Apple kept its Mac mini fans waiting around two years between updates, and recently it finally gave the mini a refresh. While not a full redesign as some had hoped, the new model finally brought with it Intel's fourth generation "Haswell" Core-series processors. Apple also took the opportunity to introduce a new cheaper low-end model, but opted to drop the server option that was powered by a quad-core chip, and make some other less welcome changes including soldering the RAM and making the hard drive almost impossible to access. Despite these changes, is it still worth considering the Mac mini...

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Yesterday at CES, ViewSonic released its newest line-up of products. On hand for demonstrations at the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas are new 4K displays, "price-competitive" digital projectors, Virtual Desktop Interface (VDI) solutions, and commercial-grade digital signage displays. Included in the announcements was a new 3,200-lumen projector; 27- and 28-inch 4K monitors; a curved 34-inch LED and 27-inch gaming monitor, and some large-format signage displays....

Today at CES in Las Vegas, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) President Gary Shapiro sat down for a "Super Session" with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, and asked what had changed in his world since they spoke at the conference in 2013. "Oh, nothing," deadpanned Wheeler, prompting laughter from the audience, "it's all exactly the same." As the discussion went on, Wheeler's responses to questions seem to be confirming earlier reports that the Commission is strongly leaning towards adopting some level of Communications Act Title II as a base for ensuring Net Neutrality, as urged by President Obama...

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Last November, the Internet Archive debuted their new service, The Internet Arcade, where over 900 arcade titles from the 1980's and 90's were hosted for free play over a web browser. Today the service topped itself, expanding the the Software Library to include 2,300 MS-DOS-era games, available through the EM-DOSbox in-browser emulator....

Mind maps are those doodles when you scribble down the name of a topic, then write down anything you can think of to do with it, then start making connections. It is amazing how you can sometimes only spot that this idea and that problem go together when you see them both on the page. If you're the sort of person who prefers to think and plan in lists, you've probably ignored mind maps entirely. You may be right: mind maps do not suit everyone, but give them a go -- and in particular try MindNode for iOS. While it's also on the Mac, MindNode is particularly good on iPads and its new release ha...

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Stock of the iPod shuffle is drying up at both Apple's online store and its retail outlets, sources say, something backed up by checks. The company is reportedly warning retail workers that Shuffle supplies will be low for an unspecified amount of time, such that shoppers looking to buy the product should be redirected to the online store. Even then, the US site is listing Shuffles as shipping in seven to 10 days, well beyond the 24-hour window quoted for the iPod touch or nano....

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Those looking to spend Christmas money on a new iPod shuffle may have to wait a few days to pick one up. Appleâs diminutive iPod is out of stock at many Apple Retail Stores, and shows a 7-10 business day shipping delay at Appleâs online store, with no word on when supply will improve.

Following a somewhat rocky, high-profile debut, the makers of Duet Display --?an app that allows users to press their iPad into service as a secondary display for their Mac --?have rolled out an impressive update that narrows the gap between a Duet-connected iPad and a traditional monitor.

Via its official list, Apple has confirmed this week's addition of eight new banks to Apple Pay. The new institutions include Security Service Federal Credit Union, Customers Bank, Consumers Credit Union, Virginia Credit Union, Cyprus Federal Credit Union, Fairwinds Credit Union, Mountain America Credit Union, and Partners Federal Credit Union. Of those, the most important may be SSFCU, Partners, and Customers....

Low margins and increasingly stiff competition have finally caught up with Samsung, the largest Android-based device producer in terms of shipments. The Korean firm Thursday released âpreliminary earnings guidanceâ for its December quarter, warning investors of a significant decline in profits and revenue year-over-year.

Apple has released some updated statistics for the App Store, revealing that billings rose 50 percent in 2014, generating over $10 billion in revenue for developers. The store has produced roughly $25 billion for developers since its inception in 2008. Apple adds that the first week of January set a new record for billings, totaling almost half a billion dollars in combined app and in-app purchase numbers; New Year's Day in particular is said to have Apple's best day ever for app sales....

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An image circling the Web on Thursday purports to show a piece of production tooling for Apple's rumored "iPad Pro," though there is scant evidence to back up the assertions. In fact, the part depicted appears more likely to be designed for Apple's Smart Cover than a forthcoming iPad.

