Today’s Quick Tip is an interesting one (if we do say so ourselves). Did you know you can use one Mac in your house as a Time Machine destination for another? How very very odd. We’ll go over the oddness in its entirety in this article!

Apple this morning began offering promo codes to Apple Music subscribers that allow them to buy a HomePod at a discounted price for a limited time, in a holiday-themed promotion.

As of writing, customers in the UK have received codes for £50 off a new HomePod, bringing the price down to £269, with the offer available until December 16.

The discount is being offered via an email from Apple that includes a button-style link to 'Get Your Promo Code', which sends customers to the official Apple website with the promotional offer applied.

HomePod brings out the best in Apple Music. To celebrate the holidays, we're giving only Apple Music subscribers £50 off HomePod now through December 16. Claim your special promo code now.The £50 discount narrowly beats the price of HomePod from John Lewis and...

The rumors were true.

Apple Pay launched in Germany on Tuesday, complete with the support of 15 banks and credit card firms for its initial rollout within the country.

Six more will follow in 2019.

The partners are as follows:

American Express

Maestro

Mastercard

Boon

Bunq

Comdirect

Deutsche Bank

Fidor Bank

Hanseatic Bank

HypoVereinsbank

N26

02 Banking

Edenred

Vim Pay

The service will be extended to Consors Bank, Consors Finanz, Crosscard, Deutsche Kredit Bank, Fleetmoney, ING, Revolut, Sodexo, and Viabuy in 2019.

Major German retailers and venues within the country include supermarket chains Aldi and Lidl, clothes shops H&M and Zara and travel provider BVG. US brands such as McDonalds and Starbucks also accepted it from launch. German Soccer giants FV Bayern Munich signed up for Apple Pay too, as did the Allianz Arena, the team’s home stadium....

Vinyl records are making a major comeback, but digital recordings are better suited to mobile pursuits. Audio-Technica's USB turntable gives you the best of both worlds.

Your decision isn't between two products, it's between two entire ecosystems.

Network Radar is an advanced network scanning and managing tool. Featuring an easy-to-use and streamlined design, the all-new Network Radar 2 has been engineered from the ground up as a modern Mac application.

Features

• Scan your network and retrieve detailed information on network devices
• Run useful network tools and commands with the click of a button
• Use the monitoring feature and get notified about changes in your network
• Access devices from previous scans, even in different networks
• Use the simple rules / actions system for automatic processing of devices
• Simply connect to a device by double-clicking it in the list
• Assign your own names and choose from provided icons or import own icons
• Organize your hosts in folders and smart folders
• Create scans with custom IP ranges
• Export a scan to XML, CSV, TXT, PDF or NETRADR

Supported Network Interfaces...

After originally selling out within four hours, B&H has brought back the incredibly popular $249 deal on Apple's HomePod with free expedited delivery. What's more, B&H will not collect sales tax in many states. Supplies are limited, so grab this deal while you can.

The Tor Browser Bundle is an easy-to-use portable package of Tor, Vidalia, Torbutton, and a Firefox fork preconfigured to work together out of the box. It contains a modified copy of Firefox that aims to resolve the privacy and security issues in mainline version.

Tor was originally designed, implemented, and deployed as a third-generation onion-routing project of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. It was originally developed with the U.S. Navy in mind, for the primary purpose of protecting government communications. Today, it is used every day for a wide variety of purposes by normal people, the military, journalists, law-enforcement officers, activists, and many others.

Version 8.0.4:

• Release notes were unavailable when this listing was updated.

• OS X 10.9 or later

Download Now]]>

OneNote is your very own digital notebook. With OneNote, you can capture that flash of genius, that moment of inspiration, or that list of errands that's too important to forget. Whether you're at home, in the office or on the go, your notes travel with you. And you can share your notes and collaborate with others, across multiple devices!

Here are some more ideas on how to use OneNote:

• Capture rich notes for classwork, meetings, or research
• Keep track of your shopping list and mark items off wherever you are
• Create an itinerary and keep track of your travel plans for your next big vacation
• Take pictures of receipts and bills to remove some of the paper clutter
• Collaborate and share ideas with your team
• Research items and prices to make the best purchasing decision
• Keep and edit all of your notes

Version 16.20:

• Mac Touch Bar support: Use the Touch Bar...

iFinance allows you to keep track of your income and spending -- from your lunchbreak coffee to your new car -- in the most convenient and fastest way. Clearly arranged transaction lists of all your financial resources from your debit account to your credit card and cash show you exactly what you spend your money on - the first and most crucial step in getting your finances on-track. iFinance lets you know how your assets perform. Have it analyze your finances and the available charts and reports will show you instantly what your biggest spending items are and where there's potential for savings. The convenient budget feature helps you review your financial goals. How much money can you spend today if you want to stay within your budget? How much more income is needed to achieve your monthly goal?

It supports several different banking file formats, such as CSV, QIF, OFX, and mt940. Import your data by using one of these formats or retrieve your bank account...

