MacRumors

We are at PAX West this weekend, scoping out the coolest mobile games in Seattle for coverage on TouchArcade. If you're also here and want to show us your game, be sure to hit up either @hodapp or @jaredta and we'll make sure that we make it happen. For everyone else, like any other week in the calendar year, this one has been packed with all sorts of interesting things happening in the world of iOS gaming.

First off, one cool thing that we do around TouchArcade is called the RPG Reload play along. The basic gist of the whole thing is we select an RPG, which typically is an older or other retro game, and we all play it together over the course of a month and share out experiences in this forum thread. It's a really awesome way to revisit older games that you have (or haven't) played before. This month we're focusing on the action RPG Bastion. It's a fully narrated game experience, which is... unbelievably cool if you've never tried it before. Check out the trailer, or the forum thread, and hop in. These play alongs are a ton of fun.

While it's the first time we've mentioned it in these MacRumors roundups, Suzy Cube is a game we've been following over on TouchArcade for years now. It's basically a modern, touch-based, reinterpretation of the 3DS game Super Mario 3D Land. The amount of time the developer, Louis-Nicolas Dozois, has put into refining every aspect of the game is really just sort of incredible. His latest developer blog posted over on Gamasutra details all the challenges that went into designing the controls of a 3D platformer. In fact, the entirety of his development blog is a really fascinating read if you're at all into following the passion project of a developer who is making a game that isn't typically done so well on mobile with touch screen controls.

On the sales front, Street Fighter IV Champion Edition has slammed down to two bucks. It's a full-featured mobile iteration of Street Fighter which we really loved in our review. It has a couple caveats: The framerate isn't as good as its console counterparts, and if you're not a fan of touch controls you're probably not going to be that into the controls of this particular game.

Additionally, all the Simogo games are also on sale for a buck. Simogo is responsible for some of the most innovative (and strangest) games on the App Store. Device 6 is a fascinating spin on interactive fiction, SPL-T is a brain-twisting puzzle game, Year Walk is an incredible atmospheric avdenture, and the list just goes on. Simogo consistently releases amazing titles, so if you're missing anything from their catalog, now is a great time to stock up.

If your mind is still blown from the Game of Thrones season finale, you've got a brief reprieve before the launch of Game of Thrones Conquest. You can pre-register for the game here, which awards $50 worth of in-game goodies once the game goes live. So far it sounds like it's one of those free to play MMO battle games, which could be pretty cool with a Game of Thrones skin on top. Interestingly enough, it's developed by Turbine who were the original developers of Asheron's Call, making Game of Thrones Conquest potentially far more interesting than your typical free to play game.

In the world of App Store approval drama, Apple kicked CheapCharts off the App Store. If CheapCharts is new to you, it's basically an app with functionality sort of similar to the original AppShopper app. Apparently, when they added Mac apps to their price tracker, that was the final straw for Apple who "suddenly claimed that our business model would not be in compliance with Apple's guidelines and that the look and feel of CheapCharts would be identical to that of the App Store." For folks in our situations, this is unbelievably frustrating as all CheapCharts, AppShopper, and the TouchArcade app really do is encourage people to buy more things from the App Store.

Last, but by no stretch of the imagination least, the original Infinity Blade has been updated to 64-bit. Aside from evading the 32-bit purge of iOS 11, this also provides a fantastic opportunity for anyone who didn't play Infinity Blade when it was new and exciting to download the game knowing it's going to work on their phone for the foreseeable future. It's ancient by today's standards, but out original review of Infinity Blade still stands as one of the best games ever released on the App Store. Since then, two other games have been released, which are both just as good.

For all this and more, be sure to check out TouchArcade, we post this sort of news around the clock and it's really the best place you can go to follow the beat of the mobile gaming world!

With Labor Day coming up in the United States on Monday, September 4, a collection of retailers have launched notable discounts on a variety of Apple and Apple-related products and accessories. Companies like Best Buy, Staples, and Belkin have debuted savings on select MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, Beats products, Apple accessories, and more, so we'll list some of the best deals below.

Many of the Labor Day deals come from Best Buy, which is running a four day sale beginning today, September 1, through Monday, September 4. As with past Best Buy sales, customers can take advantage of price matching, in-store pickup, and free shipping on sale items.