Pella Windows and Doors is at CES this week, showing off its new Insynctive family of smart home products, bringing iOS connectivity to sensors for doors, shades, blinds, garages and more.

Ion Audio has announced its new Air LP Bluetooth turntable, currently being showcased at CES this week. Capable of converting analog records into digital files on one's computer, Air LP connects to a Mac or PC with its included USB cable. The turntable streams audio wirelessly to Bluetooth compatible speakers, and includes "EZ Vinyl and Tape Converter" software for the audio conversion via USB. The player includes an Auto-Stop button, and can play (as well as convert) 33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM records. Available RCA outputs include connection for stereo and headphones. Expected to ship in March,...

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Apple has sent an email to developers notifying them of App Store price hikes in Canada, Norway, and the European Union, according to the Vancouver Sun. The company blames the change on foreign exchange rates. It has not, however, said by how much prices will go up....

The Mac Observer is on the ground at the Internation Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, and we found some more interesting products to talk about. Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to offer their perspective from the outside on the show, plus Jeff shares some more fun stuff he found, and they take a look at home automation, too.

Apple has a long and sometimes unpleasant history of hiring sales executives from other companies in the hopes that the new guy will have the magic mojo to make everything right. Now Apple has brought in a new HP veteran to sell to large corporations. Things will probably go as they have in the past: not very well.

LAS VEGAS -- It's easy to find Bluetooth products that turn solid surfaces-like your desk-into a speaker. Finding one that sounds really good is a harder task, but Bass Egg thinks it has that covered with its new Verb. The Verb vibrates to bounce air off hard surfaces that converts to sound waves, making your wood, metal, stone, or glass surfaces act as omnidirectional speakers. It's anodized aluminum body holds up under abuse, the audio range it offers goes beyond what we've heard from competing products. The Bass Egg Verb is priced at US$99.95, and the crew we spoke with at CES 2015 told us that soon you'll be able to gang them up for stereo audio, too.

Apple has hired on a former HP executive, John Solomon, to help with enterprise sales, sources say. The people note that his exact position and duties are unclear, but the hiring is said to be core to the company's newfound rush to reach enterprise customers. Solomon may also allegedly be involved in international Apple Watch sales -- specifically in the Asia-Pacific market -- but some of the sources say this is unlikely....

Apple on Thursday updated its French website with a black "armband" and the phrase "Je suis Charlie" in sympathy over the terrorist attack and murder of cartoonists from the satiric magazine Charlie Hebdo, which also killed at least one police officer. The attackers were allegedly offended by the publication's routine attacks on extremist elements of the Islamic faith, although the publications also regularly exposed hypocrisy and provoked offense among other religious followers as well....

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Earlier this week, Elgato announced a new smart home product ecosystem called Eve. The company brought a few Eve modules, as well as other devices, set for imminent release to CES, offering AppleInsider a first-hand look.

Our friends at Stack Social have put together a deal called the 10-For-$10 Mac App Bundle. As the name suggests, you get ten Mac apps and it's going to cose you ten bucks. It includes, Disk Map, MenuTab Pro for Facebook, NotesTab Pro, CopyClip 2, Privacy Protector, Share Bucket, StatsBar, StockTab, Slerts for Gmail, and InstaReel for Instagram. There's additional information on all of these apps on the deal list, and it's good for another 5 days.

Bob "Dr. Mac" LeVitus ended his last column with words that couldnât have been more prescient: âI sleep better knowing that my data will survive almost any eventuality. So will you.â A few days after that he walked into my office to find an alarming onscreen alert: "The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer." Thank heaven for Data Rescue.

A California judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit claiming Apple sold MacBooks to customers knowing the laptops contained defective logic boards and would fail within two years.

At its CES booth this year, Philips showed off its Fidelio M2L headphones, which hold the title as the world's first the world's first Lightning-connected headphones.

Normally a commercial wouldn't be a big deal around TMO Towers, but I've applied for an exception so I can tell you guys about this one. It's a State Farm Insurance ad, and it is a bit different than the ones that feature classic Saturday Night Live characters. This ad was released today, Elvis Presley's 80th birthday, and features a variety of Elvises including my younger brother. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just tell you that he's the one who brings it home. It's a 30 second ad, so click on through and amuse yourself. Maybe if it's popular enough my brother will have a steady gig Elvising for State Farm ads. Enjoy!

