MacRumors

Schools in the U.K. should reduce the use of iPads during lessons because some children are using them to bully and harass others, according to a government minister (via The Telegraph).

Edward Timpson, the Minister for Children and Families, claimed a number of schools were letting children spend too much time using iPads and said that headteachers should use their powers to confiscate them if they are being used "inappropriately".

Timpson told peers on the House of Lords Communications Committee:

"A problem in a number of schools which we've sought to address is the iPad or the tablet coming into schools and it forming far too much of the school day's activities of children and it being used inappropriately for some of the bullying and harassment that we know sadly goes on the back of it.

"That's why we've strengthen the powers of headteachers to confiscate and remove material and so on."

Timpson argued for a "technology balance" to ensure that teachers still interact with pupils and avoid a "battleground" between children and their tablets.

"Children will be spending more of their life living through a tablet. It is the direction we now know is going to be taking hold for the foreseeable future and we have to respond to that," he said.

Over 90 percent of U.K. teenagers have mobile phones, according to The Telegraph. Meanwhile, a study by the London School of Economics found that an outright ban on the devices in schools saw test scores rise by an average 6 percent.

In England, there is no government policy on the use of mobile phones in schools, which are left to set any restrictions themselves.

Apple Music global marketing executive Bozoma Saint John gave a brief interview at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit on Tuesday where she spoke about how self-confidence was crucial in her rise to prominence at Cupertino.

Known as "Boz" to her friends, Saint John joined the Apple team when the company acquired Beats Music in 2014. After her fun and memorable on-stage demonstration of the new Apple Music features at WWDC 2016 – not to mention her appearance in a recent Apple Music ad alongside senior Apple VP Eddy Cue – she has since become the recognized "head diva" for Apple's music services.

Emigrating from Ghana to Colorado at the age of 13, Saint John told technology reporter Leena K Rao that her height for such a young age and her skin color made it all but impossible to hide amongst her peers, but it taught her early on the importance of self-confidence.

"I couldn't hide, there wasn't a choice to do that," Saint John said. "So the choice was do you try to do what everybody else was doing? I couldn't be blond, I couldn't be white. I just couldn't be anything else, and so it meant that I had to become just all of everything that I have."

Sony has released a new PlayStation Communities iOS app that allows players to interact with fellow PS4 gamers from their Apple phones and tablets.

The app works much like a forum portal: Players using the app can search for, join, and interact with groups, where they can post messages and images on a community wall. Members can stick to chatting about gaming or join groups to set up multiplayer games.

PlayStation Communities are places where you can find players who have similar interests and preferences.
Within a Community, you can join parties and launch into games with other Community members, or talk about your shared interests. For instance, if you’re having trouble finding players to tackle Destiny’s newest raid, Wrath of the Machine, a Destiny community may help you fill out your fireteam.

The PlayStation Communities app joins two other Sony apps for its console – a flagship PlayStation app released three years ago, and a PlayStation Messages app released in 2015.

PlayStation Communities is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store.

(Via The Verge.)

Yahoo recently debuted Yahoo Answers Now, a native app version of its popular Q&A site. The app has secretly been in the App Store for months under a different name, according to TechCrunch.

The app allows Yahoo Answers users to post and answer questions on the go. They'll also be able to more easily craft rich media responses to questions and get matched up with questions they might be able to answer. Like the website, users can build followings based on their answers.

Answers Now secretly made its way onto the App Store as "Yahoo Hive" in June, giving the company a way to tweak the app in relative quiet. The app is part of Yahoo's larger goal to translate its popular websites, like Yahoo Finance, Fantasy Football, and Yahoo Weather, into apps.

Yahoo also updated the app yesterday with new features, adding the ability to search for questions and answers, search the web for links to source answers, edit questions, answers and profile information, and click on hyperlinks.

Yahoo Answers Now currently requires an invite code to use. Those interested in using the app can request an invite code by emailing yan-invites@yahoo-inc.com.