Apple Products

The discounts start with as much as $300 off of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus for Sprint customers who also sign up for the carrier's 24-month installment plan.

There are three colorways of the 128 GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini 4 on sale for $299.99, down from $399.99. Not directly part of the Labor Day sale, Best Buy this week is also offering $100 off of the latest models of the Wi-Fi only 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Best Buy is offering up to $500 off of select MacBooks during the sale. Customers can buy the late 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and 256 GB of storage for $1,499.99, down from $1,799.99. The 512 GB version is also marked down to $1,599.99 from $1,999.99. The early 2016 12-inch MacBook with an Intel Core M3 processor and 256 GB of storage is priced at $899.99, down from $1,299.99. A higher-end version of the same device has been discounted as well, including an Intel Core M5 processor and 512 GB of storage at $1,099.99, down from $1,599.99.

Those with an authorized student email address can get an additional $125 discounted off of Best Buy's MacBook deals. For a full list of Macs under the student discount banner -- including MacBook Air and some iMac models -- visit Best Buy's website here.

If anyone is looking for a deal on an older MacBook model, DailySteals has a refurbished version of the mid 2011 11-inch MacBook Air for $379.99, down from $1,199.99.

Customers can also purchase the now-discontinued 16 GB iPod touch from Best Buy for $179.99, down from $199.99.

Accessories

In terms of accessories, the Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones in eight colors are just $179.99 during Best Buy's Labor Day sale, reducing in price from $299.99. Staples has the newest version of the Beats Pill+ Portable Speaker, in Black and White, marked down by nearly 50 percent right now, running for $119.00 instead of the traditional $229.95.

For anyone looking to beef up their smart home setup, Best Buy is also offering a combo pack discount on a Google Home and Philips Hue Color Starter Kit Package, which is available for $188.99 instead of $308.99. Verizon has the Google Home and Hue White Starter Kit Bundle on sale for $159.99, down from $199.98.

At Belkin, customers based in the U.S. and Canada can take advantage of a store-wide Labor Day promo that is taking $10 off orders $50 or more; $25 off $100 or more; and $50 off $200 or more.

These discounts will be applied automatically at checkout and don't require a specific promo code, and will last today through September 4. The only items excluded from the promo are Belkin's Thunderbolt 3 Express Dock, and any Wemo and NetCam products.

Apps

There are a few notable applications on sale in the iOS App Store this week; here are a few worth checking out:

• Bumpy Road - $0.99, down from $2.99

• SPL-T - $0.99, down from $2.99

• Beat Sneak Bandit - $0.99, down from $2.99

• Year Walk - $0.99, down from $3.99

• Device 6 - $0.99, down from $3.99

• Beholder - $1.99, down from $4.99

• Lighten Brainstorming - $0.99, down from $2.99

• Typic - Free, down from $3.99

• 8mm Camera for iPad - Free, down from $1.99

• 8mm Camera for iPhone - Free, down from $1.99

• Clean Text - $0.99, down from $2.99

For more information on the best deals, be sure to check out the MacRumors Deals Roundup.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

Philips recently released the DiamondClean Smart, a new iteration of its top-of-the-line toothbrush with all the bells and whistles.

Not only does it connect to your iPhone using a Bluetooth connection to help you brush better than ever before, but it's also been redesigned to decouple brushing mode from intensity. There are new smart brushes for more tailored brushing, additional modes to meet different needs, and other small refinements that bring overall improvements.

I've been using Sonicare toothbrushes for more than 10 years, and for the last five, I've had a DiamondClean. This new DiamondClean toothbrush is going to make your teeth whiter, healthier, and squeaky clean, but with prices that start at $230, it's not cheap, and the app is sometimes more gimmicky than helpful. All in all, though, you're not going to find a better brushing experience.

Design

The DiamondClean Smart adopts design elements from the original DiamondClean, but it also introduces both new and refined features. The brush is sleek with clean lines and the traditional look of the DiamondClean, but instead of a single button to turn it off and on, there are now two buttons.

The top button continues to function as an on/off button, but there's now a second button that controls the intensity. Below the two buttons, there are a series of LEDs denoting the different brushing modes, and at the bottom, there's a light-up base that fits into the charger.