As of July 2012, Thunderbird has transitioned to a new governance model, with new features being developed by the broader free software and open source community, and security fixes and improvements handled by Mozilla.

Thunderbird is a free, open-source, cross-platform e-mail and news (NNTP) client developed by the Mozilla Foundation. The project strategy is modeled after Mozilla Firefox, a project aimed at creating a Web browser.

Version 60.3.3:

Migrated

• Thunderbird 60 will migrate security databases (key3.db, cert8.db to key4.db, cert9.db). Thunderbird 60.3.2 and earlier contained a fault that potentially deleted saved passwords and private certificate keys for users using a master password. Version 60.3.3 will prevent the loss of data; affected users who have already upgraded to version 60.3.2 or earlier can restore the deleted key3.db file from backup to complete the migration.

Fixed

In November Patently Apple posted a report that talked about the crisis that Samsung was undergoing with their smartphone division losing a lot of ground in 2018 to Chinese rivals Huawei, Oppo and Xiaomi in Asian markets. The report also touched on a "punch-hole" display coming to the Galaxy S10 in early 2019 along with a fingerprint scanner under the display using ultrasonic technology. The rumor of the "punch-hole' display coming to the Galaxy S10 became a reality yesterday ...

Up until this year, I might have used this frequently. Now, I try to use Google products as little as possible.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Digital Trends writes: “The Millennium Falcon has arrived. After two years of construction, Han Solo’s ride is all set for takeoff at Disneyland’s upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge attraction, revealed in a behind-the-scenes image posted on the official Disneyland Instagram account.” I have a good feeling about this.

The way Safari tabs work on the Mac:

• If you ⌘-click a link or use the contextual menu to open a link in a new tab, that new tab will be created next to your current tab.
• If you make a new tab with File → New Tab (⌘T), the new tab will be created at the rightmost end of the tabs in the current window.

This is the way Safari tabs have worked as long as I can remember, and it matches the way tabs work on other browsers on the Mac.

It’s fine if you don’t have a lot of tabs. But I always do, and the behavioral mismatch has long bothered me. If I have, say, 10 tabs open in a window and I’m currently using, say, tab 2, when I type ⌘T to open a new tab it feels like the rightmost end of the row of tabs is “way over there”, but what I want is the new tab to open “right next to where I am” — like what happens when I ⌘-click a link.

A few months ago I asked on Twitter if there...

Tensions remain high over the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou for alleged Iran sanction violations, but Canada just offered a tiny olive branch. A British Columbia Supreme Court justice has granted Meng bail after her attorney and family made a ca...

Microsoft today updated its suite of Office for Mac apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, with support for Dark Mode on macOS Mojave and several other new features. The updates are available to both Office 365 subscribers and to users who purchased Office 2019 for Mac as a one-time purchase.

The update also makes it easier to insert a photo from an iPhone or iPad into a PowerPoint slide using Apple's new Continuity Camera feature. This allows users to control-click in a PowerPoint window where you want the photo to appear, quickly take a photo on a nearby iPhone or iPad, and import it into a slide.

And with v16.20 some customers will see our Ribbon Visual Refresh with new icons and styling in Office 365 for Mac, as we begin...

Nike Run Club for Apple Watch Series 4 now has a complication option for every new slot on the new Infograph Modular and Infograph watch faces. Nike Run Club added support for most of the new complication slots last month, but one big option on Infograph Modular was missing before today.

more…

The post Nike Run Club for Apple Watch Series 4 gains new Infograph Modular complication with run summary and guided runs appeared first on 9to5Mac.

The Apple Watch Series 4 officially added the ECG app in the United States last week, but details regarding an international rollout remain unclear. In a post on Twitter, Health Canada said that it has yet to receive an application from Apple to bring Apple Watch ECG support to the country…

more…

The post Apple Watch ECG launch in Canada unclear as Health Canada says it hasn’t received an application from Apple appeared first on 9to5Mac.

You can now support Apple Pay for your customers in Germany, providing an easy and secure way for them to pay within your apps and websites.

Learn more about Apple Pay

IDG

For this episode of the Macworld Podcast, we'll be discussing Epic Games' removal of the Infinity Blade series from the App Store and what it says about app maintenance and game preservation. We'll also be discussing The New York Times' report on how apps constantly track your location data, even when using an otherwise secure device like an iPhone. We'll then close by discussing the best Apple products to give as holiday gifts.

To read this article in full, please click here

This is one of those deals I just love to be able to offer! It’s for Keyboard Maestro, a Mac utility most of us use at TMO. Keyboard Maestro lets you set up and run macros, control apps, complete long passages with a few keystrokes, and more. Our deal is for $19, but coupon code GREENMONDAY20 at checkout brings it down to $15.20.

Verizon on Tuesday updated its customer service app, My Verizon, with support for fully app-based eSIM activations on the latest iPhone XS, XS Max and XR.

