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Tim Cook to speak with Jack Ma about potential Apple-Alibaba partnership later this week

Alibaba

Apple chief executive Tim Cook just moments ago in a live interview at The Wall Street Journal: Digital conference claimed that he will be entering talks with Jack Ma, executive chairman of Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba, about a potential partnership with the online enterprise “later this week.” Any potential partnership between Apple and Alibaba would likely involve the integration of Apple Pay and Alipay across Taobao, Tmall and Alibaba.
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Tim Cook: Apple Pay received over 1 million activations in first 72 hours, bigger than all contactless competitors combined

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Apple Pay iOS 8.1

Apple chief executive Tim Cook confirmed just moments ago in a live interview at The Wall Street Journal: Digital conference that Apple Pay received over 1 million activations in the first 72 hours following its launch last week. Cook added that the mobile payments platform is bigger than all contactless competitors combined, presumably including rival service Google Wallet.
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Walmart on why it doesn’t accept Apple Pay: ‘What matters is that consumers have a payment option that is widely accepted’

Apple Pay Banks

Apple Pay launched last week with widespread support at over 220,000 stores in the United States, although Walmart alongside CVS and Rite Aid are among some of the high-profile retailers that have not embraced the new mobile payments service. Now, Walmart has provided official comment as to why it doesn’t accept Apple Pay at its stores.
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Microsoft OneDrive now provides unlimited cloud storage for Office 365 subscribers

Microsoft OneDrive

Microsoft on Monday announced that it will be eliminating its top-tier cloud storage plan and offering unlimited cloud storage to Office 365 subscribers at no additional cost. The change will begin rolling out today for Office 365 Home, Personal and University customers and will continue over the coming months.
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List of banks that will support Apple Pay in coming weeks/months

Apple Pay Banks

Visa has published a list of banks and financial institutions that will support Apple Pay in the United States “in the coming weeks,” while MasterCard has its own list of supported banks arriving in the coming months. The mobile payments service officially launched on Monday, October 20th and currently supports cards issued by Bank of America, Capital One, Citi Bank, Chase and Wells Fargo Bank. A full list of banks coming soon from Visa and Mastercard below:
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Inbox for Gmail: hands-on and first impressions

Mail for Inbox

Google this afternoon announced Inbox for Gmail, its all-new emailing solution that is intended to coexist with the regular Gmail platform (Think Paper for Facebook?). Inbox for Gmail is available on an invite only basis for Android, iOS and Chrome. I am fortunate enough to have received an invite to Inbox for Gmail, and I have been giving the iPhone app a rundown to see how it works. For the most part, Inbox is everything that you know and love about Gmail in a sleeker package.


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We’re giving away $50 MacUpdate Bundles: Toast 12 Titanium, Ember, SimCity 4 Deluxe, Scrivenger, Notebook, Netshade, iStat Menus and more

Update: Before this deal closes – which is soon – we’re giving it away to at least 1 Twitter user and 1 Facebook user. Just Tweet or post to Facebook and we’ll pick winners later this week. 

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MacUpdate is hitting us with an extremely good $49.99 bundle ending soon. Headlined by Toast Titanium, which is remaking itself as a video editing and transcribing tool that also burns optical media, the bundle for 10 apps costs half of the retail price of Toast 12 alone!

Even if Toast isn’t your Cup o’ Tea, there’s a wide variety of Mac apps which retail for around $500 that will appeal to many:

  • Ember ($49.99 first 8,000 buys only) – Versatile digital scrapbook loved by designers and great for everyone
  • NoteBook 4 ($49.95) Take notes, manage documents and projects, and stay organized
  • Tonality Pro ($69.99) Powerful black-and-white photo editor packed with unique features
  • Scrivener 2.5 ($44.95) Award-winning word processor for serious writers
  • Bookends 12 ($59.99)Full-featured reference manager
  • Mac DVDRipper Pro 5 ($24.95) The best way to rip DVD movies to your Mac
  • NetShade 6 ($45.00) Easy-to-use VPN for maximum online privacy
  • iStat Menus 5($19.00) Elegantly monitor your Mac from the menu bar
  • SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition ($19.99) Legendary city-building simulation game

The sale is going on for two weeks but you’ll want to jump in quick to get the full selection of apps.

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Charge your iPhone 6/Plus twice as quick with these 2.1A USB Car/Chargers/Batteries/Surge protectors

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Yesterday, it was revealed that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus could be charged faster (in some cases as fast as 2 hours to full) using a 2.1A AC charger like the one that comes with the iPad. Curiously, Apple has only included the same 5W 1A iPhone charger that it traditionally has with its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus meaning that your iPhone charge times coming from much smaller iPhones are going to go through the roof.

