A growing number of Nest owners are reporting issues with the latest version the Nest Mobile app [Direct Link] that was released on Friday. According to posts on Nest forums, the 4.4.0 version of the app crashes immediately on launch for many users who are running iOS 8.x. This glitch reportedly is affecting recent iPhone models including the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s and iPhone 5.
I just downloaded the update to the Nest Mobile App for iOS (version 4.4.0) and the App Crashes immediately upon launch. I am running the latest version of iOS (8.1) on my iPhone 5s. I had no issues with the previous version of the Nest app. I tried to delete the app and reinstall it but it still crashes when launched.
Fortunately, I still had the previous version of Nest Mobile in iTunes on my PC and was able to copy it over to my iPhone. -Nest forum member Columbus_George.
The Nest 4.4.0 update included a handful of small improvements, such as expanded weather and time zone support and improved thermometer history. Users who are experiencing the crashing glitch can restore the previous 4.3.1 version of the app from their iTunes app library.
Founded by former Apple engineers Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, Nest Labs was acquired by Google in a $3.2 billion deal that closed earlier this year. Under Google's guidance, Nest acquired video-monitoring and security startup Dropcam and opened its API to third-party products and services.
Update: Nest's Tony Fadell confirmed via Twitter that the company is aware of the issue and working on a fix. The Nest Mobile app also has been removed temporarily from the iOS App Store.
Update 2 5:00 PM PT: The Nest Mobile app has been updated to version 4.4.1 and returned to the App Store.
Apple will switch from using TLC (triple-level cell) NAND flash to MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus after users have experienced crashing and boot loop issues with the higher capacity versions of both devices, reportsBusinessKorea.
Sources have told the paper that flash memory firm Anobit, which Apple acquired in 2011, is to blame for the manufacturing defects. Apple will reportedly switch to MLC NAND flash for the 64GB iPhone 6 and the 128GB iPhone 6 Plus, and will also address crashing and boot loop issues with the release of iOS 8.1.1. Apple has used MLC NAND flash before, in previous-generation iPhones.
TLC NAND flash is a type of solid-state NAND flash memory that stores three bits of data per cell. It can store three times as much data as single-level cell (SLC) that stores one bit of data, and 1.5 times as much as multi-level cell (MLC) solid-state flash memory that stores two bits of data. On top of that, TLC flash is more affordable. However, it is also slower than SLC or MLC in reading and writing data.
Apple released its first iOS 8.1.1 beta to developers earlier this week, although the company did not specify whether the included bug fixes addressed boot loop and crashing issues on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Users who are experiencing an unusual amount of boot loops and crashes with their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus are recommended to bring their devices back to an Apple Retail Store for a replacement.
During a public question and answer session held on Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg answered a number of questions about Facebook, and finally explained why his company made the unpopular move of forcing users to download the separate Messenger app in order to use Facebook's messaging capabilities.
As relayed by The Verge, Zuckerberg told the audience that messaging was removed from the main Facebook app because the company believes that a standalone messaging app is "a better experience.
Zuckerberg explained that when the Facebook team looked at other messaging apps, all of them focused on delivering just messaging alone, rather than a multitude of features. Facebook believed there were too many steps involved in sending a message in the main Facebook app, which is meant to be a News Feed, so it began requiring Messenger to cut down on friction.
Messaging is one of the few things people do more than social networking. In some countries 85 percent of people are on Facebook, but 95 percent of people use SMS or messaging. Asking folks to install another app is a short term painful thing, but if we wanted to focus on serving this [use case] well, we had to build a dedicated and focused experience.
We build for the whole community. Why wouldn't we let people choose to install the app on their own at their own pace? The reason is that what we're trying to do is build a service that's good for everyone. Because Messenger is faster and more focused, if you're using it, you respond to messages faster, we've found. If your friends are slower to respond, we might not have been able to meet up.
Zuckerberg went on to say that the company has its "most talented people" working on earning consumer trust and proving that the standalone Messenger experience "will be really good."
Facebook first began forcing users to switch over to Facebook Messenger to send and accept messages back in July, a move that turned out to be highly unpopular. Before the change, Facebook users could chat through the Messages tab located on the bottom toolbar in the main Facebook app, but after messaging capabilities were removed, the tab began directing users to download Facebook Messenger instead.
