Mitchel Broussard

Earlier in January, Microsoft announced that it would bring a group chat feature to the Skype app on mobile devices over "the next few weeks," but never locked down a specific launch window. Today, the popular video chatting app will begin to support group video calling, similar to its web counterpart, on iOS and Android (via Engadget). The new feature will allow as many as 25 participants...

Philips Hue today tweeted an open call for beta testers to join in putting the company's new and overhauled lighting app through its paces. Users will help Philips "shape a whole new lighting experience" through the beta test, which has already mostly been tested by the company and is seeking fans of Hue to help "with the last finishing touches." Great news! We’re running a beta program for ...

In a new article posted yesterday by Bloomberg, interesting details have been shared about one of Apple's secretive iPhone recycling plants. Detailing the "after-life of an iPhone," the piece focuses on the plant located in an industrial park in Hong Kong’s Yuen Long district and run by Apple contractor Li Tong Group, whose sole purpose is the deconstruction and recycling of iPhones, iPads, and ...

App developer Matt Wiechec yesterday launched the new game A Tiny Game of Pong [Direct Link], which lets users engage in the classic 1970's video game of Pong using the Apple Watch's Digital Crown to control their paddle. The free app version comes with an endless arcade mode that pits you against the high scores of your friends, Game Center integration, and allows for standalone play when the...

Apple is working on electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding that will individually shield most of the device's major chips, helping to maintain the iPhone's performance as its power and complexity and thus potential for interference increases (via ETNews). The company has used EMI shielding on large portions of the iPhone's circuit board in the past, and a few individual chips have included...

Apple is adding Wistron as a supplier of the so-called "iPhone 5se," in addition to Foxconn Electronics (via DigiTimes). The latter will still lead production on the next-generation 4-inch iPhone, but Apple is ensuring that manufacturing goes as smoothly as possible by introducing a secondary supplier in Wistron. Apple has been trying to separate its orders to different ODMs to avoid risks....

Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs film continued its awards season wins last night, with Kate Winslet taking home the Best Supporting Actress award at The British Academy of Film and Television Arts on Sunday (via The Guardian). Winslet dedicated her win at the BAFTA ceremony to women who are the subject of unjustified body shame criticism, which she faced as a young woman trying to break into the...

Apple is likely to wait until 2017 and the "iPhone 7s" to introduce noise-canceling headphones, according to a Barclays analyst report posted today. In the report, analysts Blayne Curtis and Christopher Hemmelgarn believe that 2016's iPhone 7 will include a Lightning-equipped headphone accessory, with the "potential" for a dynamic noise-canceling system to be introduced next year. The analysts ...

Athletic apparel company ASICS today acquired popular running app Runkeeper for an undisclosed amount of money. Runkeeper founder Jason Jacobs announced the news in a blog post on Medium, in which he promised that the merger of a "digital fitness platform and world class physical products" will be one that should benefit fans of both companies. Partnering with ASICS to fulfill this vision...

Vevo today announced that it has brought its popular music video streaming service to the new Apple TV in a tailor-made native tvOS experience. Available to download right now, Vevo says that the app will act as "an extension of the company’s product-driven strategy to deliver the best cross-platform music video and entertainment experience." “Artists and audiences deserve great music...

A job description for a software engineer on Apple's "Clock Face Team" discovered yesterday points to the possibility of more robust Clock Face and Complications options in a future watchOS update. As discovered by AppleInsider, the listing is specifically seeking a software engineer with 3+ years of software development experience to join the Apple Watch team. Responsible for planning and...

A new video by YouTube user Junya Sakamoto posted over the weekend shows off a homemade robot, created by Sakamoto, that masters the trickiest stages of popular mobile game Puzzles and Dragons (via Kotaku). The four minute video uploaded to Sakamoto's self-titled YouTube channel details the initial creation and design of the robot to the final, tangible realization of the iPhone game-beating...

Square Enix today launched the iOS version of its popular game Final Fantasy IX [Direct Link], which was originally released in 2000 for the Sony PlayStation. New to the iOS version of the game, players will be able to unlock achievements, activate 7 additional game boosters including a rapid-pace "high speed" mode, game autosaves, and improved high definition cut scenes and character models. G...

Financial tech startup Fit Pay recently launched a new Kickstarter for its third-party Pebble Time "smartstrap" called the Pagaré. The new accessory will bring NFC payment capabilities to the smartwatch, using the power of the Pebble's smart accessory port, giving Pebble Time the same mobile wallet opportunities allowed to Apple Watch customers thanks to Apple Pay. The Pagaré smartstrap will...

Apple is close to gaining clearance to open its first retail store locations in India, according to a source familiar with the matter speaking with Bloomberg. Apple will be re-submitting its retail presence application to the Indian government due to a format problem, but Bloomberg's source said that India plans to push the application through without issue. Due to the fact that Apple is "a...

Some iPhone 6 users who had their smartphones repaired by third-party technicians are reporting that a mysterious "error 53" message is permanently bricking their iPhones (via The Guardian). Users who have had Touch ID on their iPhone 6 fixed by a non-Apple technician, and agreed to update the iPhone to the most recent version of iOS, are facing an issue which essentially prevents all access to...

A few Twitter users on the social network's Android app have begun to notice a dedicated GIF button within the Tweet composition box of the mobile client. Speaking with TechCrunch, Twitter user Phil Pearlman said that the new button lets users browse through current popular GIFs in a trending tab, or select a mood they're feeling to see resulting GIFs based on that emotion. So far the GIF button...

Fitbit today announced the "Fitbit Alta," a new device in its fitness-focused wearable lineup that the company aims to be the intersection between personalized style and in-depth activity tracking. As with all Fitbits, the Alta will track a user's daily activities, exercise, and sleep, but now the band includes "Reminders to Move," which will push notifications to the wrist when you've been...

The New York City Landmarks Conservancy today announced that Apple has won its 2016 Chairman's Award, due to the Cupertino company's preservation and restoration of a few architecturally important locations within New York City (via iFun.de) [Google Translate]. Apple's retail location in Grand Central Terminal The Landmarks Conservancy specifically referred to Apple's SoHo, West 14th Street, U...

Nintendo today gave new hints regarding its mobile game plans, which will see the gaming giant release five games in total before March 2017 in a partnership with developer DeNA. During a quarterly profit meeting, the gaming company confirmed that its second mobile experience will be built around one of its popular and established characters, but no word was given specifically on which Nintendo...