After unveiling its upcoming NuBryte cloud-connected smart home console last year, Lucis Technologies brought a working model to the showroom floor at CES, demoing the console's automated lighting and security features.

Evernote has released a new scanning app today, including the ability to scan a document automatically upon launching the app. The app will locate the document in the camera's field of view, and sharpen the image of contents in view of the iOS device. Scans can be uploaded to iCloud or shared via AirDrop, text message or email. Business cards scanned by Evernote Scramble, the app can associate the information with the contact's LinkedIn account. Evernote Scramble is free to download....

While long-time accessory maker Griffin Technology had a few items to show off at this year's Consumer Electronics show, one of the most popular with onlookers there was one of its smallest -- a new Lightning-to-USB cable that featured a redesigned Type A plug that could be inserted in either orientation, just like Apple's Lightning connectors. The company says the new cable will be marketed as officially Made for iPhone (MFi) devices, but the new USB connector has not yet been certified as authorized....

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Consumers in the United States will no longer face a backlog when purchasing an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus from Apple's online store, as supplies of the popular smartphones appear to have reached parity with demand nearly four months after their release.

When Apple first announced it would be bringing game controller support to iOS 8, the news was met with much excitement. However, months started to pass and no one seemed to really be interested in creating a quality controller. Wikipad is hoping to change that with Gamevice, designed specifically for the iPad Air and iPad mini. We got a chance to get an early look at the upcoming iPad controller at a private suite during CES and went away with a very positive opinion....

Today, Melissa Holt is going to tell us how to change up which contacts appear when we double-click the Home button on an iPhone running iOS 8. Wanna see folks you've recently contacted? Would you prefer your favorite people to show up there? Come read this Quick Tip, and you'll be getting in touch with your friends and family even more efficiently.

It's not often that software makes you laugh -- at least, not for good reasons. The new Evernote Scannable, however, is so fast at scanning documents that on our very first go, we failed to get our thumb out of the way quickly enough, and it scanned that. We really did laugh at this big, fuzzy thumb -- and were then delighted, and surprised, and genuinely impressed with what happened next. Evernote Scannable removed our thumb from the image. Automatically....

Pixelmator for Mac is not Photoshop -- but it might as well be, for how those image editing features that it does have are powerful, and easy to use. It also might as well be for the majority of people who aren't full-time PS professionals. If your work needs Adobe Photoshop, then you know it -- and can make the decision about paying the modest subscription cost to use it. Pixelmator handles an ever-growing number of the most common image tasks that most people need, and we are particularly fans of the separate iPad version, which has recently been updated. Today, we're taking a look at that i...

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Apple will reportedly turn to longtime supplier and sometimes-rival Samsung to fabricate the application processor for the forthcoming Apple Watch, while Taiwan's Advanced Semiconductor Engineering is said to have been chosen to package the new device's S1 processing module.

LAS VEGAS -- Cocoon already has several stylish products for on the go tech, and the company is expanding its lineup to include even more, like its new waxed canvas laptop organizer bag. Along with a padded laptop sleeve and built-in Grid-It gear organizer, the bag also includes a padded back and a padded lumbar compartment to hold your Beats headphones. TMO checked it out at CES 2015 and it lives up to Cocoon's well-earned design quality. Cocoon plans to ship the new bag in blue, black, and green soon for under US$80.

Bang & Olufsen is known for its expensive yet beautiful industrial design-like audio gear, and the latest piece is no different. Basically a really expensive home network and Internet radio streamer, the BeoSound Moment will set wealthy buyers back a not-insignificant $2,800. While at CES, Electronista got a chance to check it out....

Samsung is set to build the processor for the S1 chips in the Apple Watch, which should ship in March, say sources for DigiTimes -- a Taiwanese trade paper with a mixed track record on predictions. The company has reportedly received orders for 3,000 to 4,000 12-inch wafers per month, manufactured using its 28nm process (how many S1 chips are included on a wafer has not been revealed). Another firm, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, is slated to provide system-in-package modules....

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Before the Apple Watch hits the market early this year, a Chinese company was at this week's CES selling a knock-off version of the highly anticipated wearable for less than one-tenth of the price.