Apple announced that it would not accept submissions for new apps, or updates to existing ones, over the holiday period.

LONDON – There are over 6,000 traffic lights in London, which both pedestrians and drivers need to navigate as they make their way around the city. Wired has a fascinating feature on how the city’s transport authority, Transport for London, is hacking this network of traffic lights to make London more pleasant for pedestrians. What is more, AI and autonomous vehicles is likely to have a huge effect on how this all works in the future.

Such ideas don’t necessarily require technology, new innovations could further change our roads and the signals managing them. For example, researchers are working on ways to get rid of traffic lights entirely, with autonomous intersection management. Rather than wait at a red light, connected, self-driving cars schedule a route through a junction; because speeds and therefore positioning can be perfectly managed, all the cars can go at once, choreographed like a horrifying traffic ballet.

...

The GameCube controller for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate might be sold out all over the place, but you don't need it to dominate the competition with your favorite fighter. All you need, it turns out, is a bunch of bananas. A Twitch streamer going by t...

Having mocked Apple for years for scrapping the iPhone’s headphone jack, Samsung has followed suit. Its new Galaxy A8s phone does not have the component. Instead, users need a USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter to plug in headphones. Given the taunting adverts and on-stage jibes from Samsung executives about the lack of a headphone jack in the iPhone, I’m sure nobody at Apple will mention this…from MacRumors:

Samsung today introduced its latest smartphone, the Galaxy A8s. It is Samsung’s first smartphone with an Infinity-O display, which has a nearly edge-to-edge, uninterrupted design beyond a small hole for the front-facing camera. It is also Samsung’s first smartphone without a headphone jack, much to the amusement of iPhone users, as Samsung has mocked Apple for over two years over its decision to remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in 2016, a trend that has continued...

We have a deal on a 2-year subscription for CuriosityStream, the streaming and on-demand service with more than 2,000 documentaries and shows. It works in a browser, iOS, Apple TV 4 and above, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Xbox One, and more. It’s $29.99 through our deal, but coupon code GREENMONDAY20 at checkout brings it down to $23.99.

How would you keep a shopping mall lively in an era when more and more people are buying their holiday gifts online? The Mall of America has a one-word answer: holograms. It's partnering with mixed reality firm VNTANA on what's billed as the "first-e...

We reported last week about one of the first Apple Watch users who was surprised to find that he had atrial fibrillation (A-fib) after using the new ECG app. Now, that same 46-year-old was featured on ABC’s Good Morning America, sharing more details about how Apple Watch potentially saved his life.

Interestingly, Ed Dentel had some chest pain earlier this year, but received normal results after an electrocardiogram. If it weren’t for his Apple Watch and the warnings from his readings last week, he likely would have had no idea about his heart condition.

more…

The post New development...

The classic iOS racing series Asphalt has released a new update to its latest edition Asphalt 9: Legends game, now featuring 60 FPS support for iPhone XS and XS Max.

more…

The post Asphalt 9 for iOS updated with 60 FPS iPhone XS and XS Max support appeared first on 9to5Mac.

News broke on Monday about a ban on iPhone imports and sales in China -- and as you'd expect, a chorus of analysts freaked out about it immediately. Here's why they're wrong, and that the ruling isn't anything more than a negotiating tool by Qualcomm.

Today Kelly Guimont has Andrew Orr and Charlotte Henry on to talk about the latest in the Bloomberg v Apple story, and package tracking tips.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified in front of a U.S. congressional panel on Tuesday to address a number of issues, above all deflecting suggestions that the company's search results are biased towards one political party or another.

Instead of spending a pile of cash on a new USB-C hub for your new iPad Pro, give your existing one a try first, as most will work just fine.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai is facing the House Judiciary Committee today, and he’s having to explain some awkward questions.

Enlarge / A letter posted by Supermicro executives today announcing that an audit had found no evidence of claims of espionage implants in the company's servers, part of a campaign by the company to counter a report by Bloomberg in October.

In a letter to customers issued December 11, Supermicro President and CEO Charles Liang and other top executives announced that an audit conducted by an outside investigating team had found no evidence of any malicious hardware incorporated into motherboards currently or previously manufactured by the company. The letter is the latest rebuttal to...

It’s been a while since we took at look at the best 4K USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 displays available for MacBook and MacBook Pro. While we’re still waiting to hear more about Apple’s upcoming pro display, and if it will work with other Macs besides the next-gen Mac Pro, there are some notable new display options on the market. Follow along after the break for a look at the best 4K and USB-C displays.

more…

The post [Update: New LG and Samsung options] Best 4K and USB-C displays for MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iPad appeared first on...

As it traditionally does Apple has opened up the beta testing process, and has made the first public beta test versions of iOS 12.1.2, tvOS 12.1.2, and macOS 10.14.3 available to willing testers.