As a result, Facebook Messenger began receiving hundreds of negative reviews from users who were unhappy they were forced to download the app, and even today, months later, the app continues to have a 1.5 star rating in the App Store.
Facebook for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Apple has recently updated its iCloud.com beta site for developers, adding the ability to upload images to iCloud Photo Library for the first time. The standard iCloud.com site currently allows users to view all of their iCloud Photo Library images, as well as download and delete them, but there are no tools to allow for the uploading of photos.
On the iCloud beta site, it's now possible to upload JPGs, but the site does not currently accept other image and video formats like .PNG, .MOV, .MP4, and more. When a file is uploaded to the site, it syncs instantly to all of a user's iOS devices, much like a photo taken on an iPhone or iPad or added to iCloud Photo Library via the iOS Photos app.
The presence of an uploading tool on the beta site means that the feature will likely make its way to the main iCloud site in the near future, giving users a way to add to their photo libraries from their Macs and PCs.
Toolbar on beta.icloud.com site at top, non-beta iCloud.com toolbar on bottom
Currently in beta and introduced with iOS 8.1, iCloud Photo Library is designed to store all of the photos and videos that a user takes in iCloud, making them available on all iOS devices and Macs. iCloud Photo Library images can be viewed in the Photos app on iOS or through iCloud.com on the Mac, and the upcoming Photos app that Apple is creating for Macs will also work with iCloud Photo Library.
While users now have the ability to upload all of their photos to iCloud Photo Library via the iCloud.com beta site, doing so uses iCloud storage space. Apple offers 5GB of storage space for free, with additional plans ranging from $0.99 for 20GB of storage space to $19.99 for 1TB of storage space.
After being tested on the iCloud.com beta site, the iCloud Photo Library upload feature will make its way to the official iCloud site, but it is unknown how long testing will last.
Normally priced at $0.99, Swype is one of the new third-party keyboard apps that was released alongside iOS 8, Apple's newest operating system that enabled systemwide third-party keyboards for the first time.
Swype, from Nuance Communications, is a gesture-based keyboard that allows users to drag their fingers from key to key in order to create words quickly. The keyboard features a built-in predictive text engine that is able to determine what's being typed, and it offers predictive punctuation to further speed up typing. As Apple's App of the Week, the keyboard will be available at no cost for the next seven days.
Swype is the most accurate keyboard on the planet. Whether you type or Swype we enable you to input words faster and easier. It learns the way you type so the more you use it, the smarter it gets.
Product Features: - Incredibly intuitive language models that accurately predict what you type or Swype - Five beautiful themes - FREE on iPhone. - Quickly enter symbols, punctuation and capital letters with Swype gestures - Swype learns how you type. You can tell it to add or remove words from your personal dictionary - You can Swype on your iPad as well as your iPhone
Swype, which has long been available on Android, also offers several different themes for custom looks and it will learn from its users to become more intelligent over time, offering improved text prediction capabilities.
In the App Store since September 17, Swype has proven to be one of the most popular third-party keyboards, garnering thousands of downloads. Swype is one of the few keyboards that does not require full access to an iPhone or iPad to function, but that also means it's a slight bit more limited than other offerings, not offering cloud backups and syncing at this time.
Ahead of going free, the app was updated on November 4 to add 21 additional languages, intelligent emoji support, an improved iPad layout, customizable keyboard layouts, and more.
Swype can be downloaded from the App Store for free for the next week. [Direct Link]
Apple today updated iMovie for iOS to version 2.1.1, adding support for the iCloud Photo Library beta and introducing the ability to share videos with iCloud Photo Sharing. The update also resolves an issue that surfaced when a device was rotated while in the Video browser and it includes performance and stability improvements.
What's new -Support for iCloud Photo Library beta -Share videos with iCloud Photo Sharing -Resolves issues that could occur when rotating a device while in the Video browser -Performance and stability improvements
Introduced as a beta service in iOS 8.1, iCloud Photo Library is designed to store all of the photos and videos that a user takes in iCloud, syncing them across all of a person's iOS devices and Macs to make them available at all times.