Apple's upcoming iOS 8.1.3 update should arrive next week, reports suggest. Sources say that some sort of iOS 8 update, whether beta or public, will go live on Tuesday or Wednesday. Web tracking data at MacRumors, however, shows a sudden spike this week in iOS 8.1.3 devices visiting from Apple's internal networks....

Accessories producer Satechi has announced the upcoming release of its new Premium Aluminum Monitor Stand product. Introduced this week at CES, the stand is designed to compliment the Mac Pro, iMac and Macbook's aesthetic, raising monitors to prevent eye and neck strain. Aside from providing height, the stand also features four USB 3.0 ports for connecting applicable devices, offering transfer rates of up to 5GB per second. Its aluminum alloy composition supports a range of devices weighing up to 200 pounds. Priced at $70, Satechi's new monitor stand will be available by the end of the month....

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In the long and storied history of They Might Be Giants we've seen quirky songs, a couple of TV show themes and even further back, there was the "always free, often busy" Dial-A-Song. Sadly Dial-A-Song starting having physical issues with the actual answering machine, and eventually got disconnected in 2008. However it's back now, having made its triumphant return in the first full week of 2015. Every Tuesday in 2015 songs will be posted at DialASong.com and even videos on YouTube. There's also a network of radio shows that will be playing them each week. If you can't wait till Tuesday, you can hear it on Slate's The Gist with Mike Pesca, released Monday nights. If what you loved about Dial A Song was making a phone call and hearing music, you still have Callin Oates to fill that need.

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The last time Apple updated its in-house external display line was 2011's Thunderbolt Display, but with no clear signs that a refresh is imminent, AppleInsider has put together a list of the latest and greatest monitors.

Distraction-free typing. It's the holy grail of writing for many folks, and we have a deal for you today that can help you find it. There's a Mac app called Typed whose raison d'Ãtre is providing a distraction-free environment for you. To hit that goal, Typed focuses on a set of essential writing tools. It also can export to HTML (no HTML coding needed), will auto-save, has a word-count tool, and a feature called Zen Mode 8 that plays calming soundtracks for you. Typed retails for $25, but through our deal you can get it for $14.99.

British Prime Minister David Cameron demonstrated both a commitment to enabling terrorists to erode civil liberties and a dangerous ignorance of technology. In a speech geared towards elections in May, Mr. Cameron promised to outlaw messaging services that encrypt messages unless they give his government a back door.

HomeKit sounded promising last summer, and never seemed to evolve beyond that promise since there wasn't any hardware support. That is slowly changing, and Kelly is tracking those changes for you in this consolidated list of products that support Apple's HomeKit.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against AT&T to stop the cell service provider from throttling download speeds for its customers who still have unlimited wireless data plans. AT&T argues the FTC doesn't have any jurisdiction over its wireless data services, and as such isn't in a position to stop it from throttling download speeds for customers it thinks are using too much of their unlimited data.

Apple added a new section to its App Store called Games for Kids that makes it easier to find child-friendly games for your young iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch user. Games are grouped by age, and many don't include in-app purchases. The Kids Games section groups titles for kids aged five and under, 6 to 8, and 9 to 11. You can find games from LEGO, Sesame Street, Disney, and more. You can even download the free ebook Family Time with Apps explaining how to more effectively manage the time kids spend playing on their iOS device.

The Mac Observer was on location this week at CES 2015, and along with all the cool products that are coming soon, the crew picked up on some trends for the coming year. Jeff and Bryan talk about the interest-or lack of-device makers were showing in HealthKit and HomeKit, what's happening with home automation products, who wants to support Apple Watch, and more.

The two biggest tech things in 2015 will be UHD/4K TV and the Apple Watch. The TV industry is working hard to make sure it doesn't have another "3D" debacle, and Apple will use its enormous resources to make sure the Apple Watch is successful as the best and most famous wearable, propelled by Apple Pay. This week's Particle Debris looks at both.

The Mac Observer is on the ground at the Internation Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, and we still have some cool products to talk about. John Martellaro and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to look at a few more products Jeff enjoyed seeing, a Bluetooth toothbrush he did his best to avoid, content for 4K televisions, and Kelly's brother and his Elvis impersonating adventures.