Not to worry! The 9to5Toys team will get you updated to 2.1A USB ports across the board with the best gear/deals we could find for a wide range of 2.1A USB needs…

 

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The no fuss move is to just get a 12W Apple iPad AC adapter (above). They are at Amazon for $19 Prime shipped. You can’t go wrong appearance and reliability-wise there but perhaps your $20 can be better spent?

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Anker makes a product we love called the Anker® 25W 5-Port Desktop USB Charger with PowerIQ™ Technology which sells for $15.99 Prime shipped. That will charge your iPhone 6/Plus fast but gives you 4 more USB outlets and 13 more watts for charging other devices (Tablets, Androids, Cameras, Batteries and more). If you want to step up to a 40W model, you are only at $21.99 Prime shipped. That’s only a few bucks more than Apple’s 1-port option.

Speaking of batteries…

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You can also upgrade your external USB batteries with a 2.1 A version that will charge your iPhone faster. A best best is the $20 Omaker Brilliant 10000mAh(2.1Amp+2.1Amp Output) Dual USB Portable Charger External Battery Pack Power bank with 1W Flashlight. I have one of these and it works well all around and feels well made (OK the flashlight isn’t the brightest). It charges via included MicroUSB cable and has DUAL 2.1A outputs for iPhones iPads and anything else you want to throw at it (expect at least 3-4 full iPhone charges). I also favorably reviewed the Lumsing Harmonica ($20) and huge RavPower Xtreme 23000mAh which might be better options depending on your needs.

Want popular brand immediately? Head over to your local Best Buy and grab a Mophie 4000mAh Juice Pack. The Product (Red) version is half price at $39.99 shipped or for pickup.

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omaker-3-port-car-chargerDon’t forget your car. Typical car USB ports and chargers are only 1A. Step up to more with PowerGen 2×2.4A Charger for $8.99 Prime Shipped. That will provide plenty of juice for 2 iPhone 6s or even add a Tablet instead. Need moar portz!? We LOVE this Omaker 3-port 26W Car charger (pictured above) in all of your favorite iPhone colors (at once) for just $9.99 with free Prime shipping.

Belkin-2.1A-travel-charger-sale

You are also going to need an AC travel charger too, right? We love Belkin’s SurgePlus dual 2.1A Travel Charger (we won’t tell if you use this at home all the time too) for $19.99 shipped. Grab a 6 outlet dual 2.1A Belkin version for $22.87 . Monoprice has a similar 3 outlet option for only $13.50 with some shipping.

However, if you just want to charge at 2.1A and get out as cheap as possible, jump on the MonoPrice 2.1A AC wall charger for $5.73 plus a few bucks for shipping.

Apple shipping a slow charger for the iPhone 6 is a mystery but solving it is easy and very inexpensive if you know where to look. Follow 9to5toys.com for all the best gear and deals.

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$50 MacUpdate Bundle: Toast 12 Titanium, Ember, SimCity 4 Deluxe, Scrivenger, Notebook, Netshade, iStat Menus and more

From 9to5Toys.com:

9to5-image 2014-09-15 at 11.14.21 AM

 

MacUpdate is hitting us with an extremely good $49.99 bundle this week. Headlined by Toast Titanium, which is remaking itself as a video editing and transcribing tool that also burns optical media, the bundle for 10 apps costs half of the retail price of Toast 12 alone!

Even if Toast isn’t your Cup o’ Tea, there’s a wide variety of Mac apps which retail for around $500 that will appeal to many:

  • Ember ($49.99 first 8,000 buys only) – Versatile digital scrapbook loved by designers and great for everyone
  • NoteBook 4 ($49.95) Take notes, manage documents and projects, and stay organized
  • Tonality Pro ($69.99) Powerful black-and-white photo editor packed with unique features
  • Scrivener 2.5 ($44.95) Award-winning word processor for serious writers
  • Bookends 12 ($59.99)Full-featured reference manager
  • Mac DVDRipper Pro 5 ($24.95) The best way to rip DVD movies to your Mac
  • NetShade 6 ($45.00) Easy-to-use VPN for maximum online privacy
  • iStat Menus 5($19.00) Elegantly monitor your Mac from the menu bar
  • SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition ($19.99) Legendary city-building simulation game

The sale is going on for two weeks but you’ll want to jump in quick to get the full selection of apps.

