
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Caution)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro
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Apple Rejects 'Samsung Pay Mini' on App Store Ahead of January Launch

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samsung pay 1Apple has rejected "Samsung Pay Mini" on the App Store for undiclosed reasons, following an earlier report claiming the app would be available on iOS, according to ETNews.

Samsung confirmed Apple's rejection and said it will not resubmit the app, but rather focus solely on Android ahead of its expected launch at CES 2017 in the first week of January.

"Samsung Pay Mini" is reportedly an app that will extend Samsung Pay to other smartphones beyond Samsung's own Galaxy-branded devices, thereby competing with Android Pay.

The report claims Samsung has finished testing Samsung Pay Mini with some South Korean credit card companies, but it did not specify if the app will be made available elsewhere. Meanwhile, it said Apple Pay could launch in South Korea in the first half of 2017.

Tags: App Store, Samsung, Samsung Pay
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Uber iOS App Gains 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Theme

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Uber has announced that users will today begin seeing a new update rolling out for the popular ride-hailing app, which transforms it into a themed Rogue One: A Star Wars Story experience. The visual update comes via a partnership with Disney, and replaces the usual Uber vehicle icons with a few easily recognizable starships from the Star Wars universe, including X-Wings.

In addition to the visual update, users will also be able to watch "exclusive video content" from the film during their Uber rides if they choose to turn on the Star Wars theme. Uber said that riders in "hundreds of cities globally" will gain access to the update, although it didn't specify which cities might be missing out on the new Star Wars experience.

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Today we announced we’re collaborating with Disney on an activation that transforms the Uber rider app into a themed Rogue One: A Star Wars Story experience. The in-app experience, which Uber riders can opt-into, will unlock special Rogue One: A Star Wars Story features as well as access to exclusive video content.

Riders will have to opt-into the new Star Wars update, which they can do by tapping "Activate" on the related Rogue One: A Star Wars Story card that will begin greeting app users today. The theme will run from today, December 12, through December 18. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opens in theaters December 16.

Last week, Uber faced blowback surrounding its newest version update, which introduced a way for the app to continue tracking each user's GPS location five minutes after their Uber ride is complete, no matter if the app is open or not. Uber said the move was to improve the overall performance and safety of the app, but many of its users responded negatively online.

Tag: Uber
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Amazon Discounts its Echo Smart Speaker Range Yet Again

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As part of its Black Friday Deals Week, Amazon lowered the price of its Echo family of smart speakers, before returning them to their regular prices. Now Amazon has discounted the devices again for a limited time in the U.S. as part of a "Holiday Deals" promotion.

Amazon Echo family
The full-size Echo speaker is $40 cheaper at $139.99, while the smaller Echo dot is available for $39.99 instead of its regular price of $49.99. Amazon Tap, the company's portable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled speaker, has also seen its price reduced from $129.99 to $89.99. The Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and Amazon Tap all have voice-activated assistant Alexa built in.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and may sometimes get paid if you click one of the above links.

Tags: Amazon, Amazon Echo
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Apple Reseller B&H Says BeatsX Earphones Delayed At Least 2-3 Months

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beatsxApple's new BeatsX wireless earphones remain listed as "coming this Fall" on its website in the United States, despite just nine days remaining before the first official day of winter in the northern half of the world.

Now, we have reason to believe Apple may miss this target. In an email to a customer this weekend, authorized reseller B&H Photo Video said Apple has informed them shipping will not begin for at least 2-3 months.

This email is being sent in regards to your order for 1 of the Beats by Dr. Dre BeatsX In-Ear Headphones (Black).

We regret to inform you that the manufacturer has informed us that they still do not know when they will begin shipping this item but they do know that it will take at least 2-3 months. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this delay has caused you.

If the timeline holds true, BeatsX shipments would not begin until around February or March. Apple could still release BeatsX earphones on its website ahead of time, before providing shipments to B&H Photo Video, but a 2-3 month gap before third-party sales begin would be unusual for an Apple product.

Apple announced the BeatsX at its iPhone 7 event in September alongside its AirPods, which were also delayed beyond their planned late October launch and have yet to become available. Apple pundit John Gruber cited manufacturing issues at scale with AirPods, so perhaps Apple is facing similar issues with BeatsX pairs.

In terms of AirPods, Gruber loosely said he has heard from at least one source who pointed to a launch in the next week or so, although Gruber is not ruling out a launch in January or later. Listen to the latest episode of The Talk Show podcast, where he and guest Glenn Fleishman discuss the topic around the 76:35 mark.

New versions of Beats Solo3 and Powerbeats3 headphones powered by Apple's new W1 chip were released in September and October respectively.

(Thanks, Christian!)

Tags: Beats, BeatsX
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Apple Addresses iCloud Calendar Spam With New 'Report Junk' Option

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Apple has added a "Report Junk" option to iCloud.com to help combat a recent increase in calendar spam, as noticed by a Reddit user over the weekend.

Now, when an iCloud user receives an unsolicited calendar invite from a sender who is not a contact, the event can be double clicked on and reported as junk.

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Clicking on "Report Junk" opens a window confirming the invitation has been reported as junk. Junk invitations are automatically deleted from the calendar, and the sender's details are presumably reported to Apple for further investigation. There is also a "Not Junk" option if users make a mistake.

The option is currently only available on iCloud.com, but a Reddit user claims an Apple Support representative informed him it will be rolling out to the Calendar app on iOS, and presumably Mac, soon—which would make sense.

iCloud calendar spam is nothing new, but there was a major uptick in spam leading up to the Black Friday shopping holiday in November. The spam invites appear to originate mainly from Chinese email addresses, advertising questionable discounts on products such as Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses.

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Late last month, an Apple spokesperson apologized and said the company is working to block spam calendar invites.

We are sorry that some of our users are receiving spam calendar invitations. We are actively working to address this issue by identifying and blocking suspicious senders and spam in the invites being sent.

iCloud users should not click on Accept, Decline, or Maybe if they receive a spam calendar invite, as choosing any of these options simply notifies the spammer that the account is active and ready for more unsolicited offers.

Instead, there are two workarounds. First, users can navigate to the iCloud.com settings and choose to receive all event invitations as email. Second, users can create a new calendar, name it Spam, move the spam invitation to the Spam calendar, and then delete the calendar entirely. Follow these step-by-step instructions.

Tag: iCloud
Related Forum: Apple Music, Apple Pay/Card, iCloud, Fitness+
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