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Apple halts online sales in Russia to review pricing amid ‘extreme’ currency fluctuations

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 16 2014 - 11:31 am PT
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Russia Online Apple Store

Bloomberg reports this afternoon that Apple has ceased online sales in Russia due to “extreme” fluctuations in the value of the ruble. Apple has previously attempted to combat the unpredictable swings in the country’s official currency by adjusting the prices of its products, having most recently increased the price of the iPhone 6 by 25% in the country last month.
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You can now control your Nest with Google Now voice commands

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 15 2014 - 11:58 am PT
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Google Now Nest

It was only a matter of time following Google’s acquisition of home automation company Nest earlier this year that users would begin receiving the best of both worlds. One of the first marriages of each company’s products and services is Google Now integration with Nest, allowing for users to control the smart thermostat using voice commands.
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Google introduces Route 85 web series geared towards iOS developers

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 12 2014 - 6:09 pm PT
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Screen Shot 2014-12-12 at 8.48.33 PM

Google may own the world’s most popular mobile operating system in Android, but it wants iPhone and iPad developers to recognize that the company has a lot to offer for them as well. Enter a new web series called Route 85, which will consist of a set of videos uploaded to the Google Developers channel on YouTube to showcase everything from SDKs to code libraries that iOS developers can take advantage of.
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Class-action lawsuit over 2011 MacBook Pro GPU issues extended to Canada

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 12 2014 - 8:53 am PT
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2011 MacBook Pro

Following a petition with thousands of signatures related to GPU complaints and a class-action lawsuit filed in the United States, another class-action lawsuit has been filed north of the border against Apple Canada over the same GPU issues affecting some 15-inch and 17-inch 2011 MacBook Pro models equipped with an AMD graphics chip.
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Canadian court rules that police officers can search cell phones without warrant during arrest

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 11 2014 - 9:42 pm PT
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Canada Police Officer

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled by a 4-3 decision that Canadian police officers have the right to search cell phones without a warrant during arrests under certain circumstances: the arrest must be lawful, police need a valid reason for the search, the search must be limited to the suspected crime and police must keep detailed records of the search.
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Watch: Behind the scenes look at Corning’s Gorilla Glass testing facility

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 11 2014 - 4:06 pm PT
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The team at uBreakiFix was recently invited to Corning’s Gorilla Glass testing facility in Corning, New York for an inside look at the science behind the ultra-durable glass found on iPhones, iPads and several other smartphones and tablets. The five-minute spot goes behind the scenes at Corning’s strength testing lab to show how durable Gorilla Glass is under stress and bending tests.
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Robinhood launches on App Store, brings zero-commission stock trading to the masses

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 11 2014 - 5:59 am PT
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Robinhood App

For several years, my grandmother has encouraged me to get involved with the stock market. While she was successful at persuading my older brother into investing in penny stocks, I have never taken the initiative to learn how the stock market truly works. For that reason, I was excited when I heard about a brand new app called Robinhood, which provides zero-commission stock trading at your fingertips.

While online brokers are nothing new, with existing firms such as Interactive Brokers and E-Trade, Robinhood is a mobile-first service that doesn’t require a desktop. Whether you are a twenty-something college student that doesn’t fully understand how the stock market functions, an experienced Wall Street stock trader, or fall somewhere in between, the app makes stock trading easier for the masses.
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Grab a big iOS App designer bundle (MSRP: over $1000) for only a few bucks

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 10 2014 - 8:01 pm PT
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From 9to5Toys Specials:
Programming-classes-cheap

Specials.9to5toys.com is running a **special** on an iOS app designer bundle that up and coming iOS app designers will likely want to take advantage of.  This is an “NYOP bundle”, meaning that people can name their own price to get 2 courses (Learn Mobile Web Design Using Bootstrap & Learn To Build Cross Platform Apps). Or, if you beat the average price, you’ll get the entire bundle (7 courses & assets). This evening that is only a few bucks plus 10% goes to charity of your choice and high bidders get a chance to win a Gold iPad Air/ iPhone 6. The bundle includes:

MSRP value of these courses and assets is $1,415. You can’t go wrong for a few bucks.


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Alipay updated w/ Touch ID amid talk of potential Apple-Alibaba partnership

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 10 2014 - 9:45 am PT
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Apple CEO Tim Cook, speaking at the Wall Street Journal: Digital conference in October, claimed that he would be entering discussions with Jack Ma, executive chairman of Alibaba, about a potential partnership with the Chinese e-commerce company. It was speculated at the time that any partnership would likely be centered upon the integration of Apple Pay and Alipay for mobile payments on Alibaba, Taobao and Tmall.

Amid the speculation, China Daily was first to report that Alibaba has updated its Alipay app for iPhone and iPad today with Touch ID support. Alipay users with an iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus will now be able to use their fingerprint instead of a password when making mobile payments on the latest version of the app, which is a step closer to the way that Apple Pay works in the United States.
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Facebook bringing ‘Trending’ section to iOS, improves web version

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 10 2014 - 9:08 am PT
1 Comment

Facebook Trending Android iOS

Facebook introduced a new “Trending” section on the web in January to display trending stories that are frequently shared and discussed on the social network. Today, the company announced that it has improved this feature by organizing trending topics into five categories so that it’s easier for people to explore stories from different sources.
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Shazam for iOS updated w/ redesigned music player, deeper Spotify integration & more

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 10 2014 - 6:55 am PT
2 Comments

