As has become obvious, Apple has decided to end its six-year tradition of giving iTunes-based "gifts" to its customers as part of a "12 Days of Christmas" campaign that had been running since 2008 in Europe, the UK, Canada and -- finally, in 2013 -- the United States. No reason has been given for the ending of the promotion, which offered free apps, e-books, movies, music and other offerings starting on Boxing Day (December 26) and continuing until January 6, celebrated by Orthodox Christians as Jesus' birthday....

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The Verizon Ellipsis Jetpack mobile hotspot has gone on sale in the United States. The XLTE-ready device is able to provide connectivity to Verizon's 4G LTE network for up to eight devices over Wi-Fi, with the 2.9-ounce unit also sporting a 0.9-inch OLED display to show signal strength, data usage, and remaining battery life. The Ellipsis Jetpack is priced at $150, or $1 on a two-year contract, and can be added to an existing More Everything plan for $20 per month....

Xiaomi, like Samsung, has a reputation for copying the look of Apple products, and its first effort at making a laptop outdoes even Samsung's efforts. Aside from an orange logo, Xiaomi's laptop is a dead ringer for the MacBook Air.

The Mac Observer Spin: Xiaomi is amazingly good at copying Apple designs, and their new laptop is no exception. Samsung could take notes from these guys.

The firmware on some Macs can be rewritten via a Thunderbolt device loaded with a special option ROM, according to Trammel Hudson, a security researcher who spoke at the 31st convention of the Chaos Computer Club, held in Hamburg. The hack is dubbed "Thunderstrike," and reportedly can't be detected once it's installed. More importantly it can't be removed by reinstalling OS X or replacing a hard drive, since it impacts the boot ROM (which is independent) and replaces Apple's public RSA key, blocking future firmware updates unless the attacker's key is used. It can even copy itself to option RO...

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Today in the MacNN Forums Fresh-Faced Recruit "Ryan700" was asking if it was possible to move a battery from one 13-inch MBP to another 13-inch MBP after the battery in his wife's computer needed to be replaced. A frustrated "jeff k" has turned to the forums hoping someone will be able to help him figure out why it is that the Notes app on his new iPhone keeps deleting notes at the end of the day....

The Belkin Portable Tablet Stage is an ideal accessory for anyone who teaches or makes frequent presentations using their iPad. It folds flat for easy carry and has a nice little feature that lets you instantly include paper images during your presentation by using the iPad's camera.

Taiwan's National Communications Commission has issued a report clearing a variety of companies of breaking local data privacy laws, according to Reuters. The organization says that all 12 of the previously implicated cellphone brands -- including Apple, Huawei, Samsung, LG, Sony, ZTE, and Xiaomi -- are in the clear, despite Xiaomi being the impetus for the investigation. In August Xiaomi apologized and promised to make changes after a Finnish security firm discovered Xiaomi software was collecting address book data without permission....

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So far, major banks have been running TV ads promoting Apple Pay, and that's great. But why is Apple being so shy about its own technology and not running its own ads? John Martellaro has wondered about that too.

There's a famous Charlie Brown cartoon where he writes out the title "What I Did On My Summer Holiday" and then counts the words. Seven. He has to write some impossibly high number of words, something like a whole hundred, and it is going to be agony. With WordTarget by Kickcode, he wouldn't even have the hopeful delay while he counted: WordTarget displays the number of words constantly....

In a move sure to be opposed by the myriad companies it owes money to, former Apple sapphire supplier GT Advanced Technologies is currently asking a bankruptcy court judge for permission to hand out over two million dollars in "executive bonuses" designed to help motivate and retain "key" employees -- largely the same group of senior executives who ran the company into the ground. In total, the company expects to apply for nearly $6 million in total bonuses and incentives to various levels of employees....

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As great as the cameras are on our iPhones, the only reason to use them as document scanners is when you have no other choice. There are just too many inherent problems -- from the difficulty of focusing evenly, to how hard it is to just line up the paper edges consistently. Then, of course, if you do get it perfectly straight and perfectly lit, the instant you tap the iPhone screen you introduce a judder. Scanner 2 PDF aims to be that best scanner, and specifically to do one particularly important job well, but if it's got the features then it falls down on the execution....

