Jordan manages the internal Partner Program for sponsorships and partnerships across the 9to5 network’s media brands including 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, Electrek.co, SpaceExplored and DroneDJ.com.
Jordan also writes about all things Apple as a Senior Editor of 9to5Mac. He covers Google for 9to5Google.com, the best gadgets and deals on 9to5Toys.com, and EV and solar news on Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series and makes music sometimes.
Contact Jordan with partnership inquiries and long-winded complaints:
Vehicles with Apple’s new CarPlay functionality are starting to hit the roads with Ferrari announcing today that it’s delivered its first batch of Ferrari FF models equipped with the new feature.
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Adobe is announcing a number of updates for its Creative Cloud desktop apps today with the highlight being a refreshed UI across almost all of its video products. One thing in specific for Mac users caught our eye, however, and that’s HiDPI support for Macs with Retina displays:
A refreshed user-interface across all the video applications supports HiDPI displays for both Mac Retina Displays and Windows 8.1, providing a cleaner appearance enabling video professionals to stay focused on their projects. “The first thing you’ll notice when you open them, is the cleaner look to all of the video apps,” said Bill Roberts, senior director of product management. “We’ve modernized and simplified the user interface so that it doesn’t compete with the content. The point is to allow video pros to focus more on their content, and less on the widgets.”
In addition, there is a long list of other improvements for the apps including some major enhancements to Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Anywhere for video. A full list of what’s new is available here.
Adobe, which announced the new features at IBC 2014, says the updates are coming soon.
Revealing Next Wave of Innovation for Adobe Video Desktop Apps
At IBC 2014, Adobe will showcase new video technology that streamlines video workflows for video professionals, broadcasters and media companies. Key updates include:
Support for cutting-edge hardware and standards is accelerated via Adobe Creative Cloud, enabling the company to respond quickly to new hardware and software standards. Key updates extend native file support, with the addition of AJA RAW. Performance enhancements include accelerated Masking & Tracking; and new GPU-optimized playback that delivers better performance when viewing extremely high resolution 4K and UltraHD footage from Phantom Cine, Canon RAW and RED R3D files.
A refreshed user-interface across all the video applications supports HiDPI displays for both Mac Retina Displays and Windows 8.1, providing a cleaner appearance enabling video professionals to stay focused on their projects.
Powerful new media and project management features, including Consolidate & Transcode; Search Bins; and Multiproject workflows offer more ease and flexibility, at the project level, so Adobe Premiere Pro CC users can complete tasks more efficiently. Adobe Media Encoder now includes Destination publishing with preset options so users can render, deliver and share projects to multiple locations such as FTP sites and their Creative Cloud folder, automating the delivery process. Additionally, Extended Match Source support now includes added support for the QuickTime and DNxHD formats, simplifying the workflow for users who are transcoding or rendering content.
Streamlined workflows and ongoing refinements make everyday tasks easier and faster inside Adobe CC video apps, including Timeline Views in Adobe Premiere Pro CC; Curve adjustments and Look Hover previews in Adobe SpeedGrade CC; and Rough Cut Dissolves and keyboard shortcuts for tagging in Adobe Prelude CC.
A set of images have appeared online today (via Reddit) allegedly showing CAD drawings for various components of Apple’s yet to be announced wearable product. The images, which include a watermark from one of Apple’s longtime manufacturing partners Quanta, show various mic and speaker components that look to be right for a watch-like device, but the poster adds more details in a description of the photos. According to the leak, Apple’s wearable will have a mic, speaker, Siri, and a “flexible, multi-touch screen will add a new dimension to the UI.” It’s also worth noting that Quanta was one of Apple’s partners that was reportedly already beginning trial production and expected to be a main supplier of iWatch.
Can’t vouch for how accurate this data is, but it comes from a chart on dadaviz.com.
Concept: jivaldi.com
A new report from The Information claims sources that have spoke with Apple employees say the company is setting low expectations for its upcoming wearable’s battery life. Little details have leaked out regarding specific specs or the design of the device, but today’s report from The Information claims battery life could be one area the iWatch disappoints:
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Apple has just announced that it will be live streaming its upcoming event later this month on September 9th. Its website also includes a countdown clock pictured above and a link for Apple users to add the event to their calendar.
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Withings, a company well-known for its line of iPhone-connected health and fitness tracking accessories, today announced a new video monitoring device with environmental sensors called Home. While Home is a video monitoring solution that can be used for security, the company is also including some pretty unique features that it hopes will make your home both a healthier and safer environment.
