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Category: Bluetooth

  • Apple unveils iOS 13 for iPhone at WWDC, presents dozens of new features

    As expected Apple detailed iOS 13 at WWDC, complete with the following details as to what to expect from the upcoming mobile operating system:

    • Photos now removes clutter such as duplications, better organization to “crate a diary of your life”
    • Brand new Photo editing experiences, easy to access controls such as Saturation, highlights, contrast, vibrance, white balance, and much more. Also works with videos, and you can now rotate a video directly in the Photos app
    • Camera and Photos: New Portrait Lighting options, can adjust the lighting effects – increase intensity smoothes skin for example
    • Memoji stickers for Messages, as well as in the system keyboard for other third-party apps
    • New Memoji options for makeup, accessories, and more
    • New security camera privacy protections in HomeKit: HomeKit Secure Video. The video is analyzed on your resident iPad, HomePod, or Apple TV. Then it is sent to Apple where no one can see it.
    • Apple launches “Sign in with Apple” as alternative to signing into services with Google and Facebook. Authentication via Face ID. Platforms can request access to email address, but you can hide it and Apple will create a fake random email that forwards to your real address
    • New Privacy options for sharing location with third-party apps: Allow just once, Background tracking Alerts, WiFi and Bluetooth protections
    • Share ETA in Maps to quickly send ETA to friends via Messages
    • Google Maps-like “Look Around” feature that gives you a 3D street level view of locations, smoothly move down the street to view stores and more
    • New launch screen in Apple Maps with favorites, collections for organizing favorites and creating shareable lists, organizing trips
    • All-new Apple Maps rolling out to the entire United States by the end of 2019
    • All-new Reminders app, rewritten from the ground up. Just type what you want and Reminders will know when and where to notify you, attach photos, Smart Lists, Tasks
    • Safari has per website preferences, Mail supports rich fonts
    • Dark Mode in Music app, live lyrics support as well
    • Redesigned share sheet with suggestions, easier to share things with one tap
    • New swipe keyboard built-in to iOS called QuickPath
    • Dark Mode is officially here, News, Home screen, Calendar, and more themed with new dark appearance
    • Major focus on performance with iOS 13: 30 percent faster Face ID unlock
    • App downloads are 50 percent smaller, app updates 60 percent smaller
    • 2x faster app launch speed

    iOS 13 is due for release this fall.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac

  • Apple releases macOS 10.14.5 Mojave update

    You’ve been waiting for it and it’s here.

    Apple on Monday released its long awaited macOS 10.14.5 Mojave update. The update, a 2.48 gigabyte download, offers the following fixes and changes:

    • Adds AirPlay 2 support for sharing videos, photos, music and more from your Mac directly to your AirPlay 2-enabled smart TV.
    • Adds the ability to follow a magazine from the Apple News+ catalog browsing view.1
    • Improves audio latency on MacBook Pro models introduced in 2018.
    • Fixes an issue that prevented certain very large OmniOutliner and OmniPlan documents from rendering properly.
    • Disables accessories with insecure Bluetooth connections.
    • Fixes an issue that prevented resetting the user account password from the login window after using a personal recovery key (PRK) to unlock the FileVault volume.
    • Fixes an issue that prevented the InstalledApplicationList MDM command from recognizing that updates are available for apps installed via VPP.

    The security updates address areas in system components such as CoreAudio, disk images, application firewall, Intel graphics drivers, macOS kernel, and more.

    If you’ve installed macOS 10.14.5 and have any feedback to offer, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via The Mac Observer

  • iFixit posts iPad mini 5 teardown, highlights similar battery, updated camera system, Bluetooth 5.0 and 3GB of RAM

    Once again, the cool cats at iFixit have torn down the new iPad mini and posted a full report of their findings.

    The iPad mini 5 has been dissected, the 7.9-inch tablet looking nearly identical to its iPad mini 4 predecessor, the only external differences being the new “A2133” model number on the back, as well as the loss of regulatory markings, which are now all software-based.

    Internally, the iPad mini 5 contains the same size battery as the iPad mini 4, which is rated for 19.32Wh, and is a slightly different battery model. The front-facing camera module has been updated to a 7MP sensor, and there are new ambient light sensors to accommodate the True Tone display technology.

    In addition, the microphones have been moved and are now located near the front-facing camera. Other new discoveries include Bluetooth 5.0 and 3GB of RAM.

    True to form, iFixit commented on the iPad mini 5’s lack of easy repairability, awarding the device only a 2 out of 10 and citing difficulties replacing the Home button, the sheer amount of adhesive that complicates “all repairs,” and battery replacement being “unnecessarily difficult.”