Philips sells the new DiamondClean Smart in a range of colors, but the one I tested is white with silver accents and gold lettering at the top. The mix of gold and silver is a somewhat odd choice, but it looks elegant on the bathroom counter.

A small metal prong at the top of the toothbrush base holds the brush in place, and the brush head can be popped off the top so you can switch brush heads. If you're familiar with Sonicare toothbrushes, you know the brush heads need to be changed out on a regular basis - approximately every three months.

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For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Nomad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Sport Strap for the Apple Watch.

Nomad's Sport Strap is designed for 42mm Apple Watch models. It's constructed from a soft, pliable silicone for a comfortable, molded fit on any wrist. The silicone it's made from is antimicrobial and hypoallergenic, but it's also durable and water resistant, making the band ideal for a range of activities on land and sea.

The Sport Strap has a stylish two-tone design in either Black/Volt or Black/Gray, and each color matches both the stainless steel and aluminum Apple Watch models in Silver and Space Gray.

Subtle crosshatching and a tapered design add visual appeal, and the buckle, made from polyamide, is designed to hold up in all environmental conditions. While it's designed to be a sport watch, it looks nice enough that it can be worn for any occasion.

Nomad sells the Sport Strap at $49.95, but we have five to give away to MacRumors readers. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prize. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (September 1) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on September 8. The winners will be chosen randomly on September 8 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

Ahead of Apple's now-confirmed September 12 media event, during which it's believed to announce the newest versions of the Apple Watch, iPhone, and Apple TV, Men's Health was invited to visit Apple's secret exercise lab where activity data on its wearable device is collected. Apple invited the media to its Apple Watch lab before the launch of the original Apple Watch in early 2015, and now Jay Blahnik, Apple’s director of fitness and health technologies, said that the lab has "collected more data on activity and exercise than any other human performance study in history."

Although Apple revealed the lab in 2015, Blahnik mentioned that work in the department has been ongoing for the past five years. The lab enlists Apple employees to perform various exercises while hooked up to metabolic carts, ECG machines, and $40,000 masks that analyze calories burned, oxygen consumption, and more. Around 40 employees work out in the lab at one time, all monitored by 13 exercise physiologists and 29 nurses and medics.

The lab includes a studio for group fitness programs, one room with an endless pool to measure the new waterproof abilities of Apple Watch, and another trio of rooms mimicking intense temperature conditions, which Apple calls "Higher, Faster, and Stronger." In 2015, Blahnik said the lab had collected over 18,000 hours of fitness data on over 10,000 workout sessions, and now those numbers have jumped to 66,000 hours and 33,000 sessions.

“Our lab has collected more data on activity and exercise than any other human performance study in history,” says Jay Blahnik, Apple’s director of fitness for health technologies, in a rare interview. “Over the past five years, we’ve logged 33,000 sessions with over 66,000 hours of data, involving more than 10,000 unique participants.” A typical clinical trial enrolls fewer than a hundred participants.

Blahnik commented on the "game-ifying" of fitness challenges that Apple has introduced with Apple Watch and Activity Sharing, where users can follow their friends' calorie, workout, and standing data throughout the day, and encourage or taunt one another in the process. He said that Apple's goal was to make it easier for people to feel part of a workout community, even when they aren't nearby one another, providing another "fun way to stay in touch" with friends on Apple Watch.

With watchOS 4, Apple Watch devices will also be gaining the ability to provide more nuanced insight into each user's daily goals, and give them little prompts towards the end of the day regarding how close they might be to closing an Activity Ring. The company has put together corporate fitness challenges around all of these activity features in the past, which Blahnik said has catalyzed healthy lifestyles that many employees continue to maintain.

This year Apple held its own global monthlong corporate health challenge, with tens of thousands of participants in teams of four, using the Lose It! Challenges app. Closing the watches’ tricolored rings was part of the game. It seeded health streaks that many at the company are still maintaining. “You noticed it on campus and in our retail stores,” says Blahnik. “Everyone was more active and engaged in their health. There was a lot of back and forth to encourage and motivate your team members to close their rings.”