OtterBox was quick to bring versions of its Symmetry Series 360 cases for new iPad Pros to market. OtterBox Symmetry Series 360 combines a protective clear case with a leather-like Smart Cover-style jacket that protects the iPad Pro while offering a stand for typing or watching videos.

iPad Pro gets protection not offered by Apple’s Smart Cover Folio — without adding bulk — and Symmetry Series 360 even accommodates the new Apple Pencil charging and storage method.

more…

The post Review: OtterBox Symmetry Series 360 for iPad Pro — clear case meets Smart Cover appeared first on ...

Dash is an API documentation browser and code snippet manager. Dash helps you store snippets of code, as well as instantly search and browse documentation for almost any API you might use (for a full list, see the screenshots).

Features

• Documentation Browser
• Offline Documentation: iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, Swift, Man Pages, .NET Framework, ActionScript, Akka, Android, AngularJS, Angular.dart, Ansible, Apache, Appcelerator Titanium, AppleScript, Arduino, Backbone, Bash, Boost, Bootstrap, Bourbon, Bourbon Neat, C, C++, CakePHP, Cappuccino, Chai, Chef, Clojure, CMake, Cocos2D, Cocos2D-X, CodeIgniter, CoffeeScript, ColdFusion, Common Lisp, Compass, Cordova, Corona, CSS, D3.js, Dart, Django, Dojo Toolkit, Drupal, ElasticSearch, Elixir, Emacs Lisp, Ember.js, Emmet.io, Erlang, Express.js, Expression Engine, ExtJS, Flask, Font Awesome, Foundation, GLib, Go, Grails, Groovy, Grunt, Haml, Haskell, HTML, Jade, Jasmine, Java SE, Java EE,...

Cocktail is a general purpose utility for macOS that lets you clean, repair and optimize your Mac. It is a powerful digital toolset that helps hundreds of thousands of Mac users around the world get the most out of their computers every day.

The application serves up a perfect mix of maintenance tools and tweaks, all accessible through a clean and easy to use interface. Cocktail's features are arranged into five categories that helps you manage various aspects of your computer. It also comes with an automatic Pilot-mode that allows you to simply press a button and relax, knowing that Cocktail will take care of the rest.

Version 11.7:

• Added ability to verify the file system data structures of the boot volume at startup (Preferences - General)
• Addresses minor compatibility issues with Apple File System (APFS) volumes
• Improvements on the "Clear applications caches" procedure
• Updated Help files
...

Smart shoes may sound like a recent innovation, but they're really old hat -- Puma's RS-Computer shoes were tracking your running stats in 1986, well before wearable tech was a hot trend. And Puma wants to remind you of that fact. It's reissuing the...

[Update 1:00 PM EST: iOS 12.1.2 public beta 1 and tvOS 12.1.2 public beta 1 are now available.]

One day after releasing the first iOS 12.1.2 beta to developers, Apple will make iOS 12.1.2 public beta 1 available to install on iPhone and iPad for free. iOS 12.1.2 is focused on squashing lingering bugs from iOS 12 to iOS 12.1.1 which was officially released last week.

more…

The post Apple releasing first iOS 12.1.2 public beta for iPhone and iPad today appeared first on 9to5Mac.

The next time you rent a car, you might need to show your face instead of your ID. Hertz announced today that it is teaming with security startup Clear to introduce Fast Lane, a biometric check for car rentals. The system -- which is the first of its...

If you’ve ever purchased Apple-branded print products through the Photos app on the Mac, you may have been disappointed to find that the feature disappeared in the macOS Mojave update.

But there’s some good news you may have missed. Back in July of last year, it was announced that RR Donnelley – the same company used to produce Apple-branded print products – was launching its own Photos plugin, under the Motif branding.

That plugin is now available, and I took it for a test-drive with photos I took on a holiday in Cuba …

more…

The post Review: Motif, quick and easy photobooks from the Mac Photos app – with 30% off appeared first on 9to5Mac...

There are 15 different gestures you can perform on your iPhone or iPad, not even including app-specific ones. AppleInsider maps out the obvious, the obscure, and the forgotten swipes of iOS, and shows you how to use them all.

Satechi is out today with its dedicated iPad Pro USB-C hub. The compact aluminum adapter offers HDMI, USB-A, headphone port, and USB-C PD 3.0 at a decent price but without many of the features of Hyper’s version.

more…

The post [Update: Available and shipping now] Satechi launches iPad Pro USB-C hub with HDMI, USB-A, and headphone port appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Moment is out with a new update to its Pro Camera with a host of great new features for videographers. Included in the latest iOS version are multiple color profiles, a real-time waveform monitor, video RGB histogram, dual-channel audio meters, and more.

more…

The post Moment Pro camera app brings big video upgrades with multiple color profiles, real-time waveform Monitor, video RGB histogram, more appeared first on 9to5Mac.

I'm talking and not paying attention to the Model 3's turn-by-turn navigation when the vehicle's blinker turns on. Tesla's "Navigate on Autopilot" turns the wheel to take the off-ramp to an interchange. My hands are on the wheel (as they should be wi...

