Mitchel Broussard

A new musical centering around the founding of Apple Computers by Steve Jobs is debuting this month in New York. Developed at the New York Musical Festival, the Musical Theatre Factory, and the New York Theatre Barn, "The Crazy Ones" is billed as "a thrilling new original pop-rock musical" that aims to depict Jobs' genius as well as his "very powerful demons." In 1982, Steve Jobs was in control. ...

After launching the Echo over a year ago, today Amazon announced two new additions to the lineup of voice-controlled smart hubs that house the company's personal assistant Alexa. Users will now be able to purchase a more portable version of Echo with Amazon Tap, and even expand the device's power into other rooms with Echo Dot. The $130 Amazon Tap is a more rugged, pick-up-and-go alternative...

According to a new report from Economic Daily News (via DigiTimes), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has plans to double the output capacity of its 16nm chip production from 40,000 12-inch wafers in February to 80,000 in March. The news corroborates previous reports that suggested TSMC was ready to expand its 16nm FinFET production capacity in the second quarter of 2016, solely for the...

DxO today announced a new "dramatically enhanced stand-alone experience" for its DxO ONE camera, granting users the ability to take pictures with the miniaturized device without needing to tether it to their smartphone. The DxO ONE's OLED display helps its users line up a shot, which they can then capture easily thanks to the on-board two-stage shutter button. The connected app allows for...

With origins on Kickstarter, the Zuli Smartplug is a device that acts as a buffer between a wall outlet and any electronic device, letting users control the connected appliance through a smartphone app. Today the company announced that it will be integrating that app with the popular Philips Hue lighting system, letting users interact with Hue lights directly within the Zuli app. The...

Eight months after posting a detailed summary of the "clunky" behind-the-scenes process musicians have to go through when using Apple Music Connect, Dave Wiskus decided to revisit his stance on the platform to see if Apple had made any notable changes to its grasps at socially connecting artists and fans. Wiskus -- an app developer and lead singer for the band Airplane Mode -- admitted in the...

In a recent blog post, developer Keith Blount gave an update on the long-awaited iOS version of popular writing app Scrivener. Blount touched on the lengthy road to development the app has had over the years, mentioning that he took over its development and "rewrote it from the ground up" last year. A screenshot of Scrivener for Mac I know we’ve been quiet about the iOS version recently, and ...

Google today announced an incoming update to its Google Maps for iOS app that will let users add pit stops onto their trips without leaving navigation mode. First introduced on Android last fall, the company said that the pit stop feature will be available in any country where Google Maps navigation is offered, which is "more than 100 worldwide." From navigation mode, users will just need to...

Rumors surrounding the 4-inch "iPhone 5se" continue today with new information pointing to the possibility of Apple dropping the "5" from the name altogether and simply calling it the "iPhone SE." As reported by 9to5Mac, the new name would be a shift in focus on the 4-inch iPhone's "enhanced and special edition" status, making it stand out from the numerically named crowd of the iPhone family. ...

The long-running dispute between Apple and Samsung continues, with an appeals court today handing the Cupertino-based company a defeat by invalidating two Apple patents and ruling a third had not been infringed by Samsung (via Bloomberg). The ruling, which covers Apple patents related to slide-to-unlock, autocorrect, and interactive phone number features, also threw out the original $119.6 million...

A new report from French newspaper Les Echos (via iPhon.fr) [Google Translate] states that Apple Pay will be making its way to France by the end of the year. The introduction of Apple's mobile payment solution will be a gradual rollout, with "a small handful of major French banks" supporting the service in a pilot program period of three to five months. No specific date was given for the...

Apple recently hired Frederic Jacobs, one of the developers of the secure messaging app "Signal," which is notably known as the encrypted messaging service that Edward Snowden uses "every day." Jacobs will be working on the CoreOS team as an intern this coming summer, where he'll help the company beef up the safety measures and encryption of iOS devices across the board (via Business Insider). ...

Apple yesterday released a small update focused on stability improvements and bug fixes to Smart Keyboard users on the iPad Pro (via iMore). When plugged into the 12.9-inch iPad, the device will notify users of an Accessory Update for the Smart Keyboard, which can be updated and installed thanks to the Smart Connector joining the iPad and the keyboard. The new update is mainly focused at...

Facebook today announced the rollout of its long-requested expansion of the simple "Like" button, with the introduction of "Reactions" onto its web and mobile platform. The update, meant to give users an easier and more diverse way to react to a friend's post, will begin slowly rolling out to Facebook users worldwide today. To use Reactions, all you have to do is hover over the traditional...

Five months after launching to the public, iOS 9 has now been installed on 77 percent of active iOS devices as of February 22, according to the newest chart shared by Apple on the App Store support page. That adoption rate has remained static at 77 percent since the last update on iOS numbers occurred on February 8. Compared to the first adoption rate status update of the year on January 11,...

After an announcement last August and a successful pilot program in October, MasterCard recently announced that the company will begin expanding a feature which allows facial recognition software to act as biometric security in mobile payments (via Fortune). Unofficially dubbed "selfie pay," the program lets users confirm an online payment by holding up a smartphone's camera to their face and...

The Seiko wristwatch that Steve Jobs wore in the famous 1984 Macintosh photo shoot sold for $42,500 in an online auction on Saturday (via CNET). Consigned by Jobs' former house manager Mark Sheff, the watch's band was said to be "in heavily worn condition," but still managed to draw the interest of 14 bidders and about 5,600 page views before closing out for $42,500. The watch wasn't the...

Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed a range of topics in an interview with Fortune posted online today. Although Cook skirted the topic of the Apple Car, eventually Fortune brought up the recent hiring of automobile industry people by Apple, and asked Cook to put the rumors to rest once and for all. Yeah, I’m probably not going to do that. The great thing about being here is we’re curious people....

Apple has been awarded the top spot on Fortune's list of the "World's Most Admired Companies," marking the ninth consecutive win for the Cupertino-based company on the list. After Apple, Alphabet (Google's parent company), Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and Walt Disney round out the top five spots. There's a new AAA standard in corporate America: the one-two three punch of Apple, Alphabet, and...

Apple today announced a "Trade Up With Installments" payment plan that will let users trade in an old iPhone, Android, or Windows Phone and put the value of that device towards a new 24-month iPhone installment plan (via CNET). Available only in Apple Stores within the United States, the new program is a combination of Apple's classic reuse and recycle program and the newer 12-month iPhone...