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Is it our typing speed, or just our attention span? Back in the olden days, we would copy out a telephone number, and type it into our cell phones. Mind you, back in the even more olden days, we would just remember the numbers and, let's be fair, that's completely unreasonable. Now that we all tend to have Macs and iPhones or iPads, we are forever going between the two -- and sometimes, that means the information we need is on the other one. Scribe is a clipboard utility for, well, copying anything from your Mac. If you can select it, you can copy it, and Scribe will send it on over to your iO...

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A number of iPhone 6 owners are complaining that they have been unable to add their cards back to Apple Pay after restoring iOS. The problem -- described in Apple's support forums -- can manifest whether restoring from a backup or starting fresh, and so far the only solution involves getting a replacement phone from Apple. Genius Bar technicians appear to be offering replacements to most affected people, whether in the form of a refurbished or genuinely new device....

Apple employees hoping to get back pay for the time they spend undergoing bag checks with their work shifts are in for a disappointment. U.S. District Court Judge William Alsop dismissed employee lawsuits following a Supreme Court ruling in a similar case that says the security checks don't fall under paid time requirements.

The Mac Observer Spin: Regardless of what Apple's employees think they're owed, it makes sense that Judge Alsop dismissed their case. The circumstances in the Supreme Court's ruling in the Amazon employee case are similar enough to apply here, too. Apple's employees will have to get pretty creative to convince Judge Alsop to change his mind.

A new lawsuit, filed in a federal court in California on Tuesday, accuses Apple of failing to inform people how much space iOS 8 will consume on a device, while simultaneously prompting them to buy online storage via iCloud. Specifically the suit claims that iOS 8 can occupy as much as 23.1 percent of device memory, but that not many people realize this when making a purchase. The plaintiffs are seeking damages, as well as changes by Apple to comply with state law. The case is being pursued as a class action....

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Word on the Internet is that it's pretty easy to trick Touch ID and get into someone's iPhone. Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet explain why hacking Touch ID isn't nearly as simple as the media would have you believe, plus they offer up some iPhone security tips, and take a look at the Apple employee pay class action lawsuit that was just dismissed.

When it comes to mobile music products, IK Multimedia has positioned itself as one of the top suppliers. Right from the early days of iOS, IK Multimedia has remained at the forefront of the iOS music creation market with products like the original iRig and iRig Mic. As iOS has developed and become more powerful, so has the line-up of iRig products - its latest introduction, iRig Pads, brings music ......

A fun one to put up on the Apple TV during New Year's Eve festivities, here's YouTuber Samurai Guitarist using an iPad (he notes in the comments that it's borrowed) to cover Blue Oyster Cult's classic Don't Fear The Reaper. Sadly he doesn't mention the apps involved, because I'd love a good cowbell app. Anyway, aside from the digitized vocals and the lack of "needle to the record" noise, it sounds really close to the original. I love videos like this, partly because of the novelty of it, and partly because it might introduce this song to someone who hasn't heard it before. And let's be honest when it comes down to it, we all need a little more cowbell. Check out the full video below.

(via Melissa Davis)

If you haven't heard of the August Smart Lock, here's the scoop-it's a Bluetooth device that unlocks your door when you approach with your iPhone and relocks it a set number of minutes after you come home. It also lets you issue temporary electronic keys, so you can allow the cleaning lady in for a couple of hours and receive a notification when she leaves. Come on in for the whole review of this spiffy little gadget!

Having started a new ad campaign in Japan, Apple has expanded its "Start Something New" online art gallery to many of its international sites, including the US -- offering a curated collection of photos, illustrations and other pieces created using iOS or Mac hardware and software. As is typical for the company, the aim of the campaign isn't to blatantly push hardware as it is to provide inspiration to action, and showcase how people use the products rather than the products themselves. Apps such as VSCO Cam, Waterlogue, Final Cut Pro and Brushes 3 are among the apps featured....

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The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has finally finalized its settlement with Snapchat over privacy issues. Initially settled in May but only finalized by the FTC on December 23, the settlement requires the messaging service to allow itself to be subjected to independent privacy monitoring for a 20-year period, among other items....

NewerTech has released a new adapter that allows a 2012 or newer model iMac (including the latest Retina 5K iMac) to be hung with a universal VESA mounting system. Since 2012, Apple has made it so that iMacs must be ordered with a VESA mount at the time of ordering, which means four screw holes would be drilled into the back -- if the original purchaser did not order the custom VESA fitting, there was no option to remove the stand, or add the option to mount it later....