Apple is now seeding a fourth beta of iOS 8.2 via the company's developer portal, and as an over-the-air update for existing beta users. The build is listed as 12D5461b, and follows a little less than a month after beta 3, which was issued December 18. That build was 12D5452a. Accompanying the beta is a new version of WatchKit, the SDK and framework needed to build Apple Watch support into iOS apps....

Spotify is continuing to enjoy rising user numbers, with the popular music streaming service announcing it has reached a total of 15 million subscribers. At the same time, reports claim that the majority of Spotify streams stem from mobile listeners, with 52 percent of listening taking place on smartphones and tablets rather than desktops....

People wanting to control HomeKit-enabled devices remotely through Apple's Siri must have an Apple TV at home to serve as a hub, according to Verge sources, including two launch partners and a person said to be "close to HomeKit's development." Siri controls will always work while an iPhone or iPad is on the same network as a HomeKit device, but until now it wasn't fully clear how remote operation might work. The Apple TV must also be a third-generation model running at least v7.0 firmware or newer. Notably, remote operation without Siri -- using the vendor app for a HomeKit product directly -...

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You could just look out of your window, of course, but Weather Wall aims to set your wallpaper to an image that's right for the weather where you are. But if you ever had views like these from your office window, you would not stay sitting at your desk. These wallpaper shots are simply beautiful....

In order to nullify a lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over charges that the carrier was still throttling users on unlimited plans even when there was no network congestion, AT&T is claiming for the purposes of the lawsuit that it qualifies as a Title II "common carrier." This is the opposite of what it has told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with regards to possible actual Title II regulation of broadband....

Every Sunday at Electronista and MacNN, we offer a one-stop look at a few of the significant events that occurred in the video game industry during the previous week. In this week's look back in the Weekly Game Replay, we discuss a new game in the Baldur's Gate series from Beamdog, the closure of Zombie Studios, Hellblade coming to PC, the lawsuit over EA using retired NFL player likenesses in Madden NFL moving forward, and Sony delaying the release of the PlayStation 4 in China....

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Call it the omni-terminal: point-of-sale terminal maker Verifone has unveiled a new model, the PAYware Mobile e355, which the company says is compatible with all forms of mobile and traditional card payments, from simple magnetic stripe (currently widely used in the US) to chip-and-PIN EMV cards coming this year, and all forms of NFC-based payment systems utilizing iOS, Android or Windows Phone -- including Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Softcard and others....

Working on a project together while not being physically together is a hassle. If you've ever been in a group project that tries to collaborate via text message or email alone, you know how hard it can be -- especially if you're passing a bunch of files back and forth. Cloud services have certainly made things easier, but checking individual files for updates is troublesome, and many drive services are designed to work on a computer and fall a bit short on mobile devices. That's why MolaMola came up with MolaSync to help ease the pain of collaborating on projects across the Internet....

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Tech memories, sometimes, are the shortest memories of all. Do you remember what "smartphones" were like before the iPhone? Unless you were fairly well-off, you may not have any clear recall of those hazy days of 2007, when the Palm Treo and the BlackBerry ruled the world. Maybe your dad has one in a drawer somewhere -- go find it, power it up, and take a trip back to the Dark Ages (comparatively speaking). Eight years ago today, Steve Jobs blew up Macworld West in San Francisco with an earth-changing announcement....

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Peripheral maker Crucial announced two new SSD devices this week, and software to manage them. The MX200 is the new top-of-the-line model, with features to provide speedy copy rates and data encryption, while the BX100 is a value option with slower-but-still-speedy read/write rates at a more affordable price point. Finally, the Crucial Storage Executive tool is utility software for Windows to manage and maintain these and previous Crucial SSDs....

Apple Pay could arrive in Canada in early 2015, possibly as soon as March, sources claim. The people say that Apple is currently in negotiations with partners, and that those partners are already planning marketing and advertising material for March, presumably hinting at a launch target. Some of the sources indicate that Apple is indeed aiming for that month as well....

Today at MacMall.com, get the Mac Mini on sale for $1,069. That's a savings of $30 off the list price of $1,099, and around $20 less than the next lowest price. This Mac mini features a 2.6GHz Intel dual-core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB Fusion Drive, along with Intel Iris Graphics. It comes with Mac OS X Yosemite pre-installed, and as always this Mac comes with Apple's one-year limited warranty on parts and labor....