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A new report published today by non-profit organization Green America and industry watchdog China Labor Watch accuses Apple of various violations of Chinese labor laws at one of its suppliers in the country (via NYTimes). The investigation focused on Apple supplier Catcher Technology in Suqian, China and claims to have found violations similar to those found during an audit of the same supplier last year:
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Reuters reports that Apple, Google, Intel, and Adobe have resumed settlement talks in the ongoing lawsuit with employees over anti-poaching hiring practices. The news comes following a judge in the case rejecting an earlier $324.5 million settlement reached between employees and the companies last month.
In the court filing on Wednesday, both sides said they had resumed mediation with a retired judge but provided no additional details on the talks. They also asked Koh to set a new trial date.
The lawsuit also brought on a separate case last month filed on behalf of Apple shareholders accusing the company of “breach of fiduciary duty, gross mismanagement, waste of corporate assets, and breach of the duty of honest services” related to the case.
A hearing in the case, which centered around emails sent between then Apple CEO Steve Jobs and executives from other tech companies, is currently scheduled for September 10.
Update: Despite the speculation from U2 followers, a spokesperson for the music group said the band will not be performing at the iPhone event or launching an album on the device, according to Irish site Independent.ie: “They are not releasing their album on the iPhone, and they are not performing at the iPhone launch.”
Update 2: Not so fast. The article with the denial statement is interestingly no longer available. Google cache here.
We received a tip earlier today regarding a possible U2 and Apple tie-up for the iPhone 6. It seems to be mostly speculation at this point, but some local journalists claim that U2’s latest video shoot in Dublin last week starred a possible next-gen iPhone. They also claim the device will come preloaded with a U2 album:
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MceLc7-w1lQ]
Logitech today announced a new Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard (K480) that doesn’t just make switching between devices easy, it also doubles as a stand for your iPhone or iPad. While Logitech has made similar keyboards previously that let you switch between connected devices, the new keyboard adds a “Easy-Switch dial” that makes it super easy to switch between three devices on the fly:
Now you can type a report on your computer and, with the flick of the Easy-Switch™ dial, respond to a message on your smartphone and type a tweet on your tablet. The universal keyboard can connect to three different Bluetooth wireless devices at once, whether you are using a Windows®, Mac® or Chrome OS™ computer, or an Android™ or iOS tablet or smartphone.
The keyboard is available now in the US and Europe for $50 in two color schemes (white & black). You can images of the two colors below and see more specs and order the keyboard now on Logitech’s site.
IDC’s latest forecast predicts that the new larger iPhone will help shipments of phablets surpass shipments of portable PCs by the end of the year.
IDC expects phablets, defined by the research firm as smartphones from 5.5-inches to less than 7 inches, to hit 175 million units by the end of the year compared to the 170 million portable PCs it expects will ship in 2014. It also said today that it expects phablet shipments to top 318 million units in 2015, which means the category is also on track to surpass tablet shipments by next year.
Apple is of course about to contribute to phablet sales with one of its two yet to be unveiled iPhone models expected to sport a 5.5-inch display when introduced later this month. IDC has factored Apple’s entrance into the category into its growth predictions for phablets:
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With Apple set to introduce its larger iPhones (and possibly its “iWatch” wearable) later this month on September 9, Samsung has just completed its IFA press conference announcing its latest flagships that will go head to head with the new iPhones this fall.
As expected, Samsung today officially unveiled its new Galaxy Note 4 with a 5.7-inch 2560×1440 Super AMOLED display, a new Galaxy Note Edge device with a wraparound display of sorts, as well as its new curved Gear S smart watch and the previously leaked VR headset powered by Oculus. The Galaxy Note Edge features the same updated internals and new metal chassis as the Galaxy Note 4, but also includes the curved, wraparound display on one edge as pictured above. In addition to announcing its partnership with Oculus for its new VR headset, Samsung also announced collaborations with Swarovski for crystal-covered cases for Note 4 and MontBlanc for new S Pen compatible styluses.
Head below for links to all the news from our sister site 9to5Google:
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VMware, the popular virtualization software that lets you run Windows on Mac OS X, is today officially announcing new versions of its VMware Fusion app that introduces all-new features and full support for the latest Macs.