Along with today's iMovie update, Apple has also given several of its other apps minor updates with stability and performance improvements, including Beats Music, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, and iTunes Connect.
iMovie can be downloaded from the App Store for $4.99. [Direct Link]
CBS News today announced the launch of a new ad-supported digital streaming news network, making the service available on the CBSNews.com website, CBS News apps for Windows and Windows Phone, and various connected television platforms. While the Apple TV was not announced as one of those platforms, a CBS News channel is indeed just debuted on Apple's set-top box.
The network features a 60-minute format delivering live, updated news content from 9:00 AM - midnight ET every weekday at launch, and it takes advantage of the interactivity of digital platforms through a unique video player and on-screen interface. It gives viewers the full flexibility within each hour to control what they watch and when they watch it via DVR-like functionality that allows them to watch previous segments and jump back into live programming seamlessly and across devices.
Beyond the live coverage with simulcasts of breaking news, the new channel offers a variety of supplemental on-demand content from sources such as CBS affiliates, CNET, CBS Sports, Entertainment Tonight, and more.
It appears the United States Securities and Exchange Commission has launched an inquiry into GT Advanced's trading activity, according to a new filing released today.
The SEC sent a letter to GT Advanced on October 15, letting the company know that it was seeking "certain information regarding trading activity in the Company's securities," along with more information on its sapphire business and securities offering dating back to January 1, 2013.
Shortly after GT Advanced filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, it became clear that GT's CEO Thomas Gutierrez and COO Daniel Squiller had been selling off large amounts of stock, with some of the plans put in place just after production troubles surfaced in February 2014.
Gutierrez sold off 9,000 shares of GT Advanced stock a day before the iPhone 6 was announced as part of a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 Plan enacted in March. He earned $160,000 from that particular sale, but had also sold shares on several other occasions in 2014, netting more than 10 million dollars. Comparatively, Gutierrez sold no stock in 2013, ahead of the company's Apple deal.
Squiller sold $1.2 million worth of stock in May, and made plans to sell off additional shares throughout 2014, garnering an additional $750,000 before the company's October bankruptcy filing, and it appears that the well-timed divestitures have roused suspicion with the SEC.
After GT Advanced inked a deal with Apple in 2013, its stock began to rise significantly on rumors suggesting Apple would use the company's sapphire in its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Stock prices went on to fall more than 1/3 in September after it became clear Apple had not opted to use sapphire for the devices.
According to court documents and leaked information, the deal between Apple and GT Advanced soured over the latter company's inability to hit necessary milestones and the strict contract terms that Apple imposed on GT. Additional court documents were recently unsealed, and new details on the relationship could come to light as soon as tomorrow.
The two companies have already signed an agreement to dissolve their relationship, with GT Advanced planning to decommission and sell off furnaces to repay the $440 million it was loaned from Apple. GT has already begun shutting down its Arizona plant, with a final shutdown planned for December 31.
With the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple announced a partnership with U2 that saw the band's latest album distributed to iTunes users for free. In interviews following the launch of the album, U2's manager suggested Apple and U2 had formed a "long-term" relationship that would see them collaborating on additional projects, and now U2 frontman Bono has shed a bit more light on the partnership.
At the Web Summit in Dublin that VentureBeat attended, Bono told the audience that Apple "let us into the labs," suggesting the band's been able to work with Apple on unreleased products and services. Bono went on to share a story about an interaction with Steve Jobs that hints at what U2 and Apple might be doing.
To illustrate the kind of concepts U2 and Apple might be exploring, Bono told the story of being in a house in France with Steve Jobs a decade ago. Bono looked at a version of iTunes being displayed on a TV screen and asked Jobs if he liked design so much, then "why does that look like a spreadsheet?"
Bono said he had wondered why the album covers displayed on iTunes weren't interactive or why they didn't display archival photos, lyrics, or 3-D versions of band members: anything that would make for a more engaging visual experience with fans to complement the music.
Jobs replied that the operating system and the technology didn't quite exist yet for such an experience.
"But it does now," Bono said.
Over the course of the last few years, Apple has been facing declining music downloads, which has led the company to launch iTunes Radio and purchase streaming music service Beats Music. There are rumors suggesting Apple is planning both a dramatic overhaul of iTunes and a rebranding of Beats Music, possibly merging the two into one all-inclusive service, and it's possible U2 is offering advice on new iTunes features.