If you're like most of us, chances are you've got at least one cloud service -- probably more. And if you're like most of us, chances are you've probably loaded up your phone or tablet with individual apps for every single one. Instead of installing separate apps for every cloud service, why not check out Files United by developer Zuhanden GmbH?...

GT Advanced Technologies wants to pay out US$6 million in bonuses to company executives in the midst of its bankruptcy proceedings, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Jeff and Bryan look at the pros and cons of GTAT's bonus plan, plus they rant on Twitter's sponsored links in our Following lists, and they share their favorite Apple-related stories for 2014.

Apple was slapped with a potential class action lawsuit this week alleging the company intentionally misled customers as to how much storage their iPhone has after installing iOS 8, and then tries to sell more through iCloud subscriptions. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. Federal Court in San Francisco by the law firm Cuneo Gilbert & Laduca.

The Mac Observer Spin: Complaints about stated versus actual storage space aren't anything new. The twist in this case is that the plaintiffs are claiming Apple used that as a bait-and-switch tool to pressure customers into paying for iCloud subscriptions. Still, the case feels an awful lot like a money grab.

We'd like to wish everyone a wonderful 2015, and we look forward to the best year Apple has yet had. Click through for a short walk down Memory Lane.

Some Twitter users woke up this morning to find that they were unexpectedly following @MasterCard, perhaps an implied endorsement that was unwanted. William Shatner was the first to notice this, according to Marketing Land. This appears to be a troublesome effort by Twitter to monetize what has become, in essence, a public utility.

Turns out smart home devices can be part of our home entertainment systems, too. John Martellaro and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to look at SyFy's plans to control Hue LED lights as part of the 12 Monkeys series, plus they dive into why it's time for Jeff to get on the Hue bandwagon, look at the popularity of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus over the holidays, and talk about the distrust in Apple Pay some people are showing.

Apple has run the 2015 edition of its annual "Lucky Bag" promotion, in which its Japanese stores sell bags containing surprise goods worth more than their initial price tag. This year's bags cost 36,000 yen (about $300) each, but held products worth anywhere between $640 and $1,280. Each one had a "big" surprise, along with an Apple TV, Beats Powerbeats2 wireless earbuds, a New Year's edition of a Mophie powerstation, and a 1,000-yen iTunes gift card. All of the items were secured in Incase ICON Slim Pack backpacks....

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The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off next week, and The Mac Observer will be on location to check out the latest tech products and trends for 2015. The trade show runs from January 6 through January 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and there'll be plenty of Apple-related gear for us to look at.

Watch manufacturer Montblanc has created a way to add smartwatch functionality to traditional wristwatches, by replacing the strap with one housing an extra screen. The e-Strap band introduces a secondary face to the watch on the inside of the wrist, with the extra module offering smartphone notifications via a 0.9-inch monochrome OLED display....

Apple has increased the costs for developers and products in a range of countries across Europe, reports say. German developers note that the cost of an annual Developer Program membership has jumped from €80 ($96) to €99 ($119). The change is presumably affecting all European Union countries, since Apple rarely makes changes in one euro market to the exclusion of others. In the UK, developer registration fees have been hiked from from £60 ($92) a year to £79 ($121)....

Today in the MacNN forums, one Dedicated MacNNer was asking if it was possible to run two different operating systems on the same Mac as they are planning on replacing their original drive with a solid state drive. Grizzled Veteran "PHoynak" is looking for a way to use their old white MacBook as a second display with a 27-inch iMac and wonders if anyone has any advice on how this could be accomplished....

Welcome to Friday Deals, the first installment in 2015 of the money-saving post where we find offers on hardware, gadgets, and software for you, the discerning MacNN and Electronista reader. Just like last year, the offers are correct at the time of writing, but may change, so check before purchasing. Also, come back to this post later, as we will be adding more deals to it throughout the weekend....

Montblanc announced Thursday a wearable computing option for mechanical watch owners. Being launched initially for the Montblanc Timewalker Urban Speed line of watches for 2015, the eStrap includes an OLED screen and various fitness-related sensors.

The Mac Observer Spin: The smartwars in the watch industry are just starting, all thanks to Apple Watch. I personally expect a lot of smartstraps to be introduced throughout 2015, from startups and established watch brands alike.