First up is the consumer facing version of the software dubbed VMware Fusion 7. It now includes a redesigned experienced for OS X Yosemite that the company notes includes “translucency in windows, streamlined toolbars and simplified Dock icon,” and more (pictured above). The release also packs in optimizations for the latest Mac hardware and Retina displays. The company says Fusion 7 offers an energy impact reduction of around 42% compared to the previous version and a number of other performance enhancements:
Optimized for the latest Intel Core i5, i7 and Xeon E5 processors, Fusion 7 delivers up to 43% improvements in CPU intensive operations like multimedia, encryption and decryption, and other strenuous performance tests. Leveraging the Mac’s faster memory, faster SSD performance and greater power you run Windows applications at near-native performance… Windows never looked so good with Retina Display optimization for a crisp and detailed experience of your Windows applications. If your Mac has a native Retina display or is connected to one, Fusion 7 ensures you get a seamless experience when running Windows across Retina and non-Retina displays.
VMware is also releasing Fusion 7 Pro that includes advanced features for professionals running the virtualization software in beyond just a personal environment. A full rundown of what’s new in Pro is below:
• Unmatched OS Support for Ultimate Compatibility – Fusion 7 Pro is designed for OS X Yosemite and fully supports the latest Microsoft operating systems, from Windows 8.1 for the desktop to Windows 2012 R2 for the server. For organizations and technical users that run the latest Linux distribution, Fusion 7 Pro supports Ubuntu 14.04, RHEL 7, CentOS 7, Fedora 20, Debian 8 and many more.
• More Connected than Ever – Connection to VMware vSphere, ESXi or Workstation is now available, allowing users to extend and scale virtual machines to your private cloud. Easily connect to hosted virtual machines and run, upload or download virtual machines directly from within Fusion 7 Pro.
• Dual GPU Optimization – For MacBook Pros with a discrete GPU as well as an integrated GPU, Fusion 7 Pro lets users choose which GPU to use for 3D applications. Selecting the integrated GPU will result in longer battery life while selecting the discrete GPU will offer the best performance for 3D applications in a virtual machine.
• Enhanced Connectivity and iSight Support – Macs equipped with an iSight camera can now use it to conduct video conferences within a Windows virtual machine. Fusion 7 Pro also supports USB 3.0 for fast file transfers, HD audio with 5.1 surround sound, and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology.
• Enhanced Productivity – The Fusion Pro Virtual Machine Library’s new power state indicator enables users to monitor and shut down virtual machines not in use to improve overall performance. Fusion 7 Pro also enables application-level, user-configurable shortcuts to easily open or switch to a specific virtual machine.
VMware Fusion 7 ($69) and Fusion 7 Pro ($149) are available now through the company’s website. Those that purchased version 6 between August 1 and September 30 2014 will get a free update. More details on the latest release is available here.
Update: Apple has posted two more $10K scholarship opportunities with one from its Internet Software & Services Engineering group and another from Apple Software Engineering.
Continuing a number of recent initiatives related to promoting diversity at the company, Apple is now offering a new Product Integrity Inclusion and Diversity Scholarship offering “women, black/African American, Hispanic, or Native American university students” an opportunity to win a $10,000 scholarship to help pay for their education in tech. The scholarship is named for Apple’s Product Integrity group that includes Hardware Reliability, Product Safety, Environmental Technologies, and Hardware and Software Test Engineering.
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Following updates today for Microsoft’s Office suite of apps for iPad, users can now purchase monthly subscriptions to Office 365, the service required for access to full editing features.
So starting today, you can buy a monthly subscription to Office 365 from within Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for iPad. You can choose between Office 365 Personal and Office 365 Home. Office 365 Personal is designed to help individuals who want to use Office on one PC or Mac and one tablet, while Office 365 Home is for households with up to five PCs or Macs, plus five tablets.
The monthly subscriptions are now available to purchase directly in the app for $6.99/month for the Personal plan and $9.99/month for Home. Microsoft added that “if you buy a monthly subscription on your iPad, you can switch to an annual subscription from your iPad, or from iTunes on your PC or Mac.” Yearly subscriptions to Office 365 offer savings over the monthly plans and are available for $69/year (Personal) and $99/year (Home).
Microsoft offered a chart showing what each of the plans get you within the Office apps vs free features:
The updated Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps for iPad are available on the App Store now.