Apple has also been aiming to get artists more involved in the music distribution process. In a recent interview, Apple employees and Beats co-founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine said Apple's goal was to bring together the people who create art with those who distribute it, which has been evidenced in the company's recent endeavors with U2.
In addition to his comments on what the band might be working on with Apple, Bono told the audience that U2 "wanted to work with the creative people at Apple, and that Jony Ive is a guy he'd "like to be in a band with. He'd be like a bigger Edge." He also commented on the negative reaction that the "Songs of Innocence" album garnered from some users, which he apologized for in October, saying "We got a lot of people who weren't interested in U2 to be mad at U2. I would call that an improvement in the relationship."
With the release of OS X Yosemite, Apple has included a new set of "Continuity" features that connect iOS devices and the Mac in a number of ways. Most notably, Continuity allows users to place and answer calls with their Macs and iPads that are forwarded through the iPhone.
Similarly, Macs and iPads can now receive SMS messages, even ones sent from non-Apple devices. Before the launch of iOS 8.1 and OS X Yosemite, Macs and iPads could only receive iMessages, as SMS messages were limited to the iPhone via traditional delivery. iMessages are a part of Apple's proprietary messaging service made for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, while SMS messages are usually intended for communications between mobile phones. Users can now also send SMS messages to any kind of device from the Mac and iPad. Apple previously referred to this feature as "SMS Relay" before the debut of iOS 8.1, but officially refers to it as "Text Message Forwarding" in the Settings app.
The ability to answer calls and SMS messages on a Mac is especially useful when an iPhone is across the room charging or otherwise inaccessible. The iPhone being used to relay calls and texts can even be in sleep mode, meaning that users can manage all incoming calls and text messages entirely through their Mac and iPad.
Before You Start
You need iOS 8.1 and OS X Yosemite in order to forward phone calls and SMS messages from your iPhone to your Mac or iPad. You also need to make sure that both your Mac and iPhone are logged into the same iCloud account. Phone calls and SMS routing are compatible with any iPhone and iPad running iOS 8.1 and any Mac that supports OS X Yosemite. Also, the Wi-Fi calling feature needs to be off to enable call forwarding, so ensure it is disabled by going to by going to Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calls.
Steps to Enable Text Message Forwarding
1. Turn on Wi-Fi on your iPhone (Settings -> Wi-Fi) and Mac (Menu Bar -> Wi-Fi -> Turn Wi-Fi On. SMS forwarding will still work between the Mac and an iOS device even if both are using different Wi-Fi networks.
2. On your Mac, open the Messages app and navigate to Menu Bar -> Messages -> Preferences -> Accounts -> Click on iMessage account -> Check the boxes next to your phone number and email. If your email is not listed, click Add Email and enter your email.
3. On your iPhone, add your email address to your iMessage by going to Settings -> Messages -> Send & Receive. A registered email for iMessage is required in order to enable text message forwarding.
4. Turn on Text Message Forwarding on your iPhone by going to Settings -> Messages -> Text Message Forwarding -> Turn Text Message Forwarding On. A prompt will appear asking you to enter an activation code. The activation code will appear in your Mac's Messages app. Enter the activation code from your Mac in the prompt shown on your iPhone. An activation code is required for every device that you want to include in text message forwarding.
5. You will now be able to answer any incoming text message on your Mac. Text messages sent to your iPhone will also automatically appear as a push notification on your Mac in the upper-right corner. When a text message appears, you can answer it by clicking "Reply". Text messages will also appear in the Messages app on your Mac.
Steps to Enable Phone Call Forwarding
1. Turn on Wi-Fi on your iPhone (Settings -> Wi-Fi) and Mac (Menu Bar -> Wi-Fi -> Turn Wi-Fi On. Call forwarding requires both of your devices to be on the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Turn on iPhone Cellular Calls on your Mac (FaceTime -> Preferences -> Turn On iPhone Cellular Calls) and iPhone (Settings -> FaceTime -> iPhone Cellular Calls).
3. You may now begin placing and answering phone calls on your Mac. Incoming calls to your iPhone will appear as a push notification on your Mac in the upper-right corner. When a call appears, you have the option to answer it by clicking "Accept" or ignore it by clicking "Decline". You can also click on the arrow to the right of the Decline option and can then choose to send a text message or create a reminder to return the call later.