Networking hardware maker Peraso of Toronto, Canada focuses its efforts on designing integrated circuits but doesn't fabricate its own designs, instead outsourcing them to "foundries" -- as such, Peraso refers to itself as a "fabless semiconductor company." Next week at CES, however, it will be demonstrating a new USB 3.0 adaptor for the 802.11ad standard also known as "WiGig." The standard offers LAN speeds up to 10 times that of conventional Wi-Fi, and the adapter is expected to help home equipment take advantage of the increased speed as 802.11ad becomes more commonly used....

On Friday, US President Barack Obama placed new sanctions on North Korea as a "first measure" of retaliation against the country's cyber-attacks on Sony Pictures through an executive order that targets individuals and companies or other entities affiliated with the North Korean government. Obama referred to the North Korean government as "destructive and coercive," and painted the incident as an attack on both a US company and at attack on the right of free expression. The movie that North Korea objected to, The Interview, has since been released and sailed to the top of the iTunes movie chart...

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If you're a writer or do any kind of long and complex work, then you're typically either a planner or you're not. You work out every detail of what you're going to do or you're a pantser: you do everything by the seat of your pants. Traditionally, the only difference between the two that mattered was that planners find it easier to get paid because they can show what they're going to end up with. Otherwise, it was down to you which you were and not even raging arguments would change a pantser into a planner. So as an outlining and planning tool, OmniOutliner is clearly for the planner type of...

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Most of us still have computers, but they're not always convenient given the average person's fast-paced life. If you have a laptop or desktop, there have probably been a few times when you've wished you could check up on your computer, only to find yourself at the store, or stuck somewhere far away from your desk. But what if there was a way for you to easily check your computer while you're out and about? Remoter VNC by Remoter Labs, allows you to take control of your computer from anywhere right from the palm of your hand....

As part of its pre-CES announcements, Acer has released a pair of gaming monitors. The Acer XB270HU is the world's first Nvidia G-Sync gaming monitor equipped with IPS technology, and the Acer XG270HU is the world's first gaming monitor with an edge-to-edge frameless display. Both of these 27-inch displays come with WQHD (2560x1440) resolution, and a 144Hz refresh rate....

The Om/One Levitating Bluetooth Speaker. It's a speaker that's a globe and it levitates. It floats in mid-air while it plays music or acts as your speaker phone, or whatever. Magnets are frakking cool. Check out the video in the deal listing to see it in action. It connects to an audio source via Bluetooth, plus it levitates. Drop in Luke Skywalker with a helmet over this eyes, and you can have yourself a proper SciFi shindig. The Om/One Levitating Bluetooth Speaker ships in January for $199. Stack Social has it on preorder for $179.99.

Alongside the LaCie releases, the consumer division of Seagate has released three new products. Also shown today at the Consumer Electronics Show are the Seagate® Personal Cloud and Seagate Personal Cloud 2-Bay network attached storage devices, the Seagate Wireless 500GB portable drive, and the Seagate Seven ultra-thin external drive....

There are tons of games available for elementary age students in the app store, and most center around simple puzzle solving and basic game play. However, parents of younger children might not realize that there are also games available for toddlers. One such game is Duckie Deck Collection, by Duckie Deck Development, which aims to entertain even the youngest gamers....

Fugoo, makers of the Go Anywhere speaker line, today announced their newest product line at Las Vegas' Consumer Electronics Show. The new Fugoo XL series is larger and louder, ruggedized, and 100 percent waterproof. Featuring Bluetooth connectivity, the new speaker has quadruple the wattage and two new jacket styles that float. ...

Every Sunday, Electronista and MacNN offer a look back at some of the big news from the video game world in the previous week. To roll in the New Year for Weekly Game Replay, we take a look at Steam's new concurrent user record, Xbox Live founder Boyd Multerer's departure from Microsoft, Planetside 2 beta coming to the PlayStation 4 in January, Croteam's trap for video game pirates in The Talos Principle, and the new free games for PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live gold subscribers....

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Just in time for the snow season, Japanese company Cerevo introduced the XON Snow-1, a set of connected snowboard bindings that records data and lets users analyze their run, much like a data analyzer for race car drivers. Each binding has a pair of load sensors to measure lean angle and a flex sensor to gauge weight distribution, along with LED lights that just look cool....