The third-generation Apple Watch -- expected to be called "Series 3" -- is rumored to include cellular connectivity, further untethering Apple Watch from iPhone and allowing users to send messages and stream Apple Music solely on the wearable device. The Apple Watch Series 3 was originally rumored to see a major design overhaul, but more recent reports have said that added LTE connectivity will be the third generation's big selling point and a form factor change will be held for a future device.

Several months after Yahoo warned users of a third data breach that occurred between 2015 and 2016, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California has said that breach victims now have the right to sue the company, allowing them to pursue breach of contract and unfair competition claims (via Reuters). Previously, Yahoo argued that these individuals lacked grounds to sue the company, but Koh has now rejected that claim.

This leaves "well over 1 billion users" open to sue the company, all of whom were affected by one of three total data breaches that began to gain notoriety in September 2016, when the company disclosed that "at least" 500 million Yahoo accounts were compromised in a late 2014 cyber attack. A second attack was disclosed in December 2016, regarding a user information leak that happened in August 2013, and then the third and presumably last warning about a previous attack came in February 2017.

This outlined a period of data breaches that began in 2013 and lasted until 2016, with Yahoo waiting more than three years to reveal information about any of the attacks. Breached info related to names, email addresses, telephone numbers, birth dates, hashed passwords, and both encrypted and unencrypted security questions and answers.

Because each affected user now faces the risk of identity theft, Koh ruled in a 93-page decision that plaintiffs can now amend previously dismissed complaints to gain new legal ground against Yahoo.

“All plaintiffs have alleged a risk of future identity theft, in addition to loss of value of their personal identification information,” the judge wrote. Koh said some plaintiffs also alleged they had spent money to thwart future identity theft or that fraudsters had misused their data. Others, meanwhile, could have changed passwords or canceled their accounts to stem losses had Yahoo not delayed disclosing the breaches, the judge said.

“We believe it to be a significant victory for consumers, and will address the deficiencies the court pointed out,” John Yanchunis, a lawyer for the plaintiffs who chairs an executive committee overseeing the case, said in an interview. “It’s the biggest data breach in the history of the world.”

Yahoo's disclosure of the security breaches came in the midst of its acquisition by Verizon, and ended up affecting the carrier's offer. After an initial offer of $4.83 billion, Verizon ended up purchasing Yahoo's core business assets for $4.48 billion in order to limit potential liability. The deal closed this past summer and at the same time, Verizon announced plans to lay off about 2,100 Yahoo employees.

A collection of Star Wars toys, including Sphero's new R2-D2 and BB-9E droids, are now available to purchase from Apple's online store.

R2-D2 and BB-9E can be controlled with an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. More details can be found in our earlier coverage of the droids.

• BB-9E App-Enabled Droid by Sphero — $149.95
  

• R2-D2 App-Enabled Droid by Sphero — $179.95

Apple's new Star Wars accessories page also has a trio of Star Wars quadcopter drones by Propel, and a kit for creating your own Star Wars droid.

• Propel Star Wars T-65 X-Wing Starfighter Battle Quadcopter Drone — $179.95
  

• Propel Star Wars Tie Advanced X1 Battle Quadcopter Drone — $179.95
  

• Propel Star Wars 74-Z Speeder Bike Battle Quadcopter Drone — $179.95
  

• littleBits Droid Inventor Kit — $99.95
  

Apple is also hosting free Star Wars–themed sessions at many of its retail stores starting today through Saturday, September 9.

The new Star Wars toys and sessions are in celebration of Force Friday II, which begins today and runs through this weekend. It's all to promote Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which debuts in theaters December 15.

Netatmo yesterday announced the availability of its new Apple HomeKit-compatible smart radiator valves in the U.K. The smart home company claims Netatmo Smart Valves allow users to control their heating on a room-by-room basis and use on average 37 percent less energy to heat their home without compromising on comfort.

The Smart Valves can be used in houses with both individual heating and collective heating systems by fitting them on hot-water radiators, where they work to regulate the temperature of each room as part of a heating schedule and adapt to the habits and movements of residents.

For example, the bathroom is heated to 21°C during the morning, but not for the rest of the day when it is not being used; the parents' bedroom remains at 16°C during the day when it is empty, and the children's room is heated to 19°C from 5PM on weekdays when they come back from school.