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, worldwide smartphone shipments are expected to decline by 3% in 2018 before returning to low single-digit growth in 2019 and through 2022. iPhones are forecast to drop by 2.5% in 2018 to 210.4 million, though the research group is forecasting Apple smartphone shipments to grow at a five-year compound annual growth rate of 0.1%, reaching volumes of 217.3 million in 2022.

“The launch of expensive and bigger screen iOS smartphones in Q3 2018 helped Apple to raise its ASP, simultaneously making it somewhat difficult to increase shipments in the current market slump,” says IDC. “…. Despite the challenges, there is no ambiguity that Apple will continue to lead the global premium market segment.”

While the on-going U.S.-China trade war has the industry on edge, IDC still believes that continued...

Have an Apple Watch Series 4? The built-in electrodes let you take an electrocardiogram from your watch if you’re at least 22 and live in the United States, but they can also improve general heart rate readings — regardless of where you live.

more…

The post Apple Watch Series 4 Heart Rate app takes ‘faster reading with higher fidelity’ using Digital Crown appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Egypt has given Apple 60 days to end “unfair restrictions” on local product distributors. Government officials are angry over high iPhone prices.

Apple is missing out yet again and it’s nothing at all like the other times Apple was supposedly missing out but that didn’t actually end up amounting to anything. Unless we’re talking about network speeds.

What?

Oh. The Macalope is being informed that, yes, we’re talking about network speeds.

Gordon Kelly proudly declares that originality has no place at the Forbes contributor network and Institute for the Advancement of Understanding Why There Are So Many Spider Eggs In Your Hair.

“Apple's New iPhones Have An Expensive Nasty Surprise.” (Tip o' the antlers to @JonyIveParody.)

To read this article in full, please click here

On stage at the Toronto Global Forum, Blackberry CEO John Chen says he values customer privacy.

Chen spoke about BlackBerry’s emphasis on privacy and security-focused software services, as it has moved away from competing with the likes of Google and Apple in the smartphone realm. The event took place the same morning that BlackBerry announced a new Security Credential Management System (SCMS) for cities and car companies, aimed at securing smart cities systems and autonomous vehicles.

You can’t steal customer data if you don’t have any customers. Also, there’s no such thing as privacy in a smart city, and it sounds like Blackberry is moving into that area.

Just 24 hours ago, a Chinese judge granted an injunction against Apple. Now, the Egyptian government is playing hardball with the tech giant as well, stating that Apple has just two months to end “unfair restrictions” on regional product distributors.

While the 60 day deadline doesn’t include the threat of a permanent sales ban, Egyptian officials are angry over the exceedingly difficult and high income requirements needed to purchase a iPhone in the country.

Today’s statement comes from Egypt’s Official Gazette, which subsequently threatens to take legal action if changes aren’t made by the end of the two month deadline.

more…

The post...

Variety:

Today (Dec. 10), the original song and official video for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” taken from the group’s 1975 album “A Night at the Opera,” surpassed 1.6 billion streams globally across all major streaming services.

And:

Brian May, Queen’s guitarist and founding member said, “So the River of Rock Music has metamorphosed into streams! Very happy that our music is still flowing to the max!”

And:

-“Bohemian Rhapsody” is the only song in history ever to have topped the U.K. charts twice at Christmas.

Whoever pulled together the marketing campaign for the Bohemian Rhapsody movie did a masterful job.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Epic Games:

The three Infinity Blade games are no longer available for purchase as of today, 12/10/18. This groundbreaking trilogy took mobile gaming to new heights and pushed Epic Games in new, innovative directions. Along with the three Infinity Blade games, all in-app purchase options have been removed. Current owners will continue to be able to play these games, and download* them to their devices from an account that owns them, for the foreseeable future.

The Infinity Blade games really showed off the iPhone’s graphics engine. But the franchise is getting a bit long in the tooth. Infinity Blade III was released in 2013.

I think this says more about the massive success of Fortnite. Epic knows where their bread is buttered.

...

Reuters:

Computer hardware maker Super Micro Computer Inc told customers on Tuesday that an outside investigations firm had found no evidence of any malicious hardware in its current or older-model motherboards.

That outside firm was Nardello & Co. From the Nordello web site:

Nardello & Co. is a global investigations firm with experienced professionals handling a broad range of issues including the FCPA/UK Bribery Act and other corruption-related investigations, civil and white collar criminal litigation support, asset tracing, strategic intelligence and political risk assessment, computer forensics and reputational due diligence.

Digging a bit more, this seems to fall into their Digital Investigations & Cyber Defense Division, headed by Mark Ray. From Mark Ray’s page:

Mark was a Director in PricewaterhouseCoopers’s Incident Response practice and led the firm’s US Cyber Threat Intelligence Center. Prior to joining PwC, Mark had a...

The Tor Browser Bundle is an easy-to-use portable package of Tor, Vidalia, Torbutton, and a Firefox fork preconfigured to work together out of the box. It contains a modified copy of Firefox that aims to resolve the privacy and security issues in mainline version.