To kick off the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang took to the stage to unveil the company's newest offerings for mobile computing and in-car systems. Nvidia's newest processor, the Tegra X1, leverages the Maxwell GPU technology released last year to produce a new "mobile super chip." The invention of the new processor was necessary to power Nvidia's two other announcements during the show that look toward the future of the automotive industry, the Drive CX and Drive PX systems....

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Tower defense is perhaps one of the most saturated genres of video games, leaving developers to create a new spin if they want to get the attention of potential players. Winged Sakura: Mindy's Arc takes a lane-based approach that is similar to Popcap's Plants vs. Zombies, but adds additional depth with role-playing game (RPG) elements and an anime sheen. But does Winged Sakura do enough to entice players into picking it up, or are they better off snagging something from the endless list of flash-based tower defense games?...

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After being removed last week, the online iCloud Photos app is working again, although the app's icon has yet to return to the iCloud.com home screen. Many users report that the app, and their photos, can be viewed by directly navigating to the iCloud Photos URL while logged in to iCloud.com.

D-Link has used CES to launch a new range of strikingly-designed Wi-Fi routers, as well as more powerline networking products. The AC5300, AC3200, and AC3100 Ultra Wi-Fi Routers all tout high wireless network speeds, while the PowerLine AV2 1000 and 2000M kits claim to provide fast wired network speeds using the home's power supply....

Logitech-owned Ultimate Ears has announced a new Bluetooth speaker, the UE Megaboom. The design is based on the original Boom -- which likewise aims sound in a 360-degree arc -- but is substantially larger. It should last up to 20 hours on a single charge, and UE is promising a 100-foot range, well beyond most Bluetooth devices, which are typically limited to about 30 feet. By comparison, the original Boom has a 15-hour battery and a 50-foot range....

Google has announced that its Cast technology will soon be able to send audio-only feeds to devices such as speakers and AV receivers. Users will be able to cast from Android and iOS apps, as well the web, presumably via Chrome for Windows, OS X, and Chrome OS. Some compatible services will include Deezer, Google Play Music, NPR One, Pandora, Rdio, and TuneIn....

Join us at 5pm (2pm PST) as we liveblog Samsung's CES keynote.

Apple Watch will play a âmeaningfulâ role in Appleâs 2015 bottom line, with sales of 18.5 million units representing 36 percent of the company's revenue growth for the year, according to a new investor note Monday from advisory firm Evercore Partners. The watch is expected to launch in the March time frame.

AT&T announced that it will be the first US carrier to launch commercial support for Web Real-Time Communications (WebRTC) via its AT&T Enhanced WebRTC API. The WebRTC standard, which is already enabled on more than a billion browsers across multiple platforms, allows voice and video calling between browsers without the need to install any software or plugins....

LAS VEGAS -- Staying on top how healthy you are typically hasn't included dealing with reducing ongoing pain, but Valedo is doing just that with it's set of light weight sensors. Instead of a bulky and unwieldy contraption with snaps and buckles, Valedo uses medical adhesive to keep its two sensors in place. Once there, you can play specialized iPad games to reduce back pain and strengthen your muscles. The company said it's planning on updating its software so you can track motion on other parts of your body, too. We checked out Valedo at CES 2015, and were surprised at how well it worked. You can pick up the two-sensor set for US$359 at the Valedo website.

Dish today announced specifics of its Internet television service. The new pay-as-you-go service, Sling TV, includes ABC Family, Disney Channel, Food Network, HGTV, TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, and the Travel Channel. However, possibly the biggest draw for the nascent service is ESPN and ESPN2....

Belkin-owned Linksys has announced several new networking products at CES. Leading these is the EA8500, an 802.11ac Wi-Fi router capable of some of the company's highest speeds, in part since it uses MU-MIMO to improve performance for simultaneous device connections, and a 1.4GHz dual-core processor. In terms of connections the device has four Gigabit Ethernet ports, a separate WAN Ethernet jack, and ports for eSATA, USB 3.0, and USB 2.0 devices. It should ship this spring for $280....

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LAS VEGAS - Hewlett Packard has announced several new computer displays today, including a new 24-inch Virtual Reality display, a new 27-inch 5K display and both 27-inch and 34-inch curved displays.