Representation of gay and lesbian users in Apple's emoji set on the iPhone and iPad is limited to just two same sex couples holding hands, but that's changing thanks to the Lesbian Emojis app from Kimberly Linn. The app's collection of lesbian-themed emoji adds more choices to the little icons we include in our text messages, but also underscores the surprising lack of diversity in Apple's emoji set.

The Apple community of observers has been in a quandary. How can Apple sell a luxury Apple Watch with expectations of enduring beauty and yet continue to upgrade its capabilities with new models without annoying the purchaser? One solution would be to make the just the inside electronics replaceable.

Ten years after giving away its first song, Apple has reportedly wound down the "Single of the Week" program that offered iTunes users a chance to download a free track from up-and-coming artists.

Testing on Apple's anticipated iOS 9 release continues to ramp up at the start of 2015, with the next major iPhone and iPad operating system expected to make its official debut at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

One month after receiving a patent reassignment from Israel-based 3D mapping R&D firm PrimeSense, Apple on Tuesday was granted another property detailing possible software implementations to go along with previously outlined motion-sensing hardware.

Adding to a growing pile of remote-access software solutions, Google on Monday released an iOS version of Chrome Remote Desktop, which lets users access or take control of their PC, Mac or Chromebook computer remotely with an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

According to its quarterly PC report for the fourth quarter of 2014, research firm IDC found Apple sold some 5.8 million Macs over the three-month period, bucking an overall negative trend for the market.

Following a deluge of health and fitness devices announced at CES, one analyst has said he believes Apple's Health application and HealthKit tools for developers will help foster a diverse ecosystem that will further differentiate the iPhone from competing platforms.

During its quarterly earnings call later this month, Apple is expected to announce record-breaking holiday iPhone sales bolstered by unprecedented demand for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in major emerging markets China and India, new evidence suggests.

The iPhone's strong holiday sales helped two of Apple's biggest supply chain partners --?Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Hon Hai Precision Industry --?post record monthly revenues in December, according to the companies' regulatory filings with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

Taiwan-based supplier Quanta Computer has entered into "volume" production of Apple's upcoming 12-inch MacBook Air, according to supply chain sources. The laptop is reportedly on track to ship in the first quarter of the year, despite other rumors pointing to the second quarter. The new sources say that Quanta has escalated recruitment efforts in order to speed up production....

Facebook will start to post into its users News Feed alerts about missing children in the future, in an effort to locate them. A partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will involve the social network showing Amber Alerts to Facebook users located in specific search areas, both on mobile devices and desktops....

Apple appears to have ended its Single of the Week promotion on iTunes, visitors note. No tracks have been offered in the first two weeks of 2015, and a person on Apple's support forums claims to have been told by iTunes Support that the company has officially dropped the initiative. It's missing from iTunes Stores across the globe....

The Los Angeles Unified School District's failed iPad deployment was botched early on, according to a review by the US Education Department. The federal agency says that it first of all put too hard an emphasis on using Apple hardware and software, ignoring cheaper options that could have saved money for the District and taxpayers. In July the USD said it was shifting to a strategy involving Chromebooks and Windows devices, such as the Microsoft Surface....

It's a different world. You might be the sort who would never take photo from a website and use it in your own book, but today if an image is online, it's as if the world sees it as fair game. Maybe that's a peek into our base immorality and the ultimate cataclysmic self-destruction of humanity, or maybe it's just that cut and paste is easy. Whatever it is, though, it's happening and you cannot stop it – not even with an application like this: but if PhotoWatermark can't prevent the copying of images, it can help photographers and artists considerably by adding identifying text to your image...

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While the idea that Apple probably had another record-breaking holiday quarter (what the company calls fiscal 2015 Q1) is unsurprising to all but selected pundits, a spate of reports released on Monday may be painting a general portrait of not just significant improvement, but more importantly growth in key areas of importance both to investors and analysis as well as to the health of the company. Sales of Macs look to be way up, iOS devices are selling much better in a key foreign market, and Apple's suppliers are flourishing -- all signs that point to better-than-expected quarter....

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CES is a weird and wonderful collection of products made by major manufacturers to the smallest of companies and even crowdfunded startups. The things you see might never come to market, but the tech presented serves as a good barometer for the year to come.