Tor was originally designed, implemented, and deployed as a third-generation onion-routing project of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. It was originally developed with the U.S. Navy in mind, for the primary purpose of protecting government communications. Today, it is used every day for a wide variety of purposes by normal people, the military, journalists, law-enforcement officers, activists, and many others.

Version 8.0.4:

• Release notes were unavailable when this listing was updated.

• OS X 10.9 or later

Download Now]]>

There have been a flurry of reports about Apple suppliers that make iPhones and iPhone parts are hurting because of poor iPhone sales. Those reports may have been a teeny bit overblown.

TSMC and Hon Hai Precision (aka Foxconn), two of Apple's major iPhone production partners, have reported street-beating revenue for November, reports Bloomberg. Both posted a 5.6% rise in sales last month. 

Of course, it’s possible this Bloomberg article may be as questionable as its October story that Apple had been hacked by Chinese spies. Hopefully, today’s report is more accurate.

Apple and its regional distributor have 60 days to change how they do business in Egypt or face with legal corrective action by the Egyptian Competition Authority, according to a new government decree.

iOS 12.1.1 added Haptic Touch support for notification previews on iPhone XR. It also added a new menu in Accessibility settings that lets you change the Haptic Touch settings …

more…

The post How to change Haptic Touch gesture duration on iPhone XR appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Apple Pay is now available in Germany with support for 15 banks and services such as Comdirect and Deutsche Bank.

Apple Pay is currently available in 25 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, KazakhstanItaly, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, the U.S., Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates.

Apple Pay works with the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone X, iPhone Xr, iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and the Apple Watch. When paying within apps, Apple Pay is compatible with the iPhone 6s and later, the iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 4, 9.7-inch iPad, and iPad Pro. It’s also compatible with macOS Sierra and higher.

I just discovered this app yesterday and I’m genuinely excited by it. Stoop is an app that manages your email newsletters. Once you create an account, it gives you a unique email to use when you want to sign up for a newsletter. That way, newsletters go directly to the app, and not your email inbox. There are collections of newsletters inside, broken down by categories like tech, news, crypto, sports, finance, and more. Plus you’ll find curated lists of newsletters. It’s also easy to unsubscribe to newsletters you no longer want. You can link other email accounts and forward newsletters to your Stoop email. There are no notifications either; you’ll be reading the newsletters on your own time, when you want. App Store: Free

TSMC and Foxconn, two of Apple's major iPhone production partners, have reported street-beating revenue for November, casting some doubt on supply chain reports suggesting component suppliers are struggling following iPhone production cuts.

The supplier at the heart of Bloomberg's contentious iCloud spy chip story has completed its promised audit, and has told customers that it found no evidence of server tampering.

The tech news was dominated in October by a dramatic Bloomberg claim that Chinese spy chips had been embedded into the Super Micro motherboards of servers supplied to Apple, Amazon and others. The report claimed that Apple had discovered the chips, and reported the fact to the FBI.

All involved – Apple, Amazon and Super Micro – denied the claims, but the motherboard supplier decided the only way to lay this to rest was to commission an independent audit to investigate. That investigation has now been completed, and the firm says it found absolutely no evidence to support the...

You can take an electrocardiogram (ECG) with the ECG app in watchOS 5.1.2 on the Apple Watch Series 4.

An ECG (or EKG) is a test that records the timing and strength of the electrical signals that make the heart beat. By looking at an ECG, a doctor can gain insights about your heart rhythm and look for irregularities.

The ECG app can record your heartbeat and rhythm using the electrical heart sensor on Apple Watch Series 4 and then check the recording for atrial fibrillation (AFib), a form of irregular rhythm.

The ECG app records an electrocardiogram which represents the electrical pulses that make your heart beat. The ECG app checks these pulses to get your heart rate and see if the upper and lower chambers of your heart are in rhythm. If they’re out of rhythm, that could be AFib.

To use the ECG app, you’ll need an Apple Watch Series 4 with watchOS 5.1.2, paired with iPhone 5s or later with iOS 12.1.1. To set up the app:

If you’re in or headed to Germany, you’re going to like this.

According to the rumor mill, Apple Pay will make its long-awaited German launch this week.

The report, published by German blog Macerkopf, cited unnamed sources within German banking circles, who indicated that the launch will likely occur on Tuesday with mobile bank N26 and Comdirect expected to be among the initial participating issuers in the country.

This dovetails with a comment Apple CEO Tim Cook having stated back in July that Apple Pay would launch in Germany by the end of 2018. Given that Apple Pay is also listed as “coming soon” on Apple’s website in Germany, a launch is expected to be imminent.

Apple Pay first launched in the United States in October 2014 and has since expanded to many other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, China, Singapore, Switzerland, France, Japan, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Russia, New Zealand, Brazil, Poland, Ireland,...

This HomeKit-compatible smart outlet is protected from the weather, so you can extend the perimeter of your smart home into in wet and damp locations such as your patio and porch.

