Mitchel Broussard

Sonos today announced an update to its Sonos Controller app that will bring a new feature called "Trueplay" to its customers worldwide. The update allows users to fine tune their Sonos speakers, even if the devices are placed in poorly pitched areas of the room, so that the devices sound as good as they would in a higher audio quality setting. Trueplay uses the microphone in your iPhone or...

Johann Jungwirth has been appointed as the head of Volkswagen's new Digitalization Strategy Department in the company's Germany-based headquarters. In the past, Jungwirth worked for Mercedez-Benz and Apple, where he led the Mac Systems Engineering team. More specifically, Jungwirth supported Apple's Special Projects Group, a tie that has connected him in the past to Apple's long-rumored Apple ...

The new Steve Jobs film faced another disappointing box office performance this past weekend, with the Danny Boyle-directed movie dropping more than 69 percent in profit from the previous weekend to a $823,000 weekend gross. Most surprising, however, is the movie's removal from 2,072 theaters across the country in one single weekend, after initially premiering in 2,411 just over three weeks ago...

Instagram has begun testing various ads that will allow users to shop for everything from clothing to menu items at local restaurants, integrating new iPhone features like 3D Touch and Apple Pay as well (via Digiday). The social network has had ads appear in users' feeds for a while now, but hopes that more unobtrusive shopping experiences that keep users in the app itself will attract bigger...

Facebook today announced a new feature for its iOS app called "Music Stories" that will allow users to sample 30-second clips of songs that their friends and family post to the social network from services like Apple Music, iTunes, and Spotify. Users will be able to stream the clip directly from their feed and even follow a link to purchase or add the music directly into their Apple Music or...

Country music singer Kenny Chesney is the focus of the latest Apple Music advertisement, which aired last night during the Country Music Association awards on ABC. Taking a glimpse behind the scenes of Chesney's "No Shoes Nation" tour, the ad shows the singer going through a day of preparing for his next concert by creating a "Show Day List" playlist on Apple Music and touting the service's...

Popular retailer Walgreens today announced that its Balance Rewards loyalty program can now be linked with Apple Pay and used by its customers across the country. The partnership will allow Apple Pay users to link their Balance Rewards card with the mobile payments service so they can earn and redeem loyalty points without having to scan their physical Walgreens card. Following Kohl's launch of...

The United States Patent and Trademark Office today published a patent application initially filed by Apple in May of 2014, describing a method for users to designate a specific finger to unlock an iPhone with using Touch ID, which would then cause the iPhone to enter a "panic mode" (via Business Insider). The mode could then tell the iPhone to completely lock down, limiting access to personal...

Despite Siri's availability on iOS in over fifteen different languages and over thirty countries, the voice assistant's support on the new Apple TV has remained limited to eight countries: Australia, Canada, Great Britain, United States, Germany, France, Spain, and Japan. In a new report by MacPrime [Google Translate], the importance of "film and television content" -- including altering the...

Microsoft this week began the sign-up process that will let a few iOS users test out an early beta version of its Cortana personal assistant ahead of its wide release sometime next year (via The Verge). Specifically, the company said it's looking for a "limited number of people" in the United States and China, with updates rolling out over the next few months to tweak features and provide any...

Sam's Club today announced its "Lowest Prices of the Season" event, starting in retail locations around the country at 7 A.M. on Saturday, November 14. The company promises that the event will feature deals on "the most sought-after tech, toys and home décor for the holiday season," which includes the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPad Air 2. “We’re excited to kick off holiday shopping...

Twitter today announced the impending rollout of a new "Hearts" and "Likes" system for its social network, which will replace the traditional "Stars" and "Favorites" that's been used on the service for the past few years. The company cites a "confusing" quality to the star system that causes a disconnect between a new Twitter user and anyone who favorites their tweet. The heart, it believes, is...

Nomad today announced a new product, the "Wallet for iPhone," which hides a small rechargeable battery cell within a traditional billfold wallet. The 2,400 mAh lithium-ion battery is housed in the hinge of the Wallet and promises to provide a full charge to an iPhone 6s. Owners of an iPhone 6 Plus or iPhone 6s Plus will probably only see half the charge of their phone restored due to the smaller...

A handful of technology giants -- including Apple, Amazon, Google, PayPal, and Intuit -- have announced a partnership in the formation of the Financial Innovation Now coalition (via Re/code). The group aims to promote tech-friendly policies and changes within the financial services sector in Washington, D.C. Those behind the group will work to alter the political debate on relevant issues like...

Apple last week quietly launched a new first-party app called Indoor Survey [Direct Link], which allows its users to map out the interior space of a building using their iPhone. Spotted by developer Steve Troughton-Smith yesterday evening, the app specifically uses radio frequency signals in concert with an iPhone's various sensor data to successfully map an interior location (via AppleInsider). ...

Apple announced yesterday that the company has opened up its cryptographic libraries so that third-party developers can build more "advanced security features" into their apps (via VentureBeat). The cryptographic libraries being opened to developers are the same ones Apple uses to protect iOS and OS X, as Apple notes on its updated site. Developers will have access to two of the company's...

Apple's strict adherence to an environment of secrecy and privacy in regards to its software and hardware development has been suggested as a major blow to the company's potential for growth in the field of artificial intelligence. In a new article by Bloomberg, Apple was noted as a non-attendee at the Neural Information Processing Systems conference, an annual confluence of companies including...

Apple has reportedly declined an offer made by the British singer-songwriter Adele to stock her newest album, 25, in Apple retail stores (via The Daily Mail). Meanwhile, the singer's agents at William Morris Endeavor -- a talent agency -- have pitched the Cupertino company on a possible $30 million tour sponsorship after the album debuts on November 20. It's not currently clear where the status...

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) yesterday announced that it has officially published the Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) Standard version 1.4b, which brings the previous 1.4a iteration into the final stages of production-ready status for future notebook and all-in-one desktop displays. This final revision of the eDP 1.4 standard includes a few "key protocol refinements and...

App developer Ryan McLeod and a few of his friends have been working on a new application for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus since the devices were announced in early September. Their app, dubbed Gravity, would harness the power of 3D Touch, letting users place a spoon onto the face of the iPhone and weigh the measurement of items like powders, drink mixes, and small fruit. Once they got the ...