Mitchel Broussard

Google today updated its Wear OS iPhone app [Direct Link] and Google Fit Android app with a new redesign that emphasizes closing a set of rings, similar to Apple's Activity app. Every day, Google Fit will task users to close one ring based on "move minutes" and another ring based on "heart points" (via The Verge). "Move minutes" is a metric that is intended to be better than measuring daily...

In an ongoing effort to boost sales in India, Apple is reportedly planning to upgrade its authorized reseller locations in five to six "extremely prominent locations" in India's metropolitan cities. The stores are being referred to as "Flagship Apple Premium Reseller" outlets. While not official Apple stores, the locations will each be "at least three times larger" than the current reseller...

Popular iOS and Android weather app Dark Sky has updated with "one of the biggest overhauls" to date, according to a new blog post that the company shared online today. The update introduces a new visual look and the home screen now has a "unified timeline," which combines various aspects of your local forecast onto one page instead of separating them into multiple areas. Now, you can view the ...

Fitbit today announced the "Fitbit Charge 3," its latest fitness tracker that includes improvements to health and workout features, a 7-day battery life, and advanced sleep tracking with an upcoming "Sleep Score" beta. The Charge 3 is completely swimproof and includes a touchscreen display, but is considered a "tracker" and not a "smartwatch," like the Fitbit Versa or Apple Watch. The Charge 3 ...

Mojang's classroom-focused "Minecraft: Education Edition" will launch on the iPad in September, allowing teachers to incorporate the game into their lesson plans for the new school year (via GeekWire). Minecraft: Education Edition first launched in November 2016 on macOS and Windows platforms, and since then teachers have used the game as a tool to teach students science, engineering, math,...

Coming off the recent reveal of Philips Hue's latest fixtures, the lighting company today announced two new collections that will be available to purchase in October: "Hue Signe" and "Hue Play." While still providing all of the expected features of Hue lights -- including HomeKit support -- the new products have unique hardware builds and are aimed to enhance entertainment areas. Starting off, ...

In a new interview today with The Los Angeles Times, Beats 1 host Zane Lowe discussed a few topics related to Apple Music's daily streaming radio show, including the company's rivals. Without directly referencing Spotify, Lowe explained the need for competition among streaming music platforms. “This is a controversial statement: I don't ever want us to be the only streaming service on the...

Sony Legacy announced over the summer that it had obtained the rights to release the "bulk" of Prince's back catalog, namely the albums he debuted after he left Warner Bros. in the mid-nineties. Today, The Prince Estate digitally released 23 total Prince albums that first launched between 1995 and 2010 onto "all major streaming services," including Apple Music and Spotify. As Variety points...

Google entered the smart speaker market in 2016 with the introduction of Google Home, allowing users to speak to Google Assistant and control various smart home products, listen to music, get the news, and more. Eventually, Google added the Home Mini and Home Max to the lineup, introducing products that were direct competitors to the Amazon Echo Dot and Apple HomePod, respectively. Looking...

T-Mobile held a press conference today announcing a new "Team of Experts" service, which is the company's next "Un-carrier" move that's taking aim at the poor customer service performance of rivals like AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon. During the hour-long conference, T-Mobile CEO John Legere and EVP of Customer Care Callie Field explained that customer service is "the biggest pain point" in the...

Twitch, the platform known as a place to watch streamers play games like League of Legends, Fortnite, and Overwatch, is now looking into becoming a "broader video service" that would cater to lifestyle vloggers from rival company YouTube. According to a report today by Bloomberg, Amazon-owned Twitch has decided to "aggressively broaden" the programming on the platform to directly compete with...

Live TV streaming service DirecTV Now this week began expanding support for local stations on its platform, with numerous posts on r/DirecTVNow reporting that local network affiliates for ABC, NBC, and CBS have appeared in cities across the United States. As pointed out by CordCuttersNews, these affiliates are owned and operated by Nexstar Media Group, a television broadcasting company that...

MacRumors and Twelve South are partnering up for another discount event, this time centering on a collection of nine products that should help students, parents, and teachers gear up for the new school year. In the MacRumors exclusive sale, you'll find 15 percent discounts on Twelve South products like the BookBook Vol. 2, Fermata headphone stand, Curve for MacBook, and more. Note: MacRumors...

Costco today kicked off a new "5 Days of Deals" event just for its members, and one of the discounts is for Apple's AirPods. Today only Costco members can purchase the headphones for $139.99, down from $159.99 -- one of the best deals online for a new pair when compared to retailers like Adorama and Best Buy. Free shipping is also available. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of ...

The latest offering for users looking to add mesh networking to their homes has been revealed by Samsung today, called the SmartThings Wi-Fi (via The Verge). The router includes mesh networking technology from Plume, which itself recently revealed its "SuperPod" mesh router along with a $60/year subscription. Samsung's SmartThings Wi-Fi isn't subscription-based, and in addition to the usual...

Spotify today announced that listeners across the globe can now tune into the BBC's podcast catalog directly within the Spotify app, including "hundreds of programs across thousands of episodes." In the announcement, the company focuses on podcast listeners in the United Kingdom, but it appears that BBC podcasts on Spotify are also appearing for users in the United States and elsewhere outside of ...

Apple Music this week began rolling out a new section in Browse curated by Deutsche Grammophon, known as one of the biggest classical musical labels in the world. In this section, classical music fans will find featured playlists of specific composers, highlighted radio stations, and all-new visual albums stocked with the "full-length performance" of select operas (via Engadget)....

Over the summer, a few new and upcoming Philips Hue light fixtures leaked online, including an Outdoor Light Strip and White Ambience Adore Vanity Mirror. This week, the company has announced prices and confirmed an August 20 launch date for most of these products, as well as revealed a collection of new Hue lights. As usual, all of the new Hue lights are compatible with Apple's HomeKit platform. ...

Nearly one year after Qualcomm received a $773 million fine by Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission regarding how the company prices smartphone chips and patents, Qualcomm this week reached a settlement agreement with the Taiwanese regulators that "reverses most" of the $773 million fine. In the settlement, Qualcomm will invest $700 million over the next five years to "boost research activities in ...

Spotify has begun a test for select users in Australia, allowing free tier listeners to skip "any" audio and video ads that they come across "as often as they want," according to a new report by Ad Age. Currently, users who don't pay for a Spotify Premium subscription ($9.99/month) have to listen to ads and can't skip them. Spotify's head of partner solutions, Danielle Lee, explained that...