MacRumors

Brydge, known for its line of keyboards for the iPad, recently debuted its newest keyboard, an updated model designed for Apple's 2018 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models. The new Brydge Pro has been highly anticipated by ‌iPad‌ owners who have used Brydge keyboards in the past and prefer the bulk-free Brydge keyboard style.

I've teamed up with MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera to review the Brydge Pro, so make sure to check out his hands-on video below to get a visual overview of the keyboard and read on for my own review.

Design

If you're familiar with Brydge keyboards, the Bluetooth-enabled Brydge Pro features the same general design as past Brydge options. It is the least bulky of the third-party keyboards for the new ‌iPad Pro‌ models that I've used, and it's my favorite third-party keyboard design by far.

There are two rubber-lined hinged clips on the keyboard that your ‌iPad Pro‌ fits into, which hold it securely in place and mimic a MacBook setup. The clips move forwards and backwards so you can fold it up just like you would a laptop (and when you close it, there are little rubber nubs to prevent the keys from touching the display). Because of the rubber lining, the ‌iPad Pro‌ is secure and stable in the Brydge Pro, but I have noticed that the weight of the ‌iPad Pro‌ can cause to it flip backwards a bit when I pick it up using the keyboard portion.

The hinges are tighter than a MacBook hinge, but it's still easy to open and close the keyboard and the ‌iPad‌, and when you close it up, the ‌iPad‌'s screen turns off. With the clips, there's an adjustable 180 degree viewing angle, which is nice because it lets you position the ‌iPad‌ at whatever angle works best for you regardless of whether you're typing on a flat surface like a desk or in your lap. On a desk, there are rubber feet at the bottom to keep it in place, which is a nice addition.

You can only rotate the clips a limited amount, so if you want to use your ‌iPad‌ in portrait mode, you're going to need to take it out of the keyboard, which is a bit of a hassle. There's no option to just fold it back, though I guess you could use it book style. You can pull the ‌iPad‌ out and stick it back in backwards to use the keyboard in tablet mode (folded back) or movie mode (no keyboard visible but ‌iPad‌ propped up) but it's a hassle to have to take it out and put it in the clips.

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Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced three years ago in March 2016. Apple designed the ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.

‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release 83 includes bug fixes and performance improvements for Storage Access API, Rendering, Service Workers, CSS, WebRTC, WebDriver, Web API, and Web Inspector.

The new ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available for both macOS High Sierra and macOS Mojave, the newest version of the Mac operating system that was released to the public in September 2018.

The ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple’s aim with ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.

Accessory maker Mophie today announced a new line of Powerstation battery packs with multiple charging ports, including a USB-C port with both input and output functionality, meaning that it can be used to both charge the battery pack itself and charge connected devices like an iPhone or iPad.

In addition to USB-C, the battery packs have either one or two USB-A ports depending on the model for charging multiple devices simultaneously. Each has a fabric design with an LED indicator for charging status and battery life.

The new 2019 line is available in multiple capacities and colors as follows:

• Powerstation mini: 5,000mAh. One USB-C and one USB-A port. Available for $39.95 in Black, Gray, Navy, Hot Pink, and Light Blue.
  

• Powerstation: 10,000mAh. One USB-C and one USB-A port. Available for $49.95 in Black, Gray, Navy, and Pink.
  

• Powerstation XL: 15,000mAh. One USB-C and two USB-A ports. Available for $59.95 in Black and Gray.
  

• Powerstation XXL: 20,000mAh. One USB-C and two USB-A ports. Available for $69.95 in Black.

The battery packs are available now on Mophie.com and will be available at Best Buy, Verizon, and T-Mobile retail stores across the United States.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Mophie. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Microsoft today announced that the Excel app for iOS is gaining the Insert Data from Picture feature that was previously made available on Android devices.

Insert Data from Picture lets you take a photo of data in a table format and convert it to a digital format in Excel. You can capture financial spreadsheets, work schedules, task lists, time tables, and more, so long as it's in a table format to begin with.

According to Microsoft, Insert Data from Picture combines optical character recognition technology, layout understanding techniques, and machine learning to convert information written on paper into digital data.

As of today, the Insert Data from Picture feature also supports 21 languages on both iOS and Android.

The Excel iOS app from Microsoft can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

As expected, subscription-based magazine service Texture has shut down following the launch of Apple News+ in late March.

Apple acquired Texture last year to serve as the foundation of ‌Apple News‌+ and later announced that Texture would cease working after May 28. On cue, the app no longer functions as of today and points users towards ‌Apple News‌+.

Amazon today announced the Echo Show 5, the latest Echo device with a 5.5-inch display, more compact design, and privacy-focused voice controls for Alexa. Echo Show 5 is priced at $89.99 and is set to launch on June 26, 2019.