Deep iPad discounts at Staples and Target: $199 16GB Minis ($100 off), Airs $130 off AC(starting at $369)

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From 9to5Toys.com:

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Confirming our report from earlier this month, Target has revived its $199 iPad mini sale (Direct Link) this morning. At the time of posting it’s available both online at Target.com and at Target retail locations. That’s even $30 less than the retail price of top Android tablets Nexus 7 or Kindle HDX.

We’ve been told by a Target rep that quantities are limited and as such we highly recommend picking one up today. This deal is $100 better than retail and $20 less than Apple charges for a refurbished model. The non-Retina iPad mini features a 7.9-inch LED-backlit display, 10-hour battery life, and dual-core A5 chip.

Seperately, Staples is offering all WiFi-enabled iPad Airs (Space Gray or Silver) for $30 off (Direct link). Coupon code 79449 drops them another $100 yielding $369/$469/$569 on 16/32/64GB Wifi models.

As we’ve said before, these deals often sell out quick so if you are going to make a move, do so quickly.

Also, Apple is widely expected to update its iPads again in October but these prices are at or below what we expect current models to drop to so you are getting Apple’s holiday prices today.
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Award-winning MacLovin’ Bundle, $40 for djay, Boom, Cinemagraph Pro, Keyboard Maestro, NetSpot Pro, much more

9to5-image 2014-08-12 at 10.00.56 PM Specials.9to5Toys.com has a pretty solid bundle of disparate Mac apps available for $40 bucks today. All apps included are award winners – Either Apple Design Award, Best of Mac App Store, or Macworld Editors’ Choice Award-Winners so no duds here:

  • Cinemagraph Pro ($100) – The Professional Photography & Cinematography Tool For Mac – Apple Design Award Winner 2014
  • Djay ($20) – The #1 DJ Software For Mac – Best of Mac App Store
  • NetSpot Pro ($149) – The Only App For WiFi Analysis and Troubleshooting on Max OS X – Macworld Editors’ Choice Award-Winner
  • Keyboard Maestro ($36) – Record and Design Your Own Macro Shortcuts –Macworld Editors’ Choice Award-Winner
  • Hype 2 ($30) – Create Beautiful HTML5 Web Content w/out Coding –Macworld Editors’ Choice Award Winner
  • Dropzone 3 ($10) – The Swiss Army Knife of Productivity – Mac Gem Award-Winner
  • Moom ($10) – Move and Zoom Like Never Before – Macworld Editors’ Choice Award-Winner
  • Boom ($7) – System-Wide Volume Booster & Equalizer That Makes Your Mac Louder, Clearer, & Better – Macworld Best of Show Award-Winner
  • The OS X App Master Class ($499) – Learn To Make Fantastic Mac Apps w/22 Hours of Instruction
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Bill allowing smartphone unlocking approved by the House of Representatives, set to become law

iphone-5s-hero-l-201311After the decision last year to make unlocking smartphone and tablet devices illegal, the US House of Representatives today voted yes to allow the practice to become legal once again. This is already the second time the government has voted on this issue, as just a few weeks ago the US Senate approved the legislation to move on to the House. The final step in getting the law approved is the President’s signature, which should come with little delay as he has already spoken out in favor of the bill.


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Verizon to begin throttling certain unlimited 4G LTE customers

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Verizon has been throttling unlimited 3G data subscribers for years now, but never 4G LTE users. Until today, when they announced this morning that beginning October 1st, the top 5% of 4G LTE data users who coincidentally meet a series of other factors will get throttled. According to DroidLifea recent report showed that over 20% of Verizon data users were still on an unlimited data plan, so it’s no surprise that Verizon would want to push these users to a tiered data plan.


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New Samsung ad says ‘we’ve had it for two years’ to those anticipating iPhone 6’s larger screen

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Samsung is continuing its approach of pushing anti-iPhone ads on its YouTube channel. Today’s ad showcases two friends, an iPhone user and a Galaxy S5 user, speaking to each other about the upcoming iPhone 6’s larger screen. “Dude, iPhone might be getting a bigger screen” excitedly states the iPhone user  “That hasn’t happened yet?” slyly responds the Galaxy S5 user. Check out the full advertisement for yourself below:


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Contest winners turned pirates leak early copy of Modern Combat 5, and Gameloft’s furious