Four new models of headphones from Panasonic made their debut today at CES. The offerings included a foldable on-ear model, Bluetooth headphones with near-field communication (NFC), and two premium in-ear models. The Panasonic Foldz are designed to allow the ear cups to swivel around into a compact formation for storage and portability. The RP-BTD5 Bluetooth headphones include NFC connectivity that allows the user to connect them to a device by simply touching it to one of the ear cups....

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Apple appears to have fixed a flaw in its password security just one day after a hacker announced a new tool that could conceivably breach the existing protection against "brute force" attacks on accounts by taking advantage of an exception. On January 1, a new tool called iDict emerged in a rough state that could bypass repeated password-attempt blocking due to an exception made for iPhones. On January 2, Apple closed that exception and began locking accounts iDict was being used against....

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Apple has announced the Q1 2015 conference call, it's slated for January 27. We'll hear about how Apple did over Christmas, and hopefully get progress reports on other things Apple is currently working on.

One of the best parts about video games is character customization. Upon starting a game, we're given a blank slate to turn into whatever we want. There's something undeniably fun and very personal about designing a character, which is why the option is given in so many games. What if there was a game that was centered only around character customization, allowing yout to create an endless stream of different characters? Developer Toca Boca AB has created Toca Mini, a game that promises to help scratch that itch, at least for the younger users....

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The cameras in our iPhones are so good that they are destroying the point-and-shoot digital camera market. We all have high-resolution lenses that create vibrant, brilliant images -- and then we slap a sepia filter over every photo. Even if you would never apply iOS 8's Chrome or Transfer filter, however -- even if you have never heard of Instagram -- take a look at Exposure. It's one of those apps that is genuinely unexpected and new....

Portable audio system and food storage container Kube launched Monday at CES in Las Vegas. Designed for outdoor and indoor usage, the Kube offers a Bluetooth range of 50 feet for pairing with a Bluetooth-enabled device, and can deliver sound for up to 20 hours. Its exterior is comprised of aluminum and coated polymer, with five back-lit tactile buttons for controlling audio. Kube additionally includes the ability for charging USB devices with an available port, and its interior insulated food storage compartment features LED lights that automatically engage when the container is opened. Weighi...

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Wacom, makers of digital input tablets and other devices for artists, have announced two new free cloud-based services for their customers. These two services, which allow content and device settings to be stored and shared across platforms, are the first in a series of services planned for release over the course of 2015. The Dropzone service allows an initial 2GB of free storage, while the Control Room service lets existing users upload device settings so that they can retrieve the settings when using the device on a different platform....

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Resource management games are about balance. Balancing spending resources with gaining them, balancing time and effort versus reward -- all these things go into making a challenging, yet rewarding game. One such offering is Dungeon Village, by Kairosoft, which is a charming little medieval adventure about growing your own village....

A new aftermarket in-dash entertainment system may give users the best of both worlds, with support for both Apple CarPlay and Google's upcoming Android Auto. The device, codenamed "RNB6," features impressive automotive connectivity options, an integrated 4x55-watt amplifier, 5GHz Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0.

Apple has begun selling SIM-free versions of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus at its US online store. Unlocked iPhone 6 models have been available since September, but until now came with a T-Mobile SIM inserted. As with the T-Mobile option, a SIM-free iPhone 6 starts at $649 for 16GB, and an equivalent 6 Plus is $749. Costs scale up to $949 for a 128GB Plus....

Almost four months after the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple is now offering unlocked, SIM-free versions of the companyâs latest phones via its U.S. online store and, soon, U.S. Apple Retail Stores. Pricing for the unlocked iPhones remains the same as the unsubsidized cost of carrier-specific models.

Actress Perla Haney-Jardine has been cast as Steve Jobs' first daughter, Lisa, in the upcoming Universal biopic of the former Apple CEO. Haney-Jardine is just 17 years old and a relative unknown, having only held supporting roles in movies like Kill Bill Vol. 2, Dark Water, and Spiderman 3. Her spot in the Jobs biopic may potentially be a breakthrough, since screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has described Lisa as the "heroine" of the movie. At one point Natalie Portman was attached to the role, but she decided to pass....