In addition to dynamic temperature regulation, the valves can detect when a window is open and stop heating the room so as not to waste energy. And by utilizing smart regulation, the valves analyze external elements in real time – the weather, insulation of the house – and adjust the heating of the room to save as much energy as possible.

The user can also temporarily increase the temperature of a room at any time by manually turning the Valve or adjusting it directly from the Netatmo app, as well as via HomeKit and Google Home.

Netatmo Smart Radiator Valves are compatible with Apple Homekit, enabling users to control their heating with their voice. By simply asking Siri to change the temperature in the house, they improve their comfort at home without lifting a finger. With Apple Homekit, users can also create customised scenarios and interactions to connect smart devices together according to different combinations.

Netatmo Smart Radiator Valves join the existing Netatmo Smart Thermostat (£149) and are available in the U.K. today. They will retail for £70 each and can be found at John Lewis, Cefco, Maplin, ShopUK, Amazon.co.uk and Netatmo.com, as well as retailers for professionals Plumb Center, CEF, and Graham.

Bragi has announced that Alexa is set to become a new feature of its Bragi Dash wireless headphones later this year. The company revealed at the IFA trade show today that a software update coming in October will allow Dash and Dash Pro owners to talk to Amazon's virtual assistant in both English and German languages (via The Verge).

After the forthcoming 3.1 update is installed, to activate Alexa users will need to either tap an earbud or use the Dash's "4D menu", which relies on motion sensing to enable users to turn their head left or right and select from a virtual menu.

While Dash (and Dash Pro) users can already use their earbuds to activate Siri and Google, today's news means Bragi Dash are likely to become the first truly wireless earbuds to offer Alexa support, allowing wearers to, say, order a ride from Uber or a coffee from Starbucks.

MacRumors reviewed the Bragi Dash Pro ($330) wireless earbuds back in July and found that the gesture controls impress, but some UI and design frustrations remain. You can read the full review here.

Each week, Apple chooses an "App of the Week" to highlight in the App Store, making it free to download for seven days. This week's pick is a camera app called 8mm Vintage Camera, which is normally priced at $1.99 on the iPhone and iPad.

8mm Vintage Camera is a photo editing app that's been around for awhile, but this is the first time that it's been made available for free since its 2010 launch.

The app is designed to capture the "beauty and magic" of old school vintage movies using a selection of virtual lenses and films that include 1920, Noir, 60s, 70s, Sakura, XPro, Siena, Pela, Indigo, Tuscan and Two-Color. Apple's App Store editors had this to say about the app:

Shooting movies on film may be a dying art, but just because we live in the digital age doesn't mean we have to abandon our analog past. We get warm, nostalgic fuzzies from 8mm Vintage Camera's grainy, flickery film filters and lens effects, conjuring up memories of vacation travelogues screened in wood-paneled basements. It's not just about old-school kicks, though--this powerful suite of tools can give any video an authentic period look.

When capturing video with 8mm Vintage Camera, you can see the live effect displayed right in the app. It supports up to 1080p HD video recording and includes features like a jitter button to imitate frame shakes and a sound switch to add a projector sound.

8mm Vintage Camera can be downloaded for free for the next seven days, and after that, a new App of the Week will be chosen. There are separate versions for iPad and iPhone. [Direct Link: iPhone] [Direct Link: iPad]

Instagram Stories, the feature that allows users to upload ephemeral photos and videos to a special daily timeline, is expanding to the web on both desktop and mobile devices, the company announced today.

As with Instagram Stories in the mobile app, on the web, Stories will be featured at the top of the page. Clicking or tapping into a story will allow it to be viewed. For now, Instagram Stories is view only, but in the future, Instagram plans to allow Stories uploads from the web on mobile devices.

Instagram launched Stories just over a year ago in August of 2016 to compete with Snapchat, and the feature has been highly popular with Instagram users. As of April, Instagram Stories has more daily active users than Snapchat.

The feature allows users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Like Snapchat, it includes filters, stickers, emoji, and other image enhancement tools. Today's update also includes new weather-related filters that can be applied to photos.

According to Instagram, Stories on the web is rolling out starting today, but it will take a few weeks for the feature to show up to all users. Posting from the mobile web will be implemented in the coming months.