Jordan Kahn

They apparently didn’t get the message about not naming cord-free earbuds with a singular naming scheme, so this new product from Bragi is awkwardly named, “The Headphone.” But branding aside, these earbuds have made quite an improvement over the company’s first-generation product called “The Dash,” which was one of the first to hit the market a year ago. 

My biggest complaint when testing The Dash was half-baked fitness features, unnecessary built-in storage, and sloppy touch controls that cluttered what could have been an otherwise decent cord-free earbud experience. The Headphone fixes a lot of those issues (mostly by simply removing the problematic features), and what you end up with is a basic but less expensive cord-free earbud that actually works well enough for everyday use. They’re also one of the first cord-free earbuds worth considering before the launch of Apple’s delayed AirPods.

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CBS today announced a new deal with the NFL to bring its coverage of the league to its All Access streaming service available across a variety of devices including iPad, Apple TV, and the web.

Starting this weekend on December 4th, CBS All Access users will be able to view all of the network’s regular, preseason and postseason games going forward. But Verizon continues to have an exclusive on streaming NFL games to mobile devices apart from tablets, which means the new deal won’t open up the content to iPhone and other smartphone users.

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Earlier today Apple updated its website where customers can send in an old device for recycling to include the Apple Watch. That means that customers can now send their old Apple Watch to be responsibly recycled through the company’s Apple Renew program free of charge, but it’s not offering customers a gift card or any credit in exchange like it does with iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

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Apple will add certain MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini models to its list of vintage and obsolete products starting next month, which means the products will lose official Apple repair support through the company’s retail stores and authorized resellers.

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Update, Dec 1, 2016: Following our post below showing you how to check if your iPhone 6s is eligible for Apple’s battery replacement program, the company has now added its own tool via the program’s webpage.

Update #2, Dec 2, 2016: A full statement from Apple after the original story below.

When Apple announced an iPhone 6s battery replacement program last week, identifying select models that might be eligible for a free repair due to unexpected shutdowns, it only specified manufacturing dates for potentially affected devices. It recommended customers take a trip to an Apple store or authorized reseller if they are experiencing issues to check if they are eligible for a repair. But there’s a quick and easy way to check if your device is eligible at home, using the same process that Apple repair staff will be using in stores…

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In this week’s top stories: More hands-on time with the MacBook Pro, we show you Apple’s special tool to recover data from the device’s soldered down SSD, reports of wireless charging for iPhone 8, the best Black Friday deals, and much more.

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When the first teardown of Apple’s new 2016 MacBook Pro was published earlier this month, a couple notable changes were spotted related to the machine’s SSD. Components for the SSD are now soldered onto the logic board, which likely allows for some design and thinness enhancements, but hurts overall repairability. On top of not being upgradeable, some speculated that meant that if the logic board fails, your data is gone with it. Not necessarily… 

Also present is a new mystery connector on the logic board that repair guide site iFixit noted in its teardown wasn’t connected to anything. It turns out that the mystery connector is actually there BECAUSE of the soldered down SSD, giving Apple a way to access data on a dead MacBook Pro. 

Apple stores have a special tool to assist, and they will be offering any 2016 MacBook Pro customers still under warranty attempted data transfer in the event the device doesn’t boot, according to sources familiar with Apple’s repair process. 

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While we await Apple’s delayed cord-free, wireless AirPods, we’ve been reviewing the competition to see if they are indeed worth the wait. The $249 Skybuds are one of the latest entries, making a debut at Best Buy this month across the US. I’ve been testing them over the last couple weeks…

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We already gave you the rundown on requirements for connecting your old DisplayPort and HDMI displays to the new MacBook Pro, and if you need a new monitor now, the best option going forward is probably to go all-in on USB-C. That goes not only for MacBook Pro or 12-inch MacBook users, but also anyone who wants to be future-proofed as Apple moves to Thunderbolt 3 on other devices going forward (most displays have HDMI and/or DisplayPort for your other Macs). 

These are the best 4K and 5K USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 displays available so far:

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The results of a new six month study by a company offering Apple Pay on vending machines shows that branding specific to “Apple Pay” helped increase mobile transactions and overall sales.

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After a tease earlier this month, Instagram today announced its new live video functionality available within the app’s Stories feature. The app also gets disappearing photos and videos within direct messages including group chats.

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In this week’s top stories: MacBook Pro reviews, iOS 10.2 beta 3, iPhone 8 OLED reports, Apple’s new design book, and we go hands-on with the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar in this week’s top video…

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Homebuilder KB Home today announced that it will be first to offer a new “smart-home package” for homebuyers that will offer houses equipped with Apple HomeKit-enabled smart accessories.

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The 2017 Jeep Compass unveiled this week will be one of the first new Jeep models to add Apple CarPlay stock via the latest in-dash entertainment platform from Fiat Chrysler dubbed Uconnect 4.0.

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Wondering what adapter or cable you need to connect your display to the new MacBook Pro’s USB-C ports? Apple this afternoon published an updated support document offering specifics on requirements for connecting 4K and 5K external displays to its new MacBook Pro models, including supported adapters and cables for Thunderbolt, mini DisplayPort, HDMI, and other connections.

Apple notably unveiled LG UltraFine monitors alongside its new MacBook Pros that use USB-C to connect to the new machines. But we’ve been getting a lot of questions from users about specifics on requirements for cables and adapters necessary to drive other displays at 4K and 5K resolutions at 60 Hz refresh rates.

Here’s what you need to know:

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There is a bit of confusion over what displays are supported via the new MacBook Pro’s Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports. If you don’t have a display that uses a Thunderbolt 3/USB-C port— like the new 4K and 5K LG displays being sold exclusively by Apple for the new MacBook Pros— then you’ll need an adapter to go from Thunderbolt 3 to whatever I/O your display has (DisplayPort, HDMI, Thunderbolt 2, etc). Something like Apple’s Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter, for example. 

But here’s where some users have been confused and accidentally purchased the wrong adapter:

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A new report from research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners today details Apple’s iPhone 7 and 7 Plus launch, showing some numbers that support the company’s continued claims of increasing Android switchers and more.

It also shows that the iPhone 7 adoption managed to outpace that of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus during its first month of sales, although falling short of the iPhone 6/6 Plus launch:

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The new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is the first of Apple’s Macs to include a Touch ID sensor built-in for Apple Pay, unlocking the Mac with your fingerprint, and authentication purposes in third-party apps.

Other Macs can use Apple Pay, but they need to use a nearby iPhone or Apple Watch to authenticate and complete the purchase.

Here’s how it works:

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