The latest rumors of a new 12-inch MacBook Air model describe an ultra-thin laptop that drops nearly all of its physical ports for a single audio jack and USB 3.1 Type-C connector, features that were first revealed last April and further detailed in specifications documents released by Intel, with significant contributions by Apple, in September.

The iPhone 6 PowerArmour battery case from BuQu offers a lightweight, easy to use, battery case for the iPhone 6. In spite of the weight 3.7 ounces (91 grams) it provides days of back up power with a 2800 mAh capacity. The matte finish makes for a solid grip. A special mechanism makes it very easy to attach and remove.

GoPro shareholders are panicking after Apple’s patent application for a wearable camera was approved. One look at Apple’s plans shows why—the application details a GoPro-like wearable perfect for action shots and underwater recording. Apple even takes aim at GoPro in the patent filing.

Apple criticized GoPro in a patent filing for wearable cameras.

Apple might not ever make a wearable camera, but if it does, it’ll be a GoPro on steroids. The patent covers a camera that can be mounted to bike helmets and scuba masks or fastened to motorcycles and surfboards. The patent also details plans for waterproofing so an iPhone could be used to take underwater snapshots.

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Want to run a marathon? There’s an app for that! 

Just kidding—if only it were that easy, right? While there’s no single app that can absolutely take you from lazy couch potato to marathon finisher, there are several apps that can help you in your quest to run the absurd distance of 26.2 miles. Because marathons are so taxing, even the most seasoned runners still need to train—constantly.

I am not a distance runner, but fitness expert, personal trainer, and endurance athlete Crystal Hadnott—who has run 12 full marathons and more than 50 half marathons since 2006— absolutely is. Here are the apps she uses to help her stay motivated, on track, and in marathon-running shape.

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Instagram’s approach to privacy is nothing like the piecemeal strategy used by parent company Facebook. On the photo-sharing service, your privacy settings are limited to public and private—or at least that’s what we thought. Instagram just fixed a bug that let people see your private photos if they had once been public.

Quartz discovered the flaw and asked Instagram about it, prompting the Friday fix. Before the hole was patched, if you shared web links to your photos when your account was public and then decided to go private, those links would still lead to publicly viewable images. The hole was only exploitable on the web, not in Instagram’s iOS and Android apps.

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LAS VEGAS—The Apple Watch wasn’t at International CES—well, not officially anyway, although Mashable’s Karissa Bell actually purchased a Chinese ripoff—but I did stumble across what might be the first third-party accessory designed for it.

In a quiet corner of the North Hall, Standzout showed off the Bandstand, an aluminum stand for the Apple Watch, slightly reminiscent of an iMac’s stand, only thicker to accommodate three USB ports tucked away under the bottom. Your Apple Watch connects to its included inductive charger, which rests in a cutout on top of the Bandstand and plugs into one of the USB ports. So don’t think of this stand as an extra charger for your watch, but rather as a place to keep the charger plugged in...

More power, better reception, and enhanced sound

This week’s roundup of new iPhone cases offers up a variety of battery-powered options for longer talking time, better signal for fewer dropped calls, and improved sound for watching videos and making calls.

Carte Blanche

The Coque (iPhone 6; $30) spices up your handset with a simple—yet fashionable—design.

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LAS VEGAS—Yoga isn’t easy. The best way to practice and improve is obviously taking classes at a studio, or even working with an instructor one-on-one. But that isn’t practical for a lot of people, so we have apps, DVDs, and streaming classes through YogaGlo. Now a new sensor-packed yoga mat called SmartMat can provide real-time coaching and personalized stats and routines with the help of a mobile app.

The SmartMat has 21,000 piezoelectric sensors spanning the entire length of the yoga mat. It pairs to your phone or tablet with Bluetooth, and there’s even a slot at the top of the mat that acts as a stand for your device. It charges with regular USB, with each charge lasting about 6 hours, enough for a few sessions—unless you’re a marathon yoga nut. But otherwise, the latex-free mat looks and feels just like a standard yoga mat, and even rolls up.

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Fitness, phone calls, and fun!

This week's roundup brings you apps for all kinds of activities—spooky sci-fi games, staying in touch with the outside world, and getting into shape.