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Earlier this week, Gameloft hosted a contest on their Facebook page rewarding winners with a free, early copy of Modern Combat 5: Blackout. The upcoming next installment of the popular first-person shooter is slated for release July 24th for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 8 devices. Unfortunately for Gameloft, however, you can already download it-for free. According to the company, one of the contest winners pirated the game made it available for download as a torrent. Unsurprisingly, Gameloft is livid. Gameloft Community Manager Florian Weber said in a statement on Facebook:
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Google updates 2D physics engine LiquidFun with Chrome extension and iOS support

Google today announced the release of LiquidFun 1.1, an update to the open-sourced 2D physics engine originally released last December. New in today’s release is browser support and this allows games using the engine only found on Android devices to be ported over as Chrome extensions. Also new in the update is iOS support. Google says previous versions of the engine could be modified to work on iOS, but today’s update brings native support to the platform. The release notes are below:

  • LiquidFun now runs in your browser! Using Emscripten, we’ve translated LiquidFun into JavaScript. You can see LiquidFun’s Testbed application, rewritten in JavaScript, running on our landing page.
  • We’ve added iOS support for LiquidFun’s internal Testbed and EyeCandy applications. Earlier versions of LiquidFun could be made to run on iOS, but iOS is now officially supported.
  • We’ve optimized LiquidFun’s particle simulation. In particular, we’ve written NEON (a.k.a., Advanced SIMD) code to improve performance on ARM processors.
  • We’ve stabilized the simulation, fixed bugs, and added some cool new functions, including one that automatically splits a particle group into multiple, disjoint particle groups.
  • We’ve clarified and improved the documentation, thanks to questions from the LiquidFun community.

 

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Amazon Instant Video 2.7 gets free first episodes, new playback controls and HBO

screen480x480 Even though Amazon is investing heavily in its Fire platform including new Fire TV and Fire Phone, it still is showing some chops for iOS. Today’s free update brings the latest features of Amazon’s Video service to its iOS apps.

Amazon upgraded the iPad and iPhone apps today with all new video playback controls, including one-touch play/pause and 10-second skip forward/backward buttons, and a “Next Episode” button to quickly play back the next episode of the TV show you’re watching (requires iOS 6 or later). If you are thinking about buying a season of a TV series, you can now peep out the first episode for free.

The biggest update however is access to HBO shows like The Sopranos (right), The Wire, and Deadwood, plus early seasons of True Blood and Boardwalk Empire. As with any update, this one includes bugfixes and stability improvements including faster playback start times.

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Get your Role Play on with new Angry Birds ‘Epic’ from Rovio

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCs_1NCLo90]

Angry-birds-epicRovio today launched Angry Birds Epic for free in the iTunes App Store globally after a brief soft launch in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.

Get ready for a bird-tastic FREE RPG adventure filled with “weapons” (whatever they could get ahold of), magic, bad guys and silly hats! Lead your feathery team into battle now – it’s going to be EPIC!

EPIC BATTLES! Turn-based battles between our heroic flock of warriors and those green snout-nosed scoundrels! It’s easy to play, but difficult to master!

EPIC WORLDS! Explore a fantasy Piggy Island with everything from tribal villages and frosty mountains to tropical beaches and mysterious caves!

EPIC CHARACTERS! Join Red, Chuck, Bomb and the other heroes as they face King Pig, Wiz Pig, Prince Porky and many more villains!

EPIC UPGRADES! Level up your characters, armor, weapons and potions to become a legendary hero ready to take on the mightiest pig warrior!

EPIC WEAPONS! Craft amazing battle-winning weapons like a wooden sword, frying pan or stick thingy with a sponge on top!

EPIC HUMOR! Plenty of offbeat humor and tons of quirky characters dressed in awesomely silly costumes – like a prickly cactus hat and a matching sword.

Phone Arena called it great for casual gamers but too simple and repetitive for hardcore gamers.

Overall, Angry Birds Epic is one of those must-try casual games. Chances are that hardcore gamers will find it too simple and shallow for their taste, but those who consider themselves casual gamers will surely love Rovio’s newest creation. The game is easy to learn, easy to play, and easy to put down when there’s more serious business to be done, which makes it a great choice for killing a few minutes while waiting for the bus. Although we wouldn’t mind spending an afternoon stashing loot, crafting weapons, and laying waste to those grunting green pigs. Best of all, we never had the feeling that we were being pushed towards buying extra in-game currency (which costs real money, by the way) so don’t be worried about IAPs spoiling your experience. The only thing you might be bothered by are the full-screen pop-up ads that appear from time to time.