Sony is about to announce a new product in its QX camera accessory lineup that will make your smartphone compatible with any of its E-Mount lenses usually reserved for its line of NEX camcorders and mirrorless shooters. The report comes from the often reliable SonyAlphaRumors blog, which also shared the image above and below:
These are the first pictures of the ILCE-QX1 E-mount camera. The third QX camera after the QX10 and QX100 (here one Bay). But unlike the other two this hasn’t a fixed lens but is an E-mount module. It has an APS-C sensor (not sure yet but should have the same great A6000 24MP sensor with fast af), built-in flash
When Sony introduced its QX accessory for smartphones last year, there were mixed reviews on whether or not the lens-style camera attachment would catch on with consumers, but many praised the product despite not loving its original $300-$500 price point (which has since come down). More than just a lens attachment for your Android device or iPhone, the lens built in NFC, WiFi, battery, memory and a back-illuminated 18MP 1/2.3” Exmor R® CMOS sensor. This time around Sony is going ditch the fixed lens and let the accessory play nice with any of its E-Mount lenses, which could be a big draw for users that are already invested in the ecosystem.
Sony is expected to unveil the device during its IFA event in Berlin tomorrow on September 3. The new QX accessory will reportedly sell for 300 Euro for the body only and 450 Euro with a 16-50mm lens. The two current models are now selling for around $135 and $335 for the higher end model on Amazon. Update: Current model is now on sale for $84 shipped.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRV76VbTq-8]
Microsoft, like Samsung, has been no stranger to directly going after Apple products in its latest TV commercials and online ads. Today, Microsoft has released yet another Siri-bashing ad comparing it to Windows own Cortana voice assistant feature on the HTC One M8.
Earlier this summer during its developer conference, Microsoft released its first ad going after Siri and comparing its functionality to the new Cortana personal assistant feature for Windows mobile devices. The previous commercial focused on the latest Nokia Lumia, while today’s ad highlights the recently announced Windows version of the HTC One M8.
Microsoft also taken on other Apple products in its recent ads including side-by-side comparisons of the MacBook Air and its Surface tablet in a commercial currently airing on TV.
Here’s to hoping Apple has some big Siri improvements up its sleeve that will come alongside the new iPhones later this month and possibly be at the heart of its wearable product also expected to be unveiled at its September 9 event.
There are a few companies that make skins specifically for Apple’s keyboards to add icons for the various shortcuts that pros use daily in apps like Logic Pro and Final Cut. I’ve tried a few in the past, but the benefits never seemed to outweigh the tradeoff of putting a clunky rubber skin over Apple’s masterfully built keyboard. The latest Logic keyboard I received in for review from EditorsKeys, however, has actually won me over and proven up to the task of permanently replacing my stock Apple keyboard.
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T-Mobile just sent out invites to press for its big upcoming Uncarrier 7.0 event scheduled for September 10. That’s a day after Apple is set to announce its new iPhones and possibly other products on September 9, so it’s possible T-Mobile will dedicate at least some stage time to iPhone related announcements.
Its tagline on the invite reads, “This time it’s personal,” but what exactly that means will be anyone’s guess until early next month. Apple is expected to introduce its next-generation iPhones the day before T-Mobile’s September 10 event, but it’s also expected to give us a look at its new, much-hyped wearable product.
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Yesterday the larger iPad rumours popped up again with a report from Bloomberg claiming Apple is planning a 12.9-inch tablet…
Popular iOS note taking app Notability is today making its way to the Mac, allowing users to seamlessly switch between platforms with notes synced via iCloud.
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Microsoft updated its Xbox One SmartGlass companion app today with new features as the app and some of its flagship features expand into new markets. After first rolling out the features in beta, which include TV streaming and OneGuide features in certain markets, the updates are now available to all through the iOS app.
The update brings the ability to stream live TV from Xbox One to the SmartGlass app, but the company originally said the feature would slowly roll out to certain markets with 29 new markets arriving in the weeks to come.
The other big feature included in the app update is gameplay recording via a new Game DVR record button directly in the app. Threaded conversations and other tweaks round out the update rolling out today for iPhone and iPad.
The updated Xbox One SmartGlass app is available now on the App Store. A full list of what’s new is below:
• Share and post activity feed items
• Post status updates to your activity feed
• See your activity feed on your profile
• Display messages in a new conversations view
• Record game clips
• In-app display of release and feature notes
• Expanding to new markets
• TV and OneGuide available in new markets