MacRumors

Apple today has been granted a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office regarding an "avatar editing environment," which is the company's patent terminology for a Mii-like app that users can visit to craft a digitized likeness of themselves to use throughout the Apple ecosystem. The patent was originally filed back in October 2011 but was just published by the USPTO today (via Patently Apple).

Apple's patent explains that its avatar editing environment would let users create "a representation of their alter ego." This includes a collection of editing features such as different eyes, ears, mouth, skin color, hair, teeth, smile, facial expressions, eyebrows, hair, beard, glasses, hats, and even more items related to the expression of each person's unique identity and fashion.

While Apple's new patent sounds like a basic Avatar editing system, the company's wording goes into deeper detail about how far and wide the digital personalities might be implemented across its services. The editor would primarily be its own application on iOS devices, but the patent also notes that Apple could add it as an online addition to its website and give its API to developers so they could implement the avatars into games, social networks, and more.

Once an avatar is created, the user would then discover the character can be placed -- and even animated -- in a number of iOS locations, including in Messages, Address Book, and FaceTime. In Messages, users could set a specific animation of their avatar to trigger in response to certain events, so while you're waiting for a text from a friend your avatar could be animated on their screen to be tapping its foot in impatience, or sleeping. In execution, some of Apple's avatar features sound similar to the popular Bitmoji app.

The patent also describes a feature where a user's face would be replaced in video chat, likely within FaceTime, by the avatar that they have created with Apple's editing system. The character would then be able to track and replace the user's expressions, eye movements, head, and body language, much like the technology created by Faceshift, which Apple acquired two years ago.

Like all other patents, the avatar editing environment described here is unlikely to see the light of day any time soon, if ever. Although the patent mentions that users could manually and automatically generate an avatar, it never directly specifies if that would include using a future iPhone's advanced camera system to map the user's face and generate a close approximation in digital form.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 8's front camera will be able to fuel experiences just like that, and might lead to gaming-enhanced 3D selfies and even experiences in augmented and virtual reality.

Popular podcast player Overcast has reached its long-awaited third iteration on the iOS App Store, with improvements to episode management and a slew of other UI enhancements.

Designed by Instapaper developer Marco Arment, Overcast 3's most obvious change is that it adopts the design language of iOS 10, such as the use of stacked views which Apple introduced in Apple Music, so screens including Now Playing, settings, downloads, and recommendations, now appear as stacks that slide up from the bottom of the interface. There's also a redesigned Now Playing view, in which users swipe right to adjust audio settings, and swipe left to view episode information.

A new episode action tray features in the app, grouping actions that were previously hidden behind swipe gestures or other menus. Tapping an episode in a list now displays buttons to share, star, play, add to queue, and delete the selected podcast episode.

Elsewhere, Peek and Pop 3D Touch gestures are now supported in episode list screens, allowing users to quickly preview episode contents and access play and delete shortcuts by sliding up the Peek card. An Overcast 3 widget for the home screen has also been developed, which allows users to see what's playing, resume playback, and see upcoming episodes in their Up Next queue.

Also included in Overcast 3 is a redesign of its Apple Watch component, with the ability to view upcoming episodes from the wrist.

Overcast 3 is available as a free ad-supported app, while an optional $9.99 in-app purchase gets users a premium ad-free version. Overcast 3 is available for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Amazon's latest Fire TV stick, with Alexa built in, is coming to the U.K., after launching in the U.S. back in October.

The streaming TV dongle will make its debut in the country on April 6 and have a price tag of £40, with Amazon already taking pre-orders.

The device comes with a quad-core processor that Amazon says makes it 30 percent faster than its predecessor. The dongle also supports 802.11ac WiFi networks, but the biggest difference is the new Alexa remote.

Like the Siri Remote on the Apple TV, a built-in microphone lets users search for content like movies and music, as well as control playback, open apps, and more. Unlike Siri Remote, it also supports third-party Alexa skills, allowing users to control smart home devices, for example.

Apart from the aforementioned online pre-orders, the new Amazon Fire TV stick will be on sale in shops including Dixons, John Lewis, Tesco, and Maplin from April 6.

Both ING Direct and Macquarie have implemented support for Apple Pay in Australia, according to Apple's updated Apple Pay website in the country. Starting today, both ING Direct and Macquarie customers can use Apple Pay for purchases in participating stores and locations with an eligible device.

Apple Pay support at the two banks comes more than a year after Apple Pay first became available in the country through a partnership with American Express.

The service is available in retail stores on iPhone SE, 6, 6s, 6 Plus, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, and older devices using the Apple Watch. In-app and web purchases can also be made using the aforementioned devices, a supported iPad, or one of Apple's new MacBook Pros.