Amazon's Echo Show devices have speakers and a touchscreen, aimed at letting customers watch the news via apps like NBC and Reuters, look at the weather, or make video calls. Echo Show 5 continues this idea, and Amazon even pointed out that you can use the device to listen to music via Apple Music, thanks to recent integration.

Like other Echo devices, Echo Show 5 can also act as a smart home hub so that you can say things like "Alexa, turn on the lights," or use on-screen display controls to adjust brightness levels. Smart camera feeds can be viewed on the display, as well as thermostat levels and more. Echo Show 5 also supports two-way talk functionality with Ring doorbell cameras.

If you use the Echo Show 5 as an alarm clock, the device's display will naturally brighten and show a sunrise animation before the alarm goes off. At that time, you can set a routine that displays the weather forecast for the day, the morning news, and more on the Echo Show 5 screen.

“Since we launched the first Echo Show device, customers have told us they love asking Alexa to show them things—whether it’s a recipe for banana bread, their shopping list, or music lyrics. With Echo Show 5, we’ve made it even easier and affordable for customers to add a smart display to every room of their house,” said Tom Taylor, Senior Vice President, Amazon Alexa.

“The compact form factor is perfect for a bedside table or desk, plus it has a camera shutter for added peace of mind, and new Alexa privacy features for even more control.”

When not in use, you can set personal photos to act as a home screen on the Echo Show 5, or connect to Facebook to play a slideshow of photos as a screensaver. Echo Show 5 can connect to family members who own an Echo Spot or Echo Show, have the Alexa mobile app, or use Skype. Within the same house, if you own multiple Alexa devices you can also use the drop-in feature to quickly speak to other Alexa speakers.

In terms of privacy, Amazon touched on a variety of security options in its announcement today. First, the company pointed out that Echo Show 5 includes a microphone/camera off button that electronically disconnects both the microphone and camera, along with a visual indicator that shows when audio or video is streaming to the cloud. The device also has a camera shutter so you can easily cover the camera.

Second, Amazon has introduced an easy way to delete your voice recordings on all of your Alexa devices: you can say, "Alexa, delete everything I said today." Afterwards, the company will delete the respective recordings. In the near future, you'll be able to delete your last request by saying, "Alexa, delete what I just said."

The Echo Show 5 is available to pre-order today in Charcoal and Sandstone for $89.99. The device will then launch in June in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. India will see a launch in July, and Mexico will come at a later date.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

B&H Photo is discounting a collection of iMacs this week, with savings reaching as much as $700 off original prices. The sale includes both 21.5-inch and 27-inch Retina iMac models, all of which are from 2017.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with B&H Photo. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

The two 21.5-inch iMacs in the sale are both hitting lowest-ever prices for these configurations, starting at just $999.00. B&H Photo's sale also includes a flash deal on the 27-inch Retina model, priced at $1,599.00, down from $2,299.00.

B&H Photo's Retina iMac Sale (Mid 2017)

• 21.5-inch, 3.0 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB - $999.00, down from $1,299.00 ($300 off, lowest ever)
• 21.5-inch, 3.4 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB Fusion - $1,099.00, down from $1,499.00 ($400 off, lowest ever)
• 27-inch, 3.4 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB Fusion - $1,499.00, down from $1,799.00 ($300 off)
• 27-inch, 3.5 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB Fusion - $1,599.00, down from $1,999.00 ($300 off, flash sale)
• 27-inch, 3.8 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 2 TB Fusion - $1,599.00, down from $2,299.00 ($700 off, flash sale)

These iMacs were refreshed in June 2017 with Kaby Lake chips, Thunderbolt 3 support, VR ready AMD Radeon Pro graphics, and faster solid state drives for 4K and 5K models. If you're on the hunt for more sales and bargains, be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup.

The Pokémon Company today announced a new cloud service app and two new mobile games, coming in 2020 and beyond. The news was shared during a press conference in Tokyo, alongside other announcements such as a new Detective Pikachu game for Nintendo Switch.

To start, The Pokémon Company president and CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara revealed Pokémon Sleep is coming to iOS and Android in 2020. The app is described as an experience that gamifies your sleep, with factors like time spent asleep and time waking up affecting gameplay in a major way. So far, no other details about gameplay have been revealed.

A new peripheral called the Pokémon GO Plus + will connect to the app and launch alongside it, tracking your time sleeping and other data points and sending this information to your iPhone through Bluetooth. The Pokémon GO Plus + will have all of the same features as the original Pokémon GO Plus, so it'll also be able to connect to Pokémon GO.

Secondly, Pokémon HOME was announced as a new cloud service app that lets you manage your entire collection of Pokémon across the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices.

The company said that Pokémon HOME will be your centralized location to organize your Pokémon, collected from games like Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!, Pokémon GO, and the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield games for Nintendo Switch. You'll even be able to trade Pokémon with friends directly from Pokémon HOME, which is set to launch in early 2020 for iOS, Android, and Switch.