When you're on a call, you can silence yourself by clicking "Mute" or switch to a FaceTime video call by clicking "Video". If another person calls during your current phone call, you will also have the option to click "Hold & Accept" and can even switch between calls by clicking the connected arrows. You can also click "Merge" to merge both calls. If you want to transfer the call from your Mac back to your iPhone, unlock your iPhone tap the "Touch to return to Call" banner.
You can also make phone calls from a number of apps on the Mac, including Contacts, Safari, Mail, Maps and Spotlight. For example, you can call a business after searching for its information in Maps, and can highlight and call a phone number when one is displayed in Safari.
Troubleshooting
A number of users have had difficulty with trying to enable text message and phone call forwarding for their Macs. For text message forwarding, users on our forums have reported that a combination of logging out and back into iCloud on their devices, turning iMessage off and on in the iPhone's Settings app, disabling and enabling Wi-Fi, and restarting both devices fixed their problems. If the activation code to set up text message forwarding is not showing up on your Mac, ensure that an email address is activated for iMessage on your iPhone. Once again, you can activate an email for iMessage on your iPhone by going to Settings -> Messages -> Send & Receive.
Meanwhile, users attempting to fix problems with call forwarding have found that the most common solutions include rebooting both devices, logging out and back into iCloud on their devices, and turning FaceTime off and back on in the iPhone's Settings app. Otherusers have found that having Wi-Fi Calling enabled on the iPhone has caused call forwarding to not work, so once again ensure that setting is off by going to Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calls.
Other World Computing today announced the launch of new 1 TB (960 GB) solid state drive options for 2010-2012 models of the MacBook Air.
Priced at $549 for the drive alone or $579 for a package including tools and an Envoy enclosure to repurpose the original drive for external storage, the new 1 TB option complements existing 120, 240, and 480 GB options for the various MacBook Air generations.
With Apple's move to PCIe-based SSDs beginning with the 2013 MacBook Air, OWC has yet to launch new SSD upgrade kits for the latest notebooks, but the company has promised it is hard at work on kits for these machines.
Amazon today unveiled a new product called Echo, a cylindrical piece of hardware with a built-in Siri-style voice assistant that's able to answer a variety of requests and perform functions like playing music.
The cloud-connected Echo is entirely controlled by voice and will wake to answer a question when the word "Alexa" is spoken. Like Siri, it can answer questions like "What time is it?" "What's the weather like?" and more, plus it's able to complete tasks like setting an alarm, playing music, or creating a shopping list.
According to Amazon, Echo uses far-field voice recognition capabilities with seven microphones to detect a request from anywhere in a room, and its downward-firing speakers "can fill any room with immersive sound." Echo lets users have access to Amazon Music, Prime Music, iHeartRadio and TuneIn, and with built-in Bluetooth, Echo is also able to play music from a phone or tablet.
As it's connected to the cloud and Amazon Web Services, Echo is designed to learn and gain functionality over time, and an accompanying Amazon Echo app (Android/Fire OS only) or web interface is what lets Echo create alarms, music playlists, shopping lists, and more.
Echo is priced at $99 for Amazon Prime members and $199 for non-Prime members, but currently users must request an invitation from Amazon to be allowed to purchase the device.
Popular Apple accessory company Twelve South today introduced a new addition to its line of SurfacePad cases, the SurfacePad for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The leather case is designed for ultimate portability, with an ultra thin folding design and the ability to transform into a hands-free display stand.
The SurfacePad case attaches to the back of the iPhone using the company's "SurfaceGrip technology", which Twelve South claims to allow the removal and reattachment of the case repeatedly.
With two separate slots for credit cards in the front cover, the case bills itself as a companion of sorts to Apple's new Apple Pay feature.
The inside front cover of SurfacePad for iPhone 6 has two slots for cards. Thanks to Apple Pay and Passbook, you can keep your bank cards and tickets on your iPhone and your ID and transit cards in your SurfacePad. Or simply use the slots for an occasional night on the town with your ID and Bank Card. SurfacePad’s two card slots are the perfect complement to your new lighter Apple Pay world.
