Mitchel Broussard

Following the launch of iOS 8 back in September, many iPhone 4s users reported widespread issues ranging from slow performance to choppy animations. With Monday's release of iOS 8.1.1 promising "increased stability and performance improvements for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S", Ars Technica has now put those claims to the test.iOS 8.1.1 improves performance in a few specific places, ones that may well be ...

Foxconn Technology Group has plans to spend NT$80 Billion, or $2.6 billion, over the course of the next two years on a new factory in Taiwan to produce displays exclusively for Apple, according to Bloomberg. In a conversation with Sophia Chang, a public relations representative for Foxconn's display unit Innolux Corp., Chang stated that equipment installation will begin next month, although...

Launched on the App Store this week, Sync Solver allows Fitbit wearers to track all of the important information the wearable device calculates on a daily basis directly inside Apple's own Health app without needing to use the dedicated Fitbit app. The $0.99 app provides a daily sync of eleven different pieces of data from the Fitbit into the Health app. The points of data accrued include:...

The previously announced SteelSeries Stratus XL has officially launched today on the Apple Store. Following in the footsteps of the original Stratus controller, the beefed-up Stratus XL provides a larger frame that gives it some parity to console controllers in terms of relative size and button layout. The Stratus XL connects to an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch using a wireless Bluetooth...

Energy technology group Intelligent Energy Holdings today announced the retail launch of the Upp in the United Kingdom. The Upp device is a portable power solution driven by a hydrogen fuel cell that is used to charge USB-compatible devices. A rumor this past summer claimed Intelligent Energy was partnering with Apple on a patent acquisition and to potentially produce fuel cell technology for...

PayPal today announced that its popular iOS and Android mobile payments app will be available for the Pebble Smartwatch (via VentureBeat). The PayPal app has let users pay for purchases in certain locations for a while now, and integration with Android Wear has allowed users of Android-powered smart watches such as Samsung’s Gear 2, Gear S, and Gear Fit to make payments via their watches...

Mojang today announced a significant new update for Minecraft Pocket Edition. The update promises numerous graphical enhancements and bug fixes and is the first major update to the game since the Stockholm-based developer was acquired by Microsoft for $2.5 billion back in September. Today's update to the game focuses mainly on bug fixes, but there are a few notable additions to the popular...

Vainglory, showcased as one of the examples of the capabilities of the iPhone 6 back in September, is now available for download. Developer Super Evil Megacorp announced today that the game can be downloaded on the App Store in North America, South America, the Middle East, and Africa, with a European launch coming this Thursday. Japan, China, and Korea are promised to closely follow. The game...

Following early rumors last week that the popular car-hailing service Uber would be partnering with music streaming giant Spotify, the companies today confirmed the upcoming launch of integration between the two services. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek today confirmed that the two app-based services will be partnering to allow Uber customers to prepare a specifically...

Microsoft yesterday launched the latest in its series of ads comparing the Surface Pro 3 to Apple's MacBook Air. The new ad, entitled "Winter Wonderland", compares and contrasts the two machines to the jingle of the Christmas melody. The ad's predominant assessment of the Surface Pro 3 is how powerful the device is in comparison to the MacBook Air, offering similar performance while also...

Following the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus back in September, a new survey of U.S. customers by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) details the adoption rate of the first thirty days of the devices' lifespan. The survey data, shared in a research note published today by UBS analyst Steven Milunovich, indicates that 91 percent of iPhone owners bought either an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus ...

Jonathan Ive, Apple's Senior VP of Design, made a rare public appearance at the Design Museum in London yesterday (via Cult of Mac). At the event, he discussed everything from his view on the future of design to his opinions on failure with museum director Deyan Sudjic.We shouldn’t be afraid to fail - if we are not failing we are not pushing. 80% of the stuff in the studio is not going to work. ...

Similar to the Kickstarter-funded iStick from earlier in the year, SanDisk today announced the iXpand Flash Drive. The drive allows users to easily transfer photos, videos, and other files between an iOS device with a Lightning connector and a desktop or notebook with a normal USB port. When the flash drive is plugged into an iPhone or iPad, the iXpand sync app is launched and can be...

New details have come to light regarding the iPad Air 2's graphics processing power since its launch last month, with a new report from AnandTech revealing the new tablet's graphics are even more powerful than previously thought. Benchmarks and teardowns on the tablet revealed details on the inner workings of the iPad Air 2 in the days following its launch, but a new image of the A8X die...

Barclaycard last week announced a revamped version of its credit card partnership with Apple, the Barclaycard Apple Rewards Visa, offering a new Apple rewards program and financing deals (via AppleInsider). The new reward card offers three points per dollar spent at the Apple Store (iTunes and App Stores do not qualify), two points spent in restaurants, and one point on all other purchases....

New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport is set to receive a $120 million upgrade to United Airline's main terminal with some of the funds going towards iPads, Bloomberg reports. The airline is planning to offer Apple iPads to customers at certain locations around the terminal, namely restaurants and cafes. Similar upgrades have been utilized by other airlines in high-density airports...

Developer Ustwo's popular mobile puzzle game, Monument Valley, will be receiving a significant update next week that finally adds additional content to the game, reports TechCrunch. The developer confirmed new levels were in the works back in April, a few weeks after the game initially launched. The original game was released earlier this year and became a big player in the iOS and Android...

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...

Taiwanese media website Economic Daily News [Google Translate] (via GforGames) is reporting that Apple may be gearing up to introduce a glasses-free 3D display on next year's iPhone. The site also reports that Apple is aiming to create a 3D "hardware and software ecosystem." Economic Daily News also mentions that this "naked eye 3D screen" could not be built using the current embedded touch...

The Unicode Consortium has released a technical report (via Emojipedia) detailing a new method for handling the representation of multi-ethnic groups in emoji. Previous guidelines have stated that emoji people be "as neutral as possible regarding race, ethnicity, and gender". Unless the emoji calls out specific gender or racial cues, then a "generic (inhuman) appearance, such as a yellow/orange...