As of July 2012, Thunderbird has transitioned to a new governance model, with new features being developed by the broader free software and open source community, and security fixes and improvements handled by Mozilla.

Thunderbird is a free, open-source, cross-platform e-mail and news (NNTP) client developed by the Mozilla Foundation. The project strategy is modeled after Mozilla Firefox, a project aimed at creating a Web browser.

Version 60.3.3:

Migrated

• Thunderbird 60 will migrate security databases (key3.db, cert8.db to key4.db, cert9.db). Thunderbird 60.3.2 and earlier contained a fault that potentially deleted saved passwords and private certificate keys for users using a master password. Version 60.3.3 will prevent the loss of data; affected users who have already upgraded to version 60.3.2 or earlier can restore the deleted key3.db file from backup to complete the migration.

Fixed

Pixelmator is a beautifully designed, easy-to-use, fast, and powerful image editor for OS X. It has everything you need to create, edit, and enhance your images.

Pixelmator is a layer-based image editor. You can quickly create layers from your photos, other pictures, from selections, or even your iSight. Yes, Pixelmator can add a layer to your composition directly from your Mac's little camera. Not only can you link and arrange added layers, but Pixelmator also allows you to blend layers, change their opacity, create clipping masks, or even add layer masks to hide some portions of a layer.

Version 3.8 (3.8.1):

Note: Now requires OS X 10.12 or later

Note: The downloadable demo is version 3.8.1; the version available for purchase on the Mac App Store is version 3.8.

Pixelmator 3.8 Phoenix brings full support for macOS Mojave, colorful SVG fonts, Continuity Camera support, and more....

iStat Menus lets you monitor your system right from the menubar. Included are 8 menu extras that let you monitor every aspect of your system.

Features

• CPU -- Monitor cpu usage. 7 display modes, multiple core support.
• Memory -- Monitor memory usage. 4 display modes, page ins/outs and swap usage display.
• Disks -- Monitor disk usage and activity. 6 display modes, ability to hide disks you dont want to see.
• Network -- Monitor current and total bandwidth, peak bandwidth, IP addresses, and the ability to hide network connections you don't want to see.
• Temps -- Monitor the temperature of your Mac. 2 display modes, ability to hide sensors you don't want to see.
• Fans -- Monitor the fan speeds in your Mac. 2 display modes, ability to hide sensors you don't want to see.
• Bluetooth --...

VueScan is a scanning program that works with most high-quality flatbed and film scanners to produce scans that have excellent color fidelity and color balance. VueScan is easy to use, and has advanced features for restoring faded colors, batch scanning and other features used by professional photographers.

Why should you use VueScan?

• Easy to use - just run VueScan, press Preview, adjust the cropping, then press Scan.
• Accurate colors - uses ICC profiles and IT8 calibration.
• Powerful - dozens of advanced options.
• Faster workflow - can edit one image while the next image is being scanned (most scanner software won't let you work with one image while another is being scanned).
• Simple to install - installing VueScan changes nothing on your system, installs nothing in your operating system and all other scanner software will continue to function.

The list of supported scanners is...

Apple Security Update is recommended for all users and improves the security of OS X. For detailed information about the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

The download link above is for macOS 10.12.6 Sierra; see Related Links for additional security updates.

Version 2018-006:

Note: Recent security updates for macOS 10.13.x High Sierra are included in the respective updaters for that version of the operating system, found here.

• To read the release notes, go here.

• macOS 10.12.6
• Download for macOS 10.11.6 in Related Links
• See Related Links for other system versions

...

One of the downsides of digital media is never getting the satisfaction of holding your favorite title in hand. That will change for fans of indie platformer Celeste. Limited Run Games is releasing physical copies of the title for PlayStation 4 and N...

Samsung today introduced its latest smartphone, the Galaxy A8s. It is Samsung's first smartphone with an Infinity-O display, which has a nearly edge-to-edge, uninterrupted design beyond a small hole for the front-facing camera.

It is also Samsung's first smartphone without a headphone jack, much to the amusement of iPhone users, as Samsung has mocked Apple for over two years over its decision to remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in 2016, a trend that has continued through to the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.

While on stage unveiling the new Galaxy Note7 in 2016, for example, Samsung executive Justin Denison made sure to point out that the device came with a headphone jack. "Want to know what else it comes with?" he asked. "An audio jack. I'm just saying," he answered, smirking as the...

Apple and a cadre of U.S. tech companies on Monday signed a letter condemning Australia's recent passage of a cybersecurity bill that bolsters law enforcement and government efforts to obtain access to encrypted messages.

After dropping slew of holiday-related material last week including a new Neo Yokio flick, Netflix has its Sabrina special this week as well as Alfonso Cuarón's (Gravity) new movie Roma. For gamers, the long-awaited indie title Below is bringi...

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned…” indeed. You just know there’s a Hollywood screenwriter working on turning this into a movie as we speak.