Yahoo Answers Now is available in the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Philips today updated its Hue app, used to control its line of Philips Hue lights, to version 2.6.0. The update adds long-awaited support for the iPad, allowing iPad users to access their lights from an iPad-optimized app for the first time.

The iPad version of the Philips Hue app features the same general design and controls that were introduced when Philips revamped the Hue app back in April.

For iPhone users with a 3D Touch-enabled device, the new version of the app also adds improved iOS 10 support and new 3D Touch options. When you press on the Hue app icon, you'll now get access to the Widget options you've established in the app.

Scene editing has been improved, making it possible to edit custom scenes with and without a picture, and the update includes bug fixes and stability improvements.

What's New
- Added iPad support
- Improved iOS 10 support, you can now 3D Touch the app icon to quickly access your widgets
- Improved scene edit, now you can also edit your custom scenes both with and without a picture
- Bug fixes and stability improvements

The Philips Hue app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple has advised developers to make sure their apps are up to date by Thursday, December 22, as new apps and app updates will not be accepted between Friday, December 23 and Tuesday, December 27.

Apple says any planned app releases during this holiday period should be submitted, approved, and scheduled in advance. Other iTunes Connect and developer account features will remain available through the five-day period.

Apple has enabled carrier billing in Belgium and Norway, expanding upon the feature's existing availability in Germany, Japan, Russia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The feature is limited to select carriers in each country — share if yours is supported in the comments.

The payment method enables customers to pay for iTunes content, App Store apps, iBooks, and Apple Music subscriptions without needing a credit or debit 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.

Apple has a support document explaining how to set up carrier billing on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and Mac or PC.

Smart lock manufacturer Kwikset recently announced that the company's simplistic deadbolt solution, the Kevo Convert, is now available for users to pre-order for $149. Unlike Kwikset's other systems, including the Kwikset Kevo, the Kevo Convert is an easy-to-install conversion kit that keeps the outward-facing hardware of a standard door lock, while replacing the interior deadbolt.

Due to its simpler solution, the Kevo Convert system is cheaper at $149 than Kwikset's other products, which run for upwards of $230. The conversion kit comes with all of the company's smartphone-connected abilities, including ways for users to distribute access keys to people trying to get into their home when they aren't around, and push notifications each time the deadbolt is locked or unlocked.

Other features include an "auto lock" security system that automatically locks the door thirty seconds after it's been unlocked, "eliminating the need to double-check the front door before bed." The Kevo Convert system works with any smartphone within Bluetooth range, but users who want the ability to unlock their home and gain remote access to their smart lock when out of that range will have to purchase the $99.99 Kevo Plus kit.

Like other Kwikset products, the Kevo Convert will also be able to integrate with the Nest Learning Thermostat, Ring Video Doorbell, and other smart home connected devices.

Anyone interested can pre-order the Kevo Convert for $149 in Satin Nickel or Venetian Bronze at The Home Depot.

Connected security camera company Canary is today launching a new update to its app that introduces support for the fourth-generation Apple TV, letting users view their camera's live stream on their television, or watch older recordings saved within the app. Prior to the Apple TV app, Canary users only had the company's mobile app to view content captured via a Canary or Canary Flex system (via TechCrunch).

When the Apple TV app is opened, Canary users will be presented with a dashboard and choose between live and recorded feeds. For those who have multiple Canary cameras, the app will initially open upon a "Location view," so they can choose which system to access video.

Canary cameras record movement as "events," so users can scrub through each on the Apple TV app, bookmark important ones, delete those deemed unnecessary to save, and jump to the next one with a Related Videos section under each of these events. The version 2.0.2 update to the Canary app also brings support for iPads and Android tablets.

In addition to HD video capture, the Canary cameras monitor air quality and include a built-in 90 decibel siren that users can activate through the mobile app to scare off intruders the camera notices within the home. The Canary Flex has many of the same camera-capturing features as the basic model, with the added bonus of a completely weatherproof outer shell.