Shazam Mobile Apps

Shazam for iOS received a major update on Wednesday with a redesigned home screen and music player for more conveniently keeping up to date with the latest artists you have identified, finding out what songs friends are listening to and accessing the latest Shazam charts. A brand new Shazam.com was also launched with a Hall of Fame for artists and other new features.
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Some Bose products now back up for sale on Apple Online Store after nearly two months

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 9 2014 - 9:13 pm PT
2 Comments

Bose-Apple-store-back

A few months ago, Apple unceremoniously dropped Bose headphones and speakers from the Apple Online and Retail Stores. The move appears to have been temporary, however, as Apple has added some Bose sound products back to its online storefront this evening, including its popular Bluetooth-enabled SoundLink III  and SoundLink Mini wireless speakers and QuietComfort acoustic noise canceling headphones.
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Snapchat finally updated with iPhone 6/6 Plus support

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 9 2014 - 7:52 pm PT
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SnapchatWhile the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were released nearly three months ago, some high-profile developers have taken incredibly long to update their apps with native resolution for the larger screens. Look no further than Snapchat, which has finally been updated with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus support in an update released today.

The latest version of the popular ephemeral messaging app, in which users can share photos, videos and instant messages with others that disappear after a customizable length of time, also received enhancements in other areas, including improved captions, the ability to change the color of, pinch to resize and drag around special text and stacked filters.
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AT&T and Verizon warn investors of higher Q4 churn as Sprint and T-Mobile increase competition

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 9 2014 - 12:12 pm PT
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Screen Shot 2014-12-09 at 2.58.42 PM

While the traditional wireless landscape in the United States has consisted of AT&T and Verizon Wireless as the heavyweights and Sprint and T-Mobile as the underdogs, the divide between the carriers appears to be quickly narrowing. Sprint and T-Mobile have both introduced highly-competitive plans and promotional offerings in the fourth quarter, leading many consumers to switch carriers at a higher-than-average pace.
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Universal eyes Jeff Daniels to play former Apple CEO John Sculley in Steve Jobs movie

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 9 2014 - 9:42 am PT
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John Sculley Jeff Daniels

The Wrap reports that Universal Pictures is eyeing The Newsroom (and Dumb & Dumber) star Jeff Daniels to perform as former Apple CEO John Sculley in the upcoming Steve Jobs movie by Aaron Sorkin. Daniels would be reunited with Sorkin and Scott Rudin, executive producers of The Newsroom, starring alongside Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs and Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak.
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iTunes Connect shutting down for holidays between December 22-29

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 3 2014 - 8:23 pm PT
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iTunes Connect December 2014

Apple has sent an email to registered developers on Wednesday to inform them that iTunes Connect will be shutting down for the holidays from December 22 to December 29. During this time, developers will be unable to submit new apps, app updates or in-app purchases to appear on the App Store. Access to iTunes Connect, Application Loader, iTunes Connect for iOS and making changes to TestFlight Beta Testing will also be unavailable as a whole.
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Mozilla confirms Firefox for iOS to be released in the future

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 2 2014 - 4:02 pm PT
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iPhone 6 Firefox

For over four years, Mozilla has expressed that it has no interest in porting its Firefox web browser to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Under the leadership of new chief executive Chris Beard, however, that mindset appears to have changed, as TechCrunch reports that Mozilla has recognized a need to release Firefox for iOS in the future.
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SwiftKey enables Stephen Hawking to communicate twice as fast

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 2 2014 - 6:52 am PT
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Stephen Hawking SwiftKey

SwiftKey announced on Tuesday that it has collaborated with Intel on an ambitious project for the past two years: improving the communication system of Stephen Hawking. The custom keyboard maker makes it easier for the well-known scientist, who has motor neurone disease, to predict full words, based on a small sensor activated by a muscle in his cheek.
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IDC: iPad’s first year of decline expected as worldwide tablet growth significantly slows

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Nov 25 2014 - 9:17 am PT
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ipadThe latest numbers from market research company IDC reveal that worldwide tablet growth is expected to have significantly declined in 2014, with just 7.2% year-over-year growth compared to 52.5% in 2013. A contributing factor will likely be the iPad’s first year of decline as the tablet’s market share continues to fall because of a growing number of cheaper alternatives.
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FCC pressures T-Mobile into showing actual speed test results for users w/ throttled plans

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Nov 25 2014 - 7:51 am PT
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TMobile Speed Test

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission this week reached an agreement with T-Mobile to ensure that customers receive proper information about the speed of their wireless internet connection, even if the user has a capped data plan. The carrier has 60 days to implement the changes outlined in the agreement.
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Parallels Desktop 10 Black Friday bundle: 1Password, Camtasia, CleanMyMac 2, Gemini, and more for $50 upgrade/$80 new ($285 off)

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Nov 24 2014 - 7:07 pm PT
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From 9to5Toys.com:
parallels-bundle

Starting this evening and running through Black Friday weekend, Parallels is running a special bundle of Mac apps for free when you upgrade to Parallels 10 for $49.99 or buy it new for $79.99. The bundled apps 1Password password manager, Camtasia screen recorder, CleanMyMac 2 file organizer/remover, Gemini file de-duplicator, Acronis True Image backup and restore software and a 2 year subscription to Parallels Access which allows you to run parallels VMs remotely on iOS and Android devices. Not a bad deal at all of you need any of these other apps.

Parallels 10 was announced in August and we reviewed it shortly thereafter noting it was the best way to run Windows and Linux VMs on a Mac.

Not sure you are into Parallels? Grab a 14 day free trial here. Just want Parallels in a shiny box? Amazon has it for $62. More info on the bundled apps below:


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