∞ Read this on The Loop

A recent report noted that some apps are mining your location to send to advertisers. Follow along to learn how to view which apps have location permissions on iOS.

more…

The post How to view which apps have location permissions on iOS appeared first on 9to5Mac.

At ars tecnnica: “Manufacturing is in the early stages of a state of disruption brought on by technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and 3D printing.” This fascinating discussion lays out a future in which humans and AIs partner to design machines which, in turn, redesign themselves on the job.  Amongst all the other possibilities, this would come in very handy for remote space probes and landers.

For example, a robot on Mars might detect very loose sand and determine it cannot move about efficiently to complete its mission,” explains Ben Schrauwen, co-founder and CTO of Oqton, an autonomous manufacturing platform.”The robot could learn to suggest different modalities on how to move in that environment, and, with 3D printing technology and some local robotics, it’s very conceivable that the robot could reconfigure itself at a distance to continue its mission unimpeded.”

Could Siri, someday, rewrite parts of iOS on the fly?

...

iOS is wonderful… and mysterious, especially when it asks you to login, or shows you duplicates of your data. Listen to John F. Braun and Dave Hamilton solve these problems and more for you. Then, should you get a separate Mac as a server, or can you run in the background? And, of course, more Cool Stuff Found just for you. Press play, listen, learn, and enjoy!

Google Lens began widely rolling out to Android in March and got a big update at I/O 2018 with real-time results and smart text selection. The visual search feature is now rolling out to the Google app for iOS.

more…

The post Google Lens visual search now rolling out to Google app for iOS appeared first on 9to5Mac.

The Proud Boys have lost another online platform, though this time it's not for the far-right group's hate speech and support for violence. YouTube has terminated Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes' account following "multiple third-party claims" of c...

Apple filed an appeal in China on Monday to try and overturn injunctions that prohibited the sale of a number of models of iPhones.

Carpool Karaoke ruled the UK in 2018, but users were less impressed with the video platform’s Rewind 2018 video.

I’m a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas music but I gotta admit, I enjoyed this way more than I expected to.

∞ Read this on The Loop

On the Google blog announcement of this, Google said in the second paragraph, “…We’ve recently determined that some users were impacted by a software update…” “Some users” is defined by Google as “…approximately 52.5 million…”

∞ Read this on The Loop

Alexa isn't just for at home anymore. Thanks to an update from Amazon, Alexa devices can perform time- and location-based routines and reminders, triggered at a given time or when you enter for leave a specific area. The update, which includes some f...

Michael Gartenberg spent three years as Apple’s Senior Director of Product Marketing, reporting directly to Senior VP Phil Schiller. In his fifth encore appearance on Background Mode, Michael and I chat about Apple’s 2018 fall lineup of products. We talked about the Apple AirPower, still MIA. We examined the new 2018 MacBook Air and how the 2015 McBook was supposed to be the MBA successor—and failed. We looked at the new iPad Pros and how they may have broken through a computational barrier that will allow new capabilities. Finally, we looked at Apple’s 2018 iPhone product strategy as well as the corporate decision to suppress unit sales numbers. Michael is well versed in Apple marketing strategies and is always a delight to have on the show.

It took nearly two months following the on-sale date for the iPhone XR, but Apple's highly anticipated clear case for the colorful device is now available. We're not entirely sure what the delay was in launching it, and it's currently the only first-party case available for the iPhone XR, so we went hands-on with the new case to see how it stacks up.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

Apple's clear case is intended to show off the colorful rear shell of the iPhone XR, and it does a great job at that, with a crystal clear view of the phone itself all around. The case is a bit firmer than we expected based on our previous experiences with third-party clear cases, so Apple's case holds its shape well while also providing solid protection.

The iPhone XR Clear Case...

Today, the For You tab is making its way over to Google Maps in over 40 countries on iOS and 130+ new countries on Android—helping you stay up to date on fun, new places so you’ll know exactly where to take the fam this winter. The For You tab is designed to be a constant source of inspiration tailored to your tastes and preferences. Simply follow neighborhoods or places you’re interested in to get updates and recommendations—everything from recent news about an opening or pop up, a new menu item, and even restaurant suggestions based on what you’re likely to enjoy. If you’re making a trip this holiday season, the For You can help you get a jump start on travel planning even before you take off.

I mostly use Apple Maps, but I’ll give this a try just to see how it does picking places for me to visit.

...

Apple's CEO got an instant headache this morning as a Chinese court ordered a ban on most iPhone sales in the country as part of two preliminary injunctions. Apple was quick to respond in a statement stating that "Qualcomm's effort to ban our products is another desperate move by a company whose illegal practices are under investigation by regulators around the world. All iPhone models remain available for our customers in China."

Lotus won't be the first British car manufacturer to go electric, but it might make waves when it does. Autocar sources claim Lotus' first EV will be a 1,000BHP (about 1,013HP) hypercar costing about £2 million, or roughly $2.5 million. It'd...