    Apple announced the new iPad mini two weeks ago, alongside an updated 10.5-inch version of the iPad Air. Both new iPads support the first-generation Apple Pencil, while the iPad Air also supports a Smart Keyboard.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and iFixit

  • Apple releases iOS 12.2 update

    Apple’s long-awaited iOS 12.2 update hit yesterday, complete with a ton of new features, changes, and fixes, including access to Apple’s News+ subscription service for publications.

    The update, which weighs in as a hefty download, offers the following fixes and changes:

    Apple News+:

    • Apple News+ is a new subscription service that extends the Apple News experience with hundreds of magazines and top newspapers.
    • Handpicked top articles and magazine issues along with personalized recommendations on the topics most interesting to you.
    • Automatic downloads for magazines for offline reading.
    • Available in Canada, with a free experience that includes handpicked Top Stories, a personalized Today feed, and support for both English and French.
    • Available in the U.S. and in Canada, with dozens of additional Canadian magazines.
    • Free 1-month trial, $9.99 a month thereafter.

    Animoji:

    • Four new Animoji characters, including a giraffe, shark, owl, and warthog.

    AirPods:

    • Support for new 2nd-generation AirPods.

    Apple Music:

    • The Browse tab makes it easier to discover new music, playlists, by showing more editorial highlights on a single page.

    AirPlay:

    • Control Center and the Lock screen now feature dedicated quick-access TV controls.
    • AirPlay multitasking —  browse other apps, as well as play other short form audio and video files locally on your device without interrupting AirPlay.
    • AirPlay destinations now grouped by content type, which makes it faster to find a destination device.

    Apple Pay:

    • Apple Pay Cash customers can now transfer money to their bank accounts instantly using their Visa debit cards.
    • Wallet app now displays Apple Pay credit and debit transactions right below the card.

    Safari:

    • Website sign-in now occurs automatically after filling credentials with Password AutoFill.
    • Warnings now appear when loading unencrypted webpages.
    • Removes support for the expired Do Not Track standard to prevent potential use as a fingerprinting variable. 
    • Intelligent Tracking Prevention now protects against cross-site tracking by default.
    • Smart Search Field queries can now be modified by tapping the arrow icon next to search suggestions.

    Screen Time:

    • Downtime can be configured with a different schedule for each day of the week.
    • A new toggle enables easily turning app limits on or off temporarily.

    Siri:

    • Ask Siri on your iPhone or iPad to play any video, show, movie, sports game, or channel on Apple TV. For example, “Hey Siri, play Spiderman: Enter the SpiderVerse on Office TV.”

    Additional bug fixes and improvements:

    • Supports Air Quality Index in Maps for US, UK, and India.
    • Includes information in Settings on how much time remains on your device’s warranty period.
    • Supports real-time text (RTT) for phone calls made through a nearby iPhone on iPad and iPod Touch.
    • Displays a “5G E” icon for iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) or iPad Pro 11-inch indicating that users are in an area where AT&T’s 5G Evolution network is available.
    • Improves quality of audio recordings in Messages.
    • Improves stability and performance of Apple TV Remote on iOS.
    • Fixes an issue that prevented some missed calls from appearing in Notification Center.
    • Addresses an issue where a badge notification could appear on Settings even though no action is needed.
    • Addresses an issue in Settings > General > iPhone Storage where the storage size of some large apps, the System category, and the Other category in the storage bar graph could be incorrect.
    • Fixes an issue that could cause Voice Memos to automatically play back recordings after connecting to a car Bluetooth device.
    • Resolves an issue that could cause Voice Memos to temporarily prevent renaming a recording.

    If you’ve installed iOS 12.2 on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and have any feedback to offer, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via 9to5Mac

  • iPhone SE returns to Apple’s refurbished web site, 32GB capacity units now available for a limited time

    If you’ve been craving an iPhone SE, it’s apparently back in stock for a limited time.

    Customers can now snag the $249 iPhone SE model in the 32GB capacity, as it appears the 128GB model has sold out.

    This marks the third time that Apple has sold the iPhone SE via its clearance website.

    The handset, though a bit older, includes the following features:

    • 4-inch Retina display with IPS technology
    • Talk time up to 14 hours
    • A9 chip with embedded M9 motion coprocessor
    • LTE and 802.11ac Wi‑Fi
    • Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology 
    • NFC
    • 12-megapixel camera
    • Digital zoom up to 5x
    • 1080p HD video recording
    • Touch ID 
    • Siri
    • Apple Pay
    • 3.99 ounces and 0.30 inch

    If you’ve had a chance to buy the iPhone SE through the clearance sale and have any feedback to offer, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via The Mac Observer and Apple