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Patriot has announced the launch of a variety of products, including the second generation of Supersonic Magnum and Rage USB flash drives, and the Ignite SATA III SSD. The Supersonic Magnum 2 and Supersonic Rage 2 both include 3.0 USB connectivity. The Magnum 2 will be available in 256GB and 512GB capacities, with read and write speeds reaching 400MB per second and 300MB per second respectively. The Magnum is designed with a matte black metal housing that features shock resistance up to 15Gs to protect stored data, and its detachable cap covers the USB connector to protect from damage and debr...

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The Mac Observer is on the ground at the Internation Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, and we have more cool products to talk about today. Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to talk about some interesting startup companies they saw, audio gear, home automation, and what's up with GoGo's man in the middle hack to block YouTube streaming on flights.

Right now at Apple's online store, find big savings on refurbished 27-inch iMac and Mac Pro models. The refurbished 27-inch iMac with a 3.2GHz Intel quad-core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 1TB hard drive has seen a $310 discount, dropping the cost down to $1,489. A $340 discount drops the price on the refurbished 27-inch iMac with a 3.4GHz Intel quad-core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 1TB hard drive down to $1,659....

Pioneer and Kenwood have used CES to announce a slate of new headunits, all of which are compatible with both Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android Auto. The Pioneer offerings include the AVIC-8100NEX ($1,400), AVIC-7100NEX ($1,200), and AVH-4100NEX ($700). Each has an external microphone for voice commands, as well as a wired remote and support for HDMI input, Bluetooth, HD Radio, and dual-zone audio/video playback. The 8100 sports a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen, whereas the other two models use lesser resistive touchscreens. The products should ship in March....

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Every year CES acts as a launching ground for a range of new products, and this year is no different. Nikon decided to use the event as an opportunity to officially unveil its new D5500 DSLR, which acts as an evolution of the existing D5300. While the newly announced D5500 advances upon its predecessor in a number of ways, the most significant change is the introduction of a touchscreen. While the show floor isn't really an optimal ground for testing a new camera, we managed to get our hands on the new Nikon and spent a little time checking out just what this new product has to offer....

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Check out our deal on the Quirky Apple Accessory Kit, a collection of cord management accessories sure to tickle your quirky bone. There are five devices included in the bundle for $36, There's a power strip, an earbud winder, a Lightning charger, a MacBook charger, and a device to keep the ends of whatever cords you need so they don't get tangled.

LAS VEGAS - Arcsoft announced on Tuesday the addition of facial recognition to its Simplicam camera through the Closeli app one uses to manage Simplicam. The new Face Recognition Manager feature allows users to register and store up to ten different people that can then be flagged and noted through Simplicam.

While Samsung is generally known for its lavish TV announcements during CES, one of the more interesting products it presented during yesterday's keynote was a portable SSD. Dubbed the Portable SSD T1, Samsung's new drive has been designed with a very specific market in mind. Following Samsung's event we met up with a rep and spent a little bit of time talking about the brand new SSD....

Consumer GPS solutions pioneer Magellan on Tuesday introduced the Echo Fit Sports Watch, an expansion to the company's Echo Series product line that bakes in activity and sleep tracking to existing remote smartphone display and control features.

Storage accessory maker G-Technology has expanded its line of external storage devices today at CES with three new ruggedized drives and a new protective case. The new hard drives are outfitted with shock-proof cases to survive drops onto hard surfaces or into water. Prices range from $80–$230, depending on model and storage capacity, and offers options for either USB 3 or Thunderbolt connectivity. In addition, the company is selling its latest protective case separately, so that users can "ruggedize" existing G-Tech drives....

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Apple has announced that it will release the results of its fiscal first quarter of 2015 on Tuesday, January 27. An earnings call is scheduled for 2PM PT that day, or 5PM Eastern, but the company typically issues a press release about 30 minutes beforehand. Barring unexpected developments, the call should include commentary by CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri as they respond to questions from analysts and investors, and is expected by most pundits to result in a record quarter for the company....

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Sony has introduced a new flagship Walkman, the NW-ZX2, that serves as the successor to the ZX1 model that was introduced less than six months ago. The revised edition marks Sony's latest attempt to engage the audiophile market, capable of playing Hi-Res Audio formats, traditional lower-bitrate audio files, streaming content and other media. We stopped by Sony's CES booth to try out the new gadget and ponder its four-figure price tag....