Fun new features and the big, beautiful Retina HD display give you so many reasons to use iPhone 6 hands-free, that a case without a stand is not an option anymore. Fortunately, SurfacePad’s built-in stand is perfect for watching movies, hanging out with friends on FaceTime, and taking timed group photos. Flex the back of SurfacePad to put iPhone into display mode, and you’ll be ready for hands-free selfies, watching game highlights at the bar or catching a TED Talk in your favorite coffee shop.
The SurfacePad for iPhone 6 is the latest iteration in a long line of SurfacePad cases for Apple products. The company announced a case for the iPad Mini earlier in the year, and already makes cases for older model iPhones and MacBooks.
SurfacePad for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is available in Black, Red, White, and Camel. It can be purchased on the Twelve South website at $39.99 for the iPhone 6 model and $49.99 for the iPhone 6 Plus.
In a newly posted video clip, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin spoke to Bloomberg's Emily Chang about his upcoming Steve Jobs biopic that is expected to begin filming sometime next year. When asked why he was filming yet another movie about the Apple co-founder, Sorkin noted that Steve Jobs' life could provide content for at least ten movies.
I think that you could do ten more movies about Steve Jobs, and I think if you lined up ten writers and said "write a movie about Steve Jobs", you'd get ten different movies, all of them worth going to see.
Though he spoke relatively freely about Steve Jobs, such as mentions of the three times he spoke with Jobs on the phone including one where he "fixed a couple of typos" in Jobs' famous Stanford 2005 commencement speech, Sorkin did not address the casting for his upcoming movie, which has been in flux over the past year.
Early reports had Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Bradley Cooper allegedly considered for the leading role, and just weeks ago Sorkin announced Christian Bale was selected without audition for the part. Bale has, however, reportedly pulled out of the project and Michael Fassbender is now reportedly in talks for the role.
Sorkin went on to address the pressure he faces in writing the movie, noting it is "the same pressure that I feel when I'm writing anything...maybe with a little bit of sauce on top of pressure because he is a person that so many people have so many strong feelings about." He notes that he has met extensively with the other seven main characters in his Jobs movie, including Steve Wozniak, former Apple CEO John Sculley, and former Mac marketing chief Joanna Hoffman.
The film will include 30-minute segments that focus on three major Apple product announcements with Danny Boyle of Slumdog Millionaire fame as director. Seth Rogen reportedly is in talks to play Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, while Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain may also play an unspecified role in the film.
Sorkin's full interview will air tonight at 8:30 pm ET/PT on Bloomberg's Studio 1.0.
Back in March, Microsoft launched dedicated Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps for the iPad in a first effort to bring Office capabilities to everyone, everywhere. The apps have been highly successful, garnering more than 40 million downloads, and as of today, Microsoft is expanding its Office for iOS suite, offering dedicated Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps on the iPhone.
While Microsoft's Office apps for the iPhone have been designed with the existing iPad apps in mind, offering full feature parity, the iPhone versions have been built to adapt to the iPhone's smaller interface and optimized to put touch controls first.
All three apps take advantage of an innovative "vertical ribbon" that puts a full suite of editing tools right within thumb's reach at the bottom of the device's screen. Each individual app also has built-in tools to make the viewing experience more streamlined on the iPhone's Retina screen.
Word for iPhone, main view and review changes view
In Word, there's a Reflow button (located at the top menu bar) that shifts to a mobile-optimized view for reading and previewing what's been added to a document, and in Excel, Microsoft has focused on making it simple to edit formulas. Tapping on a cell brings up editing buttons and a dedicated formula keyboard.
Excel has a fullscreen view that lets users have an unobstructed view of their spreadsheets, and PowerPoint has similar tools, including the ability to project slides from the iPhone using AirPlay.
Excel for iPhone, main view and Pivot Table view
Today's Office update that brings Microsoft's popular productivity apps for the iPhone also includes new features and functionality for the iPad versions.
In addition to expanding its Office apps to the iPhone and updating its iPad apps, Microsoft has also decided to offer the core Office experience on the iPhone and iPad to all users for free. That means Office users will no longer be required to have an Office 365 subscription in order to access features like basic editing.
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint users on iOS will be able to view, edit, create, and print documents for free, but many advanced editing capabilities will still be reserved for Office 365 subscribers. For example, advanced change tracking features in Word such as accepting or rejecting changes are reserved for subscribers, as are Pivot Tables in Excel and Presenter View in PowerPoint. Office 365 subscribers also get 1TB of OneDrive storage.
Microsoft's Office apps for the iPhone are compatible with the iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, and 6 Plus, and include full optimization for the two larger-screened iPhones. iOS 7 or later is required.
Since releasing Office for iPad in March, Microsoft has added 150 new features. Microsoft's Principal User Experience Manager Han-yi Shaw told MacRumors that the company will continue to aggressively add features in the future, and it is investigating new iOS 8 technologies like Handoff.
Microsoft's updated apps, which are now universal, will be available today from the App Store.
Popular Mac Photoshop alternative Pixelmator was today updated to version 3.3 "Limestone," introducing a redesigned interface, a repair tool extension, and support for several OS X Yosemite features including iCloud Drive and Handoff. The update also brings support for the new iMac with Retina 5K display.
Pixelmator's subtle redesign was inspired by OS X Yosemite, bringing a flatter look and translucency to many interface elements to help the editing app blend in better with Apple's newest Mac operating system.
The app now includes full iCloud Drive support, making it easy to access images on any iOS device or Mac, and with Handoff, users can start editing an image on a Mac and instantly switch to Pixelmator's recently released iPad app with just a tap. There are also new Repair Tool Action Extensions, letting users edit images in Mail or TextEditor using Pixelmator tools.
Pixelmator 3.3 Limestone adds complete OS X Yosemite feature and technology support and embraces new Continuity features, like Handoff, so you can switch instantly between Mac and iPad apps, as well as iCloud Drive support, so you can safely store and access all your images on the device you have at that time.
Support for OS X Extensions offers an advanced-technology Repair Tool in apps like Mail or TextEdit. You can now easily remove objects and repair images right in the app you are using, without even having to open Pixelmator. Just add your picture to the message or document and use the extension tool to enhance it.
The 3.3 update is rolling out now and is available for free to all existing Pixelmator users. Pixelmator can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $29.99. [Direct Link]
Web browser Opera Mini today received an update to version 9, bringing support for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in addition to a number of new features. Most notably, Opera Mini now includes a "Video Boost" setting which promises to cut down on buffering times while conserving mobile data. The app also now features extended Speed Dial functionality for saving bookmarks, and supports the larger displays of the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.
So, what exactly happens to the video data when it is optimized? When you select a video to watch, our servers take a quick peek at the video’s resolution and quality. Video data that’s too big is shrunk before it lands on your phone, lessening buffering time. All this happens in the blink of an eye.
Opera Mini launched in 2011 as one of the first third-party alternatives to Apple's iOS version of Safari and reached a million downloads in its first few days of availability. Since then, the app has seen a number of significant updates which have brought speed improvements, better mobile data optimization, and Speed Dial functionality.
Opera Mini is a free app for iOS devices and can be downloaded through the App Store. [Direct Link]
Apple today announced on its website (via ifoAppleStore) that it will be opening its store in Lille, France on Saturday, November 15. The store will be located on 1 Rue Faidherbe, which also hosts a number of other luxury retailers and outlets. The store itself will contain two levels and span 1400 square meters (15000 square feet) and wrap around the city block, offering a wide amount of space for both sales and services.
Apple put up its traditional black barrier around the store just last week, with the location marking Apple's eighteenth store in France. The Apple Store Opéra in Paris has become known as one of the company's most visually stunning locations, as Apple also has stores in Dijon, Lyon, and Nice.
Apple is expected to hand out commemorative T-shirts to the first 1,000 customers to visit. The Apple Store Lille opens at 10 A.M. on Saturday, November 15, and the location has begun accepting reservations for workshops and Genius bar appointments.
During a public question and answer session held on Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg answered a number of questions about Facebook, and finally explained why his company made the unpopular move of forcing users to download the separate Messenger app in order to use Facebook's messaging capabilities.
Normally priced at $0.99, Swype is one of the new 
Apple today updated iMovie for iOS to version 2.1.1, adding support for the iCloud Photo Library beta and introducing the ability to share videos with iCloud Photo Sharing. The update also resolves an issue that surfaced when a device was rotated while in the Video browser and it includes performance and stability improvements.
CBS News today 