Other announcements include a new mobile game called Pokémon Masters coming to iOS and Android from The Pokémon Company and DeNA. Like Pokémon Sleep, little is known about the game right now, but it's said to showcase "a new type of Pokémon battling on the go," with many famous Pokémon Trainers from previous games. Gameplay is said to be optimized for mobile devices "for a casual but uniquely Pokémon experience," and more details about Pokémon Masters will come out this June.

We're coming up on the third anniversary of the launch of Pokémon GO for iOS and Android, which became a massive hit on mobile devices and encouraged a wave of copycat games from franchises like Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters, and Harry Potter. As of March 2019, Pokémon mobile games have earned approximately $2.5 billion, with the majority of the revenue coming from Pokémon GO.

BT Sport has announced its first ever live mobile HDR stream will be the Champions League final in Madrid between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool on Saturday, June 1. BT Sport subscribers will be able to watch the match in HDR via the BT Sport app for iPhone and Apple TV.

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. HDR videos provide a broader range of colors and luminance compared to sub-HDR content, and the format also supports quality video playback on a wide variety of screen sizes.

Logged-in subscribers of the BT Sport app on an ‌iPhone‌ X, XS, XS Max, ‌Apple TV‌ 4K, or iPad Pro (2nd and 3rd generation) will be served with a tile on the homepage so they know the Champions League soccer final is available to them. Users without a HDR-capable device or logged-out users will see the normal tile on the homepage without any reference to HDR.

To AirPlay the match, users will need a capable TV to watch in HDR. The vast majority of 4K TVs sold in the last few years also support HDR. The app will detect HDR compatibility and serve the appropriate stream.

The Champions League final will also be available to non-BT Sport subscribers for free, though not in HDR. It will be shown on the mobile and large-screen apps, on BTSport.com and on YouTube. BT Sport's live coverage begins at 7pm on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 4K UHD.

Apple debuted HDR support with the "Super Retina" display in the 2017 ‌iPhone‌ X, which became the first HDR OLED display incorporated into one of Apple's smartphones.

Apple also lists the ‌iPhone‌ 8, ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus, and ‌iPhone‌ XR as supporting HDR, but the displays for these devices are not the same as the Super Retina display on Apple's OLED iPhones, so any HDR content played on the 8 or 8 Plus isn't true HDR.

BT Sport claims its live HDR coverage of the Champions League Final on a mobile device is a "world first," and says that going forward it plans to show up to 70 live sporting events in High Dynamic Range per season.

Twelve South today announced a new version of its iconic BookBook case for iPad, which has been designed for Apple's latest 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models.

BookBook Volume 2, like other ‌iPad‌ BookBooks, is a handmade leather case that's been designed to look like a classic book.

Inside, there's a spot where you can hold your Apple Pencil so it doesn't get lost, and there's a camera cutout for the rear camera at the back, which is new to the BookBook.

An interior pocket lets you hold documents or a slim Bluetooth keyboard, and the hardback covers and the spine offer all-around protection when the case is zipped shut.

There are dual zippers so you can keep the case closed while leaving room for the USB-C cable for charging purposes, and the aforementioned display mode is ideal if you want to use it with an add-on keyboard.

You can get the new BookBook Volume 2 from the Twelve South website, with the 11-inch version priced at $89 and the 12.9-inch version priced at $99.

Moment, a company known for its popular lenses designed for iPhones, today came out with a new series of bags and wallet cases that are meant to be used with the lenses.

There's a new Moment Fanny Sling ($69.99) and Moment Crossbody Wallet (starting at $54.99), which you can use to store your lenses and other iPhone-related essentials.

The Crossbody Wallet, priced at $54.99 for the canvas version and $74.99 for the leather version, is a smaller clutch that you can wear on your wrist or across your body for carrying your lenses and other daily accessories like keys, AirPods, and more.

It's sized to fit a plus sized phone so you can store your iPhone inside too, and it has microfiber lined pockets to keep everything safe.

New Wallet Cases, priced at $49.99, offer up compatibility with Moment lenses along with a pocket at the back to store a couple of credit cards and your ID.

The Wallet Cases are available for the ‌iPhone‌ 7 and later and come in either natural leather or plain black. The wallet pocket holds up to three cards, making it ideal if you want to head out with just a lens and your cards.

Finally, Moment has a new addition to its Photo Case lineup in a new tan leather color, which is available for $39.99.

For those unfamiliar with how Moment lenses and cases work, you need one of Moment's cases to use the lenses because they screw into the back of the case rather than attaching to your ‌iPhone‌. Moment makes a wide range of lens options at prices starting at $100.

All of the new products are available from the Moment website starting today, and for today only, there's a 20 percent discount if you use the code #momentbags when checking out.