Air Camera+

This $3 app, which streams video live from your iPhone to your TV through your Apple TV, has added some new features. Now you can add even more effects on the fly, including Bloom FX and 3D, while 3D offers two different modes: cyan/red with matching glasses or side-by-side. Plus, users can now record their stream in three different formats—HD, VGA, or normal.

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When shopping for a web host, some business owners first look at solutions that are close to home. That’s a natural response, but in many cases, an offshore host might make more sense.

Here’s a look at some of the advantages that an offshore web host can provide.

Performance

Web site loading times are directly impacted by the distance data has to travel from the host to the user requesting the web page. If you live in San Francisco, a server physically located in Los Angeles will tend to be more responsive than one located in New York. But it’s unlikely that all of your users live in San Francisco, and not all are likely to live in the United States, even. America is a big place. Did you know that New York is actually closer to Iceland than it is to San Francisco? Additionally, your European customers accessing servers in Iceland are likely to receive a response faster than from servers in the U.S. In reality, the differences in load times...

Speakers, writing slates and more from CES

This week's roundup of accessories is 100-percent full of items on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Bluetooth speakers? We got 'em. And a few other gizmos, too.

808

We found a couple of new Bluetooth wireless speakers from this company at CES. The $60 XS “features full stereo sound, an enhanced bass radiator, and an efficient 12 hours of rechargeable battery life,” while the $60 NRG GLO (pictured) is shaped like an energy drink can and features a “Glow” mode that adds mood lighting to the beat of your music.

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Budgeting, social media, podcasts, and entertainment

This week’s roundup of new Mac apps comes with a great selection of everything you need to start the new year the right way, from helping you stick with your resolutions, to keeping track of what’s happening in your social media circles—with a little entertainment thrown in for good measure.

Current 1.0.2

If you love your social media but can’t stand Facebook’s web-based experience, AppDen’s $2 Current (Mac App Store Link) is probably worth a good look.

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When Tim Cook unveiled the Apple Watch back in September, its official launch date was set as the oh-so-vague “Spring 2015.” Now, we have our first guess as to what that launch date could actually look like. 9to5Mac reports that the Apple Watch is set to ship in the U.S. by the end of March, with Apple Store retail training scheduled for mid February.

According to the report, Apple will be sending representatives from Apple Stores to Apple’s offices in Cupertino or Austin, Texas to learn about the Watch, which will better prepare store employees for when the Watch arrives. In addition, the report states that Apple is finishing up work on the Apple Watch’s software, battery life, and inductive charging mechanism.

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Free-to-play games often look appealing, but it's difficult to know at a glance whether the business model is insidious and fun ruining, or reasonable and worth pumping a few bucks into. With Freemium Field Test, we'll take a recent free-to-play iOS game, put it through its paces, and let you know if it's really worth your time (and money).

Among Peggle Blast's new additions are little creatures that skitter around the board with each new ball, slathering pegs with momentum-killing sludge.

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Folios from Knomo, Case-Mate, Moshi, and more

This week's collection of iPad cases is all about the folio case, featuring a wide range of designs that will keep you covered no matter your taste.

Case-Mate

The Tuxedo Case (iPad Air 2; $40) is a folio case with a smooth outer finish paired with a soft inner lining that helps protect your iPad's screen from scratches.

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Video

Video

Each year they arrive in droves, converging upon cities far and wide for several days of hobnobbing with some of the most creative talents around. This is MAX, the annual “creativity conference” launched in 2003 by Macromedia, the creators of Dreamweaver who wound up being acquired by Adobe only two years later.

Adobe has since upheld this tradition with events in North America, Europe, and Japan. Following the shift three years ago from packaged Creative Suite software and the advent of Creative Cloud, Adobe MAX has morphed into more of a consumer affair, with more designers, photographers, web coders, videomakers, and illustrators in attendance than developers—although Adobe MAX 2014, held in early October in Los Angeles, may wind up being remembered as the year those worlds started to converge. We think it was one of the best conferences of the year, and creatives should serioiusly consider attending in 2015. Here's why:

Earlier in December, Apple announced its picks for 2014’s best iOS apps, and the list didn’t surprise us. We were equally as obsessed with Threes, found Hyperlapse to be the perfect Instagram companion, and we all enjoy a little brain training now and then with Elevate. 

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