Canary can be downloaded from the iOS App Store for free [Direct Link]. The 2.0.2 update has yet to hit the App Store, but should begin rolling out today.

Apple's iPad was one of the five best-selling electronic devices on Cyber Monday yesterday, November 28, according to new data acquired by Adobe and published in a press release last night. Every iPad appears to be taken into account in Adobe's data, but it's likely that the newest iPad Pro models helped fuel sales thanks to a handful of discounts from various retailers, particularly on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

Accompanying the iPad in the best-selling category for Cyber Monday this year were Sony's PlayStation 4, Microsoft's Xbox One, Samsung's line of 4K TVs, and Amazon's Fire tablets. In addition, it was noted that Beats by Dre products -- mainly the company's headphones -- were among the items that were most likely to run out of stock.

In total, 2016's online shopping holiday is on track to hit $3.39 billion in estimated spending, which will mark a 10.2 percent increase in comparison to Cyber Monday in 2015. Once all of the numbers come in, this year's Cyber Monday could be "the largest online sales day in history," and it's already surpassed Black Friday spending this year, which sat at $3.34 billion.

“Cyber Monday is on track to be the biggest online shopping day ever, surpassing our forecast by almost $27 million or 0.8 percent,” said Tamara Gaffney, principal analyst, Adobe Digital Insights. “This indicates that consumers still had more appetite for online shopping despite the incredible volume of online sales on Black Friday. Prices are expected to start climbing after today as retailers shift attention to extend the season late into December with quick shipping deals and the option to click and collect in store.”

Apple didn't participate directly in Cyber Monday deals, but the company did run a Black Friday offer this year that granted customers up to $150 worth of gift cards on specific product purchases. Last year, the company didn't offer Black Friday deals, opting to allow third-party retailers like Best Buy and Target to do so instead.

Adobe's full Cyber Monday report can be read here.

Amazon's next iteration of the Echo speaker will be a "premium" model that includes a touchscreen measuring around seven inches, marking "a major departure" from the tall, cylindrical design of the Echo currently on sale. The company is said to be upgrading Echo for two reasons: to capitalize on the device's success, and as early preparation to "fend off competition" from Google Home and Apple's rumored entry into the smart home speaker market (via Bloomberg).

The logic behind adding a touchscreen to Echo is reasoned as a way "to make it easier to access content," like the weather and upcoming calendar events. Currently, Echo is a voice-activated device with limited volume and mute buttons on its topside. While the exact design of the speaker wasn't pinned down, people familiar with the plans said it will be larger and "tilt upwards" so users can read the screen when the Echo sits on a kitchen counter or desk.

The new device will have a touchscreen measuring about seven inches, a major departure from Amazon’s existing cylindrical home devices that are controlled and respond mostly through the company’s voice-based Alexa digital assistant, according to two people familiar with the matter. This will make it easier to access content such as weather forecasts, calendar appointments, and news, the people said. They asked not to be identified speaking about a product that has yet to be announced.

Amazon’s planned expansion of the Alexa-powered line coincides with growing competition from Alphabet Inc.’s Google Home speaker and Apple Inc.’s interest in building a home device using its Siri digital assistant.

The upgraded Echo is also believed to get a major boost to speaker quality and "sound much better" than the current line of Echo speakers. One version of Amazon's prototype of the upcoming device placed the speakers below and behind the screen, which is said to help the new generation of Echo "play high-quality audio at all volume levels." The current Echo was designed to sound better at only moderate volume levels.

In total, Amazon is now selling the Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Echo, for $50, $130, and $180 respectively, and the upcoming speaker -- believed to be announced as early as Q1 2017 -- is expected to be the most expensive Echo in the line.

On Apple's side, the most recent reports placed the Cupertino company's Siri-fueled, Echo-like device in the prototype phase. The Siri speaker is expected to include the usual support for music playback, search queries, and dictation, with additional potential for new technology, like facial recognition.