Improving on its eponymous first-generation life-logging wearable camera, Narrative on Tuesday introduced the 8-megapixel Narrative Clip 2, which boasts Wi-Fi connectivity for uploading footage and remote smartphone control via Bluetooth.

FLIR has introduced a new thermal-imaging accessory for mobile devices. The new FLIR One attaches via Apple's Lightning port or to an Android device's Micro USB port, rather than integrating the thermal camera into an iPhone 5 case. We checked out the upgraded model at CES to see how it stacks up against its predecessor....

Apple has updated OS X server for Yosemite to version 4.0.3, adding a number of new features and minor improvements to the $20 add-on that provides enterprise-level tools to administer OS X and iOS devices running the latest respective OS releases. The update requires OS X 10.10.1 to run, and iOS 8 on remote iOS devices. The new version promotes SMB3 as the default protocol for sharing files, and updates Profile Manager to support the new features in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, such as Handoff....

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Electronics company Monster, known for its high-priced HDMI cables and car audio gear, has filed suit against now-Apple-owned Beats and its founders, Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, as well as former Beats partner HTC, claiming that Beats and HTC misled the company when it bought back enough shares of itself through the HTC investment to sever its contract for headphone partnership with Monster. The lawsuit does not directly involve Apple, but does revolve around the possibility that Beats knew when it left Monster that it was going to be acquired....

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The Alcatel OneTouch Watch will be shipping in March for $150, it has been revealed. The recently-launched round-faced smartwatch also uses its own software rather than Android Wear, allowing the device to work with iPhones and iPads running iOS 7 or later, as well as Android devices running version 4.3 or later of the mobile operating system....

LAS VEGAS - Wacom is ramping up its professional graphics tablet game yet again with its brand new Cintiq 27QHD and27QHD touch tablets. Both were introduced at CES 2015 on Tuesday with 2560 x 1140 27-inch built-in display surfaces sporting over 1 billion colors covering 97 percent of Adobe's color gamut. The new Qintiqs support 2048 pressure sensitivity levels and multiple stylus nibs, too. The 27QHD is priced at US$2,299.99. The 27QHD touch, which adds support for touch-based gestures, costs $2,799.99. Both will ship before the end of the month.

Apple this week was awarded a patent for design ideas that could lead to a future bendable, flexible, and foldable iPhone. By combining existing manufacturing techniques in new ways, Apple describes how such a device could not only prove to be more durable than current smartphones, but also more functional.

Virtually everywhere in the world that research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech tracks smartphone market data, Apple saw marketshare gains, thanks to the popularity of its latest flagship iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets.

Apple's next store in Chongqing, China, will feature a smaller glass cylinder nevertheless mimicking the design of the company's flagship outlet in Shanghai, photos show. Construction workers this week dismantled a steel structure that was concealing the 30-foot-tall cylinder, which in turn tops a staircase leading to the actual store. Another similarity with Shanghai is that the Chongqing store is based in a plaza and surrounded by taller structures....

Appleâs worldwide share of smartphone sales surged in most countries for the three months ending November 2014, compared to a year earlier, according to data released Wednesday from research firm Kantar Worldpanel. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus helped Apple grow its share of smartphone sales in every country measured except for Japan.

Actress Perla Haney-Jardine has reportedly been cast to play the role of Steve Jobsâs daughter Lisa in the upcoming biopic about the late Apple co-founder. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin says that the role of Jobs's daughter will be pivotal to the film, calling Lisa Jobs the story's "heroine."

Apple this week updated its App Store Distribution report, revealing that iOS 8 adoption among current Apple devices has continued to grow, reaching 68 percent as of January 5. Thatâs an 8 percent increase from the last update, but still well behind the pace set by iOS 7 during its first three months in 2013.

Mega-carrier AT&T is the latest U.S. wireless provider to turn to mobile data as a market differentiator, introducing a new "Rollover Data" program that allows subscribers to stockpile unused megabytes much like older plans that included rollover calling minutes.

The second day of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas brought a fresh round of announcements sure to intrigue Apple fans, including an update on the world's first iOS-connected robotic printer and a selection of new data storage devices.

Shortly after T-Mobile announced that they would let customers rollover unused mobile data, AT&T has struck back with their own data rollover plan. But don't celebrate too quickly, AT&T customers. There's a huge caveat that comes with AT&T's announcement.