While ANZ and many smaller banks support Apple Pay in Australia, three of the country's major banks, including Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, and Westpac, are currently embroiled in an ongoing dispute with Apple that has seen the banks refusing to accept Apple Pay.

The banks have asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to give them permission to negotiate with Apple to gain access to the NFC chip in the iPhone, allowing the iPhone to be used with the banks' own NFC-based payment solutions.

Apple does not allow third-party services to access the NFC chips built into its most recent devices for security reasons and has argued that the banks' challenge is harmful to consumers and would stifle innovation in mobile payments.

The ACCC sided with Apple in an initial ruling, but both sides are continuing to submit arguments and the banks recently re-submitted their application asking for permission to work together to make a deal with Apple.

Apple Pay is available in 13 countries, including the United States, UK, China, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, France, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, and Spain.

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 10.2 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second tvOS 10.2 update and nearly a month after releasing tvOS 10.1.1, the current release version of tvOS.

Designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV, the third tvOS 10.2 beta can be obtained by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, downloading and installing the software from a registered developer account via iTunes or Apple Configurator. Once a profile is installed, subsequent betas can be downloaded over the air.

Given the tricky installation requirements, tvOS betas are limited to developers and will not be provided to the public.

According to Apple's release notes, tvOS 10.2 introduces improved scrolling behavior, allowing tvOS users to scroll through large lists of information more quickly. A large swipe on the Siri remote automatically activates the new scrolling mode, and a swipe on the far right side of the remote allows users to navigate specific indexes.

It's likely there are other small feature tweaks and bug fixes included in tvOS 10.2, even though additional changes have not been specifically outlined by Apple. We'll update this post should any new content be found in the third tvOS 10.2 beta.

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 3.2 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second watchOS 3.2 beta and nearly a month after the release of watchOS 3.1.3, the current public version of the operating system.

The watchOS 3.2 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update after installing the proper configuration profile on the iPhone. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone.

watchOS 3.2 requires an iPhone running iOS 10 to install and will only be available to developers. Apple does not make watchOS betas available to the public as there is no way to downgrade the software on an Apple Watch.

watchOS 3.2 includes a "Theater Mode" designed to let customers quickly mute the sound on the Apple Watch and disable Raise to Wake, preventing the screen from lighting up with arm movement.

Theater Mode, originally introduced in watchOS 3.1.3, is being made available in watchOS 3.2. Customers are still able to receive haptic feedback-based notifications, and information can be viewed by either tapping the screen or pressing down on the Digital Crown.

watchOS 3.2 also brings SiriKit to the Apple Watch, allowing customers to ask Siri to do things like send messages, send payments, book a ride, log a workout, make a call, or search through photos. SiriKit has been available on iOS devices since the release of iOS 10, but is new to the Apple Watch.

Following in the footsteps of Snapchat and Instagram, Facebook-owned WhatsApp today announced the launch of "Status," a new feature that's designed to let users share videos, photos, and GIFs that expire each day.

The Status addition to WhatsApp is essentially identical to the "Stories" feature in Instagram and Snapchat, both of which allow users to share daily life updates with friends and family that expire after 24 hours.

With WhatsApp Status, WhatsApp users can use the in-app camera to share photos or videos that can be annotated with emoji, text snippets, and drawings. Status updates can be shared with all contacts, rather than just individuals or specific groups, but there are also options to choose who is able to see what.

Through the new Status tab, WhatsApp users can view all of the updates that their address book contacts have shared on the app and reply privately to updates. All Status updates expire after a 24 hour period.

WhatsApp is launching Status to celebrate its eighth anniversary. The new feature is rolling out to WhatsApp users starting today and should be available soon for all iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone users.

WhatsApp can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

After debuting exclusively inside special pop-up vending machines last year, Snapchat has today begun selling its video-recording Spectacles online for $129.99. Like in the vending machines, the Spectacles come in Coral, Black and Teal, and include a charging case and cable. At the time of writing, shipping estimates sit at a delivery time within the next 2-4 weeks.

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel said that the response to the Spectacles has been positive ever since the vending machines began appearing in California and New York. But, as TechCrunch uncovered in Snap's IPO filing, the company mentioned that "the launch of Spectacles . . . has not generated significant revenue for us." The filing further stated: "We expect to experience production and operating costs related to Spectacles that will exceed the related revenue in the near future."

“As Evan shared in his interview with the WSJ, when we launched, the idea was : ‘We’re going to take a slow approach to rolling them out,’ says Spiegel. ‘It’s about us figuring out if it fits into people’s lives and seeing how they like it.’ Response has been positive since November’s launch so we’re now happy to be able to make Spectacles more readily available — especially for those in the US who have not been able to make it to a Snapbot.”

When synced with the Snapchat mobile app, users can tap a button on Spectacles to begin recording a ten-second video, which is saved in the "Memories" section of the app and can be revisited and posted to their Story. Even though distribution has been added online, Snapchat said that customers can still expect the vending machines to appear at random new locations in the future, after they have a "brief nap."

Disney Research has constructed a prototype living room with "ubiquitous wireless power delivery," allowing users to move around while their technology charges without any cables, wires, or charging pads (via Ars Technica). Disney's technology mirrors some early rumors for the 2017 iPhone 8, which suggested Apple was building a long-range wireless charging solution instead of the Apple Watch-style inductive charging solution of more recent reports.

The room's walls, ceiling, and floor were built with aluminum panels, and a large copper pipe was placed in its center. The middle of the pipe was cut out and in the gap the researchers placed fifteen capacitors, "and it's those capacitors that set the electromagnetic frequency of the structure, and can find the electric fields."

To generate the power that is relayed into the room, a signal generator sits just outside the prototype living room and outputs a 1.32MHz signal to the capacitors in the pole, producing what the researchers call "quasistatic cavity resonance."

"In this work we're demonstrating room-scale wireless power, but there's no reason we couldn't shrink this down to the size of a toy box or a charging chest, or scale up to a warehouse or a large building."

Given that it's still a very early prototype, there's a few caveats to Disney's wireless charger, including the limit on the power that can be pumped into the room before it reaches dangerous levels for humans. The specific absorption rate, a measure of how much energy can be absorbed by the human body, is capped at 1900 watts. The copper pole at the room's center requires the nearest person to have at least 46 centimeters of clearance before they're put in danger. Besides these restrictions, Disney says it's "completely safe" for anyone to occupy the room for any period of time.

In order for the devices to receive the charging signal, Disney had to design a receiver that allowed the researchers to "power many devices simultaneously." Including an iPhone, the other objects included an RC car, a fan, a lamp, and six other devices. Although the technology is still nascent and the receiver is bulky, Disney's "Volumetric Wireless Power for Livable Spaces" is an interesting look at what future wireless charging systems might be able to accomplish without the restrictions of the inductive charging pads popular today.

Because of the restrictions of charging mats, Apple's Phil Schiller has said in the past that the introduction of a wireless charging pad for iPhone would actually be "more complicated" and he remained unconvinced that it was actually a convenient solution to traditional outlet and USB cable charging. Still, a prominent rumor for the iPhone 8 is its inclusion of wireless charging in some form, with Apple recently joining the Wireless Power Consortium in order to assist in the open development of the Qi wireless charging standard.

Read more about Disney's findings here, and check out another video that dives deep into the science behind the researcher's wireless charging living room.

Shares in Taiwanese iPhone assembler Foxconn have reached decade-year highs over growing optimism about Apple's upcoming iPhone 8, due to launch in 2017.

According to a new Bloomberg report, Hon Hai Precision Industry – better known as Foxconn – has gained 29 percent in the last year on high expectations for Apple's 10th anniversary iPhone, which has helped the Apple supplier defy a flat mobile market.

Apple, which accounts for half the company's revenue, played a pivotal role in the stock’s recent buoyancy. The U.S. company this month reported stronger-than-expected iPhone sales during the key holiday quarter.

While the iPhone 7, introduced in September, failed to convince as many existing customers to upgrade as its predecessor, it did attract new smartphone buyers. That bodes well for the iPhone slated for later this year.

Apple is expected to launch a radically redesigned iPhone this year. The phone is believed to include a glass body, wireless charging, and potentially an edge-to-edge OLED display that integrates a front-facing camera with facial recognition and touch sensors for fingerprint identification. Foxconn may also end up assembling upgraded (but standard) 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhones alongside the redesigned handset.

Investors hope the iPhone 8 line-up will provide a boost to a stalling industry, with Foxconn reportedly grappling with the slowdown. According to an average of analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg, revenue is projected to slip about 3 percent in 2016, and net income will be down 13 percent. However, earnings growth could rebound to 12.2 percent this year.

In addition to the 10th anniversary iPhone boost, Foxconn is said to be considering building a $7 billion display-making facility in the U.S. Japanese company Sharp is reportedly "taking the lead" on the proposed U.S. site and has set aside $1.8 billion to developing facilities for making OLED displays – the same technology Apple is expected to adopt in future iPhones.

Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 8 in the fall, with claims of a launch as early as this summer likely based on reports that Apple will ramp up production early, although this may only be to improve yield rates, work out manufacturing issues, and